1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Missing in Arizona contains graphic depictions of violence and may 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: not be suitable for all listeners. This episode also discusses suicide. 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: You can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: nine to eighty eight from iHeartRadio and Neon thirty three. 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: I'm John Walzac and this is Missing in Arizona, the 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: story of a man who disappeared after allegedly killing his 7 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: wife and kids, blowing up their suburban home, and escaping 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: into the wilderness. Twenty three years later, I'm hunting Robert 9 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: Fisher and I need your help, Part two without further 10 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: ado Option number one escaped and is alive. This is 11 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: what I believe. It's also what many lead investigators believe. 12 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: In two thousand and six, less than three months before 13 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: he dies, the first case detective John Kirkham tells the 14 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: Arizona Republic, quote, no one believes Fisher's dead in a cave. 15 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: We would have found some traits of his body by now. 16 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: In twenty eleven, FBI agent Bob Caldwell says, quote, all 17 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: our evidence has been that he's the kind of guy 18 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: who wouldn't go kill himself. He's out there hunting, fishing, chewing, 19 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: tobacco with a sore back. In twenty fourteen, then Detective 20 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: Hugh Lockerbie says that Fisher is likely alive somewhere in 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: the West where he can hunt fish and keep a 22 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: low profile. The FBI keeps Fisher on its ten most 23 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: Wanted lists until twenty twenty one, which makes sense only 24 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: if you think he's alive. Many of the people who 25 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: know fisherre best also think he's alive. Of the top 26 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: thirty I interview, including friends, coworkers, and investigators, twenty believe 27 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: Fisher is alive, seven think he's dead. Three are fifty 28 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: to fifty. Not only do I believe Fisher is alive, 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: but I think he premeditated the murders, planning them in detail. 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: In advance, I interview three familicide experts. Fifty nine out 31 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: of fifty nine cases David Wilson studied were premeditated. Neil 32 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: Wautale tells me that premeditation is a strong element in 33 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: the majority of cases. Taylor Oathouse says, quote, the overwhelming 34 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: majority of familicides are premeditated. In the final months before 35 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: the murders, Robert Fisher, a control freak, is rapidly losing 36 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: control he's in pain popping pills. He needs surgery, but 37 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: is terrified it'll paralyze him. He catches an STI likely 38 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: gonnorrhea or chlamydia while cheating on Mary again. He grows paranoid, 39 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: Scared Mary will find out. He starts to withdraw from church, friends, 40 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 1: the gym, and then Mary finds out she got syphilis 41 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: from him. The spark On April eighth, two thousand and one, 42 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: only thirty six hours before the murders, Mary speaks to 43 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: her friend Beth Anderson at church. 44 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: We were standing out on one of the balconies in 45 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 2: one of the buildings and I just said, hey, how 46 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: was your week? And she just looked at me and 47 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 2: she said not very good. And I said, oh my gosh, 48 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: are you okay? Like, are you sick or what? She's like, 49 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 2: I just can't do this anymore. I can't do this 50 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 2: anymore with Robert. I'm going to end it. I don't 51 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 2: care what I have to do to get out, but 52 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 2: I am done. I am done. I was like, okay. 53 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 2: It really kind of took me by surprise. I knew 54 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 2: she wasn't happy for a long time, but I just said, 55 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 2: I'll say a prayer for you. I didn't know what 56 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 2: else to do. 57 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: Beth sees Mary again the following night, around nine thirty 58 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: pm at church, right before the murders. 59 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: I asked her how she was doing, based on our 60 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 2: conversation the day before, and she said, you know, I'm 61 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 2: hanging in there. But she kind of like made a 62 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: motion with her hands, like we can't talk about this 63 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: right now. I mean, Bobby was nearby, not right there, 64 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: but nearby, and I knew. I think it was just 65 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: weighing so heavy on her. I don't know if she 66 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 2: was afraid she would start crying or what. So I said, 67 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 2: I get it, I get it. I said, I just 68 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 2: want you to know I'm praying for you, and she said, 69 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 2: thank you. 70 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 3: I need it. 71 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: Remember a few weeks earlier, Mary's friend Kim Davidson stopped 72 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: by the Fisher House. Mary's hand was injured. She acted weird. 73 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: Six days before the murders, Robert showed up at church 74 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: looking for Mary and the kids. Mary seemed afraid of him. 75 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: Beyond confiding in friends. Did Mary take any steps to 76 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: leave Robert? Maybe police find a pamphlet for budget Mini 77 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: storage in her abandoned forerunner. Was she thinking about moving out. 78 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: Was she afraid Robert would hurt or even kill her? 79 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: The night of the murders? There's a hammer in the 80 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: master bedroom. Robert is OCD, a minimalist, obsessed with cleanliness 81 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: and order. He doesn't normally leave anything lying around, let 82 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: alone a hammer. Did Mary hide it as a defensive weapon? 