1 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:48,001 Speaker 1: School of Humans. 2 00:00:49,241 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 2: Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold case murders in 3 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 2: an effort to raise public awareness invite witnesses to come 4 00:00:56,241 --> 00:01:00,121 Speaker 2: forward and present evidence that could potentially be further investigated 5 00:01:00,121 --> 00:01:03,761 Speaker 2: by law enforcement. While we value insights from family and 6 00:01:03,801 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 2: community members, their statements should not be considered evidence and 7 00:01:07,761 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 2: point to the challenges of verifying facts inherent in cold cases. 8 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 2: We remind listeners that everyone has presumed innocent until proven 9 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 2: guilty in a court of law. Nothing in the podcast 10 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 2: is intended to state or imply that anyone who has 11 00:01:22,161 --> 00:01:25,601 Speaker 2: not been convicted of a crime is guilty of any wrongdoing. 12 00:01:26,241 --> 00:01:27,121 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. 13 00:01:31,401 --> 00:01:34,241 Speaker 3: It was Thursday night, November one, two thousand and seven. 14 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,641 Speaker 3: An eighteen year old Justin Gaines was getting ready for 15 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,081 Speaker 3: a night out with his friends at Wild Bills, a 16 00:01:40,121 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 3: club in Duluth, Georgia. Justin was a freshman college He 17 00:01:44,881 --> 00:01:47,561 Speaker 3: had just started at Gainesville State, which was about an 18 00:01:47,561 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 3: hour away from where his family lived his mom, Erica Wilson, 19 00:01:51,721 --> 00:01:56,241 Speaker 3: his stepfather, Stephen Wilson, and his siblings. Justin was fairly 20 00:01:56,281 --> 00:01:59,001 Speaker 3: newly single. He had broken up with his girlfriend of 21 00:01:59,041 --> 00:02:03,001 Speaker 3: two years pretty recently, but according to Atlanta magazine they 22 00:02:03,001 --> 00:02:06,081 Speaker 3: were still friends. In fact, Justin talked on the phone 23 00:02:06,081 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 3: to his ex shortly before he went out that night. 24 00:02:09,641 --> 00:02:13,641 Speaker 3: This was a close blended family. When Justin's mom and 25 00:02:13,721 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 3: his stepfather married, they each brought their own children to 26 00:02:16,441 --> 00:02:19,641 Speaker 3: the relationship. There were seven kids in all, and apparently 27 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 3: they all got along. Justin also had a good relationship 28 00:02:23,601 --> 00:02:26,521 Speaker 3: with his stepdad, Stephen, who worked at a roofing company. 29 00:02:27,081 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 3: Sometimes Justin would do odd jobs for Stephen to pick 30 00:02:30,041 --> 00:02:35,041 Speaker 3: up some extra cash. Justin was handsome five foot eleven 31 00:02:35,601 --> 00:02:38,881 Speaker 3: two hundred and thirty pounds. He was muscular and fit. 32 00:02:39,161 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 3: He had blue eyes and short brown hair that he 33 00:02:41,441 --> 00:02:45,321 Speaker 3: wore in a buzz cut. On the Thursday night, Justin 34 00:02:45,441 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 3: was wearing a gray Abercrombie and Fitch long sleeve shirt 35 00:02:49,001 --> 00:02:52,001 Speaker 3: and rip blue jeans. He also had a pair of 36 00:02:52,041 --> 00:02:55,441 Speaker 3: diamond stud ear rings that he sometimes wore. That night, 37 00:02:55,521 --> 00:02:57,961 Speaker 3: he was wearing a single diamond stud in his left ear. 38 00:02:58,801 --> 00:03:02,681 Speaker 3: On thirsty Thursdays at Wild Bills, you only had to 39 00:03:02,681 --> 00:03:05,481 Speaker 3: be eighteen years old to enter the club, but Justin 40 00:03:05,561 --> 00:03:07,921 Speaker 3: did have a couple of fake id's with him so 41 00:03:07,961 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 3: that he could buy drinks at the bar. He used 42 00:03:10,561 --> 00:03:14,401 Speaker 3: the names Brad Allen and Brad's Shoe. His mom, Erica, 43 00:03:14,521 --> 00:03:18,641 Speaker 3: later clarified on web slue that technically these weren't fake IDs, 44 00:03:19,121 --> 00:03:21,921 Speaker 3: they were the IDs of some older friends that Justin 45 00:03:21,921 --> 00:03:25,001 Speaker 3: would use. I relate to this because I did a 46 00:03:25,041 --> 00:03:27,161 Speaker 3: lot of that when I was younger, old enough to 47 00:03:27,161 --> 00:03:30,441 Speaker 3: get into the club, but too young to drink. So 48 00:03:30,881 --> 00:03:32,961 Speaker 3: Justin didn't take a wallet out with him that night. 49 00:03:33,161 --> 00:03:37,161 Speaker 3: He had no credit cards, just cash, his fake IDs, 50 00:03:37,241 --> 00:03:41,481 Speaker 3: and his cell phone. His stepfather told Atlanta Magazine, which 51 00:03:41,521 --> 00:03:44,721 Speaker 3: by the way, did a really long and in depth feature 52 00:03:44,761 --> 00:03:48,041 Speaker 3: on this case, that he remembered that night very well 53 00:03:48,121 --> 00:03:51,641 Speaker 3: because apparently, right before he went out, Justin was joking 54 00:03:51,681 --> 00:03:54,201 Speaker 3: around with Stephen about what shirt he should wear to 55 00:03:54,241 --> 00:03:59,161 Speaker 3: impress the ladies. Justin was a big, very fit guy. 56 00:03:59,241 --> 00:04:02,441 Speaker 3: He could take care of himself. He was also charming 57 00:04:02,561 --> 00:04:06,161 Speaker 3: and confident and, according to his mother, very social, someone 58 00:04:06,201 --> 00:04:10,921 Speaker 3: who had no trouble talking to anyone, including strangers. He 59 00:04:10,961 --> 00:04:13,841 Speaker 3: was a regular at Wild Bills. He knew the bartenders, 60 00:04:13,841 --> 00:04:16,361 Speaker 3: and apparently he also knew some people who were going 61 00:04:16,401 --> 00:04:20,161 Speaker 3: to be there that night. Justin had a car, but 62 00:04:20,241 --> 00:04:22,601 Speaker 3: he wasn't driving. He left his car at his mom 63 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,561 Speaker 3: and stepdad's house. He caught a ride with a friend 64 00:04:25,601 --> 00:04:29,681 Speaker 3: of his named Chris Byers and Chris's girlfriend, Amanda. According 65 00:04:29,681 --> 00:04:32,601 Speaker 3: to Atlanta Magazine, Chris and Justin had been friends for 66 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 3: a long time, ever since high school. They were now 67 00:04:35,521 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 3: college roommates. Chris and Amanda picked Justin up at his 68 00:04:39,161 --> 00:04:42,361 Speaker 3: house and they headed to Wild Bills. Along the way, 69 00:04:42,401 --> 00:04:44,721 Speaker 3: they stopped at a gas station where Justin mixed some 70 00:04:44,801 --> 00:04:47,161 Speaker 3: vodka and gas station energy drink in one of those 71 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,601 Speaker 3: big fountain cups. Again, I used to do this all 72 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,001 Speaker 3: the time as a team. It's an easy way to 73 00:04:53,041 --> 00:04:57,121 Speaker 3: save money. Later at the bar, Wild Bills is huge. 74 00:04:57,561 --> 00:05:01,121 Speaker 3: This club could hold thousands of people. It's closed now, 75 00:05:01,281 --> 00:05:03,921 Speaker 3: but back in the day they had seven different bars 76 00:05:04,041 --> 00:05:06,921 Speaker 3: and each bar had kind of a different vibe. They 77 00:05:06,961 --> 00:05:09,241 Speaker 3: even had a tiki bar in there, and they would 78 00:05:09,241 --> 00:05:12,721 Speaker 3: host all different kinds of events. They would host phone parties, 79 00:05:12,961 --> 00:05:18,041 Speaker 3: sometimes mma fights, and they had line dancing nights. Most 80 00:05:18,041 --> 00:05:20,561 Speaker 3: of their nights tended to have a country theme, but 81 00:05:20,641 --> 00:05:24,521 Speaker 3: on Thursday Thursdays, the mechanical bull and cowboy boots were 82 00:05:24,561 --> 00:05:27,721 Speaker 3: replaced with girls dancing on platforms and a DJ who 83 00:05:27,721 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 3: would spend R and B mixed with hip hop. Thursdays 84 00:05:31,201 --> 00:05:35,001 Speaker 3: were also apparently the only night where eighteen year olds 85 00:05:35,041 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 3: could go into the club. So Chris, Amanda, and Justin 86 00:05:38,801 --> 00:05:42,321 Speaker 3: got to the bar and were ready to party. They 87 00:05:42,321 --> 00:05:45,241 Speaker 3: were aiming to get there by eleven pm, but they 88 00:05:45,241 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 3: were a few minutes late, and