1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: This story contains adult content and language. Listener discretion is advised. 2 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 2: Karen had come out to Alpine, which is somewhat nearby, 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: and said, Hey, we're going to have a Fourth of 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 2: July barbecue. Come on by, and it being the fourth 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 2: of July, the same day the teens disappeared. She started 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 2: telling me about this story, and there's a couple of 7 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 2: things that really piqued my interest, and I was like, 8 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 2: I man, I'll take a look around. And once I 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 2: kind of poked around, I assaulved that it would be 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 2: a good podcast. 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 1: I'm Kate Winkler Dawson, a nonfiction author and journalism professor 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: in Austin, Texas. I'm also the co host of the 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: podcast Buried Bones on Exactly Right, and throughout my career, 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: research for my many audio and book projects has taken 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: me around the world. On Wicked Words, I sit down 16 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: with the people I've met along the way, amazing writers, journalists, filmmakers, 17 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: and podcasters who have investigated and reported on notorious true 18 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: crime cases. This is about the choices writers make, both 19 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: good and bad, and it's a deep dive into the 20 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:18,279 Speaker 1: unpublished details behind their stories. Here's our story this week 21 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,479 Speaker 1: in the summer of nineteen eighty eight, sixteen year old 22 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: Shane Stewart and eighteen year old Sally McNelly went missing 23 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 1: in the West Texas town of San Angelo. After their 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: remains were found, the mystery began. Texas Monthly reporters Karen 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: Jacobs and Rob Demico pick up the cold case of 26 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: two murders that have haunted their family, their friends, and 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: generations of investigators. I talked with them about their podcast, 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: Shane and Sally. I wonder where it makes the most 29 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: sense for you to start with the story? Would it 30 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: be Shane and Sally and how they grew up kind 31 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: of separately and how they met. 32 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, so they grew up. 33 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 2: Sally is slightly older, so Shane was about to turn seventeen. 34 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 2: He was a month away from being seventeen, and she 35 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 2: was eighteen. So they were a great apart. But they 36 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 2: both went to Central High School in Saint Angelo, which 37 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 2: is the one giant high school that everyone goes to. 38 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 2: San Angelo is kind of this weird place because it's 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 2: got one hundred thousand people and it probably had seventy 40 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 2: thousand plus back then in nineteen eighty eight, but it 41 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 2: still feels really small. Everyone knows each other, brumers get around, 42 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 2: so Sally and Shane eventually started dating, and in the 43 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: fall of eighty seven they got very close and got 44 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 2: to a point where they even both dropped out of school. 45 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: Sally was planning on going into the Navy, Shane was 46 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 2: content doing work for now, and they even moved into 47 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 2: an apartment in March of nineteen eighty eight, and then 48 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 2: all of a sudden boom, they broke up, and no 49 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: one knows exactly why, not even their friends really knew 50 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: what caused them to break up. They moved out of 51 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: the apartment, Shane went to work on a golf course 52 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 2: in Kansas with his brother for a construction project that 53 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 2: was temporary. Sally went out and did some various things 54 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 2: like selling chemicals in Lubbock, Texas. But they both came 55 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: back to Saint Angelo, Sally in April and then Shane 56 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 2: right before July fourth, and they kind of reignited their 57 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 2: love interest with each other, and by all indications from 58 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 2: friends at that time, they were sticking together and planning 59 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: a future together. So that's kind of the backdrop of 60 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 2: how they got together. 61 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: Did everybody's parents liked the other team when they got together? 62 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: Did the families get along. No, that's a short answer. 63 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 2: Well, I think Sally's parents liked Shane because he was 64 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 2: well manered, you know, a good looking young kid. He 65 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 2: was goofy fun, so they didn't sense any problem points. 66 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 2: But on the other side, and you know, when Sally 67 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 2: came along, as when Shane started having trouble in school, 68 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 2: got disinterested in his coursework, complained about teachers, and so 69 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 2: I think Marshall felt that, you know, he had this comment, oh, 70 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 2: now here we go a boyfriend and girlfriend. It's going 71 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 2: to be one of those kind of deals where things 72 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 2: aren't the same. 73 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:23,239 Speaker 4: Early on that spring they moved in together and Marshall 74 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 4: didn't that. Marshall, Shane's father didn't think they should have 75 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 4: moved in together, and he went over there and said, 76 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 4: you know, you need to come home, and you're not 77 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 4: old enough and you're not adult, you're not ready to 78 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 4: do that. So I think that's kind of set a 79 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 4: bad tenor across the board with him. 80 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: But Sally was interested in going into the navy, right, 81 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: I mean, you would think that people who were attracted 82 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: to going into the military have aspirations and that didn't 83 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: translate over to Shane. 84 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 5: I guess, you know. 85 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: We asked Marshall's father about that, and he said that 86 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 2: he didn't openly vocally say like, here's my plans. He 87 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 2: just said he was content with working. Because their disappearance 88 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 2: happened so quickly after they got back together, I don't 89 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,239 Speaker 2: think either of the parents said's got a good sense 90 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 2: of what was next. It was literally days from when 91 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 2: Shane got back until he went missing, So I think 92 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 2: it was just too soon for them to get that sense. 93 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 5: You know. 94 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 4: Part of the story is that Sally had told friends 95 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 4: and even a police officer that she was wanted to 96 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 4: disassociate from people she'd be hanging out with, and that 97 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 4: she didn't want to be in that group anymore and 98 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 4: she wanted to get out of it, and then that 99 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 4: was part of her Shane's plan was to move on 100 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 4: and get out of this group and maybe even San Angelo. 101 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 4: So that definitely leads into well, what happened to them? 102 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 4: And why? 103 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: Well tell me about San Angelo in nineteen eighty eight. 104 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: What kind of a city is this and what kind 105 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: of teens are we talking about? 106 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 2: The city itself? Like I said, it seemed like a 107 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 2: like the biggest small town in Texas. But there were 108 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 2: a series of really violent crimes that happened all around 109 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: this time, and when people hear the podcast the day, 110 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 2: they're like, dang, I didn't know so Angela was so 111 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 2: messed up. There was a guy that killed an old 112 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 2: grandpa with strangling. 113 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 3: With the dog leash. 114 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 2: There was a guy that decided to poison old people 115 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 2: so that he could steal their money gradually all around 116 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 2: the same time as shaneon Sally. So there definitely were 117 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 2: some dangerous elements. What we see in this story is 118 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 2: this kind of these crop of teenagers coming along that 119 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 2: aren't that bad when we first see them, they get 120 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 2: arrested for pot possession or whatever, but they start graduating 121 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 2: into you like, armed robbery, beating people up, methamphetamine bus 122 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 2: things like that. So it's kind of like these people 123 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 2: that were around Shane and Sally were part of this 124 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 2: wave of the circle of their friends that was getting 125 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 2: in this kind of trouble. 126 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: What were their temperaments like before we move on to 127 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: the disappearance, what do you all know about their personalities 128 00:06:58,880 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: Shane and Sally. 129 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 4: Well, it seemed like Sally was really gregarious and outgoing 130 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:09,280 Speaker 4: and popular. She seemed to have friends in different groups, 131 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 4: you know, and then loved to have a good time. 132 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 4: People told us stories about her running the games at 133 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 4: lunch at school and you know that sort of thing. Shane, 134 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 4: I don't know, Rob, what would you say, same like popular, 135 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 4: but in a different manner. Definitely younger than Sally and 136 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 4: really looked up to him. 137 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 3: Yeah. 138 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 2: Another big difference is Sally, as social as. 139 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 3: She was, she liked to party. 140 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 2: She liked to go and drink and smoke some weed 141 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 2: and hang out with people and have fun. Shane, from 142 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 2: what we can tell, really didn't do any of that. 143 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 2: He didn't drink or smoke pot or if he did, 144 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 2: it was so minimal but no one really noticed. 