83 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 1: Did she buy a twenty five caliber pistol for protection? 84 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: The caliber bullet according to one police report with which 85 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: she was shot a gun Robert wasn't known to own. 86 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: There's much I can't answer, However, here's what I think happened. 87 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: My theory. To be clear, this is the line between 88 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: facts and theory. What follows this theory informed by fact? 89 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: Robert knows it's over. Mary's going to divorce him, but 90 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: he thought he could salvage things. And Mary finds out 91 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: he gave her syphilis. She knows he cheated again. This 92 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,679 Speaker 1: is the spark. She confronts Robert, and now he really knows. 93 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: Game over, a final loss of control. Sixty six percent 94 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: of familicides are triggered by family breakdown. Robert is about 95 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: to lose his family. Soon, he'll be alone, in pain, 96 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: facing surgery, possible disability, public humiliation, A failed husband, a 97 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: failed father. As soon as he knows Mary's going to 98 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: leave him, he starts debating what to do. In the 99 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: weeks leading up to the murders, he makes a choice, 100 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: burn it all down literally. He decides to kill Mary, 101 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: wreak his house to explode, and critically escape, start a 102 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: new life, purge the old, rise from the ashes. He 103 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: chooses to kill his kids too. To him, death is mercy. 104 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: They'll suffer more if they live motherless orphans of murder. 105 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: The murders likely take place early on April tenth, two 106 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: thousand and one, only three days before Robber's fortieth birthday, 107 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: which I don't think is a coincidence. Robert plans everything 108 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: meticulously he can cox a cover story and starts to 109 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: act it out once he escapes. He wants people to 110 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: think he died in the wild. That way, at some 111 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: point they'll stop looking for him, or at least some 112 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: people will. According to former FBI agent Bob Caldwell, a 113 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: week or two before the murders, Robert tells his mom 114 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: that he's lugging seven hundred pounds of supplies into the wilderness. 115 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 4: Okay, seven hundred pounds of supplies. What did he take 116 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 4: where would he have deposited it at, And being as 117 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 4: Robert has a bad back, it's not like he was 118 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 4: hiking over a mountain pulling all this stuff up, and 119 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 4: it had to be somewhere he could easily get to 120 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 4: it and deposit wherever he was going to put it, 121 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 4: whether he could drive up to it or is a 122 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 4: very short walk. 123 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 1: Or he lied. He never actually transported seven hundred pounds 124 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,840 Speaker 1: of supplies into the woods right before the murders. No 125 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: one ever found any of his belongings, let alone an 126 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,600 Speaker 1: easily accessible secret seven hundred pounds stash. It makes more 127 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: sense to me that this is a red herring. Mom, 128 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: I just drag seven hundred pounds of supplies into the wilderness, which, 129 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: of course, after the murders, his mom tells police. On 130 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: April ninth, at popular outdoor outfitters, Robert makes a big 131 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: show of asking Ian, the eighteen year old store clerk, 132 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: the last person to see him alive, how to purify water. 133 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: This is only a few hours before the murders, so 134 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: either Robert hasn't planned them yet unlikely, or again it's 135 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: a red herring. Mister cashier, how do you purify water? 136 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: Ian gets the impression that Robert is planning on camping 137 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: for quite a long time. Robert tells him he's going 138 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: to draw water from a cattle hole. He's worried about viruses. 139 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: At seven point fifty five, he swipes his credit card. 140 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: He and Brittany head home. Mary and Bobby get back 141 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: around nine point forty. A neighbor hears Robert and Mary 142 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: fighting around ten. At ten forty two, Robert's caught on 143 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: camera at a nearby ATM. To me, this seems like 144 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: part of the show. He knows he'll be filmed at 145 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: the ATM. I'll circle back to this in a bit. 146 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: After the ATM, no one knows if Robert goes home 147 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: or flees. That's the old story, But I found two 148 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: new witnesses who see Mary's for runner at the Fisher 149 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: House early on April tenth, a neighbor at three thirty am, 150 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: and a newspaper delivery man, Bud Wolf, at five thirty. 