1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: You know everybody wants to paint this idyllic picture of 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: small town America. Well, there's a CD underside to that. 3 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: And if you don't have anybody watching the watchman, keeping 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: an eye on things, keeping people accountable, things can get 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: out of control. There's over twenty unsolved homicides in Pike County. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: I want the community to realize this can happen to 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 1: their family. This is the Piked and massacre returned to 8 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: Pike County Season three, episode nine, Cold Blooded. I'm Courtney Armstrong, 9 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: a television producer at Katie Studios with Stephanie Leidecker and 10 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: Jeff Shane. Over the last two seasons, we've covered a 11 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: few local stories that we believed were unrelated to the massacre. 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: Turns out we may have been mistaken. This episode is 13 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: dedicated to tying up the loose ends of these stories 14 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: that have new endings or new developments. We're also exploring 15 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: the intersection between many of the main players who also 16 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: have ties to the Roden murders. The connections are undeniable. 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: The Roden murders of April twenty sixteen, earth shattering as 18 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: they were, have pushed law enforcement in southern Ohio to 19 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: the limit. It's left their relatively small ranks hyper extended. 20 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: As a result, As local cold case advocates like Angie 21 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: Montgomery point out, many other local homicides have gone ignored. 22 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: In fact, there are at least nine other murder cases 23 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: in Pike County dating back to two thousand that have 24 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: iced over without resolution or even charges issued. In light 25 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: of the county's population of only fifty eight thousand, this 26 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: number is staggering. Tray Evans won the election, and he 27 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: called me in January when he ran into office and 28 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: told me that he was going to try his best 29 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: with the case. Who could do the best he could 30 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: with it. He's got in contact with the BCI and 31 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: they were looking on some things. Speaking as Angie Montgomery, 32 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: a Piked and mother of four and spiritual adviser. Once 33 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: her kids were grown, Angie decided to dedicate her life 34 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: to being a cold case advocate. Here she is talking 35 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 1: about Sheriff Tracy D. Evans, who took over the Pike 36 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: County Sheriff's office in twenty twenty. This was after Sheriff 37 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:33,239 Speaker 1: Charles Reader, who spearheaded the Road and investigation, pled guilty 38 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: to corruption charges. Reader is currently facing a three year 39 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: sentence at the Toledo Correctional Facility. Here's Stephanie and Jeff. 40 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: Just as a reminder, Sheriff Charlie Reader was the sheriff 41 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: at the time of the road and murders, and he's 42 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: never been directly associated with the murders, but he, alongside 43 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: former DA Mike DeWine, we're very public talking about it 44 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: at the time, and after a very thorough investigation, Reader 45 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: agreed to be suspended in July twenty nineteen, and shortly 46 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: after was indicted on eighteen counts that included also racketeering. 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: Beloved Sheriff Charlie Reader was accused of stealing more than 48 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: fourteen thousand dollars from the Sheriff's office and seized drug money. 49 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: What he would do was go into these evidence envelopes 50 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: that were in his possession, take out money, go gamble 51 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: with it, and then put the money back before anyone noticed, 52 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 1: and allegedly he repeated this process numerous times before anyone 53 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: even caught on. In September twenty twenty, Reader pled guilty 54 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: to two counts of theft, one count of tampering with evidence, 55 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: and then also one count of conflict of interest another 56 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: matter that doesn't necessarily relate to this, but is just 57 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: another strike against Sheriff Reader's morality. Is the story from 58 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one that he was sued by county officials 59 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: over collecting salary and benefits that they say he improperly 60 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,119 Speaker 1: collected while he was suspended as they were investigating all 61 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: this other stuff that he had done. According to the lawsuit, 62 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: Charlie Reader collected over one hundred and twenty thousand dollars 63 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: from the city. It's not clear the exact status of 64 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: this litigation, but it is just another strike against the sheriff. 