this twist of fate 89 00:05:49,161 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 3: being a few minutes late changed everything because after eleven pm, 90 00:05:53,921 --> 00:05:57,241 Speaker 3: Wild Bills had a cover charge. It went from being 91 00:05:57,321 --> 00:06:01,321 Speaker 3: free to ten dollars per person. Justin saw someone in 92 00:06:01,361 --> 00:06:03,681 Speaker 3: line who he knew, so he was able to get 93 00:06:03,721 --> 00:06:06,161 Speaker 3: a pass to get in for free, but Chris and 94 00:06:06,201 --> 00:06:08,881 Speaker 3: Amanda could not, and they did not want to pay 95 00:06:08,881 --> 00:06:12,601 Speaker 3: the cover charge, so they left Wild Bills and Justin 96 00:06:12,641 --> 00:06:15,041 Speaker 3: went in on his own. He said that it was 97 00:06:15,121 --> 00:06:18,321 Speaker 3: no problem, he would find a ride. This was something 98 00:06:18,361 --> 00:06:22,321 Speaker 3: that he did often. Again, he was this big, strong 99 00:06:22,401 --> 00:06:26,681 Speaker 3: guy who could handle himself. A while later, in the 100 00:06:26,721 --> 00:06:29,681 Speaker 3: early morning hours of November two, two thousand and seven, 101 00:06:30,441 --> 00:06:33,881 Speaker 3: Justin walked out into that parking lot in Duluth and 102 00:06:33,921 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 3: no one ever saw him again. I'm Catherine Townsend. If 103 00:06:40,361 --> 00:06:42,241 Speaker 3: you have a case you'd like me and my team 104 00:06:42,281 --> 00:06:44,561 Speaker 3: to look into, you can reach out to us at 105 00:06:44,561 --> 00:06:47,561 Speaker 3: our Helen Gone Murder line at six seven eight seven 106 00:06:47,641 --> 00:06:51,041 Speaker 3: four four six one four or five. That's six seven 107 00:06:51,081 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 3: eight seven four four six one four or five. This 108 00:06:55,561 --> 00:07:32,801 Speaker 3: is Helen Gone Murder line. The disappearance of Justin Gaines 109 00:07:32,881 --> 00:07:35,881 Speaker 3: became a big story in Atlanta because no one could 110 00:07:35,921 --> 00:07:39,561 Speaker 3: figure out how this guy just walked out into the 111 00:07:39,681 --> 00:07:43,841 Speaker 3: night and never showed up again. So remember this was 112 00:07:43,721 --> 00:07:47,921 Speaker 3: two thousand and seven. Instagram had just launched, and even 113 00:07:47,961 --> 00:07:51,201 Speaker 3: though pretty much everyone had a cell phone then people 114 00:07:51,321 --> 00:07:55,081 Speaker 3: weren't constantly shooting video all the time like they do today. 115 00:07:56,521 --> 00:07:59,121 Speaker 3: There were cameras at Wild Bills, so there was some 116 00:07:59,201 --> 00:08:04,401 Speaker 3: surveillance footage, but according to Justin's mom, Erica, most of 117 00:08:04,441 --> 00:08:07,761 Speaker 3: the cameras were focused on areas that handled money, like 118 00:08:07,801 --> 00:08:11,521 Speaker 3: the register and the front and back doors. Erica did 119 00:08:11,601 --> 00:08:15,161 Speaker 3: an interview with a podcast called Unfound, and in that 120 00:08:15,281 --> 00:08:20,041 Speaker 3: interview she explained that an FBI agent who was a 121 00:08:20,081 --> 00:08:22,841 Speaker 3: friend of her, someone she knew, had come in to 122 00:08:22,961 --> 00:08:25,841 Speaker 3: unofficially help her with the case, and the FBI agent 123 00:08:26,001 --> 00:08:29,161 Speaker 3: was able to pull some of that surveillance footage. The 124 00:08:29,161 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 3: footage showed that at the club, Justin had some drinks, 125 00:08:32,481 --> 00:08:35,001 Speaker 3: he was on camera talking to a female bartender who 126 00:08:35,081 --> 00:08:39,001 Speaker 3: he knew. Later, that bartender talked to Erica and told 127 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,601 Speaker 3: her that Justin seemed normal, like he was having a 128 00:08:41,641 --> 00:08:44,721 Speaker 3: good time, and she said he did not appear to 129 00:08:44,761 --> 00:08:48,401 Speaker 3: be super intoxicated. He apparently even made a comment to 130 00:08:48,441 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 3: this bartender about not getting too smashed. While he was 131 00:08:52,601 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 3: in the club, Justin made a couple of phone calls 132 00:08:55,361 --> 00:08:58,401 Speaker 3: to friends of his who he believed were inside. We're 133 00:08:58,441 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 3: not sure exactly what Justin was doing the whole time 134 00:09:01,721 --> 00:09:03,201 Speaker 3: he was in the club because we only have a 135 00:09:03,201 --> 00:09:07,521 Speaker 3: few moments on camera, but at one point he apparently 136 00:09:07,601 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 3: did start talking to a girl. Later in some media reports, 137 00:09:12,121 --> 00:09:15,321 Speaker 3: some reporters asked questions about what they called a minor 138 00:09:15,401 --> 00:09:21,201 Speaker 3: altercation over a woman who Justin was apparently dancing with. Apparently, 139 00:09:21,201 --> 00:09:23,921 Speaker 3: this woman had a boyfriend, and Justin and the guys 140 00:09:23,961 --> 00:09:27,521 Speaker 3: who were with this woman exchanged a few words. Some 141 00:09:27,601 --> 00:09:30,601 Speaker 3: of these details came from a private investigator who was 142 00:09:30,681 --> 00:09:34,881 Speaker 3: later hired by Erica Justin's mom, but the PI said 143 00:09:34,921 --> 00:09:37,641 Speaker 3: he could never nail down a description of the two 144 00:09:37,721 --> 00:09:41,081 Speaker 3: guys who Justin was supposedly talking with. There are a 145 00:09:41,161 --> 00:09:44,161 Speaker 3: lot of moments from Justin's time inside the club and 146 00:09:44,201 --> 00:09:48,041 Speaker 3: afterward that are missing. But Justin was there for a 147 00:09:48,081 --> 00:09:50,841 Speaker 3: while after he talked to this girl. He seemed to 148 00:09:50,881 --> 00:09:55,441 Speaker 3: be in good spirits and he was chatting to people. Then, 149 00:09:55,641 --> 00:09:57,961 Speaker 3: at around one point thirty he got ready to leave. 150 00:09:58,761 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 3: Justin walked outside the club at one thirty eight am. 151 00:10:01,881 --> 00:10:04,961 Speaker 3: You can see that on the security footage. He started 152 00:10:05,001 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 3: calling friends trying to find a ride home. Again, remember 153 00:10:09,121 --> 00:10:12,081 Speaker 3: this was a time before ride shares became a huge thing. 154 00:10:12,681 --> 00:10:15,401 Speaker 3: Uber didn't come on the scene until around twenty ten. 155 00:10:16,441 --> 00:10:20,681 Speaker 3: There were taxis, but it's never been reported how much 156 00:10:20,801 --> 00:10:24,041 Speaker 3: cash Justin was carrying, So I wondered did he have 157 00:10:24,081 --> 00:10:27,121 Speaker 3: a big wad of cash or just enough to cover drinks. 158 00:10:27,561 --> 00:10:29,401 Speaker 3: He may not have had enough money to call a cab, 159 00:10:30,001 --> 00:10:32,121 Speaker 3: and even if he did, some of his friends said 160 00:10:32,201 --> 00:10:34,321 Speaker 3: he wasn't really a person who had a habit of 161 00:10:34,361 --> 00:10:37,721 Speaker 3: calling taxis. He would hit up his friends for rides instead. 162 00:10:38,721 --> 00:10:41,321 Speaker 3: His mother, by the way, made it clear that he 163 00:10:41,321 --> 00:10:44,281 Speaker 3: could have called home at any time and she or 164 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,001 Speaker 3: her husband would have come to get him. She told 165 00:10:47,001 --> 00:10:50,641 Speaker 3: Atlanta Magazine quote, I think he didn't call Stephen because 166 00:10:50,641 --> 00:10:53,521 Speaker 3: he didn't want to disappoint us, and that haunts me, 167 00:10:53,721 --> 00:10:56,641 Speaker 3: you know, because nothing the kids do would ever disappoint me. 168 00:10:57,121 --> 00:11:01,601 Speaker 3: End quote. I find myself really feeling for Justin again here. 169 00:11:03,041 --> 00:11:05,121 Speaker 3: He just wanted to go home. He made a ton 170 00:11:05,161 --> 00:11:08,321 Speaker 3: of calls, but no one was able to come get him. 171 00:11:08,721 --> 00:11:11,281 Speaker 3: And I can relate to this part too. He probably 172 00:11:11,361 --> 00:11:14,681 Speaker 3: didn't want his parents to know he'd been drinking again. 