WEBVTT - Ep. 7 Desahogar 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.680 After Emory's death, her aunt Becky kept calling the LAPD 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:08.719 detective after detective just to check in for over a decade. 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:13.240 There's no faith to have. It's like I said, if 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:16.160 she wouldn't call, we probably wouldn't know anything. This is 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:19.560 Emory's sister, Crystal. Again, we'd probably be thirty steps behind 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:23.119 where we actually are now. And you know, I know 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.520 they have big jobs, big cases they need to take 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:30.520 care of, but she, along with the other millions of 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:34.440 people that have been murdered, meant something to us. She 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:36.920 had a family and she was only fourteen. She had 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:40.199 a future of out of her. It's hard to have 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:44.400 faith and something that you see no potential in because 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:48.000 the people in charge they're not They're not giving you 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:50.720 any insights, they're not keeping you updated, they're not keeping 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:53.400 you in the loop. They kind of just brush it 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:57.360 off in a sense. And you know, like I feel, 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:02.040 if she was taken to from the beginning, we would 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.320 probably know something Bry now. So when I did get 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:09.320 new information on Emory's case, I immediately called her aunt Becky. Hello, 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.360 Hi Becky, Hi, how are you hi? Good? This is 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.640 Janis from Vice Vice N Yes, yes, how are you 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:23.400 I'm okay, I'm waiting for my mouth to doct disappointment. Okay, 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:28.640 how oh so so we're we got here early, so 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:31.560 we're waiting in the car for the time. They don't 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:37.080 have you right, Yeah, exactly. Yeah, we've been trying to 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.320 get a hold of anyone at Central Bureau Homicide UM 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:43.560 because they've just stopped been answering our phone calls, not 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:47.199 been like you know, not not not answering anything. We've 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:49.200 been living voicemails, and they've been kind of hard to 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:55.560 getting in contact with. Yeah, yeah, and yeah, we finally did. 0:01:56.280 --> 0:02:01.080 They said that the case is currently considered fresh, which 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:04.000 means it's active because of information that was provided by 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:06.440 the by the family. We don't know what the family 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:11.400 lead was, and LABD won't share more specifics. The family 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:15.040 members we talked to don't seem to know either. I'm 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:18.160 not really sure what he meant by information that was 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:22.799 provided by the family, but it was. Yeah. Every time 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:26.760 we'll hear like a rumor or somebody calls one of 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:31.160 us with some seeing that they heard, we called right 0:02:31.240 --> 0:03:15.240 away and we let them know. From I Heearts, Michael 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:19.359 du A, Podcast Network, Vice and Elia Studios, this is 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:57.760 party cruise the Untold Story. I'm Genus Amalca. In November 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:01.280 of twenty twenty one, LIPD told us that Emory's case 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:05.720 was fresh again, meaning that while it had been cold, 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:10.120 they were investigating new information related to the case. We 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:13.320 kept calling for updates but couldn't get more information than that. 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:17.720 But a few months later we did get a new contact. Okay, 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:21.800 I'll hear you this. Yes, okay, I was out of 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:24.760 the country visiting my family in Peru for a few weeks. 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.479 So this is senior producer Sophia Palissa Carr on the 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.359 phone with Becky. I ended up getting a call and 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:33.200 she had some information that I wanted to pass on 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:36.479 to you. The corner investigator we interviewed in a past 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:40.240 episode told us she wanted us to pass on to 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:44.120 Emory's family the name and number of an investigator she knew. 