1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: Most relationships are built on trust, But what happens when 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: that trust is broken. It's Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco, 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: and it starts as it always does, surrounded by famp, 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: good food and the promise of quality time together. However, 5 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: as dinner time draws closer, one thing becomes increasingly hard 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: to overlook. There is a vacant seat at the table. 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 1: A single mother of five has not arrived, and she 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: isn't answering her phone. With each passing moment, the question intensifies. 9 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: Where is she? 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: What happens when love becomes fatal? This is a Fatal 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: Attraction podcast with a Thanksgiving tragedy. 12 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 3: November two thousand and four. It's Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco, California, 13 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 3: the most beautiful cities in America. 14 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 4: There are lots of different cultural experiences that you can have. 15 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 5: You see an amazing food scene, a lot of beautiful architecture, 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 5: a lot of local attractions, and there's a lot of 17 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 5: money in the Bay Area. 18 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 3: And all that wealth comes at a price. 19 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 6: San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in 20 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 6: the country. 21 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 2: With the price of housing and everything else growing more 22 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 2: and more unaffordable. People are leaving San Francisco. 23 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 7: Lots of families opt to live in Oakland, which is 24 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 7: significantly less expensive. 25 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 2: What Brooklyn is to Manhattan, Oakland is to San Francisco. 26 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: There's a bridge that separates the two, and many people 27 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: who live in Oakland have roots and family in San Francisco. 28 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 3: When Linda Alonzo's family sits down for Thanksgiving dinner that 29 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 3: evening in San Francisco, i'n'n go try to call anndagam. 30 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 3: They're still waiting for her to arrive from her home 31 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: across the bay in Oakland. 32 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 2: When they tried to reach out to her, there was 33 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 2: no response, so they were kind of wondering what was 34 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 2: going on. You reach Linda, I'm unavailable. 35 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 3: Leave a message and I get right back with you, Linda, honey, 36 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 3: the turkeys have often Eventually the family carries on without her. 37 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,239 Speaker 8: Maybe there is traffic. The Bay Bridge often has a 38 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 8: lot of traffic, especially on a holiday. 39 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 3: But by the time they're finished eating, she still hasn't arrived. 40 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 9: Leave a message and I get right back with. 41 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 3: You, Linda. 42 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 8: Call me when you get this. I saved your plates. 43 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 8: Hours go by, no sign of Linda, no phone call. 44 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 6: At that point, the family knew something was seriously wrong. 45 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 3: Forty eight year old Cynthia Linda Alonzo spent most of 46 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 3: her early years in San Francisco. 47 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 7: She grew up in a very close knitch family. They 48 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 7: always called her by her middle name, Linda. 49 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: Linda came up from a more of a hardscrabble life. 50 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 8: Linda grew up in a part of town that could 51 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 8: be considered lower income, and her family really struggled. 52 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 5: But she had a family that loved her, a family 53 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 5: that she spent a lot of time with. 54 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 8: They supported each other emotionally if they couldn't support each 55 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 8: other financially. 56 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 3: And by the time Linda turned thirty, she had her 57 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 3: own family to support. 58 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 8: She had five children and that really meant the world 59 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 8: to her. 60 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 6: However, none of the children's fathers were really in their life. 61 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 3: Which is one reason why the single mother eventually left 62 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 3: San Francisco be behind, moving across the Bay Bridge to 63 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 3: nearby Oakland. 64 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 5: This is actually extremely common, especially for people who were 65 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 5: born around the time Linda was in the mid fifties. 66 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 5: In San Francisco, we had a huge amount of black 67 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 5: displacement due to a redevelopment. 68 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 2: She ultimately found herself living here in Oakland because it's 69 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 2: cheaper to live and there's a larger base of black 70 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 2: and working class people. 71 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 4: She was really looking forward to creating a different life 72 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 4: for herself, the stable life, a better life. 73 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 3: Although it wasn't until Linda was in her forties that 74 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 3: things really started looking up for the single mom. 75 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 8: Her five children were getting older and they were starting 76 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 8: to do their own thing. 77 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 7: Linda was finally able to spend a little time on herself. 78 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 4: She was optimistic, she was hopeful. She wanted a storybook romance. 79 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 3: Then she met Eric Mora. 80 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 5: Eric was a smart guy, handsome guy, well educated by 81 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 5: all accounts, extremely charming. 82 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 2: Eric, in contrast to Linda, grew up in the lap 83 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 2: of luxury. He received a large inheritance which allowed him 84 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: to afford a lifestyle that Linda could only imagine. Nice housing, 85 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 2: fancy cars. 86 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 8: Given Linda's circumstances, it must have been amazing to meet 87 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 8: this guy that was able to take her out and 88 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 8: show her another side of life. 89 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 3: And it only got better from there. 