1 00:00:08,285 --> 00:00:14,245 Speaker 1: School of Humans. Back in twenty nineteen, I got a 2 00:00:14,285 --> 00:00:18,805 Speaker 1: Facebook message from Laurel Hall, whose daughter Kleashnder Hall disappeared 3 00:00:18,845 --> 00:00:21,485 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four when she was just eighteen years old. 4 00:00:22,165 --> 00:00:26,085 Speaker 1: It read, quote, Hi, Catherine, my daughter disappeared from her 5 00:00:26,125 --> 00:00:28,965 Speaker 1: after school job on May night, nineteen ninety four without 6 00:00:28,965 --> 00:00:32,125 Speaker 1: a trace. One of my Facebook friends listens to your 7 00:00:32,125 --> 00:00:36,005 Speaker 1: podcasts and thought you could help me. Will you? Thanks? 8 00:00:36,165 --> 00:00:42,165 Speaker 1: Laurel end quote. In nineteen ninety four, Kleshender Hall, known 9 00:00:42,205 --> 00:00:46,365 Speaker 1: to everyone as Clea, was living in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Actually, 10 00:00:46,445 --> 00:00:49,045 Speaker 1: Clia grew up very near where I grew up. We 11 00:00:49,125 --> 00:00:52,045 Speaker 1: lived just a couple of miles from each other. Clia 12 00:00:52,205 --> 00:00:55,085 Speaker 1: was a senior at Watson Chapel High School. She had 13 00:00:55,085 --> 00:00:58,885 Speaker 1: big dreams and she was making them happen. May of 14 00:00:59,005 --> 00:01:01,885 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety four was a super busy month for Clea. 15 00:01:02,485 --> 00:01:04,725 Speaker 1: She was getting ready for a big speech at graduation. 16 00:01:05,205 --> 00:01:10,285 Speaker 1: She was valedictorian of her class. After graduation, Clia was 17 00:01:10,365 --> 00:01:13,525 Speaker 1: leaving town. She was supposed to start a summer internship 18 00:01:13,525 --> 00:01:15,765 Speaker 1: that she had all lined up at a doctor's office 19 00:01:15,805 --> 00:01:18,805 Speaker 1: in Boston, and then in the fall she would start 20 00:01:18,805 --> 00:01:22,045 Speaker 1: college at Tennessee State University, where she had been accepted 21 00:01:22,085 --> 00:01:25,765 Speaker 1: to the pre med program. Clia dreamed of a career 22 00:01:25,765 --> 00:01:29,685 Speaker 1: in medicine. She wanted to be a pediatrician. But on 23 00:01:29,765 --> 00:01:32,685 Speaker 1: May ninth, just a few weeks before leaving town to 24 00:01:32,725 --> 00:01:35,165 Speaker 1: start her new life, the one she had worked so 25 00:01:35,325 --> 00:01:41,285 Speaker 1: hard for, Clia Hall disappeared without a trace. Over the 26 00:01:41,285 --> 00:01:45,285 Speaker 1: past five years making my true crime podcast, Helen Gone, 27 00:01:45,365 --> 00:01:47,765 Speaker 1: I've learned that there is no such thing as a 28 00:01:47,805 --> 00:01:52,285 Speaker 1: small town where murder never happens. I have received hundreds 29 00:01:52,325 --> 00:01:55,365 Speaker 1: of messages from people all around the country asking for 30 00:01:55,445 --> 00:01:58,685 Speaker 1: help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families, 31 00:01:58,965 --> 00:02:02,485 Speaker 1: and their communities. And now they have a new way 32 00:02:02,525 --> 00:02:07,205 Speaker 1: to reach out. I'm Catherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone 33 00:02:07,485 --> 00:02:10,885 Speaker 1: Murder Line. If you have a case you'd like me 34 00:02:11,005 --> 00:02:13,485 Speaker 1: and my team to look into, you can reach out 35 00:02:13,525 --> 00:02:17,125 Speaker 1: to us at six seven eight seven four four six 36 00:02:17,285 --> 00:02:21,125 Speaker 1: one four five. That's six seven eight seven four four 37 00:02:21,605 --> 00:03:12,325 Speaker 1: six one four five. Kleschendra Denise Hall was born on 38 00:03:12,405 --> 00:03:16,805 Speaker 1: March thirtieth, nineteen seventy six, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her dad, 39 00:03:16,845 --> 00:03:20,445 Speaker 1: Willie and her mom, Laurel Hall, had four children. They 40 00:03:20,445 --> 00:03:24,805 Speaker 1: had three sons and Clia with their only daughter. They 41 00:03:24,845 --> 00:03:28,725 Speaker 1: were a very close family and Clia was a serious student. 42 00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:31,845 Speaker 1: And although she went out just like all teens do 43 00:03:31,965 --> 00:03:36,445 Speaker 1: and enjoyed social activities, she was extremely responsible. She even 44 00:03:36,485 --> 00:03:39,205 Speaker 1: had an after school job to help pay for college. 45 00:03:39,325 --> 00:03:43,085 Speaker 1: She worked for doctor Larry Amos, PhD. And not a 46 00:03:43,125 --> 00:03:46,205 Speaker 1: medical doctor. What he did was that he ran a 47 00:03:46,245 --> 00:03:49,085 Speaker 1: nonprofit organization out of his home office at fifty three 48 00:03:49,085 --> 00:03:52,045 Speaker 1: oh nine Fawcett Road, just a few blocks from Clia's house. 49 00:03:53,285 --> 00:03:56,045 Speaker 1: Larry owned two houses that were right next to each other. 50 00:03:56,485 --> 00:03:58,885 Speaker 1: Over the years, he did a lot of construction work 51 00:03:58,885 --> 00:04:02,165 Speaker 1: on that property. The house where Clia worked was a 52 00:04:02,165 --> 00:04:05,165 Speaker 1: big English tutor home and had a separate area that 53 00:04:05,205 --> 00:04:09,205 Speaker 1: was a home office with its own dedicated landline. Clia's 54 00:04:09,245 --> 00:04:12,445 Speaker 1: job was to help with bookkeeping. She got Larry to 55 00:04:12,525 --> 00:04:17,125 Speaker 1: sign checks and help keep things organized. Now, it's been 56 00:04:17,325 --> 00:04:21,845 Speaker 1: reported that Larry wrote grants where he would allocate resources 57 00:04:21,845 --> 00:04:25,685 Speaker 1: for childcare facilities, But I've discovered that, like in so 58 00:04:25,805 --> 00:04:29,205 Speaker 1: many cold cases, there are a lot of basic facts 59 00:04:29,245 --> 00:04:31,445 Speaker 1: about this case, even though it has been reported on 60 00:04:31,685 --> 00:04:34,245 Speaker 1: many times over the years, that are just flat out wrong. 61 00:04:34,925 --> 00:04:38,245 Speaker 1: Because the truth was that Larry Amos was involved in 62 00:04:38,285 --> 00:04:41,525 Speaker 1: some very shady financial dealings, which we will come back to, 63 00:04:42,565 --> 00:04:45,205 Speaker 1: but first let's go back to Clia and that day 64 00:04:45,205 --> 00:04:49,005 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four. I don't really like phrases like 65 00:04:49,165 --> 00:04:52,685 Speaker 1: troubled team, because to me, everyone deserves justice and to 66 00:04:52,685 --> 00:04:56,485 Speaker 1: have their case investigated. But just for clarity, because we 67 00:04:56,565 --> 00:05:00,245 Speaker 1: are looking at someone's pattern of life. Clia came from 68 00:05:00,285 --> 00:05:04,165 Speaker 1: a loving home. She had no issues with mental health. 