151 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: So after the ATM, Robert returns home, though it's unclear 152 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: whether or not he stops anywhere else before doing so. 153 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: By the time he gets back, Mary and the kids 154 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: are likely asleep. The kids usually go to bed by nine, 155 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: Mary by ten. If Robert heads home directly, he's there 156 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,959 Speaker 1: by ten fifty pm on April ninth. At one thirty 157 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: am on April tenth, his cell phone powers down. It 158 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: never turns back on. My best guess is that Robert 159 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: commits the murder shortly before shutting off his phone, so 160 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: sometime around one am on April tenth, and then he 161 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: remains at the house for at least four and a 162 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: half hours. He's still there at five thirty, but gone 163 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: by seven thirty. He likely flees sometime between five thirty 164 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: when Bud Wolf sees Forerunner and six zh three when 165 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: the sun rises. The murders are brutal, but Robert is 166 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,679 Speaker 1: used to gore. He has military training. As a firefighter 167 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: and EMT he responded to bloody accidents and suicides, including 168 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: one in which someone killed himself in a car and 169 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 1: it burst into flames. He then worked for thirteen years 170 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: in stressful hospital settings. His former coworker, John Hatfield tells 171 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: me that people like Robert they have. 172 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 5: A low anxiety level. When things need to get done. 173 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 5: You just kind of know what you're going to do 174 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 5: because you're trained, you're educated, you know what the process is, 175 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 5: so it's almost reflexive. You don't have to think about it, 176 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 5: you just can do it. It's almost like you're stepping 177 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 5: back and even if though people may be on a 178 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 5: verge of death, you know that you're doing what you 179 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 5: need to do to prevent it. Through training, the anxiety 180 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 5: level is just not there. 181 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: A Fisher family friend who doesn't want to be named, 182 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: tells me a story that illustrates, in a bizarre way, 183 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: how calm Robert can remain under pressure. Sometime in the 184 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: eighties or nineties, when hair was big and full of spray, Robert, 185 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 1: Mary and some friends were sitting around the campfire making 186 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: s'mores when Mary's hair caught on fire. Quote it wasn't 187 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: like flaming, but it was on fire, and Robert stood 188 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: next to her and was just looking at her. I'm like, 189 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: he's a fricking fireman, what's going on with that? Like 190 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: put out her hair fire, but someone else did it 191 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: with their jacket, so he froze. He was just looking 192 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: with interest, very cool and collected. That's it. It was 193 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: really weird. It's ironic that this man so desperate to 194 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: be a hero, does nothing when his wife's head literally 195 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: catches on fire. All this to say, even though I 196 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 1: doubt anyone but the most callous sociopath can murder their 197 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: family and not feel anxiety. Robert is as prepared as 198 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 1: anyone to handle stress and gore, both via his training 199 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 1: military firefighter, EMT hospital hunter and his personality. He doesn't 200 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: buckle under pressure. He remains calm under fire, observing fire, 201 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: lighting fire. He can execute his plan. His family just 202 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 1: do what has to be done. After the murders, Robert 203 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: riggs the house to explode. Why please say he wants 204 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:38,079 Speaker 1: to destroy evidence. I don't buy it again, Military firefighter, 205 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: EMT hospitals, Robert must know a police will immediately suspect 206 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: me and be the fire won't destroy everything. If he's 207 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: rational enough to successfully pull off a triple murder, blow 208 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: up his house, and escape for twenty three years, he's 209 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 1: rational enough to think these simple logical thoughts. I think 210 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: he blows up the house for two reasons. First, as 211 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:04,199 Speaker 1: a violent, forceful purge, detonating the past to start over fresh, 212 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: incinerating who he was so he can rise anew. According 213 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: to familicide expert David Wilson, annihilators like Robert want to 214 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: demonstrate power first over their family and later over the 215 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: family's demise. 216 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 6: It will be dramatic. There's an element of staging. Usually 217 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 6: staging behavior is very important. Has rarely discussed how they 218 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 6: want the bodies to be found in a particular way. 219 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 6: They want to tell a story. 220 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: In this case, I'm still in control. My family didn't 221 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: break up. I destroyed it, but I showed mercy. Everyone 222 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: was asleep when I killed them, as quickly as possible 223 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: so they wouldn't suffer. And now I'm blowing up my house, 224 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: burning it down, getting rid of the past, starting over, 225 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: and this a fresh start. Is the second reason why 226 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: I think Fisher blows up his house to destroy photos 227 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: and videos that can help police find him. John List 228 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: did something similar minus the fire, after killing his family 229 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy one. He cut his face out of 230 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 1: every photo he could find. It's one of the reasons 231 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: he successfully escaped and lived on the lamb for eighteen years. 232 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: In two thousand and one, when Robert kills his family. 233 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: There are no smartphones. You take pictures, you develop them. 234 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: It's pricey. Choose your shots wisely. Fisher is smart. After 235 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: two years of research, I've only been able to find 236 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: twenty eight photos of him as an adult, and some 237 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: grainy video. I'm unaware of any surviving photos or video 238 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: of Fisher taken after nineteen ninety nine. Now, if my 239 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 1: theory's correct, Fisher makes one big mistake. He leaves his 240 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: fire safe locked. The safe works, it protects some photos 241 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: and videos, a diabolical advertisement for the efficacy of the safe. 242 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: I suppose I'll return to this in a later episode. 