90 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 8: Wait is this your place? 91 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 2: Yeah? 92 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 10: You got to see it from the balcony. 93 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 5: Eric lived in a beautiful house that he owned in 94 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 5: one of the Bay areas most affluent neighborhoods the Oakland Hills. 95 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 11: It's a beautiful area where most people would like to 96 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 11: live because she gets some nice views. 97 00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 9: How'd you like it? 98 00:05:59,320 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 2: You kidding? 99 00:05:59,760 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 10: Meet? 100 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 3: It places gorgeous. 101 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 5: This must just seemed almost like a fairy tale situation 102 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 5: that this great guy, with this beautiful house and all 103 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 5: of these things going for him was interested in her. 104 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 2: They say, opfices to tract. This was that situation. Despite 105 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 2: the difference between the way in which they grew up, 106 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 2: they somehow found love together. 107 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 3: Not only had Linda found love, she'd also found the 108 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 3: better life she'd been looking for ever since she moved 109 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 3: to Oakland, and he was. 110 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 2: Able to provide her with things that she had only 111 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 2: dreamed about. 112 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 3: The couple grew even closer as Linda's kids grew up 113 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 3: and left home. 114 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,679 Speaker 2: She became a fixture in his life, and he became 115 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:48,679 Speaker 2: a fixture in hers. 116 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 8: Now both of them are in their late forties, which 117 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 8: a lot of people might think is a hard time 118 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 8: to meet someone and fall in love. So I'm sure 119 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 8: it felt great to have love at that point in 120 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,039 Speaker 8: her life where a lot of people have already been established. 121 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 3: But now, just as it seemed, Linda had so much 122 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 3: to look forward to. She is a no show for 123 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 3: Thanksgiving dinner at her mother's house in San Francisco. 124 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 8: This is totally not normal for her to show up 125 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 8: to Thanksgiving dinner and also not call. 126 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 3: She also wasn't answering her phone. Linda, please call me 127 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 3: when you get this. 128 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 2: This is a family's concern for Linda is growing. They 129 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 2: decided to reach out to Eric. 130 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 7: When they got ahold of Eric Hell, he seemed just 131 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 7: as puzzled as they were about her disappearance. 132 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 9: What do you mean she didn't show up? 133 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 2: He said he hadn't seen her, and that was surprising 134 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 2: to them. 135 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 3: But it's what he says next that's even more surprising. 136 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 10: To be honest, I haven't seen her in days. 137 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: A woman is missing. Calls have gone unanswered, and now 138 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: the search for answers is now underway. Stay tuned for 139 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: more of the Fatal Attraction podcast. 140 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 3: Snipe is so amazing. When she met Eric Mora, Linda 141 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 3: Alonso had finally found the love and support she'd always craved. 142 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 6: She spent most of her adult life as a struggling 143 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,199 Speaker 6: mother trying to get by. 144 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 4: When you are used to going without, that just creates 145 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 4: that yearning so much more deeply in you. 146 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 8: He could provide for her and her family in a 147 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 8: way that I'm not sure other people could have. 148 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 3: But now she's missed her family's traditional Thanksgiving dinner, leaving 149 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 3: them concerned that something is wrong. 150 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 8: This is someone who talks to her family on the 151 00:08:58,840 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 8: phone every day. 152 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 9: Yeah. 153 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 7: When the family got a hold of Erk, he stated 154 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 7: that he had not seen or heard from Linda. 155 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 10: To be honest, I haven't seen her in days. 156 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 8: He said. 157 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 6: He last seen Linda on Saturday when she came over 158 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 6: to his house for dinner. 159 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 10: You think something happened to her. 160 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 3: I don't know, But if you see her, please keep 161 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 3: your car. 162 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 10: Yeah. 163 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 7: Of course on the phone, Eric seemed just as worried 164 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 7: as Linda's family. 165 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 3: By the next morning, with still no word from Linda, 166 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 3: the family decides to report her missing to the Oakland Police. 167 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,839 Speaker 2: The family had to go down to the police station 168 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 2: and provide all the information they could, pictures of Linda, 169 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 2: who she's been with, and the last person that they 170 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:56,199 Speaker 2: knew had seen her, which was Erin good boyfriend. 171 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 8: Yes, was there any trouble there? 172 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 3: No, not at all. However, the family also admits that 173 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 3: things hadn't always been great for Linda. 174 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 2: The family ultimately had to explain Linda's background. 175 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 5: Linda's life wasn't always easy. She had times of trouble financially, 176 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 5: times of trouble in terms of stability of housing. 