145 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 3: But he did. 146 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: You know. 147 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 2: He was a young team guy with. 148 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 3: A lot of bravado too, and he. 149 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 2: Ended up getting in a bunch of fights and things 150 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 2: that you know, young team guys often do. He bought 151 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 2: his prized possession of the camaro, you know, this burnt 152 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 2: orange colored Camaro with a big black stripe down the hood, 153 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 2: and it was his pride and joy. So you know, 154 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 2: he had a little bit of outlaw nature and him, 155 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 2: but mainly. 156 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 3: Was just a good kid. 157 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 4: And we'd cover in the podcast that there was a 158 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 4: group called the Lost Boys that I guess nineteen eighty 159 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 4: seven movie with Keeper Southerland end and Shane had cut 160 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 4: his hair and bleached a blonde to look more like 161 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 4: that character. 162 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, he started wearing all black, and you know, that 163 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 2: was about the time he started dating Sally, And that's 164 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 2: another reason Marshall was kind of like, oh, what's going 165 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 2: on with my son? Yeah, and Shane's brother noticed it too, 166 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 2: But they did have this kind of adventurous kind of 167 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:47,559 Speaker 2: spirit to him, like Shane did. 168 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 3: He's part of this Lost Boys group. 169 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 2: They would hang out on this place called the Drag 170 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 2: in San Angelo, which is the one road where everyone 171 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 2: on Friday night drives down it one way, then drives 172 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 2: down it the other way, on and on, just to 173 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:02,439 Speaker 2: see who's out hanging. 174 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:02,680 Speaker 3: You know. 175 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 2: It's a lot of Texas towns or like that, Okay, 176 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: And so the Lost Boys would meet up on the 177 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 2: Drag and hang out, and they said that they were 178 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 2: there to keep the peace and do good. But it 179 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 2: was kind of a strange moniker to assume of these 180 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 2: a group of vampires that are supposed to be doing good. 181 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 2: Shane was also in the Dungeons and Dragons of course 182 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 2: that leads into the conversation on Satanism. 183 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, there are a lot of motivations that I had 184 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: picked up on in the podcast for what people say 185 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: might have happened, and Satanism was one of those. 186 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, and I've seen some commentary online about 187 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 2: the podcast, most of it favorable, but a lot of 188 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 2: people who were like I rolled my eyes because here 189 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 2: they are bringing Satanism into it again, the Satanic Bannic, 190 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 2: How stupid, how cliche. And I think by the time 191 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 2: they get to episode four where they talk about one 192 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 2: of these key figures that was supposedly this could guy, 193 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 2: I think the listener I realized that there was something 194 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 2: going on here that wasn't just what the parents were 195 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 2: talking about. That some of these kids did take it 196 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 2: to the next level, and so it was a factor. 197 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 4: A key thing that always stuck out for me is 198 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 4: where they found the remains in this bumpy road really 199 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 4: hard to drive down off by a dam. There were 200 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 4: burnt remains of a cat also found there. So you 201 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 4: know that to me is more than just a coincidence. 202 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about the fourth of July nineteen eighty eight. 203 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: Take me through wherever it makes sense to start about 204 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:41,959 Speaker 1: when things really start going badly here. 205 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 2: It's pretty easy actually, because there's not many sightings of 206 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 2: Shane and Sally. 207 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 3: There's one person. 208 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,559 Speaker 2: That saw them leaving the fireworks which were held at 209 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 2: this kind of middle of town called Lake Nasworthy and 210 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,840 Speaker 2: as stuck in traffic. Then they are spotted at Ousi 211 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 2: Fisher Lake, which is kind of this more remote, empty, 212 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 2: you know, kind of area by a reservoir, by a 213 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 2: fisherman who was in a boat on the channel, and 214 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 2: they saw Shane and Sally hanging out, leaning up against 215 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 2: their car, and then this pickup truck pulls up they 216 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 2: described as like a slightly lifted four x four with 217 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 2: KC lights those lights on the top of the cab, 218 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 2: and the fishermen witnessed these two guys in this truck 219 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 2: get into an argument with Shane and Sally. The only 220 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 2: thing the fisherman could hear was Sally say something like, no, 221 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 2: I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm not going 222 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 2: to do it, you know, fighting with them, and the 223 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: truck pulls away, and that's the last time anyone saw 224 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 2: Shane and Sally. We know for a fact because they 225 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 2: later found a Waterburger receipt in their car that was 226 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 2: stamped eleven forty pm, so they likely left the fireworks, 227 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,439 Speaker 2: went to Waterburger, and if you map it out, that 228 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: twenty minutes later around midnight, they're at oc Fisher as far. 229 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 3: As finding the car. 230 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 2: The next day, a lake ranger about seven am is 231 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 2: patrolling along the lake and sees this Camaro. There's no 232 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 2: one around, The doors open the driver's side door, gets out, 233 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 2: looks there's keys on the dash, no one around, and 234 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 2: he thinks, ah, someone just went off to pee or something. 235 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 2: But when no one shows up, he runs the plates, 236 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 2: tracks it back to Marshall Stewart and calls Marshall. He 237 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:30,959 Speaker 2: knows them, like so many people in St Angelo know 238 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 2: each other. And Marshall gets out there and he of 239 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,319 Speaker 2: course was aware that the teens hadn't come home the 240 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 2: night before, and he was very upset and he said 241 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 2: something's wrong, but the police just kind of seemed to 242 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 2: discount that there was a problem here. Their theory was 243 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 2: that the teens went off ran away to get married, 244 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 2: which in hindsight, is really stupid. A sixteen year old's 245 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 2: not going to leave his priced Camaro six miles outside 246 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,719 Speaker 2: of town and walks somewhere to get married and leave 247 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 2: his keys in the dash. So that's kind of what 248 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 2: started everything. 249 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 4: But even then, it took days before they really started 250 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 4: acting like they were missing. You know, they let Marshall 251 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 4: took that car home and didn't really do much about it. 252 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 4: Marshall started asking questions, but the police really didn't for 253 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,559 Speaker 4: another couple of days. They told him to go ahead 254 00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 4: and bring that car back and we'll take a look 255 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 4: and see what we see, and then they declared them missing. 256 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 4: So it took a while. 257 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: Did Sally's parents contact Marshall and did they work together 258 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: on this or were there differing opinions? 259 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 2: They were in touch, but they didn't work together. Sally's 260 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 2: parents were in a pretty tough situation with Sally's stepdad 261 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 2: and her mom. Her mom had just had a new baby. 262 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 2: They had a new baby together and it was four 263 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 2: months old, and so they were dealing with trying to survive. 264 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 2: Pat was working extreme amount of hours per week Sally's mom. 265 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 2: But Marshall just kind of leapt on it right away 266 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 2: and started his own investigation. 267 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: Where does the investigation start, Fishermen, I know you've got 268 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 1: an ear witness at least and somebody who's, you know, 269 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: seeing two men in a truck. Is this fisherman the 270 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: last person who's seen them alive? 271 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 2: We think correct, he is the last person. Unfortunately, this witness. 272 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 2: It's actually two fishermen, but one is kind of the 273 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 2: most outspoken. He doesn't come back and report this until 274 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 2: the spring of nineteen eighty nine, and so the police 275 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 2: when they first started investigating, didn't even have that information. 276 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 2: There was a lake ranger who saw their car shortly 277 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 2: before that out at the lake, but that didn't provide 278 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 2: much detail. So why that fisherman waited to come forward 279 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 2: so long. It's kind of a mystery, and we'd have 280 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 2: to probably talk for an hour about it because there 281 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 2: are some weird things about it. But he said, oh, 282 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 2: I just finally saw it on TV and I told 283 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 2: the story to someone and I said, you probably should 284 00:14:58,120 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 2: go to the police with that. 285 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 4: The second fishermen substantiated it, but they had different time frames, 286 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 4: so there were two they just didn't completely match. 287 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: Their stories was one before waterburger and one after. One 288 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: was oh, that's a problem. 289 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 2: The key witness that first came forward was going to 290 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 2: Randall Littlefield and he said it was definitely around midnight. 291 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 2: They were checking their trot lines on the lake and 292 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 2: it was late. The rangers eventually found the other fishermen 293 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 2: and he said, no, it was around dusk. 294 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 5: Well that's a six hour difference. 