69 00:05:04,485 --> 00:05:07,485 Speaker 1: She had a steady job. She was very organized. She 70 00:05:07,565 --> 00:05:10,725 Speaker 1: was planning for her future. She had no disputes with 71 00:05:10,805 --> 00:05:14,885 Speaker 1: her parents or anyone else, and she was not known 72 00:05:14,965 --> 00:05:18,925 Speaker 1: to party or to disappear for days. Clia's schedule had 73 00:05:18,965 --> 00:05:21,685 Speaker 1: been set for several weeks. She had just gone to 74 00:05:21,725 --> 00:05:24,205 Speaker 1: her senior prom. Then on Saturday night, she went to 75 00:05:24,285 --> 00:05:28,045 Speaker 1: a sorority ball. Sunday was Mother's Day, which Clia celebrated 76 00:05:28,045 --> 00:05:32,165 Speaker 1: with her family. On Monday, May night, nineteen ninety four, 77 00:05:32,405 --> 00:05:35,645 Speaker 1: Clia woke up, had breakfast with her brothers and her mom, Laurel, 78 00:05:36,165 --> 00:05:39,285 Speaker 1: and then went to school. Laurel picked her up at 79 00:05:39,325 --> 00:05:43,005 Speaker 1: around two thirty that afternoon. Clea was allowed to leave 80 00:05:43,045 --> 00:05:45,485 Speaker 1: school a little early because of her after school job. 81 00:05:46,205 --> 00:05:49,005 Speaker 1: They went straight to Larry's house, but there was no 82 00:05:49,045 --> 00:05:55,325 Speaker 1: one home. Later, Larry's wife, Patricia, apologized to Laurel for this. Apparently, Patricia, 83 00:05:55,405 --> 00:05:57,565 Speaker 1: Larry's wife, had a job. She worked for the school, 84 00:05:58,125 --> 00:06:00,725 Speaker 1: and when Clia arrived for work that day, she hadn't 85 00:06:00,725 --> 00:06:04,885 Speaker 1: gotten home yet. After realizing no one was home, Laurel 86 00:06:05,005 --> 00:06:08,325 Speaker 1: and Clea drove back to their house. Cla was tired, 87 00:06:08,405 --> 00:06:11,125 Speaker 1: so she kind of crashed out on the couch they 88 00:06:11,165 --> 00:06:15,125 Speaker 1: waited to hear from Larry Amos or his wife. Laurel 89 00:06:15,325 --> 00:06:18,485 Speaker 1: said that Larry called their house at four forty five pm. 90 00:06:18,805 --> 00:06:20,445 Speaker 1: He said he was home and he was ready for 91 00:06:20,485 --> 00:06:24,045 Speaker 1: Clea to come into work. So Clia basically jumped up 92 00:06:24,085 --> 00:06:27,085 Speaker 1: off the couch and got into the car and Laurel 93 00:06:27,165 --> 00:06:30,805 Speaker 1: drove her back to Larry Amos's house. Laurel watched as 94 00:06:30,845 --> 00:06:33,325 Speaker 1: Clia walked up to that house. She was wearing a 95 00:06:33,365 --> 00:06:36,805 Speaker 1: blue and white Polkadot printed shirt and short set white 96 00:06:36,845 --> 00:06:40,165 Speaker 1: tennis shoes and white socks. Clea had short hair, but 97 00:06:40,245 --> 00:06:42,685 Speaker 1: she had gotten hair extensions for the prom, so she 98 00:06:42,725 --> 00:06:44,965 Speaker 1: had her hair up in a ponytail with a pink ribbon. 99 00:06:46,365 --> 00:06:50,005 Speaker 1: Laurel watched her daughter walk across the lawn and into 100 00:06:50,085 --> 00:06:53,205 Speaker 1: that house. That was the last time she ever saw 101 00:06:53,245 --> 00:06:57,445 Speaker 1: Clia alive. Of course, as we know with all these cases, 102 00:06:57,485 --> 00:07:01,005 Speaker 1: everything becomes much more clear only in hindsight, and that's 103 00:07:01,005 --> 00:07:05,205 Speaker 1: when these tiny details become so crucial. Laurel, when she 104 00:07:05,325 --> 00:07:09,205 Speaker 1: was recalling what happened that afternoon, told reporters that Cleia 105 00:07:09,285 --> 00:07:11,325 Speaker 1: had been a little bit dazed after she got the 106 00:07:11,365 --> 00:07:14,045 Speaker 1: call from Larry Amos because she was asleep on the couch. 107 00:07:14,925 --> 00:07:17,285 Speaker 1: They jumped straight into the car and drove over to 108 00:07:17,285 --> 00:07:20,285 Speaker 1: the Amos house. And because of that, because they were 109 00:07:20,405 --> 00:07:23,645 Speaker 1: kind of rushed, Clia forgot to grab her purse, which 110 00:07:23,685 --> 00:07:26,525 Speaker 1: had her ID in it. So Cleah went to work 111 00:07:26,565 --> 00:07:29,685 Speaker 1: that day with no purse and no ID. Now normally 112 00:07:29,765 --> 00:07:31,445 Speaker 1: this would not have been a big deal since she 113 00:07:31,525 --> 00:07:33,725 Speaker 1: was only supposed to be gone for a couple of hours, 114 00:07:34,165 --> 00:07:38,125 Speaker 1: but later this would become very significant. Just to clarify, 115 00:07:38,285 --> 00:07:40,965 Speaker 1: Clia did have a driver's license, but she didn't have 116 00:07:41,005 --> 00:07:43,725 Speaker 1: her own car. And remember this was the pre cell 117 00:07:43,765 --> 00:07:46,685 Speaker 1: phone era. There were cell phones out there. We had 118 00:07:46,685 --> 00:07:49,045 Speaker 1: gone from the big brick cell phones you see in 119 00:07:49,045 --> 00:07:52,205 Speaker 1: eighties movies to the plastic flip phones. But they were 120 00:07:52,245 --> 00:07:55,125 Speaker 1: super expensive, and back then teens did not really have 121 00:07:55,165 --> 00:07:58,605 Speaker 1: cell phones, so Clia and her mom had a routine. 122 00:07:58,965 --> 00:08:02,085 Speaker 1: Clea would always call her mother from Larry Amos's landline 123 00:08:02,085 --> 00:08:03,645 Speaker 1: when she was ready to be picked up from work. 124 00:08:04,285 --> 00:08:08,325 Speaker 1: They did this every day. Normally, Clea would finish work 125 00:08:08,365 --> 00:08:11,125 Speaker 1: at around eight thirty. Clia would look out the window 126 00:08:11,205 --> 00:08:14,125 Speaker 1: and wait for her mom. Laurel would pull the car up, 127 00:08:14,205 --> 00:08:16,565 Speaker 1: but generally would not honk the horn because she didn't 128 00:08:16,565 --> 00:08:18,925 Speaker 1: want to wake people up. So then to get out 129 00:08:18,925 --> 00:08:21,805 Speaker 1: of the garage, Clia would push the button. The automatic 130 00:08:21,845 --> 00:08:24,005 Speaker 1: door would open, and then Clia would push it again. 131 00:08:24,325 --> 00:08:26,925 Speaker 1: She knew exactly how to duck under that closing garage 132 00:08:26,925 --> 00:08:30,765 Speaker 1: door without causing it to open back up. That night, 133 00:08:31,205 --> 00:08:33,645 Speaker 1: the phone rang at the Hall house at eight pm. 134 00:08:34,045 --> 00:08:36,805 Speaker 1: Laurel picked up the phone and it was Clea. Clia's 135 00:08:36,845 --> 00:08:40,365 Speaker 1: brother also picked up the phone in the other room. 136 00:08:40,885 --> 00:08:43,085 Speaker 1: Clia asked if anyone had called for her at home. 137 00:08:43,165 --> 00:08:46,045 Speaker 1: Laurel said no, there were no messages. Clia said she 138 00:08:46,165 --> 00:08:48,725 Speaker 1: wasn't quite finished at work, but she would be done soon. 139 00:08:48,845 --> 00:08:51,165 Speaker 1: She said she would call back in around thirty minutes 140 00:08:51,205 --> 00:08:54,445 Speaker 1: to get picked up. Laurel was reading on the couch. 141 00:08:54,925 --> 00:08:57,205 Speaker 1: She drifted off to sleep with her book resting on 142 00:08:57,245 --> 00:09:00,565 Speaker 1: her chest. Laurel was right next to the phone, but 143 00:09:00,645 --> 00:09:05,125 Speaker 1: that phone never rang. Later police confirmed that because Clia's 144 00:09:05,125 --> 00:09:07,885 Speaker 1: brothers were home too, no one heard the phone ring, 145 00:09:08,245 --> 00:09:11,045 Speaker 1: so it's not like Laurella just slept through it. There 146 00:09:11,045 --> 00:09:14,725 Speaker 1: were no other calls that night. Just before one am, 147 00:09:14,845 --> 00:09:17,645 Speaker 1: Clia's dad, Willie, came into the house. He found his 148 00:09:17,685 --> 00:09:20,245 Speaker 1: wife on the sofa and he woke her up. He 149 00:09:20,285 --> 00:09:24,085 Speaker 1: asked where Clia was, and that's when Laurel realized she'd 150 00:09:24,085 --> 00:09:28,045 Speaker 1: never gotten that call from Clia, she would later tell reporters. 151 00:09:28,085 --> 00:09:32,405 Speaker 1: Immediately she felt sick. Laurel called Larry Amos's house and 152 00:09:32,445 --> 00:09:35,125 Speaker 1: he picked up on the first ring. She told him 153 00:09:35,165 --> 00:09:37,605 Speaker 1: Clelia hadn't come home that night and asked what time 154 00:09:37,685 --> 00:09:41,445 Speaker 1: she left. Larry told Laurel he thought Clia left the 155 00:09:41,485 --> 00:09:43,765 Speaker 1: house at around eight thirty, just like she normally did. 156 00:09:44,485 --> 00:09:47,125 Speaker 1: He told her, hang on, I'll go check the time sheet. 