173 00:11:14,921 --> 00:11:17,961 Speaker 3: As a fit guy, he probably thought he could take 174 00:11:17,961 --> 00:11:23,721 Speaker 3: care of himself. Often a person's size, especially a man's size, 175 00:11:23,801 --> 00:11:27,361 Speaker 3: will give them a false sense of security. Most guys 176 00:11:27,361 --> 00:11:30,641 Speaker 3: I know, especially young ones around this age, just don't 177 00:11:30,641 --> 00:11:32,721 Speaker 3: feel that they're in danger in the same way in 178 00:11:32,801 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 3: general as young women would. Plus, this was a safe area. 179 00:11:37,121 --> 00:11:40,761 Speaker 3: Over the next half hour or so, Justin made twenty 180 00:11:40,801 --> 00:11:44,681 Speaker 3: four calls to eleven different people, none of them could 181 00:11:44,681 --> 00:11:48,081 Speaker 3: come get him. Justin's last call was to Chris, the 182 00:11:48,161 --> 00:11:51,401 Speaker 3: friend he rode with to Wild Bills. He made that 183 00:11:51,481 --> 00:11:55,961 Speaker 3: call at two two am. Chris later told Atlanta Magazine 184 00:11:56,041 --> 00:11:57,841 Speaker 3: that Justin had called him and he was kind of 185 00:11:57,881 --> 00:12:02,001 Speaker 3: half asleep. He remembered Justin asking for a ride, but 186 00:12:02,121 --> 00:12:05,361 Speaker 3: Chris said he had borrowed his girlfriend's dad's car. He 187 00:12:05,401 --> 00:12:07,721 Speaker 3: said he couldn't really go out at that time of night, 188 00:12:07,801 --> 00:12:11,201 Speaker 3: and asked for the car again. He thought that Justin 189 00:12:11,241 --> 00:12:14,241 Speaker 3: would be fine, and later of course, said that if 190 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:16,441 Speaker 3: he had had any idea that his friend was in trouble, 191 00:12:16,481 --> 00:12:19,881 Speaker 3: he would have gone and gotten him instantly. After that 192 00:12:19,921 --> 00:12:26,721 Speaker 3: phone call nothing. At first, Erica wasn't worried when Justin 193 00:12:26,761 --> 00:12:29,161 Speaker 3: didn't come back home the next morning. She knew he 194 00:12:29,241 --> 00:12:31,041 Speaker 3: was going out to party and he's an eighteen year 195 00:12:31,041 --> 00:12:34,961 Speaker 3: old guy. But then the weekend went by. She didn't 196 00:12:35,001 --> 00:12:37,921 Speaker 3: hear from him on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, she 197 00:12:37,961 --> 00:12:41,361 Speaker 3: started calling his friends. He never came home to get 198 00:12:41,361 --> 00:12:44,521 Speaker 3: his wallet or to pick up his car, and on 199 00:12:44,601 --> 00:12:48,801 Speaker 3: Monday morning, November fifth, she became seriously alarmed because he 200 00:12:48,881 --> 00:12:51,161 Speaker 3: never showed up to give Chris a ride back to school. 201 00:12:51,161 --> 00:12:54,481 Speaker 3: Remember they were roommates. Erica told Dateline that at that 202 00:12:54,561 --> 00:12:58,201 Speaker 3: point she logged onto Justin's online school portal, which she 203 00:12:58,241 --> 00:13:01,121 Speaker 3: had access to. That's when she saw that he had 204 00:13:01,161 --> 00:13:03,521 Speaker 3: not turned in some homework, and she knew that that 205 00:13:03,641 --> 00:13:08,521 Speaker 3: was completely out of character. She reported Justin missing friends, 206 00:13:08,601 --> 00:13:11,721 Speaker 3: family and volunteers started trying to retrace his last steps. 207 00:13:14,041 --> 00:13:17,361 Speaker 3: The police did a search as well, but Erica said 208 00:13:17,401 --> 00:13:20,201 Speaker 3: that it really took about two weeks for police to 209 00:13:20,241 --> 00:13:25,681 Speaker 3: start seriously searching. Everyone was trying to retrace Justin's steps. 210 00:13:25,681 --> 00:13:28,521 Speaker 3: They were trying to figure out from that parking lot 211 00:13:28,641 --> 00:13:32,321 Speaker 3: what his next move would be. Several people came forward 212 00:13:32,401 --> 00:13:34,641 Speaker 3: and said that they had seen him sitting on a 213 00:13:34,681 --> 00:13:37,881 Speaker 3: bench in the back parking lot on his cell phone. 214 00:13:37,921 --> 00:13:40,041 Speaker 3: We know that he was making a ton of calls 215 00:13:40,121 --> 00:13:45,441 Speaker 3: during that time. Shortly after two two am, Justin's phone 216 00:13:45,601 --> 00:13:50,921 Speaker 3: pinged one more time, and then the phone appeared to die. 217 00:13:51,201 --> 00:13:53,361 Speaker 3: Erica said that he had a habit of sometimes letting 218 00:13:53,401 --> 00:13:56,801 Speaker 3: his phone die. So did the battery die or did 219 00:13:56,841 --> 00:14:00,601 Speaker 3: someone shut it off? Did Justin get tired of waiting 220 00:14:00,641 --> 00:14:03,401 Speaker 3: for a ride, did he decide to try to walk 221 00:14:03,401 --> 00:14:06,721 Speaker 3: toward home or could someone have picked him up there. 222 00:14:08,681 --> 00:14:12,841 Speaker 3: In the weeks following Justin's disappearance, some news outlets checked 223 00:14:12,881 --> 00:14:16,281 Speaker 3: Justin's court history. They saw that Justin had a public 224 00:14:16,321 --> 00:14:18,761 Speaker 3: intoxication charge on his record from the summer of two 225 00:14:18,801 --> 00:14:22,401 Speaker 3: thousand and seven. It happened after he fell asleep in 226 00:14:22,401 --> 00:14:24,521 Speaker 3: the backseat of his car with an open bottle of 227 00:14:24,561 --> 00:14:27,961 Speaker 3: vodka in there. He got caught with the open container 228 00:14:28,001 --> 00:14:32,001 Speaker 3: and a fake ID. So some people suggested that maybe 229 00:14:32,041 --> 00:14:35,801 Speaker 3: Justin had left voluntarily to avoid going to court on 230 00:14:35,841 --> 00:14:40,041 Speaker 3: November twenty first. But this seemed extremely far fetched right 231 00:14:40,081 --> 00:14:43,641 Speaker 3: from the beginning, and his family immediately dismissed this theory. 232 00:14:43,801 --> 00:14:49,001 Speaker 3: They knew it wasn't plausible. Also, these were not serious charges. 233 00:14:49,881 --> 00:14:52,081 Speaker 3: There was no reason for Justin to have left on 234 00:14:52,121 --> 00:14:54,441 Speaker 3: his own. And by the way, if he was leaving, 235 00:14:54,441 --> 00:14:56,881 Speaker 3: why would he leave his wallet with his real ID 236 00:14:57,081 --> 00:15:03,921 Speaker 3: and everything else behind. Justin's family did everything they could 237 00:15:04,001 --> 00:15:07,521 Speaker 3: to help the search. Erica turned her home garage into 238 00:15:07,521 --> 00:15:10,761 Speaker 3: an office. She started printing up flyers. The family put 239 00:15:10,801 --> 00:15:14,401 Speaker 3: billboards up on Highway I eighty five. This tidbit was 240 00:15:14,401 --> 00:15:16,481 Speaker 3: in the Atlanta magazine article. By the way, and it's 241 00:15:16,481 --> 00:15:19,881 Speaker 3: so heartbreaking to me, because I've heard this before in 242 00:15:19,961 --> 00:15:24,161 Speaker 3: Rebecca Gould's case and in some others. According to the article, 243 00:15:24,601 --> 00:15:29,481 Speaker 3: people called Justin's stepfather to report buzzard sightings, and he 244 00:15:29,521 --> 00:15:32,721 Speaker 3: would take his four wheeler out to look and see 245 00:15:32,721 --> 00:15:36,001 Speaker 3: if there was a body out there, but he never 246 00:15:36,041 --> 00:15:40,281 Speaker 3: found anything other than animal carcasses. Of course, police talked 247 00:15:40,321 --> 00:15:44,281 Speaker 3: to Justin's friends. There were rumors early on that Chris 248 00:15:44,561 --> 00:15:49,281 Speaker 3: wasn't being super helpful to law enforcement. Apparently, Chris believed 249 00:15:49,441 --> 00:15:53,001 Speaker 3: that police were too hard on his girlfriend, Amanda, but 250 00:15:53,401 --> 00:15:57,321 Speaker 3: Erica later clarified on a web sluse forum that after 251 00:15:57,361 --> 00:16:01,241 Speaker 3: some initial friction, all of Justin's friends had been cooperative 252 00:16:01,681 --> 00:16:04,801 Speaker 3: and police confirmed Chris and Amanda were at home in 253 00:16:04,841 --> 00:16:10,361 Speaker 3: bed when Justin went missing. Erica told the Unfound podcast 254 00:16:10,401 --> 00:16:12,641 Speaker 3: that she does not believe that Justin walked out of 255 00:16:12,641 --> 00:16:15,881 Speaker 3: that parking lot. It was late, but not super late. 256 00:16:16,481 --> 00:16:19,561 Speaker 3: There were people around, and Justin was in the back 257 00:16:19,641 --> 00:16:22,761 Speaker 3: parking lot, which was less busy than the front parking lot, 258 00:16:23,121 --> 00:16:25,841 Speaker 3: but it wasn't deserted. In fact, it was somewhere where 259 00:16:25,841 --> 00:16:28,521 Speaker 3: in the past Justin had hung out and had some 260 00:16:28,641 --> 00:16:32,681 Speaker 3: drinks with friends again Wild Bills was in a safe area, 261 00:16:32,761 --> 00:16:37,521 Speaker 3: pretty much in the middle of suburbia. Erica believes that 262 00:16:37,681 --> 00:16:41,161 Speaker 3: if Justin decided to walk along the highway toward home, 263 00:16:41,961 --> 00:16:44,201 Speaker 3: she believed someone would have seen him, and I think 264 00:16:44,241 --> 00:16:47,401 Speaker 3: she's right. A big guy like that probably would have 265 00:16:47,441 --> 00:16:51,041 Speaker 3: been spotted on a camera somewhere or by some witnesses, 266 00:16:51,681 --> 00:16:55,921 Speaker 3: which means that Justin almost certainly got picked up in 267 00:16:56,041 --> 00:16:59,801 Speaker 3: that parking lot, So the question is who picked him up. 268 00:17:03,401 --> 00:17:07,121 Speaker 3: Police have said they believe that Justin may have been 269 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:10,561 Speaker 3: picked up by a blonde woman, possibly driving a black car. 270 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,761 Speaker 3: They got this information from a friend of Justin's named James. Now. 271 00:17:15,761 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 3: According to Erica, James, who