295 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 2: I know we were both drinking, but Littlefield was drunker 296 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 2: than me. Even though little Field was drinking, we kind 297 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 2: of put more stock in his story because it made 298 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 2: sense with the fireworks and water burger and everything else. 299 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: So, so you all think the fishermen are the last 300 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: people aside from the killers, who could potentially be these 301 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: two guys in the truck to see them alive, that's the. 302 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 5: Timeline you think makes sense? 303 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 3: Correct? 304 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: Well, I was thinking dusk actually in Texas in July 305 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: could be like nine pm or something, So I'm not 306 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: that Maybe they're not that far off from each other. 307 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: Who knows, it's a true point. Yeah, okay, So what 308 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: happens next. The Marshall is on top of things, Sally's 309 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: parents are juggling a new baby, and the police, the 310 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: San Angelo police take how long you think seventy two 311 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: hours or longer to finally take this seriously. 312 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 5: Yeah, it was. 313 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 4: Definitely a few days and even then so they called 314 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 4: it missing but then they still didn't do much like 315 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 4: we do have some of the police reports, not all 316 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 4: of them, and some of its summaries, but there's very 317 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 4: little notation about who they talked to. And Marshall did 318 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 4: a lot of it. Both sets of parents took a 319 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 4: lot of notes and answered calls, got recording machine, you know, 320 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 4: to answer anyone that called, and turned it all over. 321 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 4: And that's something that was really interesting throughout the whole 322 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 4: thing is that almost everything we asked about that the 323 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 4: parents said they had read or turned in, the current 324 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 4: sheriff's office says they don't have anymore. A lot of 325 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 4: that stuff is just missing, and they, you know, they 326 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,399 Speaker 4: inherited all this stuff, so they don't really know what 327 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:07,640 Speaker 4: happened in that first time frame either. 328 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 2: One key indication of what was going on was, you know, 329 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 2: Marshall decides, I'm going to go start knocking on doors 330 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,640 Speaker 2: of all these teen friends see if I can figure 331 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 2: out what happens. He knocks on the door of a 332 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 2: one guy named Steve Shaeffer who was friends originally with Shane, 333 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 2: and this was on a day or two after the 334 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 2: teens went missing. Steve Shaeffer opens the door with a 335 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,679 Speaker 2: welt on his face, like forming of a black eye, 336 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 2: like he'd been in a fight, and that sets Marshall off, 337 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 2: thinking immediately that he might have been. 338 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 3: Involved in something. 339 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,119 Speaker 2: But yet we do have a police report record that 340 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 2: they interviewed Steve Shaeffer about it on July sixteenth, so 341 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 2: like a full ten days later after Marshall reported that. 342 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,399 Speaker 2: He kind of gives you an indication that they weren't 343 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 2: taking it seriously yet. 344 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,640 Speaker 1: And do you think that your interaction with the San 345 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:01,479 Speaker 1: Angelo police now or the Sheriff's apartment, is it just 346 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 1: they don't care about the case or what's there. How 347 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 1: would you summarize their general attitude toward journalists now who 348 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: were approaching the story. 349 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,400 Speaker 4: I think they really really care and are incredibly frustrated, 350 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 4: and like I said, originally this was opened up to 351 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 4: help them. Like I worked really closely with Nick Hanna. 352 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 4: He was a Texas ranger at the time. It was 353 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 4: before he was a sheriff. It definitely added some complication 354 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,720 Speaker 4: that he's now the sheriff and it's it's basically on 355 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 4: his docket now, whereas a ranger's he was coming in, 356 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 4: you know, swooping in to save it basically. But Terry 357 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 4: Lowe has done a lot of work. He's very forthcoming, 358 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 4: he tells us a lot. They met with us. I 359 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,680 Speaker 4: think there, you know, we're a little curious of like, well, 360 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 4: what's your goal? They asked us multiple times, are you 361 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 4: trying to tell a sensational story? And we just tried 362 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 4: to convince him it's like, no, that we are trying 363 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 4: to get the truth out and get people to talk 364 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 4: to us. And they answered every But I think they're 365 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 4: very interested in solving it. I think they care and 366 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 4: want it done. What would you. 367 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 2: Say, Rob, I have a slightly different view on that. 368 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 3: I think that they care for sure. 369 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 2: And I think that the lieutenant Lowe, he was a 370 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 2: lieutenant with the Sheriff's office that came along in twenty 371 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 2: thirteen to investigate the case. He's retired now, but we 372 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 2: talked with him extensively. I mean, it's clear that he 373 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 2: did an amazing work and looked at every piece of evidence, 374 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 2: every note again and again, interviewed people constantly. But I 375 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 2: think when we came along, you know, twenty twenty three, 376 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 2: I think they had this sense, well, yeah, we'll cooperate 377 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 2: with him because there's nothing better than getting the word out. 378 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,159 Speaker 2: Again maybe something will come in new. But when we 379 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 2: started asking hard questions, I think they became a lot 380 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 2: more hesitant and I'm a lot more reluctant to participate, 381 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 2: and we had some kind of come to Jesus moments 382 00:19:58,920 --> 00:19:59,640 Speaker 2: with the sheriff. 383 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 4: My guess, though, is that really Rob did ask really hard, 384 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 4: specific questions that they couldn't answer. And my guess is 385 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 4: that they're taking that and actually digging back in. They're 386 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 4: not going to tell us that, and I don't think 387 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 4: they'll tell us what they find immediately, but I think 388 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 4: Rob definitely poked the investigative hornets nest and they were 389 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 4: forced to face it, you know, So I think they're 390 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:27,439 Speaker 4: glad to have it, but they're not going to let 391 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:28,959 Speaker 4: Rob now. 392 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 2: I wonder, though, because you try to I think about 393 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 2: that too, you know, are they now like digging in 394 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 2: again a deeper? And there's another facet that we can 395 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 2: talk about, which is the possible involvement of a cold 396 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 2: case unit out of the Attorney General's office. But one 397 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 2: indicator to me is that I can keep in contact 398 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 2: with all these sources, the former cops, the friends of 399 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 2: one of the suspects, and no one has indicated new 400 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 2: people that I've turned up the sheriff to know about. 401 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 2: No one has indicated that anyone has given them a 402 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 2: phone call or anything. 403 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 1: So yeah, I would be defensive too, I guess if 404 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: that were the case. 405 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 4: Well, and they're quick to say St. Angelo is still 406 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,119 Speaker 4: a small town but with a lot of crime, like 407 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 4: we've got a lot on our hands. 408 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,960 Speaker 1: Well, and these wouldn't be of course, the first teens 409 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: to run off. I know, the Camaro. That's a big thing, 410 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: and that's part of victimology is figuring out that there's 411 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: no way Shane would have dished this car that I'm 412 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: sure he worked really hard for or spent a lot 413 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: of time on. But the flip side is, if you're 414 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: trying to solve all of these crimes, very violent crimes, 415 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: maybe two teens who had broken up and gotten together 416 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: and you know all of this, maybe hopefully statistically they 417 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: would turn back up. So let's go back real quick 418 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: to the story Steve. Did we find out where this 419 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: welt came from? On Steve's eye? 420 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:50,639 Speaker 3: We did not. 421 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 2: We've never had a long, solid interview to ask Steve 422 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 2: everything that we wanted to. There's a brief interview on 423 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,040 Speaker 2: his porch he communicated with us. 424 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,600 Speaker 3: I text a few times. He gave us his diary. 425 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,479 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, hundreds of pages of stuff, but there's no 426 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 2: indication about that specific black guy. I did talk to 427 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 2: one of his friends, a guy named Levi Ball, who 428 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:17,199 Speaker 2: unfortunately just died this last June, two weeks after I 429 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 2: talked to him from flesh eating Bacteria, and he was 430 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 2: kind of mixed up with this group that was a 431 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 2: little bit dabbling in the Satanist stuff, although he said 432 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 2: he wasn't. But there's a police report that says that 433 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 2: Levi told the police Steve Schaeffer came over to his 434 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 2: house on July fifth and had a black eye. And 435 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 2: when I talked to Levi today, he said, that's not true. 436 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 2: I never saw Steve with a black eye. But you 437 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 2: know it's been thirty five years, you know who knows. 