177 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 3: And it wasn't just because San Francisco had gotten too expensive. 178 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 7: The family revealed that in the past, Linda had issues 179 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 7: with substance abuse. 180 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 9: Okay, when you say substance abuse, what do you. 181 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,359 Speaker 8: Mean correct. 182 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 3: Sink, smoke, crack. 183 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,559 Speaker 5: When we talk about substance use disorder, we're talking about 184 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 5: a physical and a psychological addiction. And when we're talking 185 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 5: about crack cocaine, we're talking about the addiction in its 186 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 5: most powerful, most terrifying. 187 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 3: For According to the family, Linda had beaten the ogs 188 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 3: and kicked her habit. 189 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 5: Linda was able to build her life back up, start 190 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 5: a relationship, things that for her were an enormous triumph. 191 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,319 Speaker 3: But was that triumph only temporary. 192 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 2: What the family was concerned about is there was still 193 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 2: the possibility that she may have relapsed. 194 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 4: When you have a family member that struggles with substance abuse, 195 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 4: that's always going to. 196 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 5: Be a question. 197 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 2: We're going to do everything in a power to find 198 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 2: out what happened to Linda, you, ladies. 199 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 3: After talking to Linda's family, detectives launch a missing person's investigation. 200 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 2: HOLPS. Some police follow up on the information that the 201 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 2: family provided. One of the first things they did was 202 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 2: to go to Linda's house in order to investigate and 203 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 2: search the house for any type of clues that might 204 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 2: lead them to what we'reabouts. 205 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 3: When the landlord lets them in, everything appears normal. 206 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 5: They didn't see any signs that there had been any 207 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 5: sort of incident in the space, no signs of forced entry, 208 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 5: no signs that Linda had been pulled from her house. 209 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 2: It was like she had left home. 210 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 8: Her backpack that she usually took with her was gone. 211 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 2: From their search, police are leaving with no real clues 212 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 2: as to what happened to Linda or where she might 213 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 2: be at. 214 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 3: Nothing the house and a parent dead end. Detectives asked 215 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 3: Eric to come in for a statement. 216 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 5: The police turned to who the police always turned to first, 217 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 5: which is a significant other of the person who is missing. 218 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 2: Eric shows up to the police department willingly participates in 219 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 2: the interview. 220 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 10: As soon as you find anything out about Linda, I'm 221 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 10: afraid not. 222 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 4: Eric Morris seems to be very concerned and worried about 223 00:12:58,520 --> 00:12:59,199 Speaker 4: his girlfriend. 224 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 3: But as detectives question him, they can't help but notice something. 225 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 7: He had what it seemed to be fresh scratches on his. 226 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 2: Hands that heightened that level of suspicion. 227 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 8: So what happened there? 228 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 9: I've been standing the floors of my house. 229 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 10: I should have hired someone. 230 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 8: It seems reasonable. 231 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 3: Still, detectives are suspicious, but at. 232 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 7: The same time, Eric seemed to be willing to cooperate 233 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 7: with the investigation. 234 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: We talked to investigators at length about he and Linda's relationship. 235 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,359 Speaker 2: Tells the police intimate details. 236 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 9: I was afraid something like this was going to happen. 237 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 2: What do you mean? He tells them that, you know, 238 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 2: he and Linda were in love, but that in recent 239 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 2: times that love has had to face some serious challenges 240 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 2: because Linda has backslid into a lifestyle that he thought 241 00:13:58,600 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 2: that she had left behind. 242 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 5: He said that she had started using crack again. 243 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:08,439 Speaker 3: A relapse is exactly what Linda's family had feared. 244 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 10: I tried to get her to go to rehab, but 245 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 10: it was hard. 246 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 4: It's a painful process because it leaves your loved ones 247 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 4: feeling helpless. 248 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 3: However, according to Eric, the crack isn't all he's worried about. 249 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 10: And the stuff she's been doing, it's scary stuff like 250 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 10: other drugs. No, it's not that I told her I 251 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 10: wouldn't give her any more money. 252 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 6: According to Eric, she found another way to feed her addiction. 253 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 2: She said she was a prostitute. 254 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: Stay with us because what unfolds next is going to 255 00:14:54,400 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: transform everything you thought you knew about this story. 256 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 3: Linda Alonzo's boyfriend, Eric Mora, hasn't just confirmed her family's 257 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 3: fear that the former addict is using again, He informs 258 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 3: detectives the situation is even worse than they imagined. 259 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 5: He said that to pay for that addiction, she had 260 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 5: started doing sex work. 261 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 8: He was trying to stop her from selling her body, 262 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 8: but she wouldn't stop. 263 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 3: He also says that Linda kept her relapse and how 264 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 3: she was funding it a secret from her family. 