243 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: After rigging the house to explode, Robert flees. Where does 244 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: he go? I don't know, but few people think he 245 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: drives immediately to the forerunner spot. When police later find it, 246 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,439 Speaker 1: they also find his dog Blue. Patty Blackmore, the vet 247 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: who rescues Blue, and her friend Samantha Wright, who's there 248 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: that day too. Think Blues alone in the woods for 249 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: only a short amount of time. 250 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 7: If he had gone without food and water for ten days, 251 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 7: he would have been a lot sicker than he was. 252 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 7: He was hungry, but he wasn't amazing. He'd probably been 253 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 7: there there too. 254 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, So you don't think he had been there full 255 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: ten days? 256 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 8: I don't think so, No, because he was still pretty 257 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 8: I mean, yeah, he wasn't amazing. 258 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 7: He looked very, very healthy. Yes, he was hungry, but 259 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 7: not ten days, starting without the water, because he by 260 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 7: that point he would have been dragging or dead, you know, 261 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 7: especially without the water. 262 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,040 Speaker 1: If Blue is alone for only a day or two, 263 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: where was he before? Does Robert hide somewhere else after 264 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: the murders and then abandoned the suv and Blue? Finally, 265 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: why does Robert choose this particular spot? Let me start 266 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: with that. I think Robert carefully selects the Forerunner spot 267 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: as part of his plan to trick law enforcement, the public, 268 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: and the media into believing he walked into the the 269 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: wild and died. He's supposed to go camping at this 270 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: exact spot only a few days after the murders with 271 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: family and friends, including John and Mary Beth Rodin. 272 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 8: I think that was a big clue that he gave us, 273 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:12,000 Speaker 8: and no one would listen. 274 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 9: What do you mean he had a specific spot that 275 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 9: he wanted to go. Normally, it didn't matter too much. Okay, 276 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 9: you picked the spot, and being John picked the spot, 277 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 9: we go places. I knew at this particular time that 278 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 9: this was the spot, and it's really wanted to camp 279 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 9: with this one spot. 280 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 8: And because I knew that was weird, I went to 281 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 8: the police and said, hey, because of this, I know 282 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 8: we need to look. I said it will go with 283 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 8: you and they said, no, we can't. We're not going 284 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 8: to do that, and that's where they found the car. 285 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: Jim road In. John's brother supports this claim. 286 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 4: Mary Beth said go look for him there. 287 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 10: They didn't do that for ten days. 288 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: Robert's friend and former co worker, Ashley's Arsty also points 289 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: police in the right direction. 290 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 2: If he's alive, and if he's in Arizona, you'll find 291 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 2: him in northern Arizona told him a goot. 292 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: Young friend and boss Lori Greenbeck says the same thing. 293 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: When you knew that he was missing, did you try 294 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: to tell the authorities to look in that area? 295 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 8: We did tell them. 296 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: One of Robert's friends and co workers, who doesn't want 297 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: to be named, also tells police early on to look 298 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: for Robert at the spot where they later find the Forerunner. 299 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 10: Because he used it as a staging area. 300 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 5: But in my mind it was how close it was 301 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 5: to the reservation. 302 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: I'll get back to that in a minute, but first 303 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: ask yourself, why does Robert abandon the suv at a 304 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: spot where he's supposed to go camping in a few days, 305 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: A spot immediately pinpointed to police by multiple people. Now, 306 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: initially police don't actually search it. Instead, it's located nine 307 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: days later by Greg the itinerant camper. It would be 308 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: easy for me to criticize the cops here, but in 309 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: this case, I don't think that's fair. Arizona is huge. 310 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: They have limited manpower. They can't instantly examine every single lead. Instead, 311 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,200 Speaker 1: focus on why Robert chooses this spot. I think he 312 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: thinks police will check it quickly based on tips from 313 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: people like the Rodents, the anonymous co worker, Ashley's Zarsky, 314 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: and Lori Greenbeck. They'll find the forerunner and then they'll 315 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: divert limited resources to this spot, thereby concentrating law enforcement 316 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: in the wrong area, giving Robert more time to escape. 317 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: He also chooses it because it's frustrating and time consuming 318 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: to search. It's only eight hundred and ninety feet from 319 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: the Ford Apache Indian Reservation stayed in local law enforcement 320 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: aren't permitted to cross onto tribal land without permission. They 321 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 1: get it, but it takes time. Furthermore, this spot is 322 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: only one hundred and fifty feet from Apex Cave. Police 323 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: immediately think Fisher's in the cave. Swat teams circle it. 324 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: They call on a plumber who snakes in a drain camera. 