438 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 5: Well, take me through the theories. 439 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: The police are now alarmed, and you know, the parents 440 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: are alarmed, and we haven't found their bodies yet. So 441 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,719 Speaker 1: what happens after these few days? Who are they talking 442 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: to because they don't know about the fishermen yet. 443 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 3: Right, so they find the bodies. That's kind of the point. 444 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 2: Obviously, when the full scale investigation launches. You know, the 445 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 2: Sheriff's Department has two lead investigators on it, and another 446 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 2: deputy DPS sends a special investigator. The Texas Ranger comes 447 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 2: in and they're just like interviewing, interviewing, you know, every 448 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 2: kid that they had any contact with them. And unfortunately, 449 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 2: that's where the cluster, you know what, starts to form. 450 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,679 Speaker 2: Because these kids, they're teenagers, they all go to the 451 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 2: same high school around town. They start telling these elaborate, 452 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 2: wild stories of what they heard rather than what they 453 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 2: knew specifically, and so it became this chaotic jumble. But 454 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 2: when we did have you know, a couple hundred pages 455 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 2: of Ranger case files on this, and the same guys 456 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 2: started surfacing again and again in all these interviews. And 457 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 2: that was the Eve Shaeffer, the guy with the black guy, 458 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,640 Speaker 2: guy named Jimmy Burnett, who Sally had had some love 459 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 2: interest with, a guy named John Gilberth who's found with 460 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 2: some strange items in twenty seventeen in his house related 461 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,120 Speaker 2: to the case. And a guy named Heath Davis who 462 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 2: is just kind of a somewhat low level drug distributor 463 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 2: but with some rather wild and violent. 464 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 4: Tendencies and Also in those files are a lot of 465 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 4: notes like Rob was saying that these are kids, they're 466 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 4: out partying, you know, and they talk about I was 467 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 4: at this party with this person. But then person B 468 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 4: says something entirely different, you know, like all the reports 469 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,720 Speaker 4: are all contradictory, so they're you know, they never had 470 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 4: corroborating stories, and so when they're talking to people, they're 471 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 4: just you know, there's nowhere. 472 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:50,199 Speaker 5: To go with. 473 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 4: That's that's what the Sheriff's office says. Now, it's like 474 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 4: it's you know, they just can't align all this. And 475 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 4: then the stories they do have, they're all partiers, they're 476 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 4: known drug users supposedly, and they feel like they're not trustworthy. 477 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 2: Either, and they're all kind of like reporting on each 478 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 2: other on the whole Satanic angle. So on those four 479 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 2: guys I mentioned, Schaeffer, Gilbert, Jimmy Burnett, Pete Davis, they 480 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 2: all knew each other and they might not have hung around, 481 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 2: you know, real close, but they were in different times together. 482 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 2: And one asked if they were involved in Satanism. They're like, oh, no, 483 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 2: but so and so for sure is and I know 484 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:30,680 Speaker 2: all about it. I know they do these rituals and 485 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,639 Speaker 2: then so we go back and forth between them. Were 486 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 2: supposedly no one was involved in the could but everyone 487 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 2: said all the others were involved in the occult. 488 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: Since we're talking about the satanic panic and the occult 489 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: and stuff, let's talk about the bodies. So how long 490 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: before we find the bodies and where were they and 491 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: what were the conditions and is there a cause of death? 492 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,119 Speaker 5: In all of those details. 493 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 4: The skeletal remains were found out at Twin Beach Reservoir, 494 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 4: which is a good twenty minute drive from where the 495 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:04,400 Speaker 4: Camaro was us so off deserted road, dirt road, very 496 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 4: rough road. A hunter was out with his dog, and 497 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 4: there's conflicting stories on how they found it, but the 498 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 4: dog supposedly sniffed it out and the hunter went to 499 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 4: find a skull, so the police came out. They determined 500 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 4: that was Sally by her clothes. The local shriff's department 501 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 4: took the remains, took them to the medical examiner, and 502 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 4: the medical examiner said, you're missing some teeth. You know, 503 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 4: often in the decay and decomposition, things aren't all together, 504 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 4: So go go find those. So they went two days 505 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 4: later and it was at that point that they found 506 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 4: Chain's remains, so they were seventy five feet apart. You know, 507 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 4: that's the first question. It's like, why would they not 508 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,440 Speaker 4: look for the other ones? And you know I did 509 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 4: speak with Sheriff Davy Jones, who's now passed away, but 510 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 4: in twenty eighteen I spoke to him because that's when 511 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 4: he got involved, is when the remains were found. And 512 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 4: he said that's when he really stepped in because he 513 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,679 Speaker 4: could just tell there, you know, they're not doing the 514 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 4: job here. He started making all the case for files 515 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:17,680 Speaker 4: and really documenting everything. But they were skeletal, they weren't buried. 516 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 4: The clothes were lined up as they wore them. They 517 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 4: had a few branches laying over them. One of the 518 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 4: key pieces of evidence is that a stetson hat pin 519 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 4: was left on a branch over Shane's body. But we 520 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 4: have photos from the police department, really out of focus, 521 00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,439 Speaker 4: where you see a police officer holding it with his 522 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 4: bare hands. And then there's things in Shane's pockets, the 523 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 4: D and D plate tokens, what are they called, figurines, 524 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 4: eleven dollars, you know, some jewelry. But that was in November, 525 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 4: I think November seventeenth, so from July to November. They've 526 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 4: been laying out there. 527 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,879 Speaker 2: Of course, it was odd that, you know, today's sheriff 528 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,199 Speaker 2: hand is like Shakes said, why didn't they look for 529 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 2: Shane because they found Sally or they didn't look hard enough. 530 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 2: There's just some other odd things like Shane's wearing his boots, 531 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:14,159 Speaker 2: Sally's shoes are missing, they were never found anywhere. Some 532 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 2: little odd things about that. There were shot close range 533 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 2: with a twenty gate shotgun. We're not going to say 534 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 2: where because it's one detail or withholding on the case, 535 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:27,640 Speaker 2: but it was rather unusual and both this exact same 536 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,120 Speaker 2: manner of being shot and. 537 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 4: The remains of that cat. So there's a hand drawing 538 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 4: that's a police officer did and it shows a circle. 539 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 4: We're a little fire with the remains of a cat 540 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 4: is right there. 541 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 2: That's the first time I've ever done an open record's 542 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 2: request to a medical examiner for a cat autopsy? 543 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 5: Do we know what happened to the cat? 544 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:50,719 Speaker 3: They said they had no responsive records. 545 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 1: Okay, is this the whole basis for the Satanic connection? 546 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 5: Is this cat? 547 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 2: There was plenty of other stories that these teens were telling. 548 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 2: These teams going to ritual sites, reading from the Book 549 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 2: of the Dead and what sounded like Spanish had you know, 550 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 2: all kinds of crazy stuff. It expands from there, like 551 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 2: people down south of Saint Angelo that supposedly found it 552 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 2: upside down cross in their yard, you know, porn rituals 553 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 2: going on with kids, and all kinds of crazy stuff. 554 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 2: I think the one thing that kind of solidified it 555 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 2: for some of the investigators, particularly later ones like Hannah 556 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 2: and low was Steve Schaeffer's house. 557 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 3: When we visited it. Do you want to tell what 558 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:34,720 Speaker 3: it looked like here? 559 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 4: Well, Lieutenant Lowe called it a Hansel and gretelhouse. It's 560 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 4: a stone you know, cobbled together rock, all different sizes. 561 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 4: It'd be cute if you cleaned it up, but it's 562 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 4: got vines and dead trees. Like to this day it 563 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 4: still looks pretty bad, and we have photos from when 564 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 4: they visited in twenty sixteen. But inside of it, the 565 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 4: walls were black. There were pentagra painted on the wall. 566 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 4: There was some sort of device on the wall where 567 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 4: you could hang things or hook things on, so they 568 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 4: thought that was iffy. I think there was a red door, 569 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:20,200 Speaker 4: and there was Toro cards and candles and mirrors on 570 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 4: the floor, and then also a bunch of, according to them, 571 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 4: creepy horror type movies. But then we found out more 572 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 4: about that house. 573 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it was kind of a little bit ludicrous 574 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 2: because the investigators, it was January twenty fifteen, then went 575 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,000 Speaker 2: in and I think, but they see all this stuff 576 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 2: and they I guess they just assumed the house had 577 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 2: been abandoned and was left that way by Steve Shaeffer. 