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:48.960 His name is Moiss Castillo. Moses Castillo is a former 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:53.320 LPD detective supervisor where he worked specifically on crimes against 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:58.120 children for fifteen years. After close to three decades, he 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:00.320 retired from the force and now he work for a 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:04.279 law firm as a chief investigator where he also does 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:09.039 pro bone or work and what he told me. I 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:11.240 called him and just talked to him, and he told 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:15.200 me that his priority would be to make sure that 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:19.080 the family could meet with the police department and just 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.719 make sure that where the case is at now. And 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.039 I don't really know what that means exactly, but I 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.120 know that he has a lot of contacts in LAPD, 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:28.520 like you should really talk to him and see what 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:34.240 you want to do. So what do you think do 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:36.320 you think you might would like? Yeah, I would like 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.520 to meet with him, you know, and uh, you know 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:45.600 my niece Crystal and my sister Maria, and I was 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:48.280 say her dad. They don't live together anymore with him 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.159 and my sister, but he's still in the picture. So 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.520 I mean, I don't know if you would like to 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.400 be there too. I would love to be there just 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:59.840 to see the process. And I think how hard it 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.880 to get information is important for people to know, and 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.919 you know, it's been so long. But whatever you're comfortable with, 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:10.960 I'll stop calling people today and see and then call 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:16.120 him too. Sophia is going to take it from here. 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:20.359 HI can help you. Hi, I'm going up to sweet 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:24.080 nineteen ninety. Are you here for Moses Castillo Um He's 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.160 part of the law for After I talked to Becky, 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:30.279 she did end up reaching out to Moses, and a 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:33.400 couple of days later she let me know that they 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.760 had set a time to meet. I was surprised because 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:41.240 about ten people showed up. This is Maria, Emory's mom. 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:48.080 Helloa Becky, Emory's aunt, was there as well as Emory's 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:51.520 mom and her dad, and her brother John. John's wife 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.840 and his two kids also came out, and a couple 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.960 of Emory's friends too, Alejandra, who we've spoken to, and 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:01.120 her other friend Madison. Since originally Emory's mom hadn't been 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.000 interested in speaking to us for this story, this was 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.440 the first time that any of us had heard from 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:10.200 either of Emory's parents before we met. We did ask 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.840 the entire family for permission, and they agreed to let 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.800 us record it. The meeting was at a law firm 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:19.520 in downtown Glendale on a Saturday morning in February. It 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.720 was this tall, glossy building and because it was the weekend, 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:31.160 the entire office was empty and quiet. Anybody want any coffee? 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:33.680 And there's a little next for the kids too, for 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:37.320 the dults to This is the former detective Moses Castillo, 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:40.520 His demeanor was low key. He had brought some pandu 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:42.640 and he joked as he put it on the table 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:46.240 that quote I heard there were some Latinos here. He 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:50.040 clearly understood it was going to be intense for the family. Well, 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:55.040 first of all, I want to say thank you for 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:59.680 ling me in this journey that you've been going through 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:03.800 for so long. And it's I have no word for relate. 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:08.160 I dream he's the pain and that I want to 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.240 hear about Emory. I want you to tell me about Emory, 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:13.520 and I know that might be painful, but it still 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:18.800 be important because I want My ultimate goal is to 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.960 get you to me with the detectives on his case. 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.440 Before we ended up getting into the nitty gritty, Moses 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:35.640 asked to lead the room in prayer. Good God, I 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:41.360 thank you for your love and for you goodness, all right, grace, 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:46.520 that you would that Emory's family know that they are 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:53.200 not alone. During the prayer, Emory's mother started to get emotional. 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.439 Moses asked her to speak first, but she couldn't, so 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:02.480 he turned to Jose, Emory's dad. Because you want do 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:07.160 you want someone else to start or give you some time? 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.000 Who's it? Yes, sir, would you like to tell me 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:18.640 about I was not there. I was a father figure 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.920 and um but uh I would see them and give 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.160 them what they needed. As you know, they called me 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:31.240 and they tell me, and uh, you know, I just 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.199 I just I like I said, I was, I wasn't there, 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.720 you know, like the way I wish I would. I was. 