157 00:09:47,925 --> 00:09:50,325 Speaker 1: Then he said he had checked it and confirmed that yes, 158 00:09:50,445 --> 00:09:53,645 Speaker 1: Clia had signed out at eight thirty. He said that 159 00:09:53,725 --> 00:09:56,805 Speaker 1: he assumed Clia had gotten into a car, but that 160 00:09:56,885 --> 00:10:00,685 Speaker 1: he had not actually seen Clia leave the house. Larry 161 00:10:00,765 --> 00:10:02,885 Speaker 1: said he heard the garage door open and close and 162 00:10:02,965 --> 00:10:06,165 Speaker 1: just assumed that Clia left as usual, Lolarel had picked 163 00:10:06,205 --> 00:10:10,165 Speaker 1: her up. Larry told Laurel that Clia didn't tell him 164 00:10:10,285 --> 00:10:12,045 Speaker 1: or his wife that she was leaving that night, which 165 00:10:12,045 --> 00:10:16,125 Speaker 1: he did say was unlike her. Laurel Hall did not 166 00:10:16,245 --> 00:10:19,605 Speaker 1: sleep that night. One part of her brain was probably 167 00:10:19,645 --> 00:10:22,365 Speaker 1: trying to tell herself. Maybe Clia did meet a friend, 168 00:10:22,685 --> 00:10:24,525 Speaker 1: maybe she made a plan and didn't want to tell 169 00:10:24,525 --> 00:10:27,605 Speaker 1: her mom about it. But in her heart, she knew 170 00:10:27,685 --> 00:10:31,525 Speaker 1: something was very wrong, and because Clia was eighteen years 171 00:10:31,565 --> 00:10:34,925 Speaker 1: old back then, police told her she had to wait 172 00:10:34,925 --> 00:10:39,165 Speaker 1: twenty four hours to report her daughter missing. The next morning, 173 00:10:39,285 --> 00:10:41,605 Speaker 1: Laurel told Clia's little brother to look for her at 174 00:10:41,605 --> 00:10:45,125 Speaker 1: the high school they had band together, and her brother 175 00:10:45,165 --> 00:10:47,845 Speaker 1: didn't see her there, but he told his mom later 176 00:10:47,925 --> 00:10:49,925 Speaker 1: that the seniors had gone to the elementary school that 177 00:10:50,005 --> 00:10:52,565 Speaker 1: day for some kind of school trip, so he held 178 00:10:52,565 --> 00:10:57,165 Speaker 1: out hope that maybe she was there. But by that afternoon, 179 00:10:57,685 --> 00:10:59,925 Speaker 1: Clia's brother realized she was not in school, and he 180 00:11:00,005 --> 00:11:02,325 Speaker 1: called his mother and told her she had never shown up. 181 00:11:03,805 --> 00:11:08,125 Speaker 1: At that point, Laurel knew something bad had happened again. 182 00:11:08,205 --> 00:11:11,565 Speaker 1: This was totally out of character for Clia. She and 183 00:11:11,605 --> 00:11:14,645 Speaker 1: her husband Willie reported Clia missing that afternoon at the 184 00:11:14,685 --> 00:11:19,645 Speaker 1: Pine Bluff Police Department. As we have seen in so 185 00:11:19,845 --> 00:11:22,965 Speaker 1: many of these cases, at first, it seemed like the 186 00:11:23,005 --> 00:11:27,325 Speaker 1: police were just not taking Clea's disappearance very seriously. According 187 00:11:27,365 --> 00:11:30,405 Speaker 1: to the Hall family, the police seemed to treat Clea 188 00:11:30,445 --> 00:11:34,325 Speaker 1: as a runaway. In fact, Laurel later told reporters that 189 00:11:34,485 --> 00:11:37,845 Speaker 1: police suggested Clia could have run away, possibly due to 190 00:11:37,845 --> 00:11:40,765 Speaker 1: her hiding a secret from her parents. Maybe even they 191 00:11:40,805 --> 00:11:44,605 Speaker 1: suggested the fact that Clia was pregnant. Laurel told police 192 00:11:44,605 --> 00:11:47,965 Speaker 1: bluntly that Clea was on birth control. She actually was 193 00:11:48,005 --> 00:11:51,805 Speaker 1: on an implanable contraceptive that was in her arm, and 194 00:11:51,925 --> 00:11:55,645 Speaker 1: this kind of birth control has a very low failure rate. Plus, 195 00:11:55,805 --> 00:11:58,405 Speaker 1: Cleia didn't have a boyfriend, and even if she was dating, 196 00:11:58,885 --> 00:12:01,485 Speaker 1: Clea was a young woman who was looking to the future. 197 00:12:02,245 --> 00:12:04,605 Speaker 1: This girl was not trying to get tied down in 198 00:12:04,645 --> 00:12:09,765 Speaker 1: her hometown. Literally everything in her life suggested the opposite. 199 00:12:09,805 --> 00:12:13,285 Speaker 1: She had everything to look forward to, graduation, her summer job, 200 00:12:13,365 --> 00:12:16,925 Speaker 1: her full scholarship in Tennessee. Clea was happy. She was 201 00:12:16,965 --> 00:12:19,365 Speaker 1: in a great mood in the days before her disappearance. 202 00:12:19,845 --> 00:12:22,845 Speaker 1: If we're looking at victimology, there was literally nothing in 203 00:12:22,885 --> 00:12:25,365 Speaker 1: her background or her profile that would suggest that she 204 00:12:25,405 --> 00:12:28,525 Speaker 1: would run away for any reason. And finally, there were 205 00:12:28,565 --> 00:12:33,365 Speaker 1: the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Let's say that she was 206 00:12:33,565 --> 00:12:36,765 Speaker 1: inexplicably going to run away from home. Why would she 207 00:12:36,925 --> 00:12:39,725 Speaker 1: choose that day? Why would she leave the one day 208 00:12:39,845 --> 00:12:42,085 Speaker 1: she forgot her purse that had her money and her 209 00:12:42,125 --> 00:12:46,565 Speaker 1: ID in it. Detectives looked through Clea's diary. They saw 210 00:12:46,725 --> 00:12:50,525 Speaker 1: nothing about boyfriends, or problems, or plans to leave town suddenly. 211 00:12:51,125 --> 00:12:53,365 Speaker 1: In fact, the main thing Cleia had in that diary 212 00:12:53,445 --> 00:12:56,565 Speaker 1: was her work schedule. It was filled out months in advance. 213 00:12:57,885 --> 00:13:01,165 Speaker 1: They were finally understanding Clia was not the type of 214 00:13:01,165 --> 00:13:04,285 Speaker 1: person to skip worker school, and they began to believe 215 00:13:04,845 --> 00:13:11,365 Speaker 1: that there had been foul play. Even early on in 216 00:13:11,405 --> 00:13:15,325 Speaker 1: the investigation, Laurel and Willie started to feel suspicious about 217 00:13:15,405 --> 00:13:19,245 Speaker 1: Clia's boss, Larry Amos. First of all, it struck Laurel 218 00:13:19,325 --> 00:13:23,045 Speaker 1: as odd that on that first night when Clea was missing, 219 00:13:23,125 --> 00:13:26,205 Speaker 1: when Laurel called the Amos house, she thought it was 220 00:13:26,285 --> 00:13:29,685 Speaker 1: weird that Larry Amos answered on the first ring. Now, 221 00:13:29,725 --> 00:13:32,285 Speaker 1: he later told her that he was up in the 222 00:13:32,285 --> 00:13:37,405 Speaker 1: next room watching TV. But if that was true, Number one, 223 00:13:37,565 --> 00:13:39,845 Speaker 1: why would he be up that late? And number two, 224 00:13:39,885 --> 00:13:42,045 Speaker 1: why would he immediately pick up the phone on the 225 00:13:42,045 --> 00:13:44,045 Speaker 1: work line? Why would he be sitting right next to 226 00:13:44,085 --> 00:13:47,085 Speaker 1: the phone like that? And later she started to pick 227 00:13:47,165 --> 00:13:50,605 Speaker 1: up what she believed were discrepancies in Larry Amos's description 228 00:13:51,125 --> 00:13:54,245 Speaker 1: of what happened when Clea left the house. She thought 229 00:13:54,245 --> 00:13:56,445 Speaker 1: it was a little off the fact that Larry said 230 00:13:56,445 --> 00:13:59,285 Speaker 1: that he hadn't seen Clea leave, because she said Larry 231 00:13:59,325 --> 00:14:02,765 Speaker 1: Amos always knew exactly who was coming and going at 232 00:14:02,765 --> 00:14:06,325 Speaker 1: that property. Larry Amos was the last person to see 233 00:14:06,365 --> 00:14:10,285 Speaker 1: Cleo live, but he wasn't being super cooperative with police. 