578 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 3: But he moved out in two thousand and four. 579 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 2: So since that time, we tracked down who lived there, 580 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 2: and I talked to one of the guys. 581 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 3: It was some young guys. 582 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 2: Their father had died in the house, so they were left, 583 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 2: but they were old enough to live alone. He's like, yeah, 584 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 2: we those were all our movies. We were super into 585 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 2: death metal, the Pentagram imagery. It's just fun innocence. And 586 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 2: so then it becomes a question of, you know, what 587 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 2: was really Steve's house, like when he owned it. There 588 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 2: was a neighbor who came forward and told these tales 589 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 2: of having to go into this house when Steve lived 590 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 2: there to assist with some pet snakes that needed taken 591 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 2: care of when he was in jail, and she describes 592 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 2: a giant mural of Satan on the wall, and stuff 593 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 2: actually hanging on the walls, like knives and chains and saws, 594 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 2: and you know, hearing animals scream and shriek over a 595 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 2: fire in the back of his yard. So you know, 596 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 2: it's one of those things you don't know what. 597 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 3: To believe exactly. 598 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 2: Steam didn't had young kids that eventually came along this 599 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 2: house and the relative set. We never would have let 600 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 2: him have his house like that. I went in there, 601 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,239 Speaker 2: there was nothing like that, But there could have been 602 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 2: little time periods before he had kids and those relatives 603 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 2: for visiting when maybe he did kind of have something 604 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 2: going on there. 605 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 4: But there was for sure a long time with a 606 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,400 Speaker 4: whole different family in that house before Lieutenant Loan Nick 607 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 4: Hanna saw it. So when we brought that up to them, 608 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:25,840 Speaker 4: they didn't really respond. 609 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,160 Speaker 3: I kind of gave them an out. I said, well, 610 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 3: it still was creepy. 611 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:30,719 Speaker 5: Yeah, creepy. 612 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: Am I naive though in thinking I did not think 613 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: shotguns would be involved in the Satanic ritual of some kind. 614 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:40,959 Speaker 1: That doesn't seem like a weapon. 615 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 5: But am I wrong? 616 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: I mean, was that doesn't seem to line up with 617 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: what I thought would be involved with. 618 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 2: That yeah, I think you know, that's why they discount 619 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 2: the Satanic angles as a main motivation for the killings. Today, 620 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 2: Hannah says, it's going to come down to things that 621 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:03,280 Speaker 2: always does. Drugs, money, sex, and those things were in 622 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 2: play with these guys, he said, probably all of them more, 623 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 2: and that's what led to our death. Of course, we 624 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 2: have a rather different theory than those simple, kind of 625 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 2: simple things. 626 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 1: How long did this investigation last before it was considered 627 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: to be cold. 628 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 4: Well, when I first started talking to Nick Hanna in 629 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 4: twenty eighteen, he told us the story of the Satanic Angle. 630 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 4: But at the same time he said, we don't put 631 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 4: too much credence in that now. You know, at the time, 632 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,959 Speaker 4: police are trained in how to see this stuff, you know, 633 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 4: like they were really pushing it, so it was a 634 00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 4: thing and obvious thing for them to look at. But 635 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 4: now that I think they put a lot less into that. 636 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,040 Speaker 4: But they still keep Steve Schaeffer on the list because 637 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 4: of those reasons. So again it's a contradictory. I don't 638 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:55,719 Speaker 4: know anymore on the Satanic panic. I mean, there are 639 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 4: people in the town that go, oh, yeah, I remember that, 640 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 4: and then we have other people to say I've never 641 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 4: heard anything about that, you know. 642 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 2: I think eventually, as they went into the nineties, they 643 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 2: started getting enough evidence on these suspects that made these 644 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:17,319 Speaker 2: more simple motivations more clear. And it's really frustrating to 645 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:20,760 Speaker 2: look back at some of these things and think about 646 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,719 Speaker 2: why they didn't do more than they did. What they 647 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 2: say about the time was that they just didn't have 648 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,359 Speaker 2: enough evidence that was credible from these kids to ever 649 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 2: put them in front of a grand jury or Jerry. 650 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,319 Speaker 2: But you know, like with John Gilberth, he took two 651 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 2: young teen girls out to O C. Fisher Lake and 652 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 2: kind of panamized how he shot the teens and then 653 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 2: went home and showed him his shotgun. 654 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,799 Speaker 3: But the police said, well, we. 655 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 2: Know they weren't killed at OC Fisher, We don't think 656 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 2: they were killed at Twin Beautes, So why even do 657 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 2: anything with this guy? So they didn't search his house 658 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 2: or do anything. Jimmy Burnette was the most frustrating for 659 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 2: us because he a girlfriend that he was tormenting and beating, 660 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 2: and he basically she was trying to break up with him, 661 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 2: and he took her out and showed her two photos 662 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 2: that he said were Shane and Sally and she saw 663 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,959 Speaker 2: these photos of dead bodies in a field. He also 664 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 2: returned the night of July fourth, and the next day 665 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 2: that told her to wash his truck and there was 666 00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:19,839 Speaker 2: blood in the. 667 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 3: Bag, all kinds of other things. 668 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 2: And yet they never got a search warn for him either. 669 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:28,400 Speaker 2: He Davis not so much evidence. But right after Shane 670 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,440 Speaker 2: was killed, he started wearing a black stets and the 671 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 2: cowboy hat. It's that trace back to the stetson and 672 00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 2: Steve Schaeffer. I think they're just they kind of fashioned 673 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 2: him into this cult like horrendous person, and I think 674 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 2: they were trying to pen the sonomon every point that 675 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:48,240 Speaker 2: he knew more than he did. But I think after 676 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 2: this mid nineties point, when they didn't go after search 677 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 2: Warrens and the case was growing older and older, I 678 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 2: think they just started letting it fade because there was 679 00:35:57,800 --> 00:35:58,439 Speaker 2: nothing new. 680 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 4: And another thing we haven't touched on is Unsolved Mysteries 681 00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 4: did a show in May of eighty nine, right that 682 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 4: it was ninety one, oh ninety one, so much longer. Yeah, 683 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 4: But it wasn't until that show came out that it 684 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:20,240 Speaker 4: was public news that three months before they went missing, 685 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 4: Sally had called Larry Counts in the Sheriff's office and 686 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 4: said she had a gun that came from a group 687 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:32,800 Speaker 4: of people she didn't want to hang out with anymore, 688 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 4: and the gun was involved in a murder and she 689 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 4: wanted to turn it in. So he met with them, 690 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 4: went to their apartment, and this all came out to 691 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:44,880 Speaker 4: the public and the unsolved mysteries, But he went to 692 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 4: their apartment, played himself in the unsolved mysteries of taking 693 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,160 Speaker 4: it and also talked to them about the satanic stuff. 694 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 4: And then he writes in reports and also told Rob 695 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:00,879 Speaker 4: and me that he went to different sites with them 696 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,400 Speaker 4: to see where this satanic stuff happened. So that was 697 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,279 Speaker 4: part of the early story too. You know, I think 698 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 4: the key thing is that she had a gun she 699 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,520 Speaker 4: didn't want that was involved in a crime and she 700 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:14,440 Speaker 4: turned it in. So one thing Nick Hanna really questioned 701 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 4: is when they went missing, Deputy Counts was one of 702 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:22,239 Speaker 4: the people there with the car that decided, oh that 703 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 4: maybe they went and got married, and he didn't mention 704 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,479 Speaker 4: that she had turned this gun in at that time, 705 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,160 Speaker 4: So that created this big question mark of people looking 706 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:37,120 Speaker 4: now that has to be tied in. You know, who 707 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 4: knew about this gun, like Rob can go deep into 708 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 4: this story, but you know, I think he sent it 709 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:47,279 Speaker 4: off on that satanic story too. Larry counts the. 710 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 2: Gun is the most important thing in this case. Just 711 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,239 Speaker 2: what he boil everything down, that's real simple. Sally gives 712 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:58,040 Speaker 2: the Sheriff's department Larry Kunt's the deputy the gun supposed 713 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 2: to used it a murder in March of nineteen eighty eight, 714 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,880 Speaker 2: and three months later she's dead. So it kind of 715 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,000 Speaker 2: seems important. But not only did the teens go missing, 716 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 2: but the gun has gone missing. 717 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,359 Speaker 3: It is nowhere. No one has it. 718 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:16,800 Speaker 2: They initially said they had no reports on it, no evidence. 