65 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: Here again, Angie Montgomery, we had a meeting with Tracy 66 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: Evans in June, myself and Curtis smother and Jenny's sisters, 67 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: and he told us that if the BTI decided not 68 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: to assist with the case, that he was going to 69 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: wash his hands with him. It's important to note that 70 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: this is Angie Montgomery's recollection of events. We've reached out 71 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: to Sheriff Tracy Evans for comment but did not receive 72 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: a response. The Curtis and Jenny Angie is referring to 73 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: are her cousin, Curtis Francis and his fiance Jennifer Burgett. 74 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: The pair were found dead in their bed December ninth, 75 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,679 Speaker 1: two thousand and six, in their home at one hundred 76 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: and twenty four Hopper Road in piked hon Thirty four 77 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: year old Curtis and thirty year old Jennifer were each 78 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: at once while asleep. The killings became known as the 79 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: Hopper Road murders. According to Angie, Curtis and his fiance 80 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: Jennifer were excited to get married. They both loved hunting 81 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: and fishing, and Chris was a jovial guy known for 82 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: playing practical jokes. Curtis had just had shoulder replacement surgery 83 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: and had a supply of pain medications, so one early 84 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: theory was that the killers were after his pills. In 85 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: the sixteen years since the murders, the case has been 86 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 1: opened and closed several times without a single arrest. It's 87 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: currently a cold case. Sheriff Evans, who during his campaign 88 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: promised voters to improve resources for victims, has deflected Angie's 89 00:05:55,400 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: passionate please to reopen the case. He was done with it. Basically, 90 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: there was nothing more they could do that we would 91 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: have to turn to the media if we wanted to 92 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: get help with the case, which was kind of heartbreaking 93 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: because you know, he gets elected and tells us that 94 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: he's going to do everything he can, but then he's 95 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: flipping it around and saying, if the BCI does, they helped, 96 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: and I'm just going to wash my hands with it. 97 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: So you kind of contradicting what she told me. Kind 98 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: he gave us like false hope, like this guy's really 99 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: going to dig into it and do something, and turns 100 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: around and says if the BCI doesn't do anything, he's 101 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: not going to do anything. And he also said that 102 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: he didn't want kIPS called into the sheriff's pernament, which 103 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: I thought was very odd. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal 104 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: Investigation or BCI, has offered no new support. Here's investigative 105 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: reporter and journalism professor James Pilcher. Unfortunately, the Francis and 106 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: Burgette case has been ruled a cold case now by 107 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: both of the pact prosecutor in the Aisle Storney General's office. 108 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: That happened about two years ago, so now it's on 109 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: the shelf. There's no answers and unless family members can 110 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: come forward to new evidence or something just pops up 111 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: or somebody walks in off the street and says I 112 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: did it. And that's pretty much what's going to happen 113 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: for anything to move on this case. For Angie. This 114 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: case has been a long and frustrating series of missed 115 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: opportunities and snaffoos. In twenty sixteen, investigators discovered a hidden 116 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: well at three twenty four Wind Road, five minutes from 117 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: Hopper Road. This well contained a saddle gun, a lever 118 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: action eighteen shot that is what Curtis and Jenny were 119 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: killed with. There was also a pistol sunk in the 120 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: swampy well, but according to reports, in the process of 121 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: trying to flood the evidence out of the well, the 122 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: fire department blew an eighty foot hole in the well 123 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: and washed the guns away. And then there was the 124 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: issue of the lost nine one one call. Here again, 125 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: Angie Montgomery, and then they tell me that they lost 126 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: a nine one one call. They're not very efficient with things. 127 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: You would think that that would be one of the 128 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: main things you would keep ahold of in a double homicide. 129 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: So it kind of worries me that they did turn 130 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: everything over that they have to the BCI, to BC 131 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: I might look at it and face there isn't anything 132 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: here we can work with. That's where it falls back 133 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: on all these cases, all these cases that are unsolved, 134 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: it's the same thing. It's repetitive. All stammlies I talk to, 135 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: they go through the same thing you go through, which 136 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: is they lost this or they don't have this. And 137 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: why doesn't a shriff keeps coding to the sheriff's office. 