325 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,400 Speaker 1: He's not here. They move on to other caves. He's 326 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: not in any of them. All of this takes time. 327 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,439 Speaker 1: If you're on the run, if you want to complicate things, 328 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: if you want to buy time to escape, if you 329 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: want people to think you died in the wilderness. This 330 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: is the perfect spot, a spot where you're supposed to 331 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 1: go camping in a few days, a spot police will 332 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: likely search quickly. They'll find the forerunner next to an 333 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: Indian reservation and a cave in the middle of a 334 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: two point nine million acre national forest. It's brilliant, really. 335 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,160 Speaker 1: Some people dispute that the forerunner's proximity to tribal land 336 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: complicates the search. They're wrong. Heala County Detective Brian Havy 337 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,400 Speaker 1: tells me that it was, in fact an issue. Consider 338 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: a different incident from twenty eighteen. Two men parachute out 339 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: of a vintage World War Two plane above the reservation. 340 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: Their plane crashes into the forest below. They survive, but 341 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: can't find it. They put up a reward and end 342 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 1: up in a battle with the tribe, which, according to 343 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: the Arizona Republic says they're encouraging people to violate tribal 344 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: and federal law. The tribe is understandably very protective of 345 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: its land and sovereignty. I reach out to several officials 346 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: for comment. No one responds. I file a record's request 347 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 1: with tribal police. They deny it. Some people might say 348 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: that Robert chooses the fore Runner spot not as part 349 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: of an elaborate escape plan, but because he knows it, 350 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: he likes it. It's peaceful, remote, beautiful. This is where 351 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:15,199 Speaker 1: he chooses to die by suicide. If he wants to escape, 352 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 1: he could keep driving to another state, even Mexico. The 353 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 1: border is only three hours away. So why does he 354 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: stop here? The simple answer Occam's razor to die. But 355 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,880 Speaker 1: what about Blue? If Robert walks into the woods to die, 356 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: why does Blue stay with the fore erunner not Robert? Here? Again, 357 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: are Patty Blackmore at the vet and her friend Samantha Wright. 358 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 7: If Blue is outside and Robert Fisher wandered off, I 359 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 7: think Blue would have followed him. 360 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: Do you see any scenario in which Robert Fisher goes 361 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: into the wilderness and says stay and Blue does not 362 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: follow him. 363 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,880 Speaker 7: No, it would have to be a really good dog 364 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 7: for that. 365 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: So now Robert the control freak is unsurprisingly strict with 366 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: his dogs. He trains them well. You see it in 367 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 1: home videos with his black lab Ruger. 368 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 11: Ruger Good, get right, Boke, Okay, stay, Rugers good dash, 369 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 11: good dog. 370 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: One of Robert's friends, who doesn't want to be named, 371 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 1: tells me a story. In the late eighties, Robert would 372 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: claim pots and pants in front of Ruger, training him 373 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: not to be jumpy around loud noises, not to be 374 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,639 Speaker 1: gun shy. That way he could bring him hunting. The 375 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: friend had stunt blanks from a movie set. He gave 376 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: them to Robert one Friday night in his backyard. Robert 377 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: told Ruger to sit, and then he started shooting blanks. 378 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: At the time, there was a football game taking place 379 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: at a nearby high school. Police surrounded the house, the 380 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 1: friend said, and Robert came close to getting shot. This 381 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: incident has never been reported. In the nineties, after Ruger dies, 382 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: Robert gets Blue, an Australian cattle dog. By all accounts, 383 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: he also trains Blue well, but no dog can be 384 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,440 Speaker 1: trained to remain indefinitely within suv as their owner wanders 385 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 1: into the woods to commit suicide. Here's a limit for 386 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:08,680 Speaker 1: an expert opinion. 387 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 3: I consult doctor Amy Learn. 388 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: A board certified veterinary behaviorist and the owner of Animal 389 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: Behavior Wellness Center in Richmond, Virginia. 390 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 3: I completed an internship and a residency, had to write 391 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 3: a peer reviewed article and have that published, and log 392 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 3: tons and tons of hours in animal behavior study, different 393 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:33,880 Speaker 3: topics like learning theory, psychiatry, medical neuroscience, different psychiatric medications, 394 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 3: learn about lots and lots of different species of animals. 395 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 3: And then here I am today. 