knew Justin from college, saw 272 00:17:20,241 --> 00:17:22,921 Speaker 3: him getting into a car with a blonde woman wearing 273 00:17:22,961 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 3: a black dress. Unfortunately, James has since passed away. So 274 00:17:28,761 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 3: who is this mystery woman? Was it someone who knew 275 00:17:32,001 --> 00:17:35,281 Speaker 3: Justin before or a stranger who lured him into the car? 276 00:17:36,321 --> 00:17:39,680 Speaker 3: Was she alone or was she with people? Could this 277 00:17:39,801 --> 00:17:43,521 Speaker 3: have been some kind of robbery set up. Justin did 278 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:47,121 Speaker 3: not seem to have any enemies, but the Atlanta magazine 279 00:17:47,161 --> 00:17:50,041 Speaker 3: reporter did talk to a friend of Justin's. This person 280 00:17:50,161 --> 00:17:53,041 Speaker 3: wasn't named, but they told the reporter that he and 281 00:17:53,241 --> 00:17:56,561 Speaker 3: Justin would occasionally break into cars that were unlocked around 282 00:17:56,561 --> 00:17:59,801 Speaker 3: their off campus apartment. Basically, what they do is just 283 00:18:00,041 --> 00:18:02,121 Speaker 3: pull the handle of the car see if it was unlocked, 284 00:18:02,121 --> 00:18:04,321 Speaker 3: and if it was, they would go in and take money. 285 00:18:05,121 --> 00:18:07,281 Speaker 3: The friends said there was a drug dealer living there. 286 00:18:08,161 --> 00:18:10,801 Speaker 3: Apparently Justin thought that this person might have a lot 287 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,001 Speaker 3: of cash in his car, so they went up to 288 00:18:13,041 --> 00:18:15,481 Speaker 3: the car, but they said the drug dealer was standing 289 00:18:15,561 --> 00:18:17,841 Speaker 3: right there on the porch, so in the end they 290 00:18:17,881 --> 00:18:19,961 Speaker 3: didn't go to the car and there was no confrontation. 291 00:18:23,361 --> 00:18:26,041 Speaker 3: But it did get me thinking if he had a 292 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,721 Speaker 3: habit of pulling on car doors, could he have opened 293 00:18:28,721 --> 00:18:31,201 Speaker 3: someone's car or maybe tried to sleep in someone's car 294 00:18:31,241 --> 00:18:33,121 Speaker 3: if he couldn't find a ride in his battery was dead. 295 00:18:33,721 --> 00:18:39,601 Speaker 3: Stranger things have happened. According to Justin's mother, Erica, one 296 00:18:39,761 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 3: very early name that came up to her was Dustin 297 00:18:43,001 --> 00:18:47,241 Speaker 3: Dylan Glass, a career criminal and gang member. Now apparently 298 00:18:47,641 --> 00:18:49,961 Speaker 3: Dustin showed up at a pawn shop in the early 299 00:18:50,001 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 3: morning hours of November two. Police have found surveillance footage 300 00:18:54,761 --> 00:18:57,881 Speaker 3: that pawnshop and there is an image of Dustin. He's 301 00:18:57,881 --> 00:19:00,081 Speaker 3: wearing a diamond studd in his ear that looked very 302 00:19:00,161 --> 00:19:02,321 Speaker 3: much like the one that Justin had been wearing that night. 303 00:19:04,241 --> 00:19:07,441 Speaker 3: I'm not clear on why police first got tipped off 304 00:19:07,441 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 3: to him, but once Dustin's name was mentioned, police continued 305 00:19:11,881 --> 00:19:15,481 Speaker 3: to track him. Time went by with no arrest and 306 00:19:15,521 --> 00:19:18,321 Speaker 3: no sign of Justin and no body. Tips started coming 307 00:19:18,361 --> 00:19:22,561 Speaker 3: in from everywhere, everything from random sightings of Justin that 308 00:19:22,561 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 3: would turn out to be bogus to psychics who said 309 00:19:26,121 --> 00:19:27,880 Speaker 3: that they believed that he was in a body of 310 00:19:27,921 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 3: water somewhere, which is, by the way, what psychics always 311 00:19:30,681 --> 00:19:33,401 Speaker 3: seem to say. It drives me crazy. Side note there. 312 00:19:35,001 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 3: The Walton County Sheriff's Department cold case investigator Michael Rising, 313 00:19:39,001 --> 00:19:41,721 Speaker 3: who is now in charge of the investigation, told Dateline 314 00:19:41,761 --> 00:19:44,961 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty three that police had investigated a couple 315 00:19:44,961 --> 00:19:48,281 Speaker 3: of different theories early on. One that Justin could have 316 00:19:48,281 --> 00:19:50,321 Speaker 3: been flirting with a girl who had a boyfriend and 317 00:19:50,361 --> 00:19:52,961 Speaker 3: that there was some kind of altercation, and the other 318 00:19:53,041 --> 00:19:56,521 Speaker 3: theory was that someone targeted Justin for a robbery based 319 00:19:56,561 --> 00:19:59,921 Speaker 3: on his clothes and his diamond earring. On the Wild 320 00:19:59,961 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 3: Bill's website back in two thousand and seven, there was 321 00:20:02,921 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 3: a statement about Justin being missing and it read quote 322 00:20:06,361 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 3: last scene walking toward a car that he called his ride, 323 00:20:09,521 --> 00:20:13,001 Speaker 3: with two men standing by the car. Reports also say 324 00:20:13,041 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 3: he was seen in the parking lot of Barnacles another 325 00:20:15,481 --> 00:20:19,721 Speaker 3: bar with these same two men end quote. Now this 326 00:20:19,881 --> 00:20:22,961 Speaker 3: is just a rumor. It's unconfirmed, and honestly, I can't 327 00:20:23,041 --> 00:20:26,041 Speaker 3: find that information anywhere else. I don't know if it's 328 00:20:26,121 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 3: just something someone posted, or if it was a legitimate tip, 329 00:20:30,761 --> 00:20:34,321 Speaker 3: and I wonder who first said it. There does seem 330 00:20:34,361 --> 00:20:37,241 Speaker 3: to be more than one source saying that Justin was 331 00:20:37,281 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 3: talking to some men that night. Again, it wouldn't have 332 00:20:40,121 --> 00:20:42,001 Speaker 3: been out a character for him to talk to people. 333 00:20:42,361 --> 00:20:45,161 Speaker 3: His mom and his friend say he talked to strangers 334 00:20:45,201 --> 00:20:49,321 Speaker 3: all the time. But for a while, those two police 335 00:20:49,361 --> 00:20:52,881 Speaker 3: theories appeared to just be dead ends. Over the next 336 00:20:52,881 --> 00:20:57,321 Speaker 3: few years, justin moms Erica said openly she struggled. Even 337 00:20:57,361 --> 00:21:00,321 Speaker 3: though she was printing up flyers and stickers and talking 338 00:21:00,321 --> 00:21:02,801 Speaker 3: to the media, there were days where she found it 339 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 3: hard to get out of bed, and the family had 340 00:21:05,241 --> 00:21:08,881 Speaker 3: another setback in twenty eleven when one of Justin's brothers died. 341 00:21:09,721 --> 00:21:12,201 Speaker 3: But even when she was going through dark times herself, 342 00:21:12,401 --> 00:21:15,401 Speaker 3: Erica never stopped trying to get media coverage of this case. 343 00:21:17,321 --> 00:21:19,921 Speaker 3: Police looked in a lot of different directions. They really 344 00:21:19,921 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 3: didn't have anything to go on. They looked into rumors 345 00:21:22,641 --> 00:21:25,201 Speaker 3: that could have been the National Forest serial killer Gary Hilton, 346 00:21:25,401 --> 00:21:29,200 Speaker 3: but there was absolutely no evidence of that, and of course, 347 00:21:29,281 --> 00:21:32,281 Speaker 3: every single time an unidentified body was found in the area, 348 00:21:32,601 --> 00:21:35,001 Speaker 3: the family would have to go through the agony of waiting. 349 00:21:35,641 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 3: None of them were Justin. As we said before, Erica 350 00:21:39,921 --> 00:21:44,761 Speaker 3: hired a private investigator named Bob Pulno. He started his 351 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,401 Speaker 3: investigation in two thousand and eight and basically he's never stopped. 