138 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: You know you got twelve documented until thomicides in your county. 139 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: Why aren't you asking the public for help for these cases? 140 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: It's like they're just shoved to the side. That's how 141 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: the cases become cold. Angie is still holding out hope 142 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: that the BCI will reopen the cold case and look 143 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: at it with fresh eyes. It's actually their cold Case unit, 144 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: which is through the Ohio Attorney General's Office, and they 145 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,239 Speaker 1: are amazing. They just solved a forty seven year old homicide. 146 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: They're really good. So if they do take it on 147 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: and assist, I think that will get an arrest because 148 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: they're good at what they do. But I'm also worried 149 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: about what all Pike County has given them. What ultimately 150 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: stands in the way of the Francis case finding resolution? 151 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: Is it incompetence, apathy, like the killer behind this awful crime. 152 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: It remains a mystery. I've got someone in Curtain Junie's 153 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: case that gave a statement back in two thousand and 154 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: six when it happened, and he was the last person 155 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: to see Kurtisen Jennifer alive, and he went to the 156 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: sheriff's office and gave them a statement that he was there, 157 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: and those people they never called him back, They never 158 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: followed up with him. And I had him go again 159 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: and make another statement with mister Evans, the new sheriff 160 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: and turning in and I asked him every day and 161 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: they have not called him. They have not followed up 162 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: with him. So to me, that makes me think that 163 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: they don't care, period because that's a pretty big guilts 164 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: someone saying they were the last person to see two 165 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: people alive that were murdered, and you're not going to 166 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: call him back and talk to him. It's eerie the 167 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: way things are done around here. We don't know where 168 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: the Francis case will go, But there's yet another Pike 169 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: County case, this one involving a young man named Jacob 170 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: Lansing that has had its own investigative issues in January 171 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: of twenty eighteen, Pike prosecutors thought they had their man. 172 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: Paul Detti, thirty one, was all set to face trial 173 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: and in Pike County Common Pleas Court charged with aggravated 174 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: murder for the twenty twelve death of Jacob Lansing. But 175 00:11:16,559 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: then prosecutors suddenly reversed course. Newly uncovered evidence exonerated Detti, 176 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 1: and the death penalty case was dismissed. Pike County Prosecutor 177 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: Rob Junk, who's overseeing the road and trials, described this 178 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: case as one of the weirdest he'd ever seen. On 179 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: October twenty seventh, twenty twelve, Jacob Lansing's body was found 180 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: underneath the vehicle at his River Road home. Authorities thought 181 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: it was an unfortunate accident in which the suv the 182 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: twenty five year old had been working fell on him, 183 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: but his mother, Maureen was incredulous and took action. The 184 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: fact that Jacob wasn't dressed in his usual coveralls while 185 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: working on his car did not wash here again, Stephanie 186 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,920 Speaker 1: and Jeff. Rob Junk is one of the main prosecutors 187 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: against the Wagners, and as we've come to learn over 188 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: the years, he was involved with both Reader brothers. All 189 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: of these names kind of keep coming back to each other. 190 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: He had a very public social media spat with Sheriff 191 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: Charlie Reader where Sheriff Reader was threatening to take Rob 192 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,199 Speaker 1: Junk down, or, as he put it, take the quote 193 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: unquote Junk out. It turns out it was Rob Junk 194 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:28,840 Speaker 1: who would end up being an integral part in getting 195 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: both Charlie and Brian Reader removed from their posts. A 196 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 1: lot of people have theorized that the main reason that 197 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: Brian Reader was removed from office was because of his 198 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: handling of the lancing case. However, it's been reported on 199 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: that Brian Reader was terminated over attendance records and sick time. 200 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: This is according to Pike County Commissioner Blaine Beakman. As 201 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: for Rob Junk in January of twenty nineteen, he noted 202 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: that his office as an outwill employer, and he can 203 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: quote let somebody go if I don't like the color 204 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: of their socks. Here again, Angie Montgomery, he never worked 205 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: on his hickle engine work, clives. That's what was bug 206 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: and her. There was the pack of cigarettes beside him, 207 