396 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 12: And you see a world in which Robert Fisher walks 397 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 12: off to commit suicide and Blue just sits there by 398 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 12: the truck and doesn't follow home. 399 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 3: No, I can't, honestly, let's just say that this is 400 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:59,239 Speaker 3: the best trained dog in the universe ever. And he 401 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 3: asked him to say, and he can stay for hours, 402 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 3: and he walks off and commits suicide. At some point, 403 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 3: that dog has to get up, he has to got 404 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 3: to go to the bathroom, he's got to eat. He 405 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 3: gets up, and it's been a long enough time that 406 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 3: the owner's not there, and he's like, I think maybe 407 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 3: I can get up, you know, looking around, like am 408 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:16,679 Speaker 3: I gonna get in trouble. No, I can get up. 409 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:18,679 Speaker 3: I don't see anybody. I'm gonna get up now. So 410 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,159 Speaker 3: he gets up, and then once he gets up, he 411 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 3: doesn't remember that he should go back to his spot 412 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,959 Speaker 3: and sit down again. He's like, what do I do now? Okay, 413 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 3: I ate something, I drank something. Where's my guy? Like, 414 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 3: let's go play, let's go on a hike, let's do 415 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 3: something else. And so he's gonna start sniffing around. And again, 416 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 3: this isn't a search and rescue dog, but he still 417 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,640 Speaker 3: has a dog sense of smell, and so he can 418 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,679 Speaker 3: track and find out where Robert went to some degree 419 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 3: and go there. Now again, that depends on the terrain 420 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,200 Speaker 3: and if he has to climb up and over or through. 421 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 3: We all watch those old jailbreak movies where somebody just 422 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 3: crosses the river and then the dogs never find them 423 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 3: because they're on the other side of the river. But 424 00:22:58,119 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 3: you know, I don't know if any of those kinds 425 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 3: of things would have gotten in a way, but I 426 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 3: believe that Blue could have tracked him if he was there, 427 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 3: you know, within a mile two miles of the car, 428 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 3: and then gone to find him and stayed with the body. 429 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 12: Do you think that is likely that he would have 430 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 12: tracked him if he could. 431 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 3: I think if they have the bond that you're thinking 432 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 3: they do and that you're describing, that he would have 433 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 3: tracked him, because again, that's the only person being that 434 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 3: he knows, that's his way out, that's his food provider, 435 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:28,919 Speaker 3: and he's going to be like, when are we going home? 436 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 5: Right? 437 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 3: Most of the time, if you think about going with 438 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 3: your dog to a park or the woods or hiking, 439 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 3: they're with you. They'll go run off and chase something, 440 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,119 Speaker 3: and they'll come back and check in with you. And 441 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 3: most of the time that's what a hike looks like, 442 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 3: even if you're off in the wilderness. And so for 443 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 3: Blue to stay somewhere well his person left, or for 444 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,679 Speaker 3: Blue to really go off, if he wasn't chasing a 445 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:52,880 Speaker 3: rabbit or some kind of prey item, then he would 446 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,359 Speaker 3: have stayed or continued to check in with his person. 447 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 12: And if his person had been nearby, or he had 448 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,200 Speaker 12: been able to track his person, which was Robert, even 449 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:03,840 Speaker 12: if Robert had died, it would make sense that Blue 450 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 12: would use Robert as his base instead of the vehicle. 451 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 3: So the vehicle, I think, so if Robert really was 452 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 3: going to commit suicide. I think that Blue would have 453 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,479 Speaker 3: followed him as much as he could have, no depending 454 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 3: on where he meandered and if Blue could go with him. 455 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,199 Speaker 3: And then you would see a dog sitting by the 456 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,879 Speaker 3: owner's body. Here, I am, here's my owner. I'm not 457 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 3: going to leave him. I'm going to stay here. 458 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,640 Speaker 1: There are many examples of this. In fact, we included 459 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,119 Speaker 1: one earlier in this episode, the dog who stayed with 460 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: its owner's bodies from fall to spring after a murder 461 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: suicide in the Arizona Wilderness. Here's another. In twenty twenty three, 462 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: a Jack Russell terrier remained with his owner's body for 463 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: two months in an isolated, rugged part of Colorado until 464 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,720 Speaker 1: searchers found them. Experts aside, examples aside, Let's just use 465 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: common sense. Does it make more sense that Blue remains 466 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: near the Forerunner as Robert walks into the wild to die, 467 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: or that he stays near the Forerunner because someone picks 468 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:11,399 Speaker 1: up Robert and drives him away. If you like this show, 469 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,959 Speaker 1: please download our first two seasons, Missing in Alaska and 470 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: Missing on nine to eleven. For updates, visit meon thirty 471 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: three dot com or follow me on Twitter at John 472 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:25,479 Speaker 1: waalzac j O, n Wa l Czak. Thanks for listening. 