719 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,840 Speaker 3: Tags of it. Going from the. 720 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 2: Sheriff's office to the police officer department. What happened was 721 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 2: counts Today he tells us he remembered thinking it was 722 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:29,040 Speaker 2: involved and the gun was involved in the murder of 723 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 2: the owner of the Red Bandana gay bar, and so 724 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 2: he's like, huh, the police would be investigating that. 725 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:37,400 Speaker 3: So I'm going to give it to the police. 726 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,160 Speaker 2: So in March into eighty eight, he gives the gun 727 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,360 Speaker 2: to the police, and as we've said, there's no police 728 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 2: records on it. 729 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:44,800 Speaker 3: Nothing. 730 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 2: Now, this is kind of the most crucial thing in 731 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,520 Speaker 2: Texas a month. It was like, we can't tell this story. 732 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,680 Speaker 2: It's too complicated. No one's going to know what. 733 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 3: The hell is going on. 734 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:59,800 Speaker 2: But so the Red Bandana owners be Gouy named Steven's 735 00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 2: was killed in September of eighty seven, two bullets into him. 736 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 2: They found shellcasings and the bolts in his body and 737 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:10,200 Speaker 2: determined that the gun that killed him was a twenty 738 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:17,839 Speaker 2: five caliber Raven brand automatic pistol. Okay, So from September 739 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,960 Speaker 2: through the next spring, they're looking for a Raven twenty 740 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,759 Speaker 2: five all around San Angelo. They found a couple and 741 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:27,840 Speaker 2: they tested them ballistically and they didn't match the murder weapon. 742 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,120 Speaker 2: So they're on the lookout for it. So Sally comes 743 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 2: along in March and turns in a Raven twenty five 744 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:39,480 Speaker 2: caliber automatic pistol. So that immediately set off alarm bells 745 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:41,719 Speaker 2: with me, it's the same kind of gun. But I'm 746 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 2: like they were kind of ubiquitous their Saturday night specials. 747 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 2: Maybe they turned in the gun and some police officer 748 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:49,440 Speaker 2: pocketed it or they blew. 749 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:50,760 Speaker 3: It off from I'm like, no big deal. 750 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:55,840 Speaker 2: We initially, Sheriff Hannah Lieutenant Lowe told us and Larry 751 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 2: counts to this day cannot remember who he gave the gun. 752 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 3: To, the police department. 753 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:05,279 Speaker 2: He says Sheriff Hannah refused to tell us. We kept 754 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,839 Speaker 2: badgering him and badgering him, and finally he sent us 755 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:11,840 Speaker 2: a snippet of council report saying at the time, I 756 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,879 Speaker 2: gave the gun to a detective Larry Massey. So then 757 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:20,799 Speaker 2: I just was floored because Detective Larry Massey was the 758 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 2: guy a co investigator on the Red Bandana murder case. 759 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:28,319 Speaker 2: So if he's sitting there and he's looking for this 760 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,120 Speaker 2: gun and one falls in his lap, he would have 761 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:33,840 Speaker 2: gotten a tested ballistically and we have all the records, 762 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:38,680 Speaker 2: there's no indication of it. But magically the cops somehow 763 00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:42,280 Speaker 2: find the raven twenty five murder weapon that they need 764 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:46,000 Speaker 2: on March thirty, like three weeks after Sally turned into 765 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 2: her gun at the home of a suspect in the case. 766 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 2: And it gets even deeper than that, and to where 767 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,280 Speaker 2: you have to wonder was the gun that Sally turned 768 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,960 Speaker 2: in the same one that killed Steve Niece at the 769 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 2: Red Bandana And if so, how did it get to 770 00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:05,279 Speaker 2: another location, And who's covering this up? 771 00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:09,320 Speaker 1: And why is it that there's a police officer involved 772 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,880 Speaker 1: or a prominent citizen involved in the red bandana story 773 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: and then they planted at this suspect's house. 774 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:16,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, that is the implication. 775 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: Oh see, that wasn't that complicated of a story. You 776 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:22,000 Speaker 1: made a big deal out of nothing. 777 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,799 Speaker 2: But you know, this story has been bruin in me 778 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 2: and cared for, you know, almost a year. 779 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,319 Speaker 3: We kind of knew about some of these details, but. 780 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 2: It wasn't it seemed so out of whack and fantastical 781 00:41:36,719 --> 00:41:39,319 Speaker 2: until we found out who that gun got turned into, 782 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:42,160 Speaker 2: which was the investigator of the red bag anna and 783 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 2: he says he doesn't remember a gun at all. Just 784 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,760 Speaker 2: I've interviewed probably thirty law enforcement officers from the time 785 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:51,399 Speaker 2: who had never even heard of a gun being turned down. 786 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: Who would have sally have gotten that gun from, Who 787 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:57,919 Speaker 1: would have been a prominent citizen or whatever, who would 788 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,239 Speaker 1: have needed protection from the police. 789 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 3: There was a. 790 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:05,360 Speaker 2: Prominent guy in Saint Angelo who was a multi millionaire 791 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:08,719 Speaker 2: that he was a huge philanthropist, gave tons of money 792 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 2: away to people. The word is he also had a 793 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:14,600 Speaker 2: lot of cops on the payroll. There's evidence that came 794 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:17,680 Speaker 2: up in a civil trial for him that he was 795 00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:21,440 Speaker 2: seducing young boys from a local boys ranch at an 796 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,439 Speaker 2: apartment he had below his office called the Red Room. 797 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:29,080 Speaker 2: It was all redwood Mears and this is all documented 798 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 2: in kicking Port files. 799 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:33,200 Speaker 3: He also was tied to the Red Bandana, so. 800 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:36,120 Speaker 2: We don't know enough about what the motivation would be, 801 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,279 Speaker 2: but it's certainly odd what we later found out. The 802 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:44,360 Speaker 2: guy that was accused of the Red Bandana killing was 803 00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:48,560 Speaker 2: a guy named less Marsh and the gun was found 804 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,520 Speaker 2: at his mother in law's house, and his mother in 805 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:53,399 Speaker 2: law said that she knew Lesson had had this gun 806 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 2: at one point, so that was like a key piece 807 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 2: of evidence the police were counting on. He eventually was acquitted. 808 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,880 Speaker 2: So we started looking is there any connection between Les 809 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:06,360 Speaker 2: Marsh and Shane and Sally and we dug through. Marshall 810 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,840 Speaker 2: had stacks and stacks of like typed out notes he made, 811 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:13,719 Speaker 2: and there's this entry in the notes that said Teresa 812 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,920 Speaker 2: Preston is Steve Shaeffer's girlfriend. Teresa and her mother had 813 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:22,120 Speaker 2: gone to live with the Marshes at some point, so 814 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:26,920 Speaker 2: Steve Shaeffer's girlfriend is living with the guy eventually accused 815 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:29,640 Speaker 2: of the Red Bandana murder. So then we found a 816 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 2: diary entry from Steve Shaeffer, who Sally at one point said, 817 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,800 Speaker 2: gave her the gun. But he writes in his diary 818 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:38,440 Speaker 2: Shane came to me. He was in a panic. They're 819 00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 2: afraid for their life. He wanted a gun. I said 820 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:42,960 Speaker 2: no and told him to come back tomorrow. 821 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:44,320 Speaker 3: He said, but they. 822 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:46,160 Speaker 2: Told me a story, and he was so freaked out 823 00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:49,080 Speaker 2: and scared about it with Sally that they went and 824 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:52,960 Speaker 2: spent the night with my girlfriend. So I asked Hannah 825 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:55,120 Speaker 2: to look up in his investigative notes. I'm like, look 826 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,040 Speaker 2: up Les Marsh and he reads through some stuff and 827 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:01,400 Speaker 2: he's like, huh, this is interesting here that Les Marsh 828 00:44:01,680 --> 00:44:03,440 Speaker 2: sold the gun to Shane and Salad. 829 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:05,799 Speaker 5: Hmmm, like who wrote that? 830 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:08,759 Speaker 3: When was it? And he's like there's no name or date. 831 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:11,399 Speaker 2: I'm like, now you know why teachers in second grade 832 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:12,960 Speaker 2: until you put a date in your name on a 833 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,880 Speaker 2: piece of paper. Right, So that gets even crazier because 834 00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:20,240 Speaker 2: then it would be the guy who eventually is charged 835 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 2: with the red Bandana murder sells the murder weapons Shane 836 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,320 Speaker 2: and Sally. Sally turns it into the sheriff's department and 837 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 2: goes to the police department and ends up back at 838 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 2: the mother in law son with the guy less marsh 839 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:34,640 Speaker 2: accused the crime. 840 00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:37,480 Speaker 1: It was like about three weeks later you said, yeah, 841 00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:39,799 Speaker 1: so when you were talking about this, this is what 842 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,399 Speaker 1: I was thinking. And maybe I'm like way far off here, 843 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:44,280 Speaker 1: but what I was thinking was, well, if that's really 844 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,840 Speaker 1: the connection, why wait for three or four months to 845 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:51,360 Speaker 1: kill her? If this is a pressing matter the gun? 846 00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:54,360 Speaker 1: She does this at March, right, and then they're not 847 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:58,359 Speaker 1: killed until July fourth, Right, They were gone the whole time, right, 848 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 1: and then they came back right before fourth of Why. 849 00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 2: Well, Sally was around by actually by April. But I 850 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:08,319 Speaker 2: think the theory on that is that it's possible that 851 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,280 Speaker 2: the defense attorney for this guy accused to the Red 852 00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,480 Speaker 2: Dana murder might have found out that Sally gave a 853 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:19,560 Speaker 2: gun to the police, and she might have been considered 854 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,799 Speaker 2: a potential witness and where this gun had really been, 855 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:24,680 Speaker 2: and so they offer her. 856 00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:27,520 Speaker 3: There was another woman that was involved. I'm not going to. 857 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:29,880 Speaker 2: Get into too many more names with all these people 858 00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:33,960 Speaker 2: in the red bandana who was her throat was slashed 859 00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:37,440 Speaker 2: and she was stabbed death in a bar in August 860 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:40,440 Speaker 2: of eighty eight, a month after shaming Sally went missing. 