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: and he didn't smoke, so she got a private investigator 208 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 1: did it behind the CoP's back and got her own 209 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 1: evidence and took all of her evidence into Rob Junk, 210 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: and Rob said, well, we'll look at it. This was 211 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: a rare instance where an insistent family member was able 212 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,199 Speaker 1: to move the dial with the prosecutor's office. Jacob's mom, 213 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: Marine never believed that his death was an accident. Now, finally, 214 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: in late twenty sixteen early twenty seventeen, she got Brian 215 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: Reader to listen up. Ryan was the chief investigator at 216 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: the time with the Pike County Prosecutor's Office. That's Rob Junk, 217 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: who is now part of the prosecution team overseeing the 218 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: prosecutor of the Wagoners. He opened an investigation and even 219 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: had the body exhumed and an autoxic perform and that 220 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: revealed that he had been beaten and strangled to death. 221 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: This means that Jacob Lansing's killer took his dead body, 222 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: placed it under his suv, and then precipitously dropped the 223 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: vehicle to make it look like Jacob was crushed a 224 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: freak accident, but based on the new evidence, the death 225 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 1: was ruled a homicide. Bryan spent months and months following 226 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: the leads and doing interviews to find these suspects, Zerian 227 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: and on a man named Paul Michael Allan Detty, who 228 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: arrested in May of twenty seventeen, But in January of 229 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, a week before Debty's trials to begin, Rob johnk, 230 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: who I mentioned before he was a prosecutor, dismissed the 231 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: case without prejudice and Debti was released. He cited new 232 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: evidence that popped up that affected the case, but he 233 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: never told us what that evidence. A year later, in 234 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, Rob Young fired Brian Reader. Investigator. Brian Reader, 235 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 1: who had been spearheading the probe, was let go from 236 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: the prosecutor's office in twenty nineteen. He is the brother 237 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: of Charlie Reader, the disgraced former Pike County sheriff. Apparently, 238 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: Reader's payroll records and personnel files were under investigation by 239 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: the state auditor for some time. Due to Reader's firing 240 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: and the general lack of viable leads, the Jacob Lansing 241 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: case stalled. No further arrests were made. In November twenty twenty, 242 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: Jacob's mother, Marian Lansing, issued an eight thousand dollars reward 243 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: for information about her son's murder. It has yet to 244 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: be collected. We're going to take a break. We'll be 245 00:15:49,320 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: back in a moment. What happened to Megan and Katie Sancaster. 246 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: This is the harrowing story of two young sisters in law, 247 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: one missing and one dead. This happened in a small 248 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: town called Portsmouth, Ohio, one hundred miles east of Cincinnati. 249 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: It's a town of twenty thousand people on the north 250 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: bank of the Ohio River. Here again, James Pilcher. I 251 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: believe Meghan Lancaster got involved with some bad people, like 252 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: the people that have been thought to have killed some 253 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: women up narrow Chill a coffee and she got involved 254 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: in that ring, or whether or not she just something 255 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: went sideways with one of her clients or whatever. I think. 256 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: Meghan is buried somewhere in those hills of Scioga County. 257 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: It's not like Pike County because you get down south 258 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: of Pike County, you start hitting where the glaciers came 259 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: through to create the Ohio River. It's very, very, very hilly, 260 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: and there's all these hollers and valleys and woods and forests, 261 00:16:56,640 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of places to hide body. And 262 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: I think she's buried or they dumped her somewhere and 263 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: she's gone. Megan Lancaster, a mother and former high school 264 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,919 Speaker 1: softball player, was twenty five when she disappeared on the 265 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: evening of April third, twenty thirteen, dressed in jeans in 266 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,679 Speaker 1: an Ohio State sweatshirt. She'd spent the evening with friends. 267 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: Megan called her mother at about seven thirty to say 268 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: she'd be home soon. There was no communication from her 269 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: after that. Meghan's white Mustang was located a few days 270 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: later at a Rally's Hamburger in Portsmouth. Her wallet was 271 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 1: found on the front seat. She left behind her seven 272 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: year old son, whose name was tattooed on her shoulder. 