473 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:41,440 Speaker 3: Now. 474 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 1: One of the most confounding questions of this case, why 475 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: does Robert leave Blue alive? Is this an act of 476 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: love from a man who just killed his family? I 477 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 1: don't think so. First, Blue would have served as an 478 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 1: early warning system, alerting Robert if people or vehicles approached. Second, 479 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: I think Blue is part one of a three part signature, 480 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 1: Robert telling the world. I was here One Mary's fore Runner, 481 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: two Blue, three Robert's black ball cap, the one he 482 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: wears the night of April ninth at the ATM. Hello, police, Here, 483 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: I am on camera at an ATM, wearing this hat. 484 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: It's me Robert. If you're thinking, who cares, it's just 485 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,879 Speaker 1: a hat, consider this. When police find the fore Runner, 486 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 1: none of Robert's belongings are in it except the hat. 487 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,159 Speaker 1: No camping equipment, no guns, no clothes, nothing, just the hat. 488 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: What's even more interesting is where they find it. Keela 489 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 1: County Detective Brian Havy is the first cop to reach 490 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: the Forerunner. 491 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 10: It was an unlocked, unsecured vehicle, bare bones, nothing in it, 492 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 10: and the only thing that I recall being in there 493 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 10: was a ball cap on the seat, and I think 494 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 10: it was on the back of the saint, just threshting there, 495 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 10: you know, Pat, or in the in between the two, 496 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 10: just reshting there like the arms. No up on the 497 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 10: where your shoulder would be. He was sitting right there 498 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 10: likego his place there. 499 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: Like it was placed there, And it must have been, 500 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: because it didn't just fall off his head neatly onto 501 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 1: the corner of a car seat. So Robert dumps the 502 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,439 Speaker 1: foreerunner and Blue and the ball cap, three signatures I 503 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,439 Speaker 1: was here, and nothing else, none of his stuff. Question, 504 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: if Robert chooses to die by suicide in the wild, 505 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: does it make sense that he drags all of his 506 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: stuff with him, except, of course, the black ball cap 507 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: he wore at the atm. Does it make sense that, 508 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: instead of just walking to a nearby hill or tree, 509 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: he takes every single item with him except the hat, 510 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:41,119 Speaker 1: and no one ever find anything, and Blue stays with 511 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: the forerunner. Does that make sense? Not to me? Furthermore, 512 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 1: it makes even less sense when you consider his health. 513 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: He's in pain, he needs surgery, he's popping pills. Jim Roden, 514 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: his friend, tells me about a hunting trip they took 515 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety seven, four years before the murders. 516 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:03,560 Speaker 10: Because of his back, I carried his pack, his gear 517 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 10: for the night back into the back country. 518 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: Robert is in so much pain on this trip, Jim 519 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 1: has to carry his pack for him. Take a guess 520 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: at how much the pack weighs. Twenty five pounds. Twenty 521 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: five pounds. That's nothing. So the idea that a suicidal 522 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: Robert Fisher carts everything with him into the wilderness, except, 523 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: of course, the black ball cap, and none of his 524 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 1: stuff has ever found is ridiculous. So too is the 525 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,199 Speaker 1: idea that he morphs into a speedy little gollum, dragging 526 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: everything deep into a cave. Not to mention, he seems 527 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: to be addicted to opioids, which at some point will 528 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 1: run out. Now let me circle back to the Forerunner 529 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:43,960 Speaker 1: when police find it. It's very clean. Some dirt, some 530 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: pine needles, but no mud caked inside or out, even 531 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: though the windows are rolled down and the weather has 532 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 1: at points been bad sleep snow, wind, rain, no muddy footprints, 533 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 1: no dog prints. I've been to that spot several times. 534 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 1: Each time it was dry, my car got absolutely caked 535 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: in dirt. If it was wet, it would have been 536 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 1: caked in mud. There's no way to make it there 537 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: without getting dirty, except I suppose maybe driving very slow 538 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 1: or cleaning it once you get there, like say, if 539 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: you want to remove evidence. One more question, why does 540 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: Robert take the Forerunner instead of his truck. Well, the 541 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 1: Forerunner has more cab space in which the store stuff 542 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 1: or sleep. The fore Runner is more inconspicuous, less flashy, quieter, 543 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: it gets better gas mileage. Neither vehicle is four wheel drive, 544 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: so that's irrelevant. More space, less flashy, better gas mileage. 545 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: Robert Fisher is spiraling out of control. His back hurts, 546 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: his knee hurts. He needs surgery. He's scared it'll paralyze him. 547 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: He's popping pills. He cheats on Mary, gets gonorrhea or 548 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: chlamydia and syphilis, gives it to Mary. She finds out 549 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: and confronts him. It's over control gone. He's about to 550 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 1: be a divorced, middle aged cyphilid man. Pitied by the community, 551 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: he decides to kill Mary and the kids to blow 552 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: up his house to escape. He starts to play out 553 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: a cover story. Tells his mom he lugged seven hundred 554 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: pounds of supplies into the wilderness, tells the rodents that 555 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: they have to go camping at this exact spot near 556 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: young He tries to act normal, goes to the movies 557 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: with Mary to Brittany's Honor Society event. Stops at popular 558 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: outdoor outfitters where he asks an eighteen year old cashier 559 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: how to purify water. He heads home, fights with Mary, 560 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,840 Speaker 1: drives to the atm and Mary's suv, which is caught 561 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 1: on camera. Wears his black ball cap, also caught on camera. 