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.960 And you know she was. She was a She was 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:47.320 a happy child. And I know she would cry and 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.640 say where's my dad? Where's my dad? Because I wasn't there. 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:56.240 But she, you know, I just she was. She was 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.680 a happy girl. When Maria was finally ready to talk, 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:02.240 she ended up echoing a lot of what Jose said. 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:05.440 She was wearing this silver chain necklace with two hearts, 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.839 which used to belong to Emory. So I shee was 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:16.240 a wonderful person. She was always singing, dancing. She's timing 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:19.000 that she wanted She had a lot of friends. She 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:22.520 wanted everybody to like her. She would put her brands 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.840 for her if they needed something. She was always copying 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:30.080 them out. And she was just a happy person. I 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:34.280 only told why somebody would want to hurt her. Maria 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:37.400 told Moses how Emory struggled at school, how there were 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.280 girls who wanted to jump her. We talked about this 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:43.560 in a previous episode about how the family recalls that 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:45.439 some girls showed up one day at the house and 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:49.240 harassed Emory with a baseball bat. So Maria had her 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:52.520 changed schools and then homeschooled her for two years, and 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.600 then she went to Francisco Bravo High School, where things 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.280 had seemed to be going well when she started going 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:03.080 to brav where her grace went back up. And I 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.800 guess said, maybe she's hang around with the wrong crowd 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:08.959 or because she wasn't having poulos though. It's like I 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:11.440 would ask her, is there anybody that wants to hurt true? 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:14.559 Is everybody wants you like tell you stuff? She's like, no, no, no, 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.559 they agreed to whatever. I guess it was just the 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:21.680 crowd she hanged around with that I don't know. The 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.880 other person that we haven't heard from directly, but whose 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:28.040 name had come up in other interviews was Emory's younger 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.000 brother John, any other questions, you want to share something 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:35.080 about your sister. John is the one who got in 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:37.880 a fight with her the day she disappeared. He was 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:39.960 sitting at the very end of the table and he 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:45.280 was wearing an La Rams jacket. Um, you know, I 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:52.600 was thirteen at the time, she was fourteen. I was, 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:00.800 I was all enough to know what was going on. 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:08.360 But we're too young to understand. My sister was involved 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:14.280 a lot. You know, she was too young to be 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:20.240 involved with the people that she hung around with, you know, 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:24.920 the party scene. She knew a lot for her aide um, 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:33.760 I'm at peace, you know, of what would occurred. I 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:38.199 came to peace with it. No matter what, you know, 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:42.600 doing justice or not, it doesn't I really, it doesn't 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:46.080 really matter to me. You know, I don't believe her 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:56.600 as well, and so I forgive the people or a 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:07.600 person that did the If we could find out what happened, 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:13.000 it'll be you know, from their mom. You know, she's 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:19.360 who will heard at it to the other part of 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.200 this meeting was creating a space to share tips and 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.280 theories that have come in over the years. As we've 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:27.760 mentioned in a previous episode, the family has a ton 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:30.840 of them. People have reached out from all over giving 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:34.280 them information after Emory's death, things they saw or things 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.680 they heard, and this is the type of information that 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:40.560 Becky would call LAPD detectives with whether they followed up 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.400 or not. The family doesn't know, but they would call 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:46.960 and relay everything that they heard. There are two theories 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.240 that we've heard that have come up again and again. 