273 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: Portsmouth Police detective Steve Brewer spearheaded the missing person's investigation, 274 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: but no one looked for Megan more intensely than her 275 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: sister in law and best friend, Katie Lancaster. Megan had 276 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,639 Speaker 1: been scraping by as a sex worker and had fallen 277 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: into a life of addiction, so the search led Katie 278 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: into the vast and shadowy underworld of sex trafficking and Portsmouth. Undeterred, 279 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: Katie threw herself and defining her sister in law victims 280 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: out of a Kid. Angie Montgomery, who helped Katie and 281 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: her search efforts, describe Katie's fearlessness and determination. Their pursuit 282 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: began with scouring back page, which sex workers often used 283 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: to advertise their services. When I first started to hanging 284 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: with Katie, we would sit for hours with our laptops 285 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,880 Speaker 1: and go through that website back page looking for her. 286 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: Hours like we would get babysitters so we could sit 287 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: and go through. She would send his pictures like Megan Scott. 288 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: I remember she said a birthmark about her vlly button. 289 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: So we would look through the pictures of these girls. 290 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: Mostly they wouldn't show their faces and we would look 291 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: for that birthmark. Just hours and hours and hours of 292 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: doing that. So in the beginning I kind of did 293 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 1: because she had a couple of leaves. She sent me 294 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: a video one time of a girl in Columbus on 295 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: Sullivan Avenue. It was a traffic cam that looks a 296 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: lot like Megan Kanye would get in the car. She 297 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: would get in the car and go to strip joints 298 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: and she would talk to pimps. She would talk to 299 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: drug dealers. She was not scared to do that and 300 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 1: In the beginning, I didn't think she might be out 301 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:27,160 Speaker 1: there somewhere, but I don't think so. Now I don't 302 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: think she's here anymore. Angie says that Katie's fierceness inspired 303 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: her own efforts to keep fighting to solve Curtis and 304 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: Jennifer's double homicide on Hopper Road. I started to tell 305 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: her a little bit about Curtis and Jennifer, and she's 306 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: someone that told me to be a squeaky wheel because 307 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: you'll get the most grief. I mean. She would go 308 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: on television and talk and I would watch her and 309 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: I'm like, thing, she's so brave, and she would sit 310 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: and talk with me and tell me, you gotta do this. 311 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: You gotta be a voice. Nobody else is going to 312 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,919 Speaker 1: do this. You have to do this. You know. She's 313 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: the reason why I fight so hard. I watched how 314 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: relentful she was, how passionate she was, and she was 315 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: kind of like my hero because there are a lot 316 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: of bad guys in this area and she was not 317 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: afraid to stand up against the powers that be. Katy 318 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: was well aware that there could be consequences for ruffling 319 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: too many feathers, with her insistent please for justice. She 320 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: would always say, you know, if something happens to me, 321 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 1: make sure you look into it. I'm sure you find 322 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: out that that's really what happened to me. Because when 323 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 1: you do go up against the people, and you know, 324 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,959 Speaker 1: the small enforcements or attorneys or judges, there's always that 325 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,440 Speaker 1: fear of they might retaliate against you. And she knew that. 326 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: But she also always said, you know, I'm on social media, 327 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,880 Speaker 1: I'm on TV. I'm saying what I need to say 328 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: about these people to these people. That way, if something 329 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 1: does happen to me, people will know to look in 330 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: to it, you know, instead of being quiet about it. 331 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 1: So that's always stuck with me more she kind of 332 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: pumped me up the louder I got. Katie believed fervently 333 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 1: that her sister in law got cut up with Michael Moran. 334 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 1: Moran was a prominent local attorney who was later indicted 335 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: on eighteen sex trafficking related charges. We covered his story 336 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: in season one of this podcast. The indictment accused Moran 337 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: of engaging in sex trafficking from two thousand and three 338 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: to twenty eighteen, with at least six victims being involved. 