352 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 3: According to Atlanta Magazine, Bob is retired now, but this 353 00:21:52,721 --> 00:21:54,561 Speaker 3: is one of those cases he can't let go of. 354 00:21:55,401 --> 00:21:57,921 Speaker 3: Bob did lots of interviews and in two thousand and 355 00:21:57,961 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 3: eight he said he identified several people of interest. He 356 00:22:01,961 --> 00:22:04,641 Speaker 3: also looked into theories that Justin could have been extremely 357 00:22:04,681 --> 00:22:10,121 Speaker 3: intoxicated or drugged. The PI also tried to track down 358 00:22:10,161 --> 00:22:12,681 Speaker 3: everyone who Justin talked to on the phone that night, 359 00:22:13,481 --> 00:22:16,401 Speaker 3: and he found a pattern. No one felt that Justin 360 00:22:16,521 --> 00:22:20,401 Speaker 3: was behaving out of the ordinary. It's the same story 361 00:22:20,441 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 3: with the video surveillance footage. Eric has said. And if 362 00:22:23,481 --> 00:22:26,961 Speaker 3: you look online, you can see Justin walks out of 363 00:22:26,961 --> 00:22:31,001 Speaker 3: the club. He's calmly walking forward, not stumbling. He has 364 00:22:31,041 --> 00:22:33,201 Speaker 3: his phone pressed to his ear. He looks like he's 365 00:22:33,241 --> 00:22:36,841 Speaker 3: walking with purpose, and he's talking on the phone. Seven 366 00:22:36,961 --> 00:22:41,721 Speaker 3: years after Justin disappeared, a local news station WXIA broadcasts 367 00:22:41,761 --> 00:22:44,681 Speaker 3: some additional footage that was taken from inside the club 368 00:22:44,721 --> 00:22:48,321 Speaker 3: that night. This footage showed Justin walking out the door 369 00:22:48,361 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 3: toward the back parking lot. Right after him, a group 370 00:22:51,961 --> 00:22:54,680 Speaker 3: that looked like three girls and a guy walked outside 371 00:22:54,721 --> 00:22:57,880 Speaker 3: the club. Justin seems to kind of veer left, and 372 00:22:57,921 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 3: they look like they're veering right, but there are also 373 00:23:00,721 --> 00:23:03,281 Speaker 3: a couple of other guys standing outside in that parking lot. 374 00:23:04,041 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 3: A few minutes later, two men and a woman enter 375 00:23:06,281 --> 00:23:10,041 Speaker 3: the club. They come from the same direction Justin was 376 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:14,401 Speaker 3: seen leaving. Another couple leaves. This woman has long, dark 377 00:23:14,481 --> 00:23:16,961 Speaker 3: hair and jeans on. You can only see the guy 378 00:23:17,001 --> 00:23:19,041 Speaker 3: from the back, but he's wearing a number twenty two 379 00:23:19,121 --> 00:23:22,001 Speaker 3: jersey that the news anchor pointed out as pretty distinctive. 380 00:23:23,041 --> 00:23:26,481 Speaker 3: There are also two guys and white shirts. They look 381 00:23:26,601 --> 00:23:28,441 Speaker 3: like they're going into the club, but then they turn 382 00:23:28,521 --> 00:23:32,521 Speaker 3: around after Justin passes them. They don't go in, and 383 00:23:32,561 --> 00:23:35,041 Speaker 3: then when footage is shown from a few minutes later, 384 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 3: you can see them entering the club. Now, I'm not 385 00:23:38,201 --> 00:23:40,561 Speaker 3: saying that any of these people had anything to do 386 00:23:40,601 --> 00:23:45,481 Speaker 3: with Justin's disappearance, but they may have seen something, even 387 00:23:45,761 --> 00:23:50,160 Speaker 3: something small, that could help crack this case. Again. Wild 388 00:23:50,201 --> 00:23:53,001 Speaker 3: bills can hold thousands of people. It was a crowded night. 389 00:23:53,521 --> 00:23:57,880 Speaker 3: It is mind boggling that no one saw anything. In 390 00:23:57,921 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 3: September of twenty fifteen, seemingly out of nowhere, there were 391 00:24:01,401 --> 00:24:05,721 Speaker 3: two arrests and someone said they knew exactly what happened 392 00:24:05,721 --> 00:24:08,641 Speaker 3: to Justin Gaines. That it went down at a dark 393 00:24:08,721 --> 00:24:12,561 Speaker 3: garage at a house in Snellville. This person said Justin 394 00:24:12,601 --> 00:24:15,241 Speaker 3: had been lured to that residence and then when he 395 00:24:15,281 --> 00:24:30,001 Speaker 3: walked in, he was attacked, robbed, beaten, and murdered. In 396 00:24:30,041 --> 00:24:33,081 Speaker 3: September of twenty fifteen, after a long period of silence, 397 00:24:33,561 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 3: there were two arrests in connection with the disappearance and 398 00:24:36,281 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 3: now police believed death of Justin Gaines. In two thousand 399 00:24:39,641 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 3: and seven, the police's original person of interest was Dustin 400 00:24:44,201 --> 00:24:48,241 Speaker 3: Dylan Glass. He had been arrested for distributing methamphetamines, among 401 00:24:48,281 --> 00:24:51,961 Speaker 3: other things, and was facing some serious charges, according to 402 00:24:51,961 --> 00:24:56,161 Speaker 3: the arrest warrant. After he was arrested, he started cooperating 403 00:24:56,201 --> 00:24:59,201 Speaker 3: with police. He told police that he and another man, 404 00:24:59,361 --> 00:25:02,961 Speaker 3: fifty seven year old Martin Leonard Wilkie, had assaulted Justin 405 00:25:03,041 --> 00:25:06,161 Speaker 3: and robbed him. He said that this assault and robbery 406 00:25:06,281 --> 00:25:11,601 Speaker 3: of Justin had ended with Justin being fatally shot. Dustin 407 00:25:11,681 --> 00:25:14,041 Speaker 3: told police that he took the earring from Justin, but 408 00:25:14,121 --> 00:25:16,961 Speaker 3: said that Justin was alive when he left him. The 409 00:25:17,041 --> 00:25:20,400 Speaker 3: detective who talked to reporters later said he believed Dustin 410 00:25:20,481 --> 00:25:23,001 Speaker 3: was saying this to kind of confess in a roundabout way, 411 00:25:23,521 --> 00:25:26,001 Speaker 3: and it seemed to me the detective believed Dustin was 412 00:25:26,121 --> 00:25:30,360 Speaker 3: kind of taunting the detective. Martin Wilkee was arrested and 413 00:25:30,521 --> 00:25:34,481 Speaker 3: charged with concealing a death. Then a woman backed up 414 00:25:34,561 --> 00:25:38,521 Speaker 3: Dustin's story. She said she had participated in helping get 415 00:25:38,601 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 3: rid of the body. And the crazy part was that 416 00:25:40,881 --> 00:25:48,001 Speaker 3: this woman was Dustin's own mother, Alma Ruth Below. Let 417 00:25:48,041 --> 00:25:50,001 Speaker 3: me back up for a minute, because I was trying 418 00:25:50,041 --> 00:25:52,521 Speaker 3: to make sense of this story and how everything went down. 419 00:25:52,601 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 3: So of course I went back through hundreds of pages 420 00:25:55,401 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 3: of court records, and I found out that after Dustin 421 00:25:59,241 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 3: got arrested, so of course he's in custody. Of course 422 00:26:02,161 --> 00:26:04,561 Speaker 3: he had a residence that he wasn't staying at because 423 00:26:04,561 --> 00:26:07,761 Speaker 3: he was in jail. Well, it turns out that during 424 00:26:07,801 --> 00:26:12,041 Speaker 3: this time police were doing surveillance on Dustin's house. They 425 00:26:12,041 --> 00:26:14,321 Speaker 3: were there on August twenty eighth, and they saw Thelma 426 00:26:14,401 --> 00:26:18,161 Speaker 3: Dustin's mother and some other men carrying white bags, which 427 00:26:18,201 --> 00:26:21,441 Speaker 3: they later determined had been stolen from a local concrete company. 428 00:26:22,561 --> 00:26:25,561 Speaker 3: Thelma confessed that she'd strip some copper wire and stolen 429 00:26:25,641 --> 00:26:28,481 Speaker 3: some supplies for the company and was hoping to seldom 430 00:26:28,521 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 3: on she was arrested on burglary charges in Walton County. 431 00:26:32,441 --> 00:26:35,681 Speaker 3: She told the authorities she helped Martin Wilkee and her 432 00:26:35,721 --> 00:26:39,441 Speaker 3: son Dustin get rid of Justin Gaines's body. She said 433 00:26:39,481 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 3: they disposed of Justin's remains in the High Shoals area 434 00:26:42,561 --> 00:26:46,721 Speaker 3: near the Appalachi River, Walton County. Thelma led investigators to 435 00:26:46,761 --> 00:26:50,321 Speaker 3: a well there, and police searched different wells for several days, 436 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,801 Speaker 3: but in the end they found nothing. Thelma later told 437 00:26:54,881 --> 00:26:57,641 Speaker 3: police that she had lied in order to get out 438 00:26:57,641 --> 00:27:01,640 Speaker 3: of trouble. After that, Thelma was charged with making a 439 00:27:01,641 --> 00:27:06,441 Speaker 3: false statement to police. So after this happened, After Thelma 440 00:27:06,481 --> 00:27:09,561 Speaker 3: was arrested and charged with lying, it seemed like police 441 00:27:09,601 --> 00:27:12,481 Speaker 3: and the district attorney were split over whether or not 442 00:27:12,601 --> 00:27:15,561 Speaker 3: she was at all credible. Some of the detectives seemed 443 00:27:15,561 --> 00:27:18,961 Speaker 3: to believe that, yes, Thelma and Dustin had lied about 444 00:27:18,961 --> 00:27:21,721 Speaker 3: some stuff, but they thought there were grains of truth 445 00:27:21,921 --> 00:27:25,001 Speaker 3: in