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.719 Like we said previously, given the total speculative nature of 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.280 these theories, we're only going to include first initials and 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:58.079 we're going to cut out full names in the tape 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:01.480 for privacy. So one of the theories was about Emory's 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.760 former boyfriend at the time of her death, who we 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:07.640 are calling r. He's currently in prison for a second 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:11.480 degree attempted murder. In the meeting, Emory's mom talked about 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.160 how a friend of the family ran into our after 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.920 Emory's death. They were talking to him through the window 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.640 and that she said that she hurled her out and 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:25.760 she's seen Emory's rings inside of struck. That was like 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:30.840 about six months she classed away. Oh my, yeah, we visit. 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:33.840 We mentioned this in episode four. But Emory was known 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.680 for wearing all these different rings, and when she was 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.520 found they were all gone, and there were tan lines 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:41.840 as well in her hands where they had been. Her 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:46.200 family never found those rings. The other theory is focused 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:51.320 on Emory's friend's ex boyfriend we're calling him. S Alejandra, 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:53.680 her high school friend, says he spoke to Emory the 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:57.640 day she disappeared, and I'm not sure what they talked about, 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:01.680 but I remember they were going to meet after school 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.880 and he was pretty upset about something that had happened. 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:07.960 She says that s got upset with Emory because he 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:12.040 felt that Emory got in between him and his ex girlfriend. Again, 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:14.000 We've tried to reach out to all of these people 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:18.480 numerous times. Maria. Emory's mom also said that they had 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:21.120 been told that the police did talk to s at 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.360 the time. They went to his house supposedly and he 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.080 got arrested to see the on guns in his house, 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.360 and he went in and they took him to jail 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:35.440 and then under clever cop pretending he was an inmate, 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:38.200 put him in the same sound to see if he 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.800 could get information from him, you know, brought up every 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:43.520 you know kime out and said, well, did you know, 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.280 did you hear what happened to that girl? They said that, 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:47.680 you know, to see if he would say anything, but 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.800 he never commented nothing. They never got nothing out of him. 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:54.840 Moses was taking notes the whole time, and after about 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:57.320 an hour an hour and a half John's baby started 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.160 to get fussy, and the family seemed pretty wiped and 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:04.280 the meeting ended. And if you are thinking of reaching 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:08.880 out to you at any point, don't hesitate you call them. Okay, 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.240 let me a little pick up. I'll pick up my cat. 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.960 I'll call you when I'm able to, because my knees 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:19.240 didn't very busy sometimes. But on the way out, I 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:22.560 caught up with Becky in the parking garage. I wanted 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:24.600 to know how she felt. Did you feel like your 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:27.120 expectations in the beginning changed over the course of the 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:29.160 meeting or are either the same or hown't you know? 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:33.720 My expectations are high. I love the way the detector 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.240 talked to us. I love that he began with a prayer, 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:45.920 thanking God like we should always. I felt that he's, uh, okay, 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:49.840 thank you, nice me you so you're welcome, thank you. 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:57.960 I feel this sincecere in in his voice and his heart. 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.680 After the family left, I asked Moses what he thought 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:05.000 about what he heard in the meeting. After hearing them 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.639 speak and giving me some insights as to what happened. 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:12.959 I do believe there's additional investigation that needs to be conducted, 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:20.640 such as interviewing ex boyfriends and someone who was considered 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:26.160 a person of interest. Revisit that person because now things 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:30.399 have changed and time has gone by, and sometimes people 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:32.920 can't add things that maybe they were afraid to say 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:36.320 back then. But now if this person's are reading cars, 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:38.120 maybe he says, you know what, I I have anything else 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.119 to gain or lose him, I would just tell the truth. 