339 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: Here's reporter Bob strictly who covered the story for The 340 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 1: Cincinnati Enquirer. Michael Moran is an attorney that's been practicing 341 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,119 Speaker 1: for several decades. He's originally from Ironton, Ohio, which is 342 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: just up the river from Portsmouth. He operates of an 343 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: office that is right across the street from the Scarta 344 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: County Courthouse, and he was appointed to fulfill a term 345 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,640 Speaker 1: on from city council and continued until recently to practice 346 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: criminal defense law until his law license was suspended after 347 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: he was charged with different sex trafficking related crimes. Here again, 348 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: Stephanie and Jeff. Morant's focus as a lawyer was Portsmouth's underworld, 349 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: which gave him easy access to things like sex workers 350 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: and drug dealers. He also has a connection to the 351 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: Wagners and just as a reminder, Pug Carter is actually 352 00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: Angela Wagner's father and George and Jake's grandfather, and he 353 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: was allegedly using his pawn business to rip people off 354 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,919 Speaker 1: back in the day. He was also a frequenter of 355 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,400 Speaker 1: this nefarious place called Big Bear Lake. It's a location 356 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: we've heard about for years but haven't been able to 357 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,399 Speaker 1: speak about it until now, and it appears to be 358 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: a place that intersects Michael Moran, Sheriff Charles Reader, the Wagners, 359 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: as well as the road Ins. It may be a 360 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: key factor in the trials ahead. Big Bear Lake could 361 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: hold deep secrets that pertained to the case. We'll get 362 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: into that a little more next week. Here's James Pilcher 363 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: speaking about Michael Moran and his connection to Pug Carter. 364 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,640 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, he would represent anybody that came 365 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: in his door, and he specialized in low level crime 366 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 1: and drug offenses and DUIs and all of that. That 367 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: was his specialty. That's how he made his living. The 368 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: fact that a guy like Plug Carter came across his 369 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: bow and he represented him was not surprising to me 370 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: at all, because that's what he specialized in. But now 371 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: he was facing possibly career ending allegations from a half 372 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: dozen women. Here again, Bob, strictly, I would say that 373 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 1: the women had stepped forward or was at the forefront. 374 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 1: It just took somebody hitting me over the head with 375 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: a fish that'd actually start paying attention to it in 376 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 1: regard that it demands. What set this one apart for me, 377 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: It was just the amount of women that stepped forward 378 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: and said something about this to us and talk to 379 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: us about it. And then also the apparatus that has 380 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: to exist around a person like Michael Moran for an 381 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: operation as we reported on to exist in the first place, 382 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:24,880 Speaker 1: a lot of people have to turn their heads. I think, 383 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: if anything, over the years of working on this particular story, 384 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of the damnability of people who just turned 385 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,239 Speaker 1: the other way and don't care about what's going on 386 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: right in front of them in their community is more 387 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:41,199 Speaker 1: prevalent than maybe we all realized initially. The charges against 388 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,720 Speaker 1: Moran included three counts of trafficking in person, five counts 389 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: of compelling prostitution, nine counts of promoting prostitution, and one 390 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. His 391 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: arrest was orchestrated by Human Trafficking Task Force under Ohio 392 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: Attorney General Debat, combining the forces of the BCI and 393 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 1: several other agencies. Moran was the first domino to fall. 394 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: Multiple other people are still under investigation. Meghan Lancaster had 395 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,160 Speaker 1: a color coded notebook in which she kept track of clients. 396 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: The entries included scribbles such as quote dance for and 397 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,440 Speaker 1: quote men who give money and included Moran's name and number, 398 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: along with the notation of eighty dollars. Again, Bob strictly. 399 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: There were rumors about Lancaster's disappearance being related to Moran 400 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: for several years. Her sister in law provided us with 401 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 1: her little address like slash fun number book with different 402 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: numbers in it, Dozens and dozens and dozens of different 403 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: numbers of men. Moran was listed in there. We called 404 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: all of those people to see what their associations were 405 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: with Lancaster and came back with We came back with, 406 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: but she's still missing, and I give her credit for 407 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:10,239 Speaker 1: continuing to keep the issue forefront. According to investigators, there 408 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,160 Speaker 1: were at least six women entangled in his exploditive ring. 409 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: Moran denied all allegations. Was Megan Lancaster just another piece 410 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: of his disposable merchandise. After years of probing, the Megan 411 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: Lancaster case when cold, in May of twenty twenty one, 412 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: eight years after her disappearance, the Ohio BCI issued an 413 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 1: age advanced rendering of Megan as a forensic tool to 414 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: reignite interest in finding her. Soon after the case was 415 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: turned over to the BCI Cold Case Unit, Katie was hopeful, 416 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: but nothing came of it. Meanwhile, Moran remained business as usual. 