562 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: Goes home again. Everyone's asleep. He kills them, slits their throats, 563 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: first Mary, then the kids. He shoots Mary in the 564 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: head the fuck you shot, turns off his phone, cleans up, 565 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: packs his stuff into Mary's Forerunner, breaks the house to explode, 566 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: drives off, goes somewhere, drops off the Forerunner in the woods, 567 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: cleans it up, places the black ball cap on a 568 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 1: seat corner, dumps blue only eight hundred and ninety feet 569 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: from a reservation, one hundred and fifty feet from a 570 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: cave in the middle of a two point nine million 571 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,360 Speaker 1: acre national forest. Good luck to the cops. Someone picks 572 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: him up and helps him escape. He lives. He's still 573 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: alive today. This is my theory which I test on 574 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 1: Scott Still. Lieutenant Hugh Lockerby, You've looked at this for 575 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: the better part of my life, so you know more 576 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: than me. If there's something wrong with my logic, I 577 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: want to hear you tell me. 578 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,080 Speaker 13: I like your theory and trust me. We've discussed that 579 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:38,040 Speaker 13: same theory and there's nothing to really refute it. There's 580 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 13: nothing to say that that isn't what happened. I just 581 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 13: don't know. I can see why you would think that, 582 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,000 Speaker 13: and I think you are looking at through a lens 583 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 13: that is pretty accurate because you're looking at things from 584 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 13: a factual standpoint, and it definitely definitely could have been why. 585 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 13: I don't know if it's I can't say it's for 586 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 13: one hundred percent accuracy though. You just don't know right now, 587 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 13: but it's definitely something that he could have done, and 588 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:03,240 Speaker 13: that's why he did what he did. 589 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: One thing I always ask our team before these shows 590 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: air is if I say something or right something written 591 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: me to shreds because everybody else will a minute will 592 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: come out. Do you see generally any flaws with my 593 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: logic or anything. Did anything I say pop out that 594 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: just doesn't make sense to you? 595 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 13: Or yeah, I mean I'm trying to think he said 596 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 13: a lot, So I'm trying to go back and rip 597 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 13: it to shreds. I'm trying to figure out what I 598 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:28,960 Speaker 13: could rip you on. 599 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: Nothing. He doesn't rip me to shreds now. That doesn't 600 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: mean he endorses my entire theory, just that he gets 601 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: my logic. In previous seasons, I resisted stating my theories. 602 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: Not this time. I think Robert Fisher escaped. I think 603 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,280 Speaker 1: he's alive. I want to find him and I need 604 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 1: your help. Let me leave you with this clip from 605 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,920 Speaker 1: my interview with Miss Honey, Britney Fisher's teacher, the second 606 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: to last person to see and speak with Robert Fisher 607 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 1: that we know of, because I think someone helped him. 608 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,200 Speaker 1: I'll get to that in a later episode. Here's Miss Honey. 609 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 12: He had a. 610 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,040 Speaker 14: Plan, and I know he did. I feel it, and 611 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 14: I feel like often wonder what family he has now 612 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 14: and who his kids are now, and my senses he 613 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 14: started over and people like that can be very manipulative, 614 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 14: and hopefully no one else will be his next victim. 615 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:22,600 Speaker 12: End of Part two. 616 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:25,960 Speaker 1: Next time, I'm missing in Arizona. 617 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 12: Why are you trying so hard to find me? Because 618 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 12: this is a fascinating case. 619 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: I want to solve it, and because you hurt so 620 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: many people, I want to help them. 621 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 11: All Right, come on, then ask me some real questions. 622 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 1: You can reach us by phone at one eight three 623 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: three new tips that's one eight three three six three 624 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,880 Speaker 1: nine eight four seven seven, by email at tips at 625 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:54,080 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com, tips at iHeartMedia dot com, online at 626 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:57,720 Speaker 1: meon thirty three dot com, or on Twitter at John Waalzac, 627 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 1: Jo n Wa l Czak. Paul Decan is our executive producer. 628 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: Chris Brown is our supervising producer, Hannah Rose Snyder is 629 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: our producer. Paul Gemperlin is our researcher. Ben Bolan is 630 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 1: a consulting producer. And I'm your host and executive producer 631 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,360 Speaker 1: John Walzac Special thanks to Jim John and Mary Beth Rodin. 632 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,080 Speaker 1: Cover art by Pam Peacock Neon thirty three. Logo designed 633 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,720 Speaker 1: by Derek Rudy. Our intro song is Utopia by Ruby Cube. 634 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: Please download the first two seasons of our show, Missing 635 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: in Alaska and Missing on nine to eleven, and if 636 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 1: you're so inclined, give us a five star rating. Missing 637 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: in Arizona is a co production of iHeartRadio and Neon 638 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:38,960 Speaker 1: thirty three