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:43.919 Somebody out there has information about what happened to Emory 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:48.680 that night. Somebody knows, somebody told someone, somebody confided in someone. 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.680 Moses told me that he reached out to Assistant Chief 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:58.760 Alfred Lebrata, who's part of Central Bureau where Emory's cases currently. Again, 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:01.760 he's doing this pro bo. He says he's taken on 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:05.080 a few cases since he retired from LAPD. The request 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:10.280 I made to him was a request that he assigned 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.119 a new set of detectives that would give it another look, 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:18.280 and then also requested that those detectives meet with the 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:22.280 family under what we call Marcy's Law, fit them build 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:25.320 of rights. He asked LAPD to meet with the family 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:28.320 and go over the case. Again. It's like this reminder 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:32.040 to LAPD that someone is paying attention and also to 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:34.760 get any more information that the family might not already have. 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:37.439 If you remember, they told us that the case was 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:41.040 fresh or active again, but they didn't clarify any more 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:44.359 than that. And there used to be a fifty thousand 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.720 dollars reward for any information in Emory's case. It was 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.359 approved by La City Council in two thousand and six, 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:53.359 two thousand and seven, and then again in twenty eleven, 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:57.280 but since then it's expired, so it's possible that the 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:00.960 reward could get renewed again. And the family is also 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.000 trying to raise awareness on Instagram. They made an account 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:07.600 called Justice for Emery Munyos. And that's where we left 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:16.360 off with the meeting. Hello, I think blame hi. How 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:21.879 are you? When I got back from Peru after visiting 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:25.040 my family for a few weeks, I called Becky and 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:31.679 she gave me some news. M okay, yes, overwhelmed them. 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:35.560 It seems like a lot kind of happens right in 0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:41.720 the last two weeks. Yeah, it did. That's after the break. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:08.960 Two weeks after Emory's family met in that conference room, 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:11.199 I got on the phone with Becky who told me 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.639 some news. They're happening, and that makes me feel good. 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:19.840 It makes me feel nervous. LPD agreed to meet with 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:25.600 a family. The former detective, Moses Castillo said that LPD 0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:28.439 had Emory's file and had been looking at it for 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:31.320 a month and a half already, and so they're ready 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:33.280 to meet with the family and they're ready to do 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:38.320 it soon. This is big news. They haven't sat down 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.760 with a detective in years, and when we started reporting 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:44.560 the story, they were having trouble even finding the contact 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:47.080 for her case since it's been passed around so much 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:54.480 all emotions. Overwhelmed said, you know, all the things that 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:59.240 happened sixteen years ago, are the feelings, the thoughts and 0:20:59.359 --> 0:21:05.439 everything come back, the emotions. But I'm glad you know 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:09.560 this is happening. That I guess is normal for us 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:15.320 to relive everything again. So but I'm glad they're happening, 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:21.040 and so thank you. The family meets with LAPD on 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:24.920 their own and then afterward we joined them. How did 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:27.800 the how did the meeting go? So they said they're 0:21:27.800 --> 0:21:30.400 going to do everything they can, you know, and it's 0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:32.560 gonna take a while on us as long as it's 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:35.760 not sixteen more years. Do you remember the feeling in 0:21:35.800 --> 0:21:38.880 the room was it m was it just them talking 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:42.600 or it was emotional. Yeah, it was emotional because I 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.719 m I mentioned that all the detectives that she had, 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:50.440 you know, it's like, I don't feel like they care. 