265 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 4: The secrecy is common because there's a lot of guilt 266 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 4: and shame for the person that's struggling with the addiction. 267 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 3: Eric's news of just how far Linda has relapsed adds 268 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 3: a new layer of urgency to the missing person's investigation. 269 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 7: It's not unusual for prostitutes and addicts to become victims 270 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 7: of foul play. 271 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 2: She could have gone off into an underworld of drug 272 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 2: addiction to never be seen again. When did you see Linda. 273 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 9: Last Saturday morning? Please? Is there anything I can take 274 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 9: like that? 275 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 2: He told the police that he had given her forty 276 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 2: dollars and dropped her off in West oak I. 277 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 9: Knew I shouldn't have given her that money, but I didn't. 278 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 10: Know what else to do. 279 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 2: He knew, full of wealth, that she was going to 280 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 2: use that money to beat this addiction that had a 281 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 2: grip on her life. But he had so much love 282 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 2: for her. He was hopeful that by him giving her 283 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 2: that money, she wouldn't have to go and sell herself. 284 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 4: When you're in a long term romantic relationship with someone 285 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 4: and they relapse back into addiction, it feels so painful. 286 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 8: You feel helpless. 287 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 4: You're worried about enabling them, but what you really don't 288 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 4: want is for them to be in unsafe situations, and 289 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 4: so it makes sense that you may want to reduce 290 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 4: the risk by providing the resource that the person needs 291 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 4: that they're going to do it anyway. 292 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 10: I thought she'd be back in a day or two. 293 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 6: Eric told detectives, and Linda had disappeared like this before. 294 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 3: But she had always come back, and despite her addiction, 295 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 3: He's continued to remain by her side, but yet understood 296 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 3: that the addiction had complete. 297 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 2: Control of her. 298 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 9: I thought I was helping. 299 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 2: He was just trying to be her crutch in this moment. 300 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 4: Whenever a person is enabling a loved one, it's because 301 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 4: they love them and they're really doing what they think 302 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 4: is best to support them. 303 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 3: Now, detectives wonder whether Eric's misguided attempt to keep Linda 304 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 3: safe had led to her disappearance or worse. 305 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 4: West Oakland definitely has far more crime, far more street crime, 306 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 4: far more violent crime. 307 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 11: There are some areas that have what we call the 308 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 11: projects and over there, because of the poverty and the 309 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 11: lack of opportunities, you get a lot of drug trafficking 310 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,119 Speaker 11: and drug traffic king brings in robberies and robbery brings 311 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 11: in assaults. 312 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 10: That's all we have for you. Free to go follow me. 313 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 3: After detectives talk to Eric. The search for Linda takes 314 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 3: the police to the streets. 315 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 7: It put out an APB for officers to be on 316 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:26,360 Speaker 7: the lookout for her. 317 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 2: Oakland PD broadened the scope of their investigation. They start 318 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 2: using their resources. Patrol officers patrolling up and down streets 319 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:39,159 Speaker 2: where prostitution is known to occur, beating the streets for 320 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 2: all the information they can look for Leice Hi. 321 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 8: Is do you have? 322 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 3: As Detectives also check with area hospitals and jails. 323 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 6: There was still a possibility that she overdosed or she 324 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,400 Speaker 6: could have been picked up for drugs or prostitution. 325 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 2: Unfortunately, the police are nothing. Despite all the efforts, no 326 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 2: one has seen Linda. Linda has seemingly disappeared without. 327 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 3: A trace, or is it possible that she's in hiding. 328 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 5: Sometimes somebody doesn't want to be found because they are 329 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 5: somewhere doing drugs, because they are with someone who is 330 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 5: paying them for sex work or other work, because they 331 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,439 Speaker 5: have re entered a life that they had left and 332 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 5: they're ashamed, and they don't want their family for friends 333 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 5: to know. And I am sure that all of these 334 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 5: things crossed the police officer's mind. 335 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 3: Empty handed so far, detectives reach out to Linda's circle 336 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:41,199 Speaker 3: of Oakland friends. 337 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 7: These were people who didn't necessarily know or communicate with 338 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,159 Speaker 7: Linda's family in San Francisco. 339 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 2: They are surprised to learn that the story that Eric 340 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,239 Speaker 2: has is something totally different than the story that our 341 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 2: friends have to share. 342 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 3: None of Linda's friends I ever saw signs of a 343 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 3: drug relapse. No, and that isn't the only contradiction to 344 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 3: Eric's story. 345 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 5: Friends of Linda's believe that Eric might not be as 346 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 5: perfect as he seemed initially. 347 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:18,640 Speaker 2: They share with investigators that yes, the relationship between Linda 348 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 2: and Eric started off as a fairy tale, but at 349 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,640 Speaker 2: some point in time turned into more of a nightmare. Wait, 350 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 2: so it wasn't drugs. 