234 00:14:11,125 --> 00:14:13,165 Speaker 1: Police asked Larry if they could drop by so they 235 00:14:13,165 --> 00:14:15,445 Speaker 1: could get a statement, but he said he was going 236 00:14:15,485 --> 00:14:17,845 Speaker 1: out of town on a business trip to Dallas. He 237 00:14:17,845 --> 00:14:20,285 Speaker 1: said he would be gone for three days so police 238 00:14:20,325 --> 00:14:22,445 Speaker 1: would have to take his statement when he got back 239 00:14:22,445 --> 00:14:25,165 Speaker 1: in town. He emphasized that he wanted to be there 240 00:14:25,165 --> 00:14:29,005 Speaker 1: in person when police came to his house. Larry claimed 241 00:14:29,045 --> 00:14:31,645 Speaker 1: he was buying tanning beds for a business idea he had, 242 00:14:32,365 --> 00:14:35,205 Speaker 1: but it was later reported that he never bought those 243 00:14:35,245 --> 00:14:38,005 Speaker 1: beds and he never opened any kind of tanning bed business, 244 00:14:39,005 --> 00:14:40,965 Speaker 1: so a lot of people wondered did he have a 245 00:14:40,965 --> 00:14:45,085 Speaker 1: different reason for going to Texas Police asked Larry Amos 246 00:14:45,125 --> 00:14:48,365 Speaker 1: to take a lot of detector test, Laurel said, Larry 247 00:14:48,405 --> 00:14:51,245 Speaker 1: claimed he was busy, and then later said police would 248 00:14:51,245 --> 00:14:53,165 Speaker 1: have to talk to his attorneys if they wanted him 249 00:14:53,205 --> 00:14:55,645 Speaker 1: to take a lot of detector test. By the way, 250 00:14:55,965 --> 00:14:59,645 Speaker 1: I completely get this after what I've experienced with cases 251 00:14:59,725 --> 00:15:03,085 Speaker 1: in Arkansas and elsewhere. I know that light detectors are 252 00:15:03,405 --> 00:15:06,965 Speaker 1: completely dependent on the skill of the person giving the examination, 253 00:15:07,445 --> 00:15:11,165 Speaker 1: And to be honest, I've seen several cases where people 254 00:15:11,205 --> 00:15:13,885 Speaker 1: have taken light detector tests and the results have come 255 00:15:13,925 --> 00:15:17,565 Speaker 1: back inconclusive or that they failed it, and later that 256 00:15:17,645 --> 00:15:20,685 Speaker 1: person was proven to be completely innocent. So I get 257 00:15:20,765 --> 00:15:24,005 Speaker 1: Larry Amos's reluctance to take a light detector test. What 258 00:15:24,125 --> 00:15:27,965 Speaker 1: I don't get is that Larry Amos seemed totally unconcerned 259 00:15:28,085 --> 00:15:30,565 Speaker 1: about Clia being missing and about being one of the 260 00:15:30,645 --> 00:15:33,725 Speaker 1: last people to see her, and there were some other 261 00:15:34,005 --> 00:15:36,765 Speaker 1: odd things that were happening that Larel said did not 262 00:15:36,885 --> 00:15:40,245 Speaker 1: seem to add up. For example, before Larry Amos left town, 263 00:15:40,365 --> 00:15:44,045 Speaker 1: police did very briefly stop by his house, and when 264 00:15:44,085 --> 00:15:47,405 Speaker 1: they did, apparently detectives went into that home office. They 265 00:15:47,445 --> 00:15:50,765 Speaker 1: picked up the phone and hit redial on the phone. 266 00:15:50,925 --> 00:15:53,405 Speaker 1: They wrote down the last number dialed on a scrap 267 00:15:53,445 --> 00:15:57,965 Speaker 1: of paper and said it was someone named Smith. The 268 00:15:58,005 --> 00:16:00,525 Speaker 1: police asked Larry Amos about that phone number if he 269 00:16:00,605 --> 00:16:03,325 Speaker 1: recognized it, because they were thinking maybe Clia had made 270 00:16:03,365 --> 00:16:06,245 Speaker 1: a call from that home office landline and that might 271 00:16:06,285 --> 00:16:09,685 Speaker 1: help explain who saw her last. Larry said he had 272 00:16:09,685 --> 00:16:12,605 Speaker 1: no idea who that person was, but later it turned 273 00:16:12,645 --> 00:16:15,765 Speaker 1: out that Smith this phone number was the phone number 274 00:16:15,765 --> 00:16:20,245 Speaker 1: for Larry Amos's kids babysitter. So then Laurel started wondering 275 00:16:20,525 --> 00:16:22,845 Speaker 1: why would he claim not to know the phone number 276 00:16:22,885 --> 00:16:26,005 Speaker 1: of someone that he and or his wife presumably called often. 277 00:16:26,645 --> 00:16:30,085 Speaker 1: And also, if the babysitter was the last person called 278 00:16:30,525 --> 00:16:32,845 Speaker 1: and he was sitting up late in that office, why 279 00:16:32,845 --> 00:16:35,005 Speaker 1: would Larry or anyone else need to call up a 280 00:16:35,005 --> 00:16:39,685 Speaker 1: babysitter after midnight. Laurel and Willie did not wait for 281 00:16:39,725 --> 00:16:43,085 Speaker 1: the detectives to start searching for their daughter. They called 282 00:16:43,125 --> 00:16:46,445 Speaker 1: Clia's friends and posted flowers everywhere around town, which they 283 00:16:46,525 --> 00:16:50,005 Speaker 1: printed up themselves. Across the street from the Amos house, 284 00:16:50,045 --> 00:16:53,445 Speaker 1: there are some woods. The volunteers searched there and also 285 00:16:53,685 --> 00:16:56,325 Speaker 1: in the wooded area behind the house, and they did 286 00:16:56,365 --> 00:16:58,485 Speaker 1: what police should have done in the first place. They 287 00:16:58,605 --> 00:17:03,405 Speaker 1: knocked on doors and pounded pavement. Finally, several days after 288 00:17:03,485 --> 00:17:08,605 Speaker 1: Clia went missing, detectives started so too very quickly. It 289 00:17:08,605 --> 00:17:11,285 Speaker 1: seemed like there were a few possibilities being talked about here. 290 00:17:12,205 --> 00:17:15,045 Speaker 1: The first possibility was that Clia left with someone in 291 00:17:15,085 --> 00:17:19,965 Speaker 1: a car. This seemed extremely unlikely because Cleah had a 292 00:17:19,965 --> 00:17:21,565 Speaker 1: plan for her mom to pick her up, and she 293 00:17:21,645 --> 00:17:24,525 Speaker 1: had a regular routine. This was a Monday night, it 294 00:17:24,565 --> 00:17:26,165 Speaker 1: was a school night, and even if she was going 295 00:17:26,205 --> 00:17:28,685 Speaker 1: to leave with someone else, she would have called her mom. 296 00:17:28,765 --> 00:17:31,565 Speaker 1: She knew her mom would be waiting for her. Remember, 297 00:17:31,605 --> 00:17:33,565 Speaker 1: Clia had already called her mom to tell her she 298 00:17:33,605 --> 00:17:35,765 Speaker 1: would be done at work soon, so it would make 299 00:17:35,805 --> 00:17:37,925 Speaker 1: no sense that she wouldn't call back and let her 300 00:17:37,965 --> 00:17:40,725 Speaker 1: know that she was going to do something else. The 301 00:17:40,765 --> 00:17:44,365 Speaker 1: second possibility was that Cleah walked home alone. In a 302 00:17:44,405 --> 00:17:47,485 Speaker 1: documentary that later aired about the case on Oxygen, the 303 00:17:47,565 --> 00:17:50,805 Speaker 1: journalist interviewed a friend of Clia's, another young woman who 304 00:17:50,885 --> 00:17:53,725 Speaker 1: used to work for Larry Amos. The friend said that 305 00:17:53,805 --> 00:17:56,205 Speaker 1: she was there the night when Clia went missing. She 306 00:17:56,365 --> 00:17:59,005 Speaker 1: said she had offered Cla a ride home, and Clia said, no, 307 00:17:59,045 --> 00:18:02,165 Speaker 1: don't worry about it, that she was going to walk home. Now, 308 00:18:02,205 --> 00:18:05,085 Speaker 1: this was a strange piece of information. I would love 309 00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:08,165 Speaker 1: to find this young woman, this second person who said 310 00:18:08,165 --> 00:18:11,725 Speaker 1: that they were there that night, because Laurel claims that 311 00:18:11,765 --> 00:18:14,325 Speaker 1: she later clarified this girl was not in the house 312 00:18:14,365 --> 00:18:16,845 Speaker 1: that night, that in fact, that young woman had not 313 00:18:17,005 --> 00:18:19,605 Speaker 1: been working in the office for several months by the 314 00:18:19,605 --> 00:18:22,605 Speaker 1: time Cleo went missing, and she thinks that after this 315 00:18:22,685 --> 00:18:25,405 Speaker 1: many years, the young woman just got confused in her memory. 