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:53.080 And I told him, I said, I know, to you 0:21:53.280 --> 0:21:57.159 guys in new cases, just another number. And he's sitting 0:21:57.200 --> 0:22:01.760 on all of us. Maria, Emory's mom is in the room. 0:22:02.640 --> 0:22:06.359 It's the first time I'm meeting her. I can immediately 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:14.960 see where Emory inherited her big brown eyes. I feel 0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:19.840 that I'm gonna get answers this time, I really do, 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:24.760 you see. And we never got none of this before. Never, 0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:28.800 it was just like detectives. She wouldn't call. It even 0:22:28.800 --> 0:22:32.920 messages and they wouldn't call, and we've never gotten this far. 0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:37.800 They don't return calls, you any messages, and and then 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:39.879 when you call, it's like, oh, everything's the same, like 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:42.960 no big deal, you know, there's no leads. And I'm like, 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:46.440 so it's like sometimes I used to tell her, why 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:49.679 am I even gonna call? It's always the same thing, nothing, nothing, 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:52.359 and it just like it gets a mad, you know, 0:22:52.520 --> 0:22:55.520 it's like it hurts. One of the reasons I was 0:22:55.640 --> 0:22:58.760 hesitant to do the series is that Inherently looking at 0:22:58.800 --> 0:23:03.320 someone's death means that the family has to revisit trauma, 0:23:03.520 --> 0:23:06.359 and it's not always clear if making families revisit the 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:10.719 past is worth it. It hurts to know what they 0:23:10.800 --> 0:23:13.919 did to her, but I want to know what did 0:23:13.960 --> 0:23:18.280 to her. I need to know. It's like they just hurt. 0:23:18.920 --> 0:23:23.040 It brings anger to me because when they were picking 0:23:23.080 --> 0:23:24.720 her at the school, it's like I would go with 0:23:24.800 --> 0:23:26.800 her everywhere because she was afraid to go into the 0:23:26.880 --> 0:23:29.520 story wherever she wanted to go, and I was always 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:32.000 going with her. I went to school, I sat with her, 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:35.160 and it was like I protected her from nobody touching her. 0:23:35.480 --> 0:23:38.679 Now we get into arguments, you know, when moms, you know, 0:23:38.760 --> 0:23:41.680 to tell their daughter and name my z alone. And 0:23:42.359 --> 0:23:45.199 when they killed her, it's like I was like, may 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:46.960 maybe I know she was yelling for me. I know 0:23:47.119 --> 0:23:50.320 she was. She needn't be the most. It wasn't there 0:23:50.400 --> 0:23:57.640 for her, and I would I need to know why. 0:23:58.320 --> 0:24:01.600 What was the reason, because because you didn't like her, 0:24:01.760 --> 0:24:06.600 did she do something that I don't know? And I 0:24:06.720 --> 0:24:10.080 just like I told a detective, you know, with God's help, 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:12.520 when you guys find out, I don't give me names 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:18.360 all to see faces. I believe that we're gonna get 0:24:18.359 --> 0:24:21.240 some answers. Now this is Emory's dad, We'll say again. 0:24:22.920 --> 0:24:28.000 Because when I when this happened, I used to go. 0:24:28.359 --> 0:24:30.920 I never called the LAPD. I just went down there. 0:24:31.359 --> 0:24:33.639 And that will just sent me in the room the 0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:36.520 first two times and leave me in there, you know, 0:24:36.720 --> 0:24:38.399 like if somebody's gonna come and talk to him. But 0:24:38.440 --> 0:24:42.600 they didn't, you know, so commanded. There's nothing to say 0:24:42.640 --> 0:24:44.600 because we haven't found out nothing. So I used to 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:47.760 get mad, and I used to raise my voice out them, 0:24:47.760 --> 0:24:49.639 you know, and say, if you guys ain't gonna do anything, 0:24:49.640 --> 0:24:52.760 I'm gonna do something about it, you know, because I 0:24:52.840 --> 0:24:56.560 mean I looked for answers or I got up, you know, 0:24:56.600 --> 0:24:59.280 and I used to in other words, I was out there. 0:24:59.280 --> 0:25:03.119 It's homeless. Three years they where they found her, you know, 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:07.640 and I was trying to find something, you know, and 0:25:08.320 --> 0:25:11.280 nothing and nothing, and I started drinking and I became 0:25:11.359 --> 0:25:15.080 an alcoholic for three years, you know, and all but 0:25:15.160 --> 0:25:17.919 I was always trying to do something, and I iced 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:21.000 to go down to LAPD and just race. Somehow we 0:25:21.200 --> 0:25:24.880 did ask LAPD about this, and they acknowledged that Emory's 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.360 case had gone through a lot of hands, but they 0:25:28.400 --> 0:25:30.880 said every time they receive a tip from them, they 0:25:30.920 --> 0:25:35.600 investigated it, and the detectives don't always share information because 0:25:35.600 --> 0:25:39.080 they don't want to give families false hope or compromise 0:25:39.119 --> 0:25:44.960 the investigation. While we were talking, there was a family 0:25:45.000 --> 0:25:48.600 album on the table and we were flipping through pictures 0:25:48.600 --> 0:25:51.200 of Emory with her siblings and every at them all, 0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:58.600 and then Maria told us a story about her. She 0:25:58.720 --> 0:26:01.080 used to talk my dad wish she's to him sugar daddy, 0:26:01.119 --> 0:26:04.680 Mama daddy, mister mister baby, she should call my dad. 0:26:05.160 --> 0:26:08.720 Mister baby was Emory's grandfather who has now passed away. 0:26:08.960 --> 0:26:10.480 She used to go and sit in my dad's lap, 0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:15.879 which mister mister baby. She says, you love me, and 0:26:15.920 --> 0:26:17.679 he's like, yeah, she does. You want to buy me 0:26:17.720 --> 0:26:21.040 a pizza or where she wanted to go McDonald's. What 0:26:21.119 --> 0:26:24.800 do you want? You know? And they're like he was like, okay, 0:26:24.880 --> 0:26:27.440 go ahead, order it whatever. But then he caught out 0:26:27.480 --> 0:26:29.040 and she's like, do you love me? He's like no, 0:26:29.440 --> 0:26:33.320 She's like, yeah you do, and she's like we're gonna 0:26:33.320 --> 0:26:35.359 get pizza, and I'm like, how do you do that 0:26:35.600 --> 0:26:39.879 what do you do? Yeah, doesn't she say? I have? 0:26:40.000 --> 0:26:43.360 I got it? Like that? I love hearing the story. 0:26:44.080 --> 0:26:47.639 It's like a little family inside joke, and Maria just 0:26:47.720 --> 0:26:50.880 lights up with a smile on her face. It meant 0:26:50.880 --> 0:26:54.080 a lot to hear Maria talk about emory outside of 0:26:54.080 --> 0:26:59.000 her murder case. A word that's been coming to mind 0:26:59.200 --> 0:27:05.760 is the sugar recently, especially in these times. I've heard 0:27:05.800 --> 0:27:08.399 this word a lot from my father when it comes 0:27:08.440 --> 0:27:12.479 to grief and pain. I don't know how to describe 0:27:12.480 --> 0:27:15.320