861 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:44,880 Speaker 2: So yeah, a lot of weird connections, and it's just 862 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:47,160 Speaker 2: I think one of the frustrating things. 863 00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:49,280 Speaker 3: Is that we seem to be the only people. 864 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:53,920 Speaker 2: That really care about this gun and what really was 865 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,560 Speaker 2: its origin? How did he get lost? Are they the 866 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:01,200 Speaker 2: same gun? At one point, we had the red bandana 867 00:46:01,239 --> 00:46:03,560 Speaker 2: case files, so we know what the murder weapon was 868 00:46:03,600 --> 00:46:06,200 Speaker 2: for the guy that killed the bar owner. We had 869 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,759 Speaker 2: a serial number for it, and so I emailed the 870 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,440 Speaker 2: sheriff handa, I'm like, sheeriff, can you compare this serial 871 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:16,560 Speaker 2: number to the serial number of the gun Sally turned 872 00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:19,080 Speaker 2: in to see if they match, then we'll know once 873 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:21,359 Speaker 2: and for all whether this was the same gun. 874 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:25,120 Speaker 3: And he replied by email, we have no serial number. 875 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:28,040 Speaker 2: So they even lost the serial number on the gun 876 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:29,040 Speaker 2: that Sally turned in. 877 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:34,000 Speaker 4: Multiple people that have no connection, and three people that 878 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:39,040 Speaker 4: were formerly within the Sheriff's department named a certain police 879 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:42,719 Speaker 4: officer that they suspected. Like, there's other things that keep 880 00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:46,480 Speaker 4: pointing to that there's something going on internally there that 881 00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:50,200 Speaker 4: people are covering up and they're all afraid to talk 882 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:53,640 Speaker 4: or we're talking to us, And then all went silent, 883 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:56,480 Speaker 4: like they all went silent around the same time, and 884 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:58,880 Speaker 4: we don't really know who they're hearing from. 885 00:46:58,719 --> 00:47:04,240 Speaker 3: Or why podcast listeners. I think the kind of other monumental. 886 00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:07,320 Speaker 2: Part of this story was the Sally's driver's license and 887 00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:10,319 Speaker 2: how it was found. You know, when they found the 888 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:13,120 Speaker 2: camaro and they found the body, Sally's person was missing. 889 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:15,960 Speaker 2: She didn't have a driver's license on her. So about 890 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:20,160 Speaker 2: four or five months after the bodies were found, this 891 00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:24,360 Speaker 2: detective is walking down the San Angelo Police Department hallway 892 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:28,000 Speaker 2: toward dispatch and you sees something lying on the floor 893 00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:31,520 Speaker 2: and he's like, huh, picks it up, turns it over, 894 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:35,520 Speaker 2: and he immediately recognizes that it's Sally mcnelly's driver's license 895 00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:38,520 Speaker 2: on the floor of the politice department. And they weren't 896 00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:41,080 Speaker 2: investigating the case, so they had no evidence on them. 897 00:47:41,800 --> 00:47:44,399 Speaker 2: So then it becomes this tangled story that you'll hear 898 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:47,080 Speaker 2: about where did this license come from? 899 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:48,240 Speaker 3: Very bizarre. 900 00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:52,480 Speaker 1: What is the official line? It's an open case. You know, 901 00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:54,560 Speaker 1: they want us all that. You said, there was sort 902 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:58,480 Speaker 1: of a much more simplified theme that had gone around 903 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:00,960 Speaker 1: with what these four got is that there's like some 904 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:04,040 Speaker 1: money stuff, sex stuff, not this huge conspiracy that you 905 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:07,920 Speaker 1: are talking about. That doesn't sound outlandish to me at all, frankly, 906 00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:10,320 Speaker 1: but you said there was sort of a more simple 907 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:13,759 Speaker 1: explanation from maybe the people in town for what they 908 00:48:13,760 --> 00:48:14,400 Speaker 1: think happened. 909 00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:17,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, what do you think about the love triangle, Karen? 910 00:48:18,120 --> 00:48:21,319 Speaker 4: But Jimmy Burnett, Well, I think there's truth in that. 911 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:25,120 Speaker 4: You know, we talked to Jimmy's ex girlfriend and then 912 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:28,320 Speaker 4: another friend of Sally's, actually two of them, one of 913 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:31,160 Speaker 4: them like, who's Shane? I thought she was dating Jimmy, 914 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:33,759 Speaker 4: you know, like there's there's a couple of people that 915 00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:36,160 Speaker 4: point to that. So I think there's some truth in that. 916 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:40,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean the police reports they verified that Sally 917 00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:44,840 Speaker 2: spent the night with Jimmy at least twice shortly before 918 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:49,560 Speaker 2: the fourth of July, so he is with her. Shane 919 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:52,040 Speaker 2: comes back and said, no, she's mine, and you can 920 00:48:52,080 --> 00:48:56,000 Speaker 2: imagine something happening with that, And it kind of seems 921 00:48:56,040 --> 00:48:57,640 Speaker 2: like it's a little bit of all these things. And 922 00:48:57,680 --> 00:49:02,479 Speaker 2: I think that's what current investigators think is that, Yeah, 923 00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:06,360 Speaker 2: the seat Davis was selling drugs and Sally might. 924 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:07,160 Speaker 3: Have vowed some money. 925 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:10,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, Jimmy was in love with her and Shane came back. 926 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:13,640 Speaker 2: You know, John Gilbert seemed to be putting himself into 927 00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:17,000 Speaker 2: everyone's nose in the case he just knew too much. 928 00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:19,680 Speaker 2: How did he know so much? And of course the 929 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:23,760 Speaker 2: blame it all on guy Steve Schaeffer because supposedly the Satanist, 930 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,520 Speaker 2: but he did have a he was involved in the 931 00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:30,279 Speaker 2: circles and had a propensity eventually for violent behavior. So 932 00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:33,320 Speaker 2: I think that they think that's the thing, And unfortunately, 933 00:49:33,320 --> 00:49:35,719 Speaker 2: I think that they know deep down that they're not 934 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,719 Speaker 2: going to get anything new out of these people, one 935 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,560 Speaker 2: for sure, and that has kind of left them like, well, 936 00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:42,600 Speaker 2: what's next. 937 00:49:42,840 --> 00:49:44,680 Speaker 1: Well, you talked to Steve, did you get to talk 938 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 1: to I don't know who's alive and who's not at 939 00:49:46,680 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 1: this point. The other three you've got Jimmy and John 940 00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:51,120 Speaker 1: and Heath. Did you get to talk to anybody there? 941 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:51,839 Speaker 3: Yeah. 942 00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:55,000 Speaker 4: We spoke to Heath first, who was reluctant, and then 943 00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:57,239 Speaker 4: he agreed to meet with us. And then once we 944 00:49:57,280 --> 00:50:02,120 Speaker 4: sat around a table and spoke without recording, he started saying, 945 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:04,040 Speaker 4: you know, like I didn't have anything to do with this. 946 00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:06,680 Speaker 4: I've been set up. So we convinced him that's what 947 00:50:06,719 --> 00:50:08,719 Speaker 4: we want to record. Do we want to hear your 948 00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:12,760 Speaker 4: side out there. So he claims that Jimmy Burnett told 949 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,600 Speaker 4: him that he did it, that Jimmy had done it, 950 00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:19,200 Speaker 4: and he believes Jimmy did it and that he had 951 00:50:19,239 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 4: nothing to do with it. 952 00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:22,960 Speaker 2: And he said that you know, they've harassed me for 953 00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:25,560 Speaker 2: all years. I've given my DNA five times. 954 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:26,359 Speaker 3: I'm a good guy. 955 00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:31,400 Speaker 2: Now it just became an ordained minister Christian. Although he 956 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:33,239 Speaker 2: was arrested a couple of years ago with a gun 957 00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:35,200 Speaker 2: in his car and went to prison for a year 958 00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:37,800 Speaker 2: because he was a fella, but he says his life's 959 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:40,600 Speaker 2: chance around. He has a new girlfriend. So it's an 960 00:50:40,640 --> 00:50:44,439 Speaker 2: interesting interview with him. John Gilbert, we know exactly where 961 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:46,440 Speaker 2: he lived and so we door knocked him up a 962 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:50,000 Speaker 2: lot and just never could catch him at home. Did 963 00:50:50,080 --> 00:50:53,440 Speaker 2: talk to a former girlfriend of his who heard us 964 00:50:53,520 --> 00:50:56,040 Speaker 2: knocking on the door and she said, what are y'all doing? 965 00:50:56,040 --> 00:50:58,120 Speaker 2: We said, we're working on a podcast. She's like for 966 00:50:58,200 --> 00:51:01,080 Speaker 2: Shane and Sally and You're like yeah, she said, oh 967 00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,080 Speaker 2: I know John Gilbert. Well we're like really she said, yeah, 968 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:07,400 Speaker 2: my name's Tammy Littlefield, was the fisherman's daughter. 969 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:11,000 Speaker 1: Well, actually that brings up a good point. Are the 970 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:14,239 Speaker 1: fishermen able to in any way connect to these four 971 00:51:14,239 --> 00:51:16,960 Speaker 1: guys to the two guys that were arguing with Shane 972 00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:19,720 Speaker 1: before they went missing, or was it too far away 973 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:20,799 Speaker 1: and they didn't know him. 974 00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:23,920 Speaker 2: They didn't know Instead, it was dark and the k 975 00:51:24,080 --> 00:51:27,000 Speaker 2: S lights were shining right and they're about to cease 976 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:31,080 Speaker 2: now the fishermen are, but Tammy the daughter, she was 977 00:51:31,239 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 2: very young at the time. She said that, you know, 978 00:51:34,719 --> 00:51:37,080 Speaker 2: she believed her father and thinks he did a good 979 00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:40,640 Speaker 2: deed for stepping forward and telling that story. That truck 980 00:51:40,680 --> 00:51:44,520 Speaker 2: that came into the lake was really important because Jimmy 981 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:47,680 Speaker 2: Burnett drove a dark We've later found out it was 982 00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:51,360 Speaker 2: a chebby s ten slightly lifted four x four pickup 983 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:54,320 Speaker 2: truck with KSE lights on the top, pretty much like 984 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:55,839 Speaker 2: the fisherman described. 985 00:51:56,239 --> 00:51:56,880 Speaker 3: The problem was. 986 00:51:56,920 --> 00:52:02,600 Speaker 2: Steve Schaeffer also drove supposedly pickup truck with KSE lights. 