351 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 8: No, No, not at all. It was Eric that could 352 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 8: wrote me going out with money going. They start to 353 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 8: get more details on their relationship and that their relationship 354 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 8: was not good. 355 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 6: According to what Linda told her friends, Eric had become 356 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 6: controlling and jealous, like he owned her. 357 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 3: But that wasn't the worst of it. 358 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 5: She was saying that she was not sure if she 359 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 5: felt safe around Eric. 360 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,360 Speaker 8: Really, she told me that he would sometimes hit her. 361 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: Stay tuned. What really happened that day is beginning to 362 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,879 Speaker 1: take shame. This is the Fatal Attraction Podcast. 363 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 3: A friend of Linda Alonso has just told detectives investigating 364 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 3: her disappearance a very different story than the one they 365 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 3: got from the missing woman's boyfriend Eric Mora pe I 366 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 3: could let. 367 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:30,400 Speaker 10: You hold her. 368 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 8: Before her disappearance, Linda told her friends about wanting to 369 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 8: leave Eric and that their relationship was not good and 370 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 8: in fact abusive. 371 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 7: In this statement to police, Eric had told detectives that Linda, 372 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 7: a former attic, had a recent relapse. 373 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 3: Eric's statement fit with what Linda's family told them about 374 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 3: her past. 375 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 2: The family had to be very frank and honest and 376 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 2: disclose to the police about her history drug a fish. 377 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,199 Speaker 3: But now detectives wonder if Eric had been counting on that. 378 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 5: It sounds like some of those vulnerabilities are what was 379 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 5: leveraged by Eric. 380 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 6: The fact that Linda had not told her family about 381 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 6: the abuse is not all that uncommon. 382 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 8: Something that is seen in a lot of cases involving 383 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 8: domestic abuse is that the victim will tell kind of 384 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 8: random people, like their neighbors, but they won't tell their 385 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 8: immediate family. 386 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 4: You don't want their judgment, You don't want them to 387 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,159 Speaker 4: echo what you're already saying to yourself. It can feel 388 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 4: disheartening and absolutely demoralizing when you start noticing that this 389 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 4: may not be the storybook romance that you are looking for. 390 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 3: And if what Linda told her friends about Eric's abuse? 391 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 3: Is true? Could that ultimately explain her disappearance? 392 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 12: Abusers almost never start their ABU saw the one ten 393 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 12: more likely than not. Boundaries are tested and pushed progressively 394 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 12: over time and then the escalation of violence. 395 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 7: For a victim of domestic violence, trying to get out 396 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 7: of a relationship is the most dangerous time. 397 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 4: The aggressor or perpetrator of domestic violence is always struggling 398 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 4: with some degree of control. When you're in a situation 399 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 4: where you're feeling rejected by the person that you feel 400 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 4: that you have control over, they do whatever is necessary 401 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 4: to regain that control. 402 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 3: Is that what happened in Linda's case? 403 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 6: When Eric initially sat down with detectives, he had suspicious 404 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 6: scratches on his hands. 405 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 2: He said he was standing the floor for someone unreason. 406 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 3: But now that more than a week has gone by 407 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 3: with no word from Linda or leads on her whereabouts, 408 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 3: detectives aren't so sure. 409 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:09,199 Speaker 5: Perhaps this was not a missing person's investigation. 410 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 2: After all, this smells like a homicide. 411 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 3: Hoping for more information about Eric and Linda's relationship, detectives 412 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 3: returned to her neighborhood and start knocking on doors. 413 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 2: Talking to Linda's neighbors, police learn a very important piece 414 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 2: of information. Excuse me. 415 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 5: They spoke with a neighbor who was certain that she'd 416 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 5: see Linda getting into Eric's car on Thanksgiving Day. 417 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:40,879 Speaker 2: There's certain it was Thanksgiving. 418 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:41,920 Speaker 8: Positive. 419 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,640 Speaker 6: I was expecting family, So when I heard a karplop outside, 420 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 6: I looked out to see. 421 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,639 Speaker 8: It was them, And you're sure it was Linda and Eric. Definitely. 422 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 2: This is a direct contradiction to what Eric has said. 423 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 5: Eric had told police and told Linda's family that he 424 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,119 Speaker 5: had not seen her in some time. 425 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 3: The neighbors says that when she saw Linda get in 426 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 3: the car with Eric that afternoon, she assumed they were 427 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 3: heading across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. 428 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 2: She told her neighbors that she was excited, looking forward 429 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 2: to spending Thanksgiving at her mother's house. 430 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 3: Instead, that was the last time anyone had seen Linda. 431 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 2: Almost this new information, investigators began to take a closer 432 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:31,479 Speaker 2: look at her. 433 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 5: They were eventually able to get a search warrant for 434 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 5: Eric's home in the Oakland Hills. 