316 00:18:25,725 --> 00:18:28,525 Speaker 1: She thinks she was thinking about a different night. Laurel 317 00:18:28,725 --> 00:18:31,405 Speaker 1: insists that the only people that she knows of who 318 00:18:31,405 --> 00:18:34,005 Speaker 1: were in the house that night were doctor Larry Amos, 319 00:18:34,285 --> 00:18:38,365 Speaker 1: his wife, and their small children. I just want to 320 00:18:38,405 --> 00:18:40,565 Speaker 1: talk for a minute about the theory that Clea would 321 00:18:40,565 --> 00:18:43,605 Speaker 1: have walked home alone. This would have been shortly after 322 00:18:43,645 --> 00:18:45,445 Speaker 1: eight thirty at night, so it would have been dusk, 323 00:18:45,565 --> 00:18:48,285 Speaker 1: not full dark, but getting dark. And I just want 324 00:18:48,285 --> 00:18:51,085 Speaker 1: to explain a little about Pine Bluff. As someone who 325 00:18:51,125 --> 00:18:52,845 Speaker 1: grew up there, I can tell you it has a 326 00:18:52,925 --> 00:18:55,245 Speaker 1: history of violent crime and it continues to be a 327 00:18:55,325 --> 00:18:58,725 Speaker 1: dangerous place to live. Back in the nineties, it's really 328 00:18:58,765 --> 00:19:01,725 Speaker 1: not an exaggeration to say that parts of Pine Bluff 329 00:19:01,805 --> 00:19:04,605 Speaker 1: and other parts of South Arkansas were like war zones. 330 00:19:05,085 --> 00:19:06,885 Speaker 1: There was an even a series back in the nineties 331 00:19:06,925 --> 00:19:08,965 Speaker 1: called Banging in Little Rock about the crips and the 332 00:19:08,965 --> 00:19:11,165 Speaker 1: Bloods and other gangs that were active in Little Rock 333 00:19:11,165 --> 00:19:14,485 Speaker 1: in South Arkansas. In the nineties, the population of Pine 334 00:19:14,485 --> 00:19:18,285 Speaker 1: Bluff was around sixty thousand, but per capita, it regularly 335 00:19:18,405 --> 00:19:20,805 Speaker 1: ranks in the five most dangerous small towns in the 336 00:19:20,925 --> 00:19:25,525 Speaker 1: United States. Everyone knows, and everyone knew back then, you 337 00:19:25,605 --> 00:19:28,645 Speaker 1: do not go out walking in Pine Bluff, Arkansas after dark, 338 00:19:29,485 --> 00:19:33,165 Speaker 1: and Laurel was very protective of Clia. She insisted her 339 00:19:33,245 --> 00:19:36,165 Speaker 1: daughter would never walk home alone. She said she had 340 00:19:36,165 --> 00:19:39,365 Speaker 1: only walked home alone once from Larry Amos's house, and 341 00:19:40,205 --> 00:19:43,325 Speaker 1: on that instance, Clia's brother walked home with her, So 342 00:19:43,445 --> 00:19:47,325 Speaker 1: Clia randomly deciding to walk home alone near dark is 343 00:19:47,365 --> 00:19:51,845 Speaker 1: a remote possibility at best. Later from Laurel's interviews, it's 344 00:19:51,925 --> 00:19:56,005 Speaker 1: clear that Laurel becomes more suspicious of Larry Amos as 345 00:19:56,045 --> 00:20:01,125 Speaker 1: a person. She talks about discussing Larry Amos with Clia 346 00:20:01,725 --> 00:20:06,485 Speaker 1: and Clea would talk about Larry Amos's business. Laurel said 347 00:20:06,485 --> 00:20:08,925 Speaker 1: Clia had made comments to her about the fact that 348 00:20:09,205 --> 00:20:11,685 Speaker 1: when she would get Larry Amos to sign the checks, 349 00:20:12,085 --> 00:20:14,205 Speaker 1: a lot of them did not seem to be related 350 00:20:14,285 --> 00:20:17,965 Speaker 1: to the nonprofit, and Clia sort of remarked that was 351 00:20:18,005 --> 00:20:20,805 Speaker 1: a little weird, maybe a little shady, And she would 352 00:20:20,845 --> 00:20:23,965 Speaker 1: talk about how Larry Amos was cheap, but never said 353 00:20:24,005 --> 00:20:26,605 Speaker 1: anything about him being dangerous or violent in any way. 354 00:20:28,005 --> 00:20:30,645 Speaker 1: Laurel started to become more suspicious as time went on, 355 00:20:30,805 --> 00:20:33,885 Speaker 1: because when Larry Amos did talk to police after he 356 00:20:33,925 --> 00:20:35,725 Speaker 1: got back from his Texas trip and gave them a 357 00:20:35,725 --> 00:20:39,645 Speaker 1: formal statement, she said certain details of the story he 358 00:20:39,725 --> 00:20:42,765 Speaker 1: told started to change from what he told her originally. 359 00:20:43,765 --> 00:20:46,805 Speaker 1: In his third statement, he said that when Clia left, 360 00:20:46,845 --> 00:20:49,325 Speaker 1: she had a can of peach pop meaning peach soda 361 00:20:49,365 --> 00:20:52,205 Speaker 1: in her hand that his wife had given her. He 362 00:20:52,245 --> 00:20:55,365 Speaker 1: said he saw Clea looking out the garage window. Yet 363 00:20:55,405 --> 00:20:57,765 Speaker 1: when he talked to Laurel that first time, Larry Amos 364 00:20:57,765 --> 00:21:00,485 Speaker 1: said he was nowhere near the garage. He had said 365 00:21:00,565 --> 00:21:03,365 Speaker 1: specifically that he'd just heard the door open and close. 366 00:21:03,925 --> 00:21:07,165 Speaker 1: Now again, these details seemed to be tiny, but they 367 00:21:07,205 --> 00:21:12,245 Speaker 1: could be hugely important. Two weeks after Clea disappeared, police 368 00:21:12,285 --> 00:21:15,245 Speaker 1: finally went in to search the Amos house, and they 369 00:21:15,245 --> 00:21:17,925 Speaker 1: made a major mistake here in my opinion, because they 370 00:21:17,965 --> 00:21:21,045 Speaker 1: didn't get a search warrant. So when Larry Amos told 371 00:21:21,085 --> 00:21:23,205 Speaker 1: them after a little while they had to stop the search, 372 00:21:23,685 --> 00:21:25,725 Speaker 1: they had no legal right to stay there. They had 373 00:21:25,805 --> 00:21:29,605 Speaker 1: to leave the house. So afterwards, when police said they 374 00:21:29,605 --> 00:21:33,365 Speaker 1: found no signs of foul play, Laurel remained suspicious because 375 00:21:33,725 --> 00:21:36,485 Speaker 1: it was obvious to her that even if something was 376 00:21:36,525 --> 00:21:39,205 Speaker 1: in the house, the police didn't stay long enough to 377 00:21:39,205 --> 00:21:41,845 Speaker 1: do a thorough enough search to find it. And also, 378 00:21:42,525 --> 00:21:44,605 Speaker 1: Larry Amos had had a lot of time. He had 379 00:21:44,725 --> 00:21:46,925 Speaker 1: a couple weeks at that point. He could have cleaned 380 00:21:46,965 --> 00:21:50,165 Speaker 1: up anything with two whole weeks to do it. And 381 00:21:50,205 --> 00:21:55,285 Speaker 1: then another bizarre thing started to happen. Several people, including 382 00:21:55,445 --> 00:22:00,965 Speaker 1: Laurel's husband Willie, saw Larry Amos tearing down Clia's missing posters. 383 00:22:02,005 --> 00:22:04,405 Speaker 1: Laurel and Willie did a little bit of their own 384 00:22:04,445 --> 00:22:07,485 Speaker 1: detective work on Larry Ry Amos. They reached out to 385 00:22:07,525 --> 00:22:12,445 Speaker 1: his ex wife, Christine, and this is a strange story. 