417 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 1: Michael Moran was out on bond, and part of his 418 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: bond agreement was not to practice law, and he was 419 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: under investigator, an impossible suspension by the Bar Association, and 420 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 1: he still showed up trying to defend a client in 421 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: municipal court. So they rescinded his bond agreement and they 422 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,399 Speaker 1: put him on house arrestle of the bracelet. But that 423 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:15,439 Speaker 1: shows you that he was arrogant to the end. Then 424 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 1: in October of twenty twenty one, the tragedy deepened when 425 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: Katie Lancaster, then thirty three, was found dead in a 426 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: residence on the fourth block of Portsmouth. Angie Montgomery was devastated. 427 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: I remember who told me. Somebody sent me a message 428 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: about it. Of course, the first thing I did was 429 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,439 Speaker 1: cry my head off because she was one of my 430 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: really good friends. She's the reason that I fight so hard. 431 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: As reporter James Pilcher tells us Katie's death was a 432 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: possible overdose, possibly induced by the stresses of relentlessly searching 433 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 1: for her missing sister in law, but no one knows 434 00:27:55,160 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: for sure. Being the advocate, it can really wear on you. 435 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: There's only so much fuel in the tank, There's only 436 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: so much emotional fuel in the tank, or something like that. 437 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,160 Speaker 1: And the funny thing is is that she wasn't really 438 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: other than being her sister in law, she wasn't really 439 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,160 Speaker 1: technically related to her. She was really good friends with her, 440 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 1: and then to lose her to possibly a drug overdose, 441 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: given all of what's going on in Seoda County, in 442 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,360 Speaker 1: Pike County, it was just such a tragic, tragic thing 443 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: to hear given everything that that family has been through. 444 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: As tragical as it is that she's gone, the fact 445 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: that she kept going as long as she did and 446 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: brought attention to this is one of the reasons why 447 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: we had the story that we did. Angie has her 448 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: doubts about the apparent overdose. Infiltrating the sex trafficking world 449 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: like she was, could Katie have been silenced? I'm going 450 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: to be honest with you. She was easy and I 451 00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: didn't know it. Around this aready ways to meet people, 452 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: quiet like at first, when I found out that it 453 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: was just supposed to overdose, I was like, no, something's wrong. 454 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: There's been people here in Pike Canopy that have guided 455 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 1: as apparent drug overdoses and everybody knews better. As brutal 456 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 1: as the fate of these two women is, it did 457 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 1: raise awareness of the struggle of women living in the 458 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: margins Bob strictly, it certainly is taking an Epstein Weinstein 459 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,800 Speaker 1: sort of story and saying, yeah, it can happen here too. 460 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 1: There's positions of power littered throughout our society that are 461 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: in a spot where they can abuse where they stand 462 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 1: because they're marginalized people who nobody will listen to. This 463 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,240 Speaker 1: is a small town example of a lot of really 464 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: brave women stepping up and telling their stories and hoping 465 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: that something changes. James Pilcher points out that small town 466 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: cases of sex abuse are systemically no different from anywhere else. 467 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,920 Speaker 1: The one thing that this did was made me so 468 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: much more aware and so much more interested in telling 469 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 1: the stories of all these women all over the country. 470 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter if there was a small town Portsmouth, 471 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: Ohio or suburban Chicago. I've spoken to girls who got 472 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: trapped into it by their uncles, and they've lived in 473 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: pretty affluent suburbs of Seattle. This sex trafficking is an onerous, 474 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: evil thing that is going on everywhere. It's never going 475 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: to stop until you make it harder on the men 476 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: for buying the sex and going after the sex than 477 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: it is for the women selling the sex, who most likely, 478 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: more than likely highly likely are being coerced into it. 479 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 1: It's never going away. I will say that's one thing 480 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 1: that I took away from that whole experience is just 481 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 1: how wide my eyes were opened to this whole semi 482 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 1: underbelly of American society. Let's stop here for another break. 