what they were telling the authorities, while the Gwinette 446 00:27:25,001 --> 00:27:28,360 Speaker 3: County District Attorney, Danny Porter, said he thought the whole 447 00:27:28,401 --> 00:27:32,561 Speaker 3: thing was a dead end. He told Fox five, quote, 448 00:27:32,721 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 3: I think they are following up on an unproductive lead 449 00:27:35,161 --> 00:27:39,041 Speaker 3: that has already been investigated end quote. He basically went 450 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,360 Speaker 3: on to say that Thelma and Dustin would come up 451 00:27:41,361 --> 00:27:43,961 Speaker 3: with a different story every time they got arrested to 452 00:27:44,001 --> 00:27:45,681 Speaker 3: try to get police to cut them a brake on 453 00:27:45,761 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 3: other charges. In two thousand and seven, there was more news. 454 00:27:51,481 --> 00:27:56,001 Speaker 3: Authorities told WSBTV Channel two that they believed that Justin 455 00:27:56,241 --> 00:27:59,041 Speaker 3: was robbed and killed, and that his body was taken 456 00:27:59,041 --> 00:28:03,281 Speaker 3: to Lake Lanier in a white van and dumped. It 457 00:28:03,361 --> 00:28:07,161 Speaker 3: seemed as though they were now disclosing more details of 458 00:28:07,201 --> 00:28:10,561 Speaker 3: the story that Thelma had told the police. The lead 459 00:28:10,601 --> 00:28:13,761 Speaker 3: investigator on the case at the time, Detective Simms, said 460 00:28:13,801 --> 00:28:16,441 Speaker 3: that he believed that Justin got a ride from a 461 00:28:16,441 --> 00:28:19,001 Speaker 3: blond woman, that the woman took him to a house 462 00:28:19,041 --> 00:28:21,400 Speaker 3: in Snellville, and that he was attacked there and robbed, 463 00:28:21,641 --> 00:28:24,481 Speaker 3: then killed, and his body was dumped in Lake Lanier. 464 00:28:25,321 --> 00:28:30,001 Speaker 3: Then a few days later, on November fifth, Justin's body 465 00:28:30,041 --> 00:28:33,481 Speaker 3: apparently floated up to the surface. After that, police say 466 00:28:33,521 --> 00:28:36,801 Speaker 3: they believe his killers panicked, put the body into a 467 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:41,441 Speaker 3: black metal toolbox and carried it to another location, eventually 468 00:28:41,561 --> 00:28:45,521 Speaker 3: dumping it in a well. At the time, Detective Sims 469 00:28:45,521 --> 00:28:48,401 Speaker 3: said they had a vehicle of interest. He said, right 470 00:28:48,481 --> 00:28:52,481 Speaker 3: after Justin went missing, the nineteen eighty four Chevy white 471 00:28:52,561 --> 00:28:55,641 Speaker 3: work van that belonged to Thilma's boyfriend at the time 472 00:28:55,801 --> 00:28:59,761 Speaker 3: also went missing. Police tried to locate it, but never 473 00:28:59,841 --> 00:29:04,881 Speaker 3: found that vehicle. Detective Sims also talked about Justin's earring. 474 00:29:05,481 --> 00:29:09,241 Speaker 3: He said, quote, this is a photograph of Justin Dillon 475 00:29:09,321 --> 00:29:12,321 Speaker 3: Glass the day after Justin Gaines went missing, wearing an 476 00:29:12,321 --> 00:29:15,921 Speaker 3: almost identical earring. Of course, the photos aren't that great, 477 00:29:15,961 --> 00:29:17,881 Speaker 3: but if you look at it like this and compare them, 478 00:29:18,401 --> 00:29:20,681 Speaker 3: you're gonna see this earring is pretty much the same 479 00:29:20,681 --> 00:29:24,121 Speaker 3: as this earring. Dylan Glass has told me and has 480 00:29:24,121 --> 00:29:26,801 Speaker 3: confessed in his own way. He said that he took 481 00:29:26,841 --> 00:29:29,041 Speaker 3: that earring out of Justin's ear the night that he 482 00:29:29,121 --> 00:29:33,281 Speaker 3: was killed. End quote. Police did try to run down 483 00:29:33,321 --> 00:29:35,001 Speaker 3: the lead on this earring. They did go to the 484 00:29:35,041 --> 00:29:38,201 Speaker 3: pawn shop and eventually they found the earring, but Erica 485 00:29:38,241 --> 00:29:41,081 Speaker 3: said when they tried to run a DNA test on it, 486 00:29:41,121 --> 00:29:44,601 Speaker 3: apparently there was no trace of DNA. So in the 487 00:29:44,721 --> 00:29:49,321 Speaker 3: end police had a kind of confession, but they had 488 00:29:49,361 --> 00:29:52,401 Speaker 3: no trace of Justin. The people who were talking to 489 00:29:52,441 --> 00:29:55,201 Speaker 3: them had their own reasons why they could be lying 490 00:29:55,241 --> 00:29:57,921 Speaker 3: to police so and they already felt like they'd wasted 491 00:29:57,961 --> 00:30:00,881 Speaker 3: a lot of time on these searches. Eventually, a couple 492 00:30:00,921 --> 00:30:05,081 Speaker 3: months after his arrest, the charges against Martin Wilkie were dismissed, 493 00:30:05,521 --> 00:30:08,201 Speaker 3: and Martin Wilke has always denied he had anything to 494 00:30:08,241 --> 00:30:12,601 Speaker 3: do with Justin's disappearance or his death. Over the next 495 00:30:12,601 --> 00:30:16,401 Speaker 3: few years, occasionally stories would come up about things being 496 00:30:16,481 --> 00:30:18,801 Speaker 3: dragged up from the one hundred and sixty foot depths 497 00:30:18,841 --> 00:30:23,041 Speaker 3: of Lake Lanier. In twenty seventeen, a house boat named 498 00:30:23,081 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 3: six Pack Sally, which was kind of a local legend 499 00:30:25,441 --> 00:30:27,401 Speaker 3: because the boat was a wreck that had apparently been 500 00:30:27,441 --> 00:30:30,321 Speaker 3: sold for a six pack of beer, was slowly sinking, 501 00:30:30,961 --> 00:30:34,841 Speaker 3: and the news story about this boat sinking was interesting 502 00:30:34,841 --> 00:30:37,561 Speaker 3: to me because it talked about how many houseboats have 503 00:30:37,641 --> 00:30:39,641 Speaker 3: gone to the bottom of the lake. It got me 504 00:30:39,761 --> 00:30:43,401 Speaker 3: wondering what else was down there. It's also interesting because, 505 00:30:43,721 --> 00:30:47,161 Speaker 3: according to Erica, the theory that the police believe is 506 00:30:47,241 --> 00:30:51,721 Speaker 3: credible is that Justin's body was taken out and dumped 507 00:30:51,761 --> 00:30:55,761 Speaker 3: in Lake Lanier, that it was done on a houseboat, 508 00:30:56,401 --> 00:31:00,121 Speaker 3: and they also confirmed that Thelma's boyfriend at the time 509 00:31:00,201 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 3: owned a houseboat and a home on that lake. In 510 00:31:04,441 --> 00:31:08,601 Speaker 3: twenty nineteen, human remains were found near Lake Lanier again, 511 00:31:08,681 --> 00:31:13,161 Speaker 3: though they were not connected to Justin. Erica also said 512 00:31:13,201 --> 00:31:16,281 Speaker 3: in an interview that Thelma's boyfriend at the time owned 513 00:31:16,281 --> 00:31:19,241 Speaker 3: the white van, the one police were unable to find. 514 00:31:19,321 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 3: So we have this person out there who allegedly owns 515 00:31:22,641 --> 00:31:26,081 Speaker 3: a houseboat, a house on the lake, and a van 516 00:31:26,121 --> 00:31:29,761 Speaker 3: of interest. But this person was never charged with anything, 517 00:31:30,961 --> 00:31:35,201 Speaker 3: and unfortunately, according to reports I've read, this person has 518 00:31:35,241 --> 00:31:40,001 Speaker 3: also passed away. Since Justin went missing. In twenty twenty two, 519 00:31:40,161 --> 00:31:42,561 Speaker 3: a new investigator came on the case. We've talked about 520 00:31:42,641 --> 00:31:45,681 Speaker 3: him a little before. His name is Michael Rising. He 521 00:31:45,761 --> 00:31:48,081 Speaker 3: works with the Walton County Sheriff's Department and he's a 522 00:31:48,081 --> 00:31:52,081 Speaker 3: cold case investigator. He has stated he's following several leads 523 00:31:52,121 --> 00:31:54,721 Speaker 3: and theories that Justin may have been interested in someone 524 00:31:54,721 --> 00:31:57,481 Speaker 3: else's girlfriend or may have been targeted for a robbery. 525 00:31:57,521 --> 00:31:59,641 Speaker 3: So this is kind of what police have said before. 526 00:32:01,921 --> 00:32:04,481 Speaker 3: Of course, we don't have access to the whole case file, 527 00:32:04,561 --> 00:32:07,841 Speaker 3: but I find myself wondering what if it was both? 528 00:32:08,441 --> 00:32:11,161 Speaker 3: What if Justin met an attractive woman who he was 529 00:32:11,201 --> 00:32:16,281 Speaker 3: talking to and she lured him into that vehicle in 530 00:32:16,361 --> 00:32:21,081 Speaker 3: order to set him up for a robbery. Through the years, 531 00:32:21,281 --> 00:32:24,441 Speaker 3: Erica has kept going, even through the false sightings, all 532 00:32:24,481 --> 00:32:27,601 Speaker 3: the tips, and even people leaving her messages with their 533 00:32:27,641 --> 00:32:30,921 Speaker 3: theories about the brutal ways in which they said that 534 00:32:31,041 --> 00:32:34,321 Speaker 3: Justin was murdered, including someone who told her that he 535 00:32:34,361 --> 00:32:37,321 Speaker 3: had been put through a wood chipper. Erica told Atlanta 536 00:32:37,361 --> 00:32:39,481 Speaker 3: Magazine she had heard it all, but she kept doing 537 00:32:39,481 --> 00:32:42,921 Speaker 3: media interviews and getting the word out there. Justin's family 538 00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:47,961 Speaker 3: once answered, but their priority is bringing him home. So 539 00:32:48,561 --> 00:32:51,521 Speaker 3: let's go back and take a closer look at Dustin 540 00:32:51,561 --> 00:32:55,881 Speaker 3: Dillon Glass because police, even though they believe that he 541 00:32:56,081 --> 00:32:59,201 Speaker 3: was lying about certain details, seem to still have his 542 00:32:59,361 --> 00:33:02,001 Speaker 3: name on their radar after all these years, and when 543 00:33:02,041 --> 00:33:04,281 Speaker 3: they do make statements to the media, they continue to 544 00:33:04,361 --> 00:33:08,361 Speaker 3: refer to the story that was told by Dustin and Thelma. 