435 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,880 Speaker 3: Question is, after four weeks, will they even find anything? 436 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 5: As we all know that means forensic evidence is far harder. 437 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,679 Speaker 3: To come by. Despite that, the search does raise questions. 438 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 8: There was a carpet that was missing, there was furniture 439 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 8: that was missing or at been moved around. 440 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 3: And as he'd said when detectives asked about the scratches 441 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 3: on his hands, it appeared that Eric had been sending 442 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 3: his floors. 443 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,159 Speaker 7: It didn't look like he was remodeling. 444 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 8: The floor was sanded in a very rushed, messy, incomplete way. 445 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 2: It looks like someone had attempted to clean up a 446 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 2: potential crime scene. 447 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,679 Speaker 3: Suspecting that's the case, detectives decided to take a closer look. 448 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,719 Speaker 2: They call in the crime scene investigators, who come in 449 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 2: with their technology. 450 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 3: One of the first things that CSSI texts do is 451 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 3: spray the walls around the sanded area with luminol. 452 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,200 Speaker 6: Luminol under fluorescent light will reveal where blood stains were 453 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 6: previously cleaned. 454 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,959 Speaker 7: And in this case, it appeared to confirm that the 455 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 7: detectives were dealing with a homicide. 456 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:01,439 Speaker 2: They find traces of blood splatter on the wall of 457 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 2: Eric's home. 458 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: Stay tuned for more of the Fatal Attraction podcast. 459 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 3: More than a month after Linda Alonso mysteriously disappeared, Oakland 460 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 3: police had found their first clear indication that she may 461 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 3: have been murdered. 462 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 6: When they searched Eric's upscale home in Oakland Hills. They 463 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 6: discovered blood spattered on the walls. 464 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 3: And according to a neighbor, they last saw Linda getting 465 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,400 Speaker 3: into Eric's car on Thanksgiving Day, just a few hours 466 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:44,959 Speaker 3: before she went missing. 467 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:49,919 Speaker 2: Eric told investigators that he hadn't seen Linda for four 468 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 2: days leading up to Thanksgiving. 469 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 3: However, they will need more to make an arrest. 470 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 7: The CSI team took samples of the blood on the 471 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 7: walls of Eric's house. 472 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 2: They then send them to the lab for analysis. 473 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 3: When they will get the results is anyone's guests. 474 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 2: Back in this point in time. DNA took a number 475 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 2: of weeks up to months to process before the police 476 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 2: department would get back to the results. 477 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 3: Several months go by before detectives finally get the evidence 478 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 3: they need. 479 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,680 Speaker 6: The DNA tests discovered that the blood on Eric's wall 480 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 6: was a match for lender. 481 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 5: There was enough forensic evidence based on those lab results 482 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 5: that they were able to get an arrest warrant. 483 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 3: But when they go to make the arrest, detectives hit 484 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 3: another snag. 485 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 5: Eric wasn't at home. 486 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 7: In fact, the fancy house in the Oakland Hill that 487 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 7: Linda had been so impressed with wasn't even his anymore. 488 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,320 Speaker 2: He had saulted and apparently skipped down. 489 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 5: Was he on the run? Was he just taking a trip? 490 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 5: Nobody knew. 491 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 3: Months go by without any sign of their suspect or 492 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 3: any evidence indicating where he'd gone. 493 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 6: Eric dropped completely off the radar. 494 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 3: It's not until February of two thousand and seven, more 495 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 3: than two years after Linda went missing, that detectives finally 496 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 3: get a tip that Eric has been spotted. 497 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 2: They located their personal interest on the Jack London waterfront 498 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 2: right here in ok. 499 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 5: They were able to bring him in for question. 500 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 2: This time. When investigators talked to Eric, it wasn't as 501 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 2: pleasant as the first time. They didn't consider him to 502 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 2: be the doting boyfriend who had stood by Linda during 503 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 2: all her life's challenges. Instead, the police investigators confronted him 504 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 2: with the evidence. 505 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 9: We fell Linda's blood at your house. I can explain that. 506 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,400 Speaker 7: He said that someone had broken into his house in 507 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 7: the middle of. 508 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 10: The night about a month before Linda's disappearance. 509 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 6: Eric claims Linda surprised the intruder and he pistol whipped 510 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 6: her before fleeing the scene. 511 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 8: So all of that blood and all that stuff must 512 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 8: have been from the home invasion. 513 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 3: The detectives are skeptical. 514 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 7: This was the first time Eric had ever said anything 515 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 7: about a home invasion. 516 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 2: They confronted Eric with the testimony that the neighbors saw 517 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 2: Eric and Linda together as Linda was getting into his 518 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 2: car on Thanksgiving. 519 00:30:58,080 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 10: It wasn't me, I swear. 