483 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: In November of twenty twenty one, Michael Moran, who had 484 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: a number of health issues, died while Adam Bond after 485 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: a brief hospital stay. His case was then dismissed, but 486 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: Moran might have left behind a more wide ranging network 487 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 1: of abuse and exploitation. James Pilcher. The women whose lives 488 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: he ruined are not getting a shot to face him 489 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: in court, in face person that did this to them. 490 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:42,600 Speaker 1: But there's so much more to that story than just 491 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 1: Michael Moran. There's so much more what was going on 492 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:50,320 Speaker 1: in Portsmouth and how his operation had created all of 493 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: these webs into branches of government. I really think that 494 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: there are people that do not want it to go 495 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: any further now. That Moran is dead, You're opening a 496 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: whole can of worms. I mean, they had opened an 497 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: investigation into all of the previous convictions and trials overseen 498 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: by William Marshall, the judge who was known to pal 499 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:20,280 Speaker 1: around with Michael Moran, who was possibly named in the 500 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: federal affidavit. The first turn to sawn to the Morans 501 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: story and that other women said that they slept with 502 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: him and that Marian set it up. According to an 503 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: article published in April of twenty twenty by The Daily Independent, 504 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen, more than two thousand and seven hundred 505 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 1: cases judge William Marshall oversaw were reviewed by the state. 506 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: This happened after it was revealed that he was potentially 507 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: involved with Michael Moran's sex trafficking ring, among other allegations. 508 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 1: He has never commented on these controversies, and she describes 509 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 1: her reaction when she learned Moran was dead. I turned 510 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: my phone on and was blowing up. I was like, 511 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: oh God, had something happened and I've seen it And 512 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: I was like, that's so of a bitch. That's horrible 513 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 1: to say about someone passing away. But I got me 514 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: and he got away, and he took all the secrets 515 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 1: with him, because there's way more than him involved in 516 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: all that. I'm hoping that he stilled the beings and 517 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 1: told the whole story before he passed away, But I 518 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:29,239 Speaker 1: don't know. He was an awful evil man. There were 519 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: other people involved and they need to be prosecuted for that. 520 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,640 Speaker 1: There's women that are dead because of that, and women 521 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: are missy because of what he did. For years he 522 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:46,080 Speaker 1: denied it, that everybody knew what he was doing. It 523 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: surprised me that it took that long for something to 524 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: be done about it. It's a long time. People have 525 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 1: been talking about that for fifteen years. But as Angie says, 526 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,080 Speaker 1: in the end, Moran will still meet his maker and 527 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 1: maybe there's a reason to hope for a brighter future again. 528 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: James Pilcher, Portsmouth is actually better off than Pike County. 529 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: There are new people in positions of authority. Now they've 530 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,879 Speaker 1: got a new police because they've got a new mayor. 531 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 1: I mean, you still have the poverty. It's still one 532 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 1: of the places in Ohio with the highest rate of 533 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:24,799 Speaker 1: overdose steps and opioid addiction. But as for the town 534 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:29,120 Speaker 1: moving on from the corruption and all of the things, 535 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 1: were happening when Moran was there. I think they're trying 536 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: to turn a corner. More on that next time. If 537 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 1: you're enjoying The Piked and Massacre, listen to our other 538 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:45,440 Speaker 1: hit series, Crazy and Love. New episodes there every Tuesday 539 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. For more information and case photos, 540 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:56,399 Speaker 1: follow us on Instagram at Katie Underscore Studios. The Pike 541 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: Did Massacre is produced by Stephanie Leidecker, Jeff Shane, Chris Greaves, 542 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: Alan Wheaterer, and me Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound designed 543 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: by Jeff Tis, music by Jared Aston, audio mixing by 544 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,880 Speaker 1: Ken Novak. The Piked and Massacre is a production of 545 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:19,080 Speaker 1: Katie Studios and iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 546 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 547 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.