386 00:22:12,765 --> 00:22:15,885 Speaker 1: They arranged to meet up with Christine in person. They 387 00:22:16,005 --> 00:22:20,165 Speaker 1: noticed that Christine seemed to be very nervous, and there 388 00:22:20,205 --> 00:22:22,365 Speaker 1: was a man across the street who was taking pictures 389 00:22:22,365 --> 00:22:25,405 Speaker 1: of them while they're talking to her. Now, Christine told 390 00:22:25,445 --> 00:22:28,205 Speaker 1: Laurel and Willie she knew she seemed kind of paranoid, 391 00:22:28,245 --> 00:22:30,925 Speaker 1: but she said she was afraid of Larry Amos. She 392 00:22:31,005 --> 00:22:33,645 Speaker 1: said he'd been physically and emotionally abusive to her in 393 00:22:33,685 --> 00:22:35,525 Speaker 1: the marriage. She said they were in the middle of 394 00:22:35,565 --> 00:22:37,845 Speaker 1: an ugly court battle. She said she was suing him 395 00:22:37,885 --> 00:22:41,085 Speaker 1: for child support. Things between them had gotten really bad, 396 00:22:41,805 --> 00:22:44,125 Speaker 1: she said. When she left him, they got into a 397 00:22:44,165 --> 00:22:47,805 Speaker 1: physical fight that ended when she threw boiling water over him. 398 00:22:49,245 --> 00:22:51,885 Speaker 1: When Laurel and Willie reached out to her, Christine said 399 00:22:51,925 --> 00:22:54,685 Speaker 1: she was actually worried this could have been orchestrated by Larry. 400 00:22:54,765 --> 00:22:56,565 Speaker 1: He might have been planning to do something to her. 401 00:22:57,125 --> 00:23:00,245 Speaker 1: So now Laurel and Willie are alarmed, and they told 402 00:23:00,245 --> 00:23:03,605 Speaker 1: the police about this violent streak that Larry Amos reportedly had. 403 00:23:04,285 --> 00:23:06,925 Speaker 1: But they say the Pine Bluff Police Department basically blew 404 00:23:06,925 --> 00:23:10,365 Speaker 1: them off. They said Christine was just basically a bitter 405 00:23:10,405 --> 00:23:14,205 Speaker 1: ex wife. Then Laurel and Willie tried to reach out 406 00:23:14,285 --> 00:23:17,205 Speaker 1: to Larry Amos's second wife, Patricia, the one who was 407 00:23:17,245 --> 00:23:20,205 Speaker 1: home the night Clea disappeared, but they were never really 408 00:23:20,245 --> 00:23:23,885 Speaker 1: able to talk to her or to Larry Amos again. 409 00:23:24,565 --> 00:23:27,805 Speaker 1: In fact, Laurel has told people that Larry Amos has 410 00:23:27,885 --> 00:23:30,405 Speaker 1: not been in contact with her family since the first 411 00:23:30,405 --> 00:23:34,365 Speaker 1: week after Clia disappeared. The only thing on the record 412 00:23:34,405 --> 00:23:37,925 Speaker 1: that I can find from Larry Amos's wife, Patricia came 413 00:23:38,045 --> 00:23:41,165 Speaker 1: from a transcript of an interview that was quoted in 414 00:23:41,325 --> 00:23:46,365 Speaker 1: a Fox News report online. In that report, she said, 415 00:23:46,445 --> 00:23:49,085 Speaker 1: quote it was odd that she left without telling either 416 00:23:49,085 --> 00:23:52,205 Speaker 1: of us end quote, So in essence, she seemed to 417 00:23:52,205 --> 00:23:55,445 Speaker 1: back up her husband's story. Now I should say now 418 00:23:55,485 --> 00:23:59,645 Speaker 1: that Larry Amos has always completely denied any knowledge of 419 00:24:00,245 --> 00:24:05,205 Speaker 1: or involvement with Clia's disappearance, and later Larry Amos kind 420 00:24:05,205 --> 00:24:09,645 Speaker 1: of seen to turn the attention back onto Klia's family. Obviously, 421 00:24:09,685 --> 00:24:12,765 Speaker 1: when a teenager goes missing, police have to look at 422 00:24:12,805 --> 00:24:16,245 Speaker 1: the family. Larry Amos said that he was being unfairly 423 00:24:16,285 --> 00:24:19,645 Speaker 1: targeted by police in fact, he filed a complaint against 424 00:24:19,645 --> 00:24:22,685 Speaker 1: one of the detectives who is investigating him. He is 425 00:24:22,765 --> 00:24:25,565 Speaker 1: not really commented on this case at all over the years. 426 00:24:26,245 --> 00:24:28,965 Speaker 1: When the Arkansas Democrat, because that newspaper, reached out to them, 427 00:24:29,685 --> 00:24:33,045 Speaker 1: he said, quote Strangely, those that have been calling have 428 00:24:33,205 --> 00:24:35,565 Speaker 1: not wanted to read the report. Not only was a 429 00:24:35,605 --> 00:24:38,285 Speaker 1: report filed, a complaint was filed against one of the detectives. 430 00:24:38,645 --> 00:24:41,005 Speaker 1: There are very detailed questions that should have been answered 431 00:24:41,005 --> 00:24:44,245 Speaker 1: about the family and other things. It's amazing that people 432 00:24:44,245 --> 00:24:46,525 Speaker 1: who really want to find out wouldn't begin to read 433 00:24:46,525 --> 00:24:50,725 Speaker 1: the report. End quote. Now, I will say I would 434 00:24:50,725 --> 00:24:53,565 Speaker 1: be very happy to read that report. And normally, in 435 00:24:53,605 --> 00:24:57,405 Speaker 1: my understanding of Arkansas freedom of information law, complaints filed 436 00:24:57,485 --> 00:25:01,165 Speaker 1: against officers are public information. I have made a freedom 437 00:25:01,165 --> 00:25:05,005 Speaker 1: of information request for that report. But if an investigation 438 00:25:05,165 --> 00:25:09,285 Speaker 1: is still technically open, normally any part of the case file, 439 00:25:09,365 --> 00:25:12,805 Speaker 1: including a complaint, that would normally be public record, will 440 00:25:12,805 --> 00:25:17,645 Speaker 1: be sealed. Larry Amos's statement was bizarre because in this case, 441 00:25:17,645 --> 00:25:23,165 Speaker 1: there's absolutely zero suggestion that Clia had any problems at home. Now, 442 00:25:23,365 --> 00:25:27,605 Speaker 1: some people have suggested maybe Larry Amos just was tearing 443 00:25:27,645 --> 00:25:30,405 Speaker 1: down these posters and behaving a little bit strangely because 444 00:25:30,405 --> 00:25:33,645 Speaker 1: he didn't want people linking him with a young woman's disappearance. 445 00:25:34,325 --> 00:25:36,965 Speaker 1: But in my opinion, Larry should have been way more 446 00:25:37,005 --> 00:25:39,485 Speaker 1: concerned about Cleia in the fact she was missing, than 447 00:25:39,525 --> 00:25:42,565 Speaker 1: about his reputation at that point. The fact that he 448 00:25:42,685 --> 00:25:45,685 Speaker 1: seemed to try to impede the investigation and be uncooperative, 449 00:25:46,085 --> 00:25:50,005 Speaker 1: that to me is a huge red flag. Over the years, 450 00:25:50,565 --> 00:25:52,645 Speaker 1: Like I said, the Halls have reached out to Larry 451 00:25:52,645 --> 00:25:56,005 Speaker 1: Amos once they brought a canine dogged with the property, 452 00:25:56,085 --> 00:25:58,685 Speaker 1: but Laurel said Larry refused to let them search there. 