520 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 5: He claimed he didn't know where Linda was, he hadn't 521 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 5: seen Linda, and he did not kill her. 522 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 2: And why'd you leave town? 523 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,959 Speaker 5: I had to His answer was that he was in 524 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:16,760 Speaker 5: fear for his life, that Linda's family was threatening him, 525 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 5: that they believed mistakenly. He said that he was somehow 526 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 5: involved in her disappearance, and he was afraid that they 527 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 5: were going to hurt him. 528 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 10: I had the leave. 529 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,800 Speaker 8: Tell he seems to have an answer in a story 530 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 8: for everything. 531 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 3: Not the detectives. They're buying any of it. 532 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 8: It's pretty clear that Eric is the killer. 533 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 10: Got to stand up. 534 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,440 Speaker 6: At the end of the interview. They booked him on 535 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 6: murder charges. 536 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 3: However, the police and prosecutors know they are a long 537 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 3: way from a murder conviction. 538 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,680 Speaker 5: The case against Eric was fairly circumstantial. 539 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 3: At this point, physical evidence is everything, and there's one 540 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 3: major piece of evidence that's still missing. 541 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,040 Speaker 5: There wasn't a body. 542 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 11: Not having a body is very challenging for a prosecutor. 543 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 11: One of the biggest pieces of a case is how 544 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 11: was the person killed? And if you don't have a body, 545 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 11: you're not going to know what happened to her. 546 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 3: But what if there was someone who knew the truth? 547 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:26,040 Speaker 5: While Eric was in jail, a friend of Linda's family 548 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 5: was also in lock up at that time. 549 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 7: That friend got in contact with the detectives. 550 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: Shoot a woman is missing. Calls have gone unanswered, and 551 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 1: now the search for answers is now underway. Stay tuned 552 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,680 Speaker 1: for more of a Fatal Attraction podcast. 553 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 3: Police in Oakland, California, have built a strong circumstantial case 554 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 3: that Eric Mora murdered his missing girlfriend, Linda Alonso. 555 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 6: They found Linda's blood inside of his house, and friend 556 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 6: said it was an abusive relationship. 557 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 3: Most of all, a neighbor had seen Linda get into 558 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,719 Speaker 3: Eric's car just hours before she went missing. 559 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 2: That directly contradicted the story that Eric had tried to 560 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 2: feed to the investigators. 561 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 3: But without a confession or Linda's body. A conviction was 562 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 3: far from assured. 563 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,360 Speaker 5: Any prosecutor you talked to will tell you that it 564 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,720 Speaker 5: is extremely hard without a body. 565 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,520 Speaker 3: But before the case goes to trial, the detectives catch 566 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:54,719 Speaker 3: a lucky break. 567 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 7: They're contacted by a jail house informative who said that 568 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 7: Eric offered to pay him money to back up his story. 569 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:10,280 Speaker 5: Eric offered this person one thousand dollars if he would 570 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 5: back up Eric's claims that Linda had left home prior 571 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 5: to Thanksgiving, that Linda was on the streets, and that 572 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 5: Eric had nothing to do with it. 573 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 3: But instead of testifying for Eric, he'd gone straight to detectives. 574 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 6: This informant was a friend of her family. He wanted 575 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 6: to get all of this information and find out what 576 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 6: really happened, and she should. 577 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 5: Think about him. 578 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,319 Speaker 2: When he alluded to the fact that she was did. 579 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 7: All the informant knew was that Linda's body wasn't anywhere 580 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:58,320 Speaker 7: around Eric's house. 581 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 2: Not not christ. 582 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:07,760 Speaker 3: And according to the informant, Eric never said exactly why 583 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:19,239 Speaker 3: he'd killed her, So it's as close to a confession 584 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,200 Speaker 3: as the detectives are likely to get. 585 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:26,320 Speaker 2: The prosecutors knew it was far from a slam down case. 586 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:30,839 Speaker 3: When the case goes to trial in twenty twelve, the 587 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:35,360 Speaker 3: prosecution theorizes that Eric and Linda spat started when she 588 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:37,800 Speaker 3: told him the relationship was over. 589 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:40,320 Speaker 10: I don't want to be what you know. 590 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,960 Speaker 4: In that moment, he's losing control. It makes sense that 591 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,719 Speaker 4: he may snap, he may see red, so. 592 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,960 Speaker 12: In an act to exert that control over her, he 593 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 12: resorted to violence. 594 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 3: But since the prosecutors don't have Linda's body or know 595 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:11,279 Speaker 3: precisely how Eric Kilder will, their theory of how the 596 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 3: crime occurred convince the jury. 597 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:21,400 Speaker 2: When a jury listened to the inconsistencies in Eric's statements, DNA, 598 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 2: and the blood splatter in his home, the witness testimony 599 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 2: that said that the last time that Linda was saw 600 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,880 Speaker 2: alive was with Eric, a jury of his peers convicted 601 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:32,000 Speaker 2: him for the murder. 602 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:39,279 Speaker 3: The judge sentences Eric to fifteen years to life in prison, but. 603 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 2: The story wasn't over. Eric appealed this conviction. 604 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:51,279 Speaker 3: Ultimately, the court overturns his conviction. In twenty sixteen. 