987 00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:05,440 Speaker 2: I guess they were popular at saying Angelo at the time, 988 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:08,240 Speaker 2: but I found out later is actually a ram charger, 989 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:10,799 Speaker 2: which has that kind of camper cover over the back. 990 00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:14,560 Speaker 2: It's kind of like a Bronco or Blazer, and it 991 00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:16,840 Speaker 2: seems like the fisherman would have noted that in the 992 00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:19,080 Speaker 2: description of the vehicle, and you didn't mention it. 993 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:21,640 Speaker 5: So is your working theory. 994 00:52:21,719 --> 00:52:26,040 Speaker 1: I guess we've got the conspiracy around the gun and 995 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:29,359 Speaker 1: the red bandana and the connection there. But if you're 996 00:52:29,360 --> 00:52:32,600 Speaker 1: going with the more kind of conventional these theories here, 997 00:52:32,840 --> 00:52:36,440 Speaker 1: are you thinking Jimmy would be the suspect right underneath 998 00:52:36,640 --> 00:52:39,160 Speaker 1: the gun being turned in and that theory? 999 00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:40,160 Speaker 3: I think? 1000 00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:43,760 Speaker 2: So when people ask me, I say, the only suspect 1001 00:52:43,800 --> 00:52:45,960 Speaker 2: that I'm ninety nine to one hundred percent sure was 1002 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:47,919 Speaker 2: involved with Jimmy Burnett, I. 1003 00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:50,759 Speaker 1: Agree, well, And it's so if you think about the scene, right, 1004 00:52:50,840 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: it could be one person easily because you can control 1005 00:52:53,239 --> 00:52:55,360 Speaker 1: two people with a shotgun. And then I was thinking 1006 00:52:55,360 --> 00:52:58,279 Speaker 1: it was execution style, but really a shotgun, I mean, 1007 00:52:58,600 --> 00:53:00,920 Speaker 1: close range with a shotgun is a lot of damage. 1008 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:02,920 Speaker 5: I'm not sure that execution style. 1009 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,399 Speaker 1: You don't have to hit anybody more than one time 1010 00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:09,120 Speaker 1: with a shotgun, and somebody who probably knows the area 1011 00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:11,880 Speaker 1: really well, right, because it's very rural where their bodies 1012 00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,879 Speaker 1: are discovered, so the local kid, right, And it's a place. 1013 00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:19,480 Speaker 4: Where the teens hung out and drank because there's only 1014 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:21,480 Speaker 4: one way in they could see cars, so they went 1015 00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:22,600 Speaker 4: there regularly. 1016 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:25,480 Speaker 1: What would it take to solve this case from y'all's 1017 00:53:25,560 --> 00:53:28,280 Speaker 1: point of view, is it somebody coming forward at this point? 1018 00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:31,640 Speaker 2: You think that would be great if someone came forward 1019 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:36,480 Speaker 2: with totally new information. Yeah, but I think that the 1020 00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:38,920 Speaker 2: key thing is people that aren't going to give up 1021 00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:41,759 Speaker 2: and quit and for instance, figure out what happened with 1022 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:45,600 Speaker 2: this gun with that driver's license. I figured I just 1023 00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:49,400 Speaker 2: found out something after the podcast that's startling as well. 1024 00:53:50,239 --> 00:53:53,480 Speaker 2: So I have a source that this driver's license supposedly 1025 00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:55,719 Speaker 2: fell out of a toolbox that was still in the 1026 00:53:55,719 --> 00:53:57,560 Speaker 2: police department, and that's how it ended up. 1027 00:53:57,440 --> 00:53:58,000 Speaker 3: On the floor. 1028 00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:00,480 Speaker 2: Of course, they traced it back and they couldn't figure 1029 00:54:00,520 --> 00:54:02,840 Speaker 2: anything out. But I have a source. She said, no, 1030 00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:05,279 Speaker 2: it wasn't a toolbox, all right, but it was at 1031 00:54:05,560 --> 00:54:08,239 Speaker 2: my aunt's house. I watched her pull it out in 1032 00:54:08,239 --> 00:54:11,000 Speaker 2: front of the sky that stole it. She says, what's 1033 00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:14,600 Speaker 2: this driver's license do here? And my source tells me 1034 00:54:14,719 --> 00:54:19,680 Speaker 2: she recognized her immediately as Sally mcdellly, And his downing 1035 00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:23,719 Speaker 2: part was she swears that they called the police. The 1036 00:54:23,760 --> 00:54:28,239 Speaker 2: police showed up, interviewed the band, and took the license 1037 00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:31,000 Speaker 2: and this is in the spring of eighty nine, and 1038 00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:33,000 Speaker 2: then it ends up on their floor. 1039 00:54:33,560 --> 00:54:35,680 Speaker 3: Very different story, very different story. 1040 00:54:36,040 --> 00:54:37,240 Speaker 5: I think there's some hope. 1041 00:54:37,440 --> 00:54:40,959 Speaker 4: They do have all the clothes that were on Chaine 1042 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:45,680 Speaker 4: and Sally, and there's a few articles that have DNA 1043 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:49,080 Speaker 4: they've found. They haven't pulled or tried to do any 1044 00:54:49,200 --> 00:54:53,600 Speaker 4: DNA since twenty sixteen, you know, so there is new technology. 1045 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:57,360 Speaker 4: You know, it's rapidly changing, so that that is something 1046 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:59,680 Speaker 4: that I find hopeful too. There's a lot of stuff 1047 00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,799 Speaker 4: there that's just been in these little brown bags that 1048 00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:07,799 Speaker 4: they're waiting, so that may be another avenue. Unfortunately, you know, 1049 00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 4: Jimmy Burnetta is gone as far as we know, he's 1050 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:14,319 Speaker 4: no longer living. We have a death certificate in his 1051 00:55:14,440 --> 00:55:18,120 Speaker 4: ex wife saying she saw him die and saw him buried. 1052 00:55:18,560 --> 00:55:20,960 Speaker 1: So you're doubtful that that is I mean, is he 1053 00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:23,319 Speaker 1: he would just take off and fake his own death 1054 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:23,879 Speaker 1: kind of thing. 1055 00:55:24,320 --> 00:55:28,000 Speaker 4: According to Terry Lowe and Nick Hanna, he's faked it twice. 1056 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:31,680 Speaker 4: And when we told Hannah about the death certificate, his 1057 00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:36,360 Speaker 4: response was, have you seen the body? So they're very skeptical. 1058 00:55:36,440 --> 00:55:39,720 Speaker 4: I think we believe that he is deceased. It fits 1059 00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:41,040 Speaker 4: everything fits together. 1060 00:55:41,680 --> 00:55:43,799 Speaker 1: What has been this is the last question. What has 1061 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:48,080 Speaker 1: been the reaction in San Angelo to the podcast? I mean, 1062 00:55:48,080 --> 00:55:50,760 Speaker 1: have you heard back from many of the local folks. 1063 00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:52,920 Speaker 1: Are they happy that you're digging into this or are 1064 00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:54,320 Speaker 1: there some people that are skeptical. 1065 00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:56,719 Speaker 2: I've gotten a lot of response from people, a lot 1066 00:55:56,760 --> 00:56:00,080 Speaker 2: of people Facebook messaging we had of the blue and 1067 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:02,000 Speaker 2: there's been some things that have come in, well you 1068 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:04,000 Speaker 2: should look at this, and there are things that we've 1069 00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:04,799 Speaker 2: already looked at. 1070 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:07,239 Speaker 3: And so there wasn't. 1071 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:09,960 Speaker 2: Like a flood of amazing tips, and a lot of 1072 00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:12,719 Speaker 2: it was I pray that they find the killer for 1073 00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:15,960 Speaker 2: the parents of Shane and Sally. So a huge amount 1074 00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:19,000 Speaker 2: of comments like that. I will say that last source 1075 00:56:19,040 --> 00:56:22,319 Speaker 2: that came in about the driver's license did come from 1076 00:56:22,360 --> 00:56:26,000 Speaker 2: the podcast, and she contacted me and so we'll see 1077 00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:28,480 Speaker 2: where that goes and if anything else new comes into 1078 00:56:28,719 --> 00:56:31,360 Speaker 2: that's kind of the reaction I'm seeing that dang I 1079 00:56:31,360 --> 00:56:33,520 Speaker 2: didn't know s Angelo was so messed up. 1080 00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:38,680 Speaker 4: A lot about the city, and then also people didn't 1081 00:56:38,719 --> 00:56:41,359 Speaker 4: know all the ins and outs of the story. They 1082 00:56:41,360 --> 00:56:43,759 Speaker 4: didn't know about the driver's license, they didn't know these 1083 00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:46,800 Speaker 4: different theories like they I think they've had their eyes 1084 00:56:46,880 --> 00:56:49,800 Speaker 4: opened a little bit of such a crazy story. 1085 00:56:50,160 --> 00:56:52,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I tell teach at the University of Texas, and 1086 00:56:52,640 --> 00:56:54,399 Speaker 1: I tell my students all the time. So our job 1087 00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:57,840 Speaker 1: to take the details from the lives of different people, 1088 00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:01,120 Speaker 1: oftentimes in the same family, them all together, and then 1089 00:57:01,160 --> 00:57:05,000 Speaker 1: present this narrative where basically everybody in the story looks 1090 00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:06,960 Speaker 1: at it and says, I had no idea about part 1091 00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:07,680 Speaker 1: of this story. 1092 00:57:08,120 --> 00:57:08,719 Speaker 5: And that's the. 1093 00:57:08,640 --> 00:57:12,400 Speaker 1: Power of journalism and in particular podcasting, I think, because 1094 00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:14,799 Speaker 1: it's so intimate to be able to tell this kind 1095 00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:18,280 Speaker 1: of a story, you have you know, Marshall, And actually 1096 00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:19,880 Speaker 1: I know I said that was my last question, But 1097 00:57:19,920 --> 00:57:23,200 Speaker 1: my last last question is who does Marshall think did this? 1098 00:57:23,480 --> 00:57:24,640 Speaker 5: What is his theory? 1099 00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:29,200 Speaker 2: Marshall, He's pretty much with us on Jimmy Burnett. I 1100 00:57:29,240 --> 00:57:31,760 Speaker 2: think he still thinks that Steve Schaeffer, because of the 1101 00:57:31,800 --> 00:57:36,360 Speaker 2: black guy, had something to do with this, and he does. 1102 00:57:36,680 --> 00:57:39,320 Speaker 2: I think he thinks that there was good reason for 1103 00:57:39,400 --> 00:57:44,600 Speaker 2: all these suspects, like John Gilbert, who ended up moving 1104 00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:47,880 Speaker 2: after he went to prison for a while for something else. 1105 00:57:47,920 --> 00:57:52,400 Speaker 2: He moves basically across the street from Marshall Caddy cornertone, 1106 00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:55,120 Speaker 2: so he has to see this suspect all the time. 1107 00:57:56,560 --> 00:57:59,919 Speaker 1: Well, what an amazing story, And you know, I start, 1108 00:58:00,200 --> 00:58:02,680 Speaker 1: I hope that you all are able to get some 1109 00:58:02,680 --> 00:58:05,400 Speaker 1: more tips in something that can really be helpful in 1110 00:58:05,480 --> 00:58:07,960 Speaker 1: moving the story forward, because it's you know, whether it's 1111 00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:10,480 Speaker 1: a case that just happened or one that's thirty now, 1112 00:58:10,560 --> 00:58:14,560 Speaker 1: thirty five, thirty six years going here, families want closure 1113 00:58:14,720 --> 00:58:16,800 Speaker 1: for sure. So I think it's a great service you 1114 00:58:16,880 --> 00:58:18,720 Speaker 1: both have done. And then it's a great podcast. 1115 00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:21,240 Speaker 3: Well, thank you, Yeah, thanks. 1116 00:58:21,000 --> 00:58:29,720 Speaker 4: For digging into it with us. 1117 00:58:33,880 --> 00:58:36,760 Speaker 1: If you love historical true crime stories, check out the 1118 00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:39,680 Speaker 1: audio versions of my books The Ghost Club, All That 1119 00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:43,000 Speaker 1: Is Wicked and American Sherlock, and Don't Forget There are 1120 00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:46,880 Speaker 1: twelve seasons of my historical true crime podcast Tenfold More 1121 00:58:46,880 --> 00:58:50,560 Speaker 1: Wicked right here in this podcast feed, scroll back and 1122 00:58:50,600 --> 00:58:53,360 Speaker 1: give them a listen if you haven't already. This has 1123 00:58:53,400 --> 00:58:57,920 Speaker 1: been an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Alexis Mrosi. 1124 00:58:58,240 --> 00:59:02,720 Speaker 1: Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain. This episode was mixed 1125 00:59:02,760 --> 00:59:06,640 Speaker 1: by John Bradley. Curtis Heath is our composer. Artwork by 1126 00:59:06,760 --> 00:59:11,160 Speaker 1: Nick Toga Executive produced by Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgarriff, and 1127 00:59:11,280 --> 00:59:16,040 Speaker 1: Danielle Kramer. Follow Wicked Words on Instagram at tenfold More Wicked, 1128 00:59:16,400 --> 00:59:19,000 Speaker 1: and on Facebook at Wicked Words Pod.