545 00:33:08,481 --> 00:33:11,401 Speaker 3: So I wanted to know more. I've seen some references 546 00:33:11,401 --> 00:33:14,721 Speaker 3: to Dustin being a gang member. Well, it turns out 547 00:33:14,801 --> 00:33:17,241 Speaker 3: that this is more than just a rumor. I did 548 00:33:17,321 --> 00:33:19,801 Speaker 3: a deep dive into this guy, and Dustin is a 549 00:33:19,841 --> 00:33:22,601 Speaker 3: member of a very notorious gang in Atlanta called the 550 00:33:22,681 --> 00:33:28,921 Speaker 3: Ghost Face Gangsters. I've seen Dustin's mugshot, and his entire 551 00:33:29,081 --> 00:33:33,761 Speaker 3: face is covered in tattoos. I highly doubt that Justin, 552 00:33:33,881 --> 00:33:36,281 Speaker 3: even if he was super intoxicated, which people say he 553 00:33:36,361 --> 00:33:38,561 Speaker 3: was not, would have gotten into a car with a 554 00:33:38,601 --> 00:33:43,001 Speaker 3: stranger whose face is covered in gang tattoos. So a 555 00:33:43,041 --> 00:33:47,241 Speaker 3: little background on the Ghost Face Gangsters or GfG. They 556 00:33:47,321 --> 00:33:50,601 Speaker 3: started around the year two thousand inside a Georgia prison, 557 00:33:51,441 --> 00:33:55,441 Speaker 3: and basically the GfG is a white supremacy prison gang, 558 00:33:55,881 --> 00:33:58,601 Speaker 3: but it's spread to the streets and it's now apparently 559 00:33:58,641 --> 00:34:02,841 Speaker 3: the largest gang in Georgia. It has thousands of members, 560 00:34:03,401 --> 00:34:07,361 Speaker 3: and these gang members have been responsible for huge crime waves. 561 00:34:07,881 --> 00:34:11,201 Speaker 3: They've also since spread out to other states too. According 562 00:34:11,241 --> 00:34:13,841 Speaker 3: to a twenty twenty two report by the Anti Defamation 563 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 3: League on white supremacist gangs in prison, the Ghost Face Gangsters, 564 00:34:18,601 --> 00:34:23,321 Speaker 3: while they're definitely racist, are not as overtly white supremacist 565 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 3: as some other groups. Apparently the ghost face gangster's loyalty 566 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:32,081 Speaker 3: is to making money, so they do have racist beliefs, 567 00:34:32,121 --> 00:34:35,520 Speaker 3: but for example, they will form alliances outside prison with 568 00:34:35,601 --> 00:34:38,720 Speaker 3: gangs that have primarily black members. And I also learned 569 00:34:38,761 --> 00:34:42,961 Speaker 3: today that there are white gangs, even white supremacist gangs 570 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,761 Speaker 3: that sometimes have Hispanic members. Again not to say that 571 00:34:46,841 --> 00:34:50,041 Speaker 3: these groups aren't racist. Their loyalty is to the crimes 572 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:53,481 Speaker 3: they're committing and money above any sort of racial loyalty. 573 00:34:54,401 --> 00:34:58,681 Speaker 3: Within the GfG, the seven original members are called the Pillars. 574 00:34:59,281 --> 00:35:01,841 Speaker 3: New members are all supposed to have bloodlines they're supposed 575 00:35:01,841 --> 00:35:04,441 Speaker 3: to trace back to one of those original founding members, 576 00:35:05,041 --> 00:35:07,601 Speaker 3: and over the years they have been involved in a 577 00:35:07,641 --> 00:35:13,881 Speaker 3: tremendous number of crimes, including drugs, murder, kidnapping, assaults, and 578 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:18,521 Speaker 3: obviously witness intimidation. There have been many high profile busts 579 00:35:18,521 --> 00:35:21,521 Speaker 3: of the GfG in recent years, but in two thousand 580 00:35:21,521 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 3: and seven, when Justin disappeared, this gang was not really 581 00:35:25,081 --> 00:35:30,721 Speaker 3: making headlines yet. In twenty fifteen, after Dustin Glasses meth charges, 582 00:35:30,801 --> 00:35:34,601 Speaker 3: mushroomed into a federal indictment for racketeering and conspiracy commit murder. 583 00:35:35,081 --> 00:35:39,201 Speaker 3: He pleaded guilty to multiple counts of conspiracy commit murder, 584 00:35:39,241 --> 00:35:43,241 Speaker 3: aggravated assault, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism Act, and 585 00:35:43,241 --> 00:35:45,921 Speaker 3: possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. 586 00:35:46,321 --> 00:35:51,560 Speaker 3: So he was facing some serious federal charges. In the end, 587 00:35:52,041 --> 00:35:55,081 Speaker 3: Dustin Glass was sentenced to sevent ten year sentences, but 588 00:35:55,241 --> 00:36:00,440 Speaker 3: they're running concurrently, so actually it's not seventy years. This 589 00:36:00,561 --> 00:36:03,841 Speaker 3: guy got just over fourteen years in federal prison instead 590 00:36:03,881 --> 00:36:06,841 Speaker 3: of being behind bars for the rest of his natural life. 591 00:36:06,921 --> 00:36:09,281 Speaker 3: I tried to find all the documents on this case. 592 00:36:09,321 --> 00:36:12,401 Speaker 3: Some of them are sealed, so I really wonder what 593 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:15,161 Speaker 3: information he gave prosecutors to cut a deal like that. 594 00:36:16,801 --> 00:36:19,801 Speaker 3: So now we go back to Justin's case. We have 595 00:36:19,921 --> 00:36:22,281 Speaker 3: a lot of pieces and theories. We have the earring, 596 00:36:22,361 --> 00:36:25,121 Speaker 3: we have Dustin's gang affiliation and the story that he 597 00:36:25,241 --> 00:36:28,481 Speaker 3: told about being there when his alleged accomplice fatally shot 598 00:36:28,601 --> 00:36:33,201 Speaker 3: Justin and then they all allegedly disposed of Justin's body. 599 00:36:33,241 --> 00:36:37,161 Speaker 3: But there's no physical evidence. There's no body, and the 600 00:36:37,201 --> 00:36:41,481 Speaker 3: people of interest are liars and not credible. So police 601 00:36:41,481 --> 00:36:43,321 Speaker 3: seem to be saying they're not going to believe these 602 00:36:43,321 --> 00:36:46,480 Speaker 3: people unless there's actual evidence to back them up, and 603 00:36:46,641 --> 00:36:50,241 Speaker 3: also if there is not a lot of evidence. Then, 604 00:36:50,721 --> 00:36:54,521 Speaker 3: even if they did bring charges against Dustin or anyone 605 00:36:54,521 --> 00:36:57,960 Speaker 3: else right now, there's a very high possibility that that 606 00:36:58,001 --> 00:37:00,281 Speaker 3: person could get acquitted and then the charges could never 607 00:37:00,321 --> 00:37:10,841 Speaker 3: be brought again. They need evidence. The prevailing theory now 608 00:37:10,921 --> 00:37:13,961 Speaker 3: seems to be Justin Gaines was at the wrong place 609 00:37:14,041 --> 00:37:16,721 Speaker 3: at the wrong time, and that while he was outside 610 00:37:17,041 --> 00:37:19,520 Speaker 3: on that bench, a little bit tired, a little bit 611 00:37:19,561 --> 00:37:22,241 Speaker 3: buzzed with a dying foam battery, and desperately in need 612 00:37:22,241 --> 00:37:25,481 Speaker 3: of a ride, someone saw his nice clothes and diamond 613 00:37:25,481 --> 00:37:30,921 Speaker 3: earring and targeted him. I do believe that someone lured 614 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,321 Speaker 3: him into the car. Was it the two men or 615 00:37:34,801 --> 00:37:37,441 Speaker 3: was it the mystery blonde woman or both or someone 616 00:37:37,481 --> 00:37:41,321 Speaker 3: completely different? I should say that on my deep dive 617 00:37:41,481 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 3: into the Ghost Faced Gangsters, I saw all that while 618 00:37:44,201 --> 00:37:46,841 Speaker 3: women aren't allowed to be full members, they do play 619 00:37:46,881 --> 00:37:51,321 Speaker 3: a crucial role in recruiting members, smuggling contraband into prisons, 620 00:37:51,361 --> 00:37:55,721 Speaker 3: and luring targets to be robbed and sometimes murdered. The 621 00:37:55,841 --> 00:37:59,201 Speaker 3: gang very often works in groups of several guys and 622 00:37:59,281 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 3: one or two girls. Erica also told the Unfound podcast 623 00:38:04,481 --> 00:38:07,561 Speaker 3: something else that I think was very interesting. She talked 624 00:38:07,601 --> 00:38:12,521 Speaker 3: about the last time when Justin's phone pinged right before 625 00:38:12,521 --> 00:38:15,761 Speaker 3: it died. It turned out that just after two am 626 00:38:15,881 --> 00:38:19,121 Speaker 3: when the phone pinged, it pinged in the opposite direction 627 00:38:19,161 --> 00:38:24,321 Speaker 3: of his house, a few miles toward Lake Lanier. So 628 00:38:25,241 --> 00:38:28,401 Speaker 3: where was he going? Was he afraid at that point? 