605 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 6: They concluded that the trial judge had wrongfully barred the 606 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,880 Speaker 6: defense from bringing forward any other suspect. 607 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:05,680 Speaker 5: When a conviction is overturned prosecutors have the option of 608 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:10,239 Speaker 5: moving forward with the new trial, and that's always extremely. 609 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 3: Difficult, but the prosecutors won't need to go back to trial. 610 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,560 Speaker 7: More than a decade after Linda's disappearance, Eric was ready 611 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:20,520 Speaker 7: to come clean. 612 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 2: For a price, He wanted to cut a deal. He 613 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 2: told prosecutors that he would confess to the crimes if 614 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:33,319 Speaker 2: they would give him a sweetheart deal the eleven years 615 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:38,200 Speaker 2: in exchange for telling them where they could find her body. 616 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:45,040 Speaker 3: Despite the drastic reduction in sentence, the prosecutors make the deal, is. 617 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,799 Speaker 13: It worthwhile to offer them a much lesser sentence for 618 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 13: retrieval of the body? In most cases, the answer to 619 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 13: that is yes. That closure aspect of it is, you know, 620 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,960 Speaker 13: that's key. 621 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 3: Although what Eric tells them provides little comfort for Linda's family. 622 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,640 Speaker 6: He said that after the murder, he wrapped Linda's body 623 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 6: in a tark and buried her in a shallow grain 624 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:16,640 Speaker 6: on the grounds of the decommissioned Oakland Army Base. 625 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:22,680 Speaker 5: It's a fairly desolate industrial area in Oakland, not that 626 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:24,280 Speaker 5: far from the Freeway. 627 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:32,439 Speaker 3: Detectives organize an extensive search for Linda's remains, but after 628 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:36,880 Speaker 3: weeks of painstaking effort, they come up empty handed. 629 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,680 Speaker 2: And they were unable to give the family closure by 630 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 2: Linda the proper burial she deserved. 631 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:46,719 Speaker 7: The fact that prosecutors allowed Eric's plea deal to stand 632 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 7: only added to the family's disappointment. 633 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,480 Speaker 8: He could be up for parole in twenty twenty five 634 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:57,719 Speaker 8: and back out there. This is someone who killed his 635 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:01,360 Speaker 8: girlfriend of two years, the other of five children. 636 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,279 Speaker 3: But in May of twenty twenty two, just as the 637 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,280 Speaker 3: family is losing hope that Linda will ever be found, 638 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,399 Speaker 3: a construction crew working on the old Army base makes 639 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:16,719 Speaker 3: a shocking discovery. 640 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 2: They stumbled upon a shallow gray that contained a. 641 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:27,600 Speaker 7: Body they looked like Eric may have told the truth after. 642 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:33,400 Speaker 3: All, Forensic testing confirms the body is that of Linda Alonso. 643 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,240 Speaker 6: It took eighteen years, but Linda is no longer missing. 644 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 8: There isn't a word for this combination of relief and 645 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 8: sadness that I'm sure the friends and family felt when 646 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:53,440 Speaker 8: the body was found. On one hand, their hope that 647 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:56,600 Speaker 8: she might still be alive is gone, but there's the 648 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,839 Speaker 8: relief of being able to finally put her to rest. 649 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:03,360 Speaker 5: I'm hopeful that it has brought them a sense of 650 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:04,960 Speaker 5: peace that they did not otherwise have. 651 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,960 Speaker 1: As the story comes to a close, some answers may 652 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:18,360 Speaker 1: be clear, but the weights of what happened remains. What 653 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: should have been an ordinary day became something unimaginable, a 654 00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:29,120 Speaker 1: loss that reaches far beyond a single moment. Cynthia Linda Alonzo, 655 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:33,160 Speaker 1: a mother, a daughter, a cousin, a grandmother. 656 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:36,400 Speaker 2: Was deeply loved and will never be forgotten. 657 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,600 Speaker 1: Her absence is felt in the lives she touched, in 658 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:43,480 Speaker 1: the family she held close, and in the memories that remain, 659 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 1: and she will be deeply missed. 660 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:50,919 Speaker 3: Abuse is never okay. If you or someone you love 661 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 3: is in an abusive relationship, there is help available. Call 662 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:58,879 Speaker 3: the domestic Violence hotline at one eight hundred seventy nine 663 00:40:58,920 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 3: to nine. 664 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 1: See coming up on the next episode of the Fatal 665 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 1: Attraction podcast. 666 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:12,120 Speaker 3: They were a young couple in love. They hit it 667 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 3: off from the beginning. 668 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,120 Speaker 8: These two young people seem to have it all together. 669 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,320 Speaker 2: They had the right future. I had it done. 670 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,480 Speaker 3: Until it all went up and smoked. 671 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:32,319 Speaker 9: Nine one received a frantic Hall nine one one. 672 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:34,080 Speaker 8: The apartment was on fire. 673 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:36,879 Speaker 2: His girlfriend is stuck inside. 674 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:38,120 Speaker 9: Please listen. 675 00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 3: One whol on. 676 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:44,320 Speaker 1: A family in Phoenix Arizona, on the verge of a 677 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:49,839 Speaker 1: new chapter, finds their future abruptly disrupted. What begins as 678 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:55,840 Speaker 1: a devastating and seemingly unexplainable accidents quickly raises deeper questions. 679 00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:00,319 Speaker 1: As the dust settles, the truth doesn't align, and what 680 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:05,120 Speaker 1: is uncovered next starts to change everything. Tune in to 681 00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 1: the next episode of the Fatal Attraction podcast. We will 682 00:42:09,560 --> 00:42:13,000 Speaker 1: see you in the next episode.