453 00:25:59,165 --> 00:26:02,045 Speaker 1: According to Laurel, when Larry Amos came to the door, 454 00:26:02,805 --> 00:26:05,125 Speaker 1: he made a strange statement when she asked to come 455 00:26:05,125 --> 00:26:09,045 Speaker 1: on his about not trusting psychics. Laurel later told a 456 00:26:09,085 --> 00:26:11,845 Speaker 1: reporter that one of the women she was with had 457 00:26:11,885 --> 00:26:15,485 Speaker 1: the letters ESP as part of her license plate number, 458 00:26:15,965 --> 00:26:19,325 Speaker 1: and Larry's comment seemed to be a bizarre reference to that. 459 00:26:19,445 --> 00:26:21,725 Speaker 1: Whether he genuinely thought he saw some kind of pattern 460 00:26:21,765 --> 00:26:24,365 Speaker 1: there or whether he was just making up a reason 461 00:26:24,485 --> 00:26:28,085 Speaker 1: to not let them search. Either way, the Hall started 462 00:26:28,125 --> 00:26:30,405 Speaker 1: to get more and more suspicious that there was something 463 00:26:30,685 --> 00:26:34,925 Speaker 1: not right about doctor Larry Amos. After Clia had been 464 00:26:34,925 --> 00:26:38,125 Speaker 1: missing for a few days, detectives talked to other potential 465 00:26:38,165 --> 00:26:41,845 Speaker 1: people of interest. Of course, they had asked her family 466 00:26:41,925 --> 00:26:45,485 Speaker 1: and her friends about potential boyfriends, and again Laurel told 467 00:26:45,525 --> 00:26:49,205 Speaker 1: police Clia didn't have a steady boyfriend. But Laurel said 468 00:26:49,405 --> 00:26:52,365 Speaker 1: Clia did have a male friend, a slightly older guy 469 00:26:52,685 --> 00:26:55,765 Speaker 1: who she liked. This person was a twenty three year 470 00:26:55,805 --> 00:26:58,805 Speaker 1: old Army reservist and he went to Clia's church. This 471 00:26:58,925 --> 00:27:02,005 Speaker 1: guy was cooperative. He talked to police and agreed to 472 00:27:02,005 --> 00:27:06,405 Speaker 1: take a polygraph test, but the results were inconclusive. And again, 473 00:27:06,565 --> 00:27:08,805 Speaker 1: I don't put a lot of faith in polygraph tests 474 00:27:09,245 --> 00:27:11,765 Speaker 1: in my opinion. There's a reason why they aren't admissible 475 00:27:11,805 --> 00:27:13,965 Speaker 1: in court, and there are a lot of reasons why 476 00:27:14,005 --> 00:27:17,445 Speaker 1: tests can be ruled in conclusive. I'm mentioning this because 477 00:27:17,445 --> 00:27:21,405 Speaker 1: this guy was completely cooperative. He gave police permission to 478 00:27:21,405 --> 00:27:24,285 Speaker 1: search his vehicle. They didn't find anything connecting him to 479 00:27:24,285 --> 00:27:28,125 Speaker 1: Clia's disappearance. But when they talked to this guy, he 480 00:27:28,285 --> 00:27:31,085 Speaker 1: did tell investigators he had had a strange encounter with 481 00:27:31,165 --> 00:27:34,245 Speaker 1: Larry Amos himself. He said that he had given Clia 482 00:27:34,285 --> 00:27:36,725 Speaker 1: a ride to work a couple of weeks before she disappeared. 483 00:27:37,165 --> 00:27:39,125 Speaker 1: He said that when he dropped her off at Larry 484 00:27:39,165 --> 00:27:43,005 Speaker 1: Amos's house, Larry said he needed to leave because courting 485 00:27:43,125 --> 00:27:46,205 Speaker 1: was not allowed on his property, which is a strange 486 00:27:46,285 --> 00:27:49,765 Speaker 1: comment to make to a high school girl. Clea explained 487 00:27:49,765 --> 00:27:51,605 Speaker 1: to Larry, this guy was nothing more than a friend, 488 00:27:51,645 --> 00:27:53,685 Speaker 1: but two of them were not going out, which again, 489 00:27:54,045 --> 00:27:57,285 Speaker 1: why would that matter? That was none of Larry's business. 490 00:27:57,965 --> 00:28:01,645 Speaker 1: Laurel said that Clia's friend remained cooperative with law enforcement 491 00:28:01,645 --> 00:28:05,525 Speaker 1: over the years. Eventually he left the area, married and 492 00:28:05,525 --> 00:28:09,405 Speaker 1: a family of his own. Over the years, other theories 493 00:28:09,405 --> 00:28:12,325 Speaker 1: have come up. Some people have mentioned that Clea could 494 00:28:12,325 --> 00:28:15,205 Speaker 1: have been kidnapped by a serial killer. A very infamous 495 00:28:15,205 --> 00:28:18,605 Speaker 1: serial killer, Samuel Little, confess to killing a twenty six 496 00:28:18,725 --> 00:28:21,325 Speaker 1: year old woman named Jelanda Jones and Pine Bluff just 497 00:28:21,365 --> 00:28:24,965 Speaker 1: a few months before Clea disappeared. In my opinion, this 498 00:28:25,005 --> 00:28:27,845 Speaker 1: does not seem to be a credible theory because, first 499 00:28:27,845 --> 00:28:30,925 Speaker 1: of all, Jolanda's murder was considered to have been related 500 00:28:30,925 --> 00:28:34,965 Speaker 1: to drugs. Clia's disappearance did not fit Samuel Little's mo MO 501 00:28:35,205 --> 00:28:38,285 Speaker 1: at all. Secondly, I have a hard time buying the 502 00:28:38,325 --> 00:28:41,205 Speaker 1: idea that before dark someone would grab her off the 503 00:28:41,245 --> 00:28:44,125 Speaker 1: street and have no one see a thing for me. 504 00:28:44,965 --> 00:28:48,965 Speaker 1: In Clia's case, all roads lead back to the Amos house. 505 00:28:49,845 --> 00:28:53,325 Speaker 1: I think something happened there that night, and a lot 506 00:28:53,365 --> 00:28:56,085 Speaker 1: of online commenters seem to feel that way. I've talked 507 00:28:56,085 --> 00:28:57,725 Speaker 1: to a lot of people in Pine Bluff and they 508 00:28:57,845 --> 00:29:00,805 Speaker 1: all look at that house with a lot of suspicion. 509 00:29:01,325 --> 00:29:04,645 Speaker 1: One of the comments I read online reads quote growing up, 510 00:29:04,685 --> 00:29:07,885 Speaker 1: it was common for to nonchalantly say that doctor Amos 511 00:29:07,965 --> 00:29:11,525 Speaker 1: killed Leschendra and hid her in his concrete walls. His 512 00:29:11,565 --> 00:29:13,845 Speaker 1: neighbors say they didn't see anyone come and pick her up. 513 00:29:14,445 --> 00:29:17,805 Speaker 1: He was also seen sneaking around removing her missing flyers. 514 00:29:18,485 --> 00:29:20,965 Speaker 1: The man is a creep, the kind of person you 515 00:29:21,085 --> 00:29:26,765 Speaker 1: just feel uncomfortable being around. Laurel stopped relying on the 516 00:29:26,765 --> 00:29:30,085 Speaker 1: Pine Bluff Police Department and over the years the case 517 00:29:30,125 --> 00:29:34,165 Speaker 1: went cold. Her family kept going to the media and 518 00:29:34,245 --> 00:29:38,085 Speaker 1: every year they would do an awareness event on Clea's birthday. 519 00:29:38,965 --> 00:29:41,685 Speaker 1: Over the years, they went through even more heartache because 520 00:29:41,725 --> 00:29:45,565 Speaker 1: a DJ raised money for Clea's reward fund and then 521 00:29:45,885 --> 00:29:49,245 Speaker 1: kept the money in left town and sadly the whole 522 00:29:49,325 --> 00:29:52,525 Speaker 1: family was victimized again, their funds were gone, and the 523 00:29:52,605 --> 00:29:55,605 Speaker 1: DJ eventually passed away. I just want to say, as 524 00:29:55,645 --> 00:29:58,485 Speaker 1: a side note here, I've seen this happen so often 525 00:29:58,645 --> 00:30:02,205 Speaker 1: in cold cases. People will give money, they have good hearts, 526 00:30:02,245 --> 00:30:03,885 Speaker 1: they want to help a family, and it will turn 527 00:30:03,925 --> 00:30:05,605 Speaker 1: out that this money that was supposed to be for 528 00:30:05,605 --> 00:30:08,805 Speaker 1: a scholarship or an event will get stolen. So please, 529 00:30:09,365 --> 00:30:12,325 Speaker 1: when you are giving money to a victim or a family, 530 00:30:12,805 --> 00:30:17,005 Speaker 1: please make sure you know exactly where it's going. Do 531 00:30:17,165 --> 00:30:22,405 Speaker 1: not allow these families to be victimized again buscammers. In 532 00:30:22,445 --> 00:30:26,485 Speaker 1: twenty twelve, after years of nothing happening, there seemed to 533 00:30:26,485 --> 00:30:30,085 Speaker 1: be a potentially huge break in this case. Oxygen had 534 00:30:30,125 --> 00:30:32,685 Speaker 1: a TV series called Find Our Missing, and they ran 535 00:30:32,765 --> 00:30:36,085 Speaker 1: Clia's story. Two witnesses came forward and they talked to 536 00:30:36,125 --> 00:30:39,405 Speaker 1: the TV program. One was a construction worker and he 537 00:30:39,525 --> 00:30:42,205 Speaker 1: said he'd worked on Larry Ames's house during the late 538 00:30:42,245 --> 00:30:46,685 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties. After Clia went missing. This worker said he 539 00:30:46,805 --> 00:30:49,125 Speaker 1: went to the police and he told them that he 540 00:30:49,165 --> 00:30:52,405 Speaker 1: had been installing a fireplace in Larry Ames's house. He 541 00:30:52,525 --> 00:30:54,765 Speaker 1: was taking out sheet rock and he saw what he 542 00:30:54,845 --> 00:30:59,565 Speaker 1: believed was blood splattered on some drywall. Another worker had 543 00:30:59,605 --> 00:31:02,205 Speaker 1: a similar story. He said he was working in the 544 00:31:02,245 --> 00:31:04,365 Speaker 1: backyard and he was filling a hole with some cement. 