629 00:38:29,401 --> 00:38:32,440 Speaker 3: Did these people kidnap him? Or did someone ask him 630 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,881 Speaker 3: if he wanted to go to a party, And if 631 00:38:34,921 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 3: it was a woman, did she know what was going 632 00:38:37,041 --> 00:38:39,401 Speaker 3: to happen to him? Or could it, As my friend 633 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,281 Speaker 3: Derek Levasso brought up when he discussed this case on YouTube, 634 00:38:42,881 --> 00:38:45,601 Speaker 3: could this have been some sort of accident, like she 635 00:38:45,801 --> 00:38:47,641 Speaker 3: thought he was cute and then took him to a 636 00:38:47,641 --> 00:38:50,041 Speaker 3: party and the men who saw Justin there were jealous 637 00:38:50,121 --> 00:38:54,121 Speaker 3: or intimidated by him and jumped him. Now, let me 638 00:38:54,161 --> 00:38:57,161 Speaker 3: say there's no evidence that the GfG is connected to 639 00:38:57,921 --> 00:39:00,480 Speaker 3: Justin's disappearance, but just knowing about some of the people 640 00:39:00,481 --> 00:39:03,801 Speaker 3: who have talked to police and their affiliations, knowing more 641 00:39:03,801 --> 00:39:07,761 Speaker 3: about the gang, I think that if Justin's disappearance turns 642 00:39:07,761 --> 00:39:10,201 Speaker 3: out to in any way be connected to the gang 643 00:39:10,321 --> 00:39:13,801 Speaker 3: or anyone like that, the accidental theory becomes less likely 644 00:39:14,281 --> 00:39:19,040 Speaker 3: because anyone who knew these guys would have to know 645 00:39:19,201 --> 00:39:22,921 Speaker 3: that any interaction that Justin has with these men is 646 00:39:23,001 --> 00:39:26,201 Speaker 3: probably going to end in disaster. This is the same 647 00:39:26,281 --> 00:39:30,361 Speaker 3: gang who in twenty eighteen orchestrated a prison break and 648 00:39:30,401 --> 00:39:34,680 Speaker 3: the men who escaped murdered to corrections officers. Another gang 649 00:39:34,681 --> 00:39:38,520 Speaker 3: member was arrested separately in twenty eighteen after police found 650 00:39:38,561 --> 00:39:40,921 Speaker 3: the body of his six month old baby in a 651 00:39:40,921 --> 00:39:45,921 Speaker 3: motel freezer. Reading the list of crimes that the GfG 652 00:39:46,041 --> 00:39:49,081 Speaker 3: have committed and looking at their mugshots is like watching 653 00:39:49,121 --> 00:39:52,721 Speaker 3: a real life horror movie. The gang made headlines again 654 00:39:52,801 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 3: when several members went to the home of someone they 655 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,160 Speaker 3: didn't like. Their intention was to steal guns and beat 656 00:39:58,201 --> 00:40:01,520 Speaker 3: him up, but he wasn't home. Unfortunately, his fourteen year 657 00:40:01,521 --> 00:40:05,161 Speaker 3: old daughter was. When she saw these ghost Face Gangsters 658 00:40:05,241 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 3: members coming to her door, she grabbed a BB gun 659 00:40:08,521 --> 00:40:12,361 Speaker 3: and tried to defend herself. They started shooting, and this 660 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:16,201 Speaker 3: fourteen year old girl was killed. After the fatal shooting 661 00:40:16,241 --> 00:40:18,761 Speaker 3: of the fourteen year old girl and the corrections officers, 662 00:40:19,161 --> 00:40:22,401 Speaker 3: the federal and state authorities accelerated their crackdown on the gang. 663 00:40:23,201 --> 00:40:26,961 Speaker 3: In July twenty nineteen, it was announced Operation Vanilla Gorilla. 664 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:29,801 Speaker 3: By the way, they always have the craziest code names 665 00:40:29,801 --> 00:40:32,601 Speaker 3: for these things. Just a side note there resulted in 666 00:40:32,601 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 3: the arrest of forty three defendants. In twenty twenty one, 667 00:40:35,721 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 3: seventy seven Ghost Face Gangsters members were arrested. So they 668 00:40:40,521 --> 00:40:45,441 Speaker 3: are cracking down on these gangsters. But authorities still say 669 00:40:45,721 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 3: that the Ghost Face Gangsters is the fastest growing white 670 00:40:48,561 --> 00:40:51,121 Speaker 3: gang in the country and the most dangerous and violent 671 00:40:51,161 --> 00:40:54,561 Speaker 3: gang in the state of Georgia. And Dustin Dillon Glass, 672 00:40:55,121 --> 00:40:58,480 Speaker 3: one of the police's primary people of interest, is a 673 00:40:58,601 --> 00:41:02,921 Speaker 3: member of this gang, and yet I've never seen that 674 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:08,681 Speaker 3: affiliation mention anywhere on the news. Officially, police have said 675 00:41:08,721 --> 00:41:12,961 Speaker 3: they're treating Justin's case as a kidnapping and presumed homicide. 676 00:41:13,161 --> 00:41:16,120 Speaker 3: They have said a number of Walton County residents are 677 00:41:16,201 --> 00:41:19,681 Speaker 3: witnesses to Justin's disappearance and possess knowledge of the incident 678 00:41:19,721 --> 00:41:23,401 Speaker 3: that would be of great value to the investigation. This 679 00:41:23,561 --> 00:41:26,241 Speaker 3: mystery blonde woman, who by the way, may not be 680 00:41:26,321 --> 00:41:30,601 Speaker 3: blonde anymore, seems to be the key. Is she connected 681 00:41:30,641 --> 00:41:33,921 Speaker 3: to Dustin or one of his associates. Is she someone 682 00:41:34,041 --> 00:41:40,841 Speaker 3: totally random? We need to find out. I know that 683 00:41:40,921 --> 00:41:43,080 Speaker 3: a lot of people have posted on social media that 684 00:41:43,121 --> 00:41:46,161 Speaker 3: the police have been unresponsive. I think it might be 685 00:41:46,161 --> 00:41:49,001 Speaker 3: because there was some confusion about who was handling the case. 686 00:41:49,241 --> 00:41:53,521 Speaker 3: It spanned two counties. But the investigator to contact now 687 00:41:53,721 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 3: we can confirm is Michael Rising at Michael that's m 688 00:41:58,081 --> 00:42:01,121 Speaker 3: I C H A E L dot Rising R I 689 00:42:01,401 --> 00:42:06,561 Speaker 3: S I N G at CO dot Walton dot g 690 00:42:06,761 --> 00:42:11,041 Speaker 3: A dot us. You can also text seven seven zero 691 00:42:11,201 --> 00:42:15,401 Speaker 3: three five four eight three four. I've never talked to 692 00:42:15,401 --> 00:42:18,881 Speaker 3: Michael Rising, but I've seen where he has gone on 693 00:42:18,881 --> 00:42:23,041 Speaker 3: Facebook and personally responded to comments with his contact information. 694 00:42:23,641 --> 00:42:27,000 Speaker 3: So please, if you know something, if you were in 695 00:42:27,081 --> 00:42:28,761 Speaker 3: the parking lot that night, if you know who this 696 00:42:28,801 --> 00:42:34,841 Speaker 3: woman is, please reach out. In twenty seventeen, Erica talked 697 00:42:34,841 --> 00:42:37,600 Speaker 3: to eleven Alive about how much Justin was missed by 698 00:42:37,601 --> 00:42:40,641 Speaker 3: his family. He miss seeing his family members grow up, 699 00:42:40,721 --> 00:42:43,721 Speaker 3: He missed seeing his nieces and nephews born. He missed 700 00:42:43,881 --> 00:42:47,361 Speaker 3: graduating from college and all the milestones that his proud 701 00:42:47,401 --> 00:42:50,241 Speaker 3: parents should have been able to share with him. I'm 702 00:42:50,281 --> 00:42:57,361 Speaker 3: Katherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Helen Gone 703 00:42:57,401 --> 00:42:59,361 Speaker 3: Murder Line is a production of School of Humans and 704 00:42:59,361 --> 00:43:03,521 Speaker 3: iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me Catherine Townsend 705 00:43:03,921 --> 00:43:08,081 Speaker 3: and produced by Gabby Watts. Music is contributed by Ben Sale. 706 00:43:08,481 --> 00:43:12,641 Speaker 3: Jesse Niswonger scored and mixed this episode. Executive producers of 707 00:43:12,721 --> 00:43:16,401 Speaker 3: Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, and L. C. Crowley. If you 708 00:43:16,521 --> 00:43:18,081 Speaker 3: have a case you'd like me and my team to 709 00:43:18,081 --> 00:43:20,520 Speaker 3: look into, you can reach out to us at our 710 00:43:20,561 --> 00:43:23,321 Speaker 3: Helen Gone Murder line at six seven eight seven four 711 00:43:23,401 --> 00:43:26,801 Speaker 3: four six one four five. That's six seven eight seven 712 00:43:26,881 --> 00:43:28,361 Speaker 3: four four six' one four. 713 00:43:28,521 --> 00:43:39,121 Speaker 1: Five school Of humans