545 00:31:05,045 --> 00:31:09,605 Speaker 1: The worker said he smelled something horrible. The documentary said, quote, 546 00:31:10,165 --> 00:31:12,125 Speaker 1: when the wind would blow, he could smell an odor 547 00:31:12,405 --> 00:31:16,525 Speaker 1: unlike anything he's ever smelled before. End quote. The worker 548 00:31:16,605 --> 00:31:20,325 Speaker 1: also said there were flies buzzing all around that backyard. 549 00:31:20,725 --> 00:31:24,165 Speaker 1: So in twenty twelve, after the series aired, police finally 550 00:31:24,165 --> 00:31:26,725 Speaker 1: got a search warrant. They went back to Larry Amos's 551 00:31:26,765 --> 00:31:30,085 Speaker 1: English tutor house, the last place where Cleia was seen alive. 552 00:31:31,365 --> 00:31:35,285 Speaker 1: The search warrant affidavit red quote. Sworn statements indicate the 553 00:31:35,285 --> 00:31:38,565 Speaker 1: observance of a false wall inside the residence containing blood 554 00:31:38,565 --> 00:31:42,325 Speaker 1: on the insulation. Also, statements indicate the body was buried 555 00:31:42,325 --> 00:31:44,765 Speaker 1: on the property at fifty three oh nine Fawcet Road, 556 00:31:44,845 --> 00:31:47,725 Speaker 1: in a hole where bricks and rocks and powdered concrete 557 00:31:47,845 --> 00:31:50,965 Speaker 1: was used to cover up something. End quote. They went 558 00:31:51,045 --> 00:31:55,165 Speaker 1: back to Larry Amos's oversized English tutor house, the last 559 00:31:55,165 --> 00:31:58,525 Speaker 1: place where Clia was seen alive. This aired on the news. 560 00:31:58,525 --> 00:32:01,325 Speaker 1: You could see crime scene tape up everywhere. Police spent 561 00:32:01,445 --> 00:32:04,285 Speaker 1: hours there. Larry was wearing a green work shirt and 562 00:32:04,325 --> 00:32:06,525 Speaker 1: a tie, and he was on a cell phone outside 563 00:32:06,605 --> 00:32:08,645 Speaker 1: watching these detectives go in and out of his house. 564 00:32:09,725 --> 00:32:15,325 Speaker 1: Police used sniffer dogs and ground radar penetrating devices, but 565 00:32:15,565 --> 00:32:18,365 Speaker 1: they did not dig up anything in the backyard. They 566 00:32:18,405 --> 00:32:21,445 Speaker 1: did go inside and police took out little pieces of 567 00:32:21,445 --> 00:32:26,565 Speaker 1: that drywall insulation. In all, they filled several huge bags 568 00:32:26,565 --> 00:32:32,405 Speaker 1: full of evidence. So Laurel and Willie waited. A month later, 569 00:32:33,285 --> 00:32:37,205 Speaker 1: they talked to police and were told that the Arkansas 570 00:32:37,245 --> 00:32:40,565 Speaker 1: State Crime Lab had not sent back the evidence yet. 571 00:32:41,685 --> 00:32:44,605 Speaker 1: But they were horrified to learn that this wasn't true, 572 00:32:44,605 --> 00:32:48,205 Speaker 1: that actually the evidence was still sitting at the police station. 573 00:32:48,285 --> 00:32:50,285 Speaker 1: It had not even been forwarded to the crime lab. 574 00:32:51,325 --> 00:32:54,165 Speaker 1: After the delay, the evidence was sent to the crime lab, 575 00:32:54,245 --> 00:32:57,845 Speaker 1: and several weeks after that the results came back. There 576 00:32:57,845 --> 00:33:00,245 Speaker 1: were no traces of blood on any of the evidence 577 00:33:00,285 --> 00:33:03,925 Speaker 1: they had tested. This was just another devastating blow for 578 00:33:04,005 --> 00:33:07,845 Speaker 1: Clia's family, outraged first of all at the delay, and 579 00:33:08,485 --> 00:33:12,725 Speaker 1: they really believed that the police department was hindering the investigation. 580 00:33:13,285 --> 00:33:15,605 Speaker 1: Even after all this time, they still had waited so 581 00:33:15,765 --> 00:33:18,645 Speaker 1: long to send that evidence to the crime lab. A 582 00:33:18,685 --> 00:33:22,565 Speaker 1: spokesperson for the pam Bluff Police Department eventually said that 583 00:33:22,605 --> 00:33:25,085 Speaker 1: the state crime lab bound no blood evidence and said 584 00:33:25,125 --> 00:33:27,965 Speaker 1: that delay did not affect the evidence, but the Halls 585 00:33:28,005 --> 00:33:31,365 Speaker 1: were not buying it. They still have questions about whether 586 00:33:31,405 --> 00:33:35,965 Speaker 1: that evidence was tested accurately. In fact, later Laurel said, 587 00:33:36,005 --> 00:33:38,525 Speaker 1: the whole thing was so strange and there were so 588 00:33:38,725 --> 00:33:41,965 Speaker 1: many things that they believed were in competent mistakes. They 589 00:33:42,045 --> 00:33:44,445 Speaker 1: started to suspect it could be a cover up, and 590 00:33:44,485 --> 00:33:48,205 Speaker 1: it was about to get much worse because later Laurel 591 00:33:48,325 --> 00:33:52,845 Speaker 1: Hall learned that when that evidence was taken out of 592 00:33:52,845 --> 00:33:56,765 Speaker 1: the amo's house, one of the detectives put the bags 593 00:33:56,765 --> 00:33:59,485 Speaker 1: of evidence into the trunk of his car and then 594 00:33:59,805 --> 00:34:02,325 Speaker 1: drove it home and let it sit there all night 595 00:34:02,525 --> 00:34:06,485 Speaker 1: before giving it to the crime scene text Later, the 596 00:34:06,565 --> 00:34:09,365 Speaker 1: officer said they did that because there was a lot 597 00:34:09,365 --> 00:34:10,805 Speaker 1: of media there. They didn't want to have to drag 598 00:34:10,845 --> 00:34:13,085 Speaker 1: all these bags of evidence past the cameras. But that 599 00:34:13,165 --> 00:34:15,765 Speaker 1: made no sense because the media had been there all day. 600 00:34:15,845 --> 00:34:18,765 Speaker 1: You could see this whole thing unfolding. Even if that 601 00:34:18,885 --> 00:34:20,925 Speaker 1: were true, they just wanted to get the evidence out 602 00:34:20,925 --> 00:34:22,685 Speaker 1: of there quickly. They still could have taken it straight 603 00:34:22,685 --> 00:34:25,565 Speaker 1: to the crime lab but they didn't. This person went 604 00:34:25,645 --> 00:34:28,285 Speaker 1: home and let that evidence sit there all night in 605 00:34:28,325 --> 00:34:31,205 Speaker 1: the trunk of that car. So the truth is, from 606 00:34:31,205 --> 00:34:34,805 Speaker 1: my understanding, even if the evidence revealed anything crucial, the 607 00:34:34,845 --> 00:34:38,045 Speaker 1: evidence could have been challenged in court, and that officer 608 00:34:38,565 --> 00:34:43,005 Speaker 1: potentially ruined the chain of custody. A good defense attorney 609 00:34:43,045 --> 00:34:47,245 Speaker 1: could tear that apart at trial. It was later reported 610 00:34:47,325 --> 00:34:49,885 Speaker 1: that as a result of all this, a crime scene 611 00:34:49,965 --> 00:34:53,445 Speaker 1: lab technician ended up being suspended. No further action was 612 00:34:53,485 --> 00:34:56,885 Speaker 1: taken by the Palm Bluff Police Department, and to this day, 613 00:34:57,005 --> 00:34:59,445 Speaker 1: I am still trying to find out if after they 614 00:34:59,485 --> 00:35:03,845 Speaker 1: supposedly tested evidence and found no blood, any additional DNA 615 00:35:03,885 --> 00:35:08,525 Speaker 1: testing was or could be done. A few people have 616 00:35:08,685 --> 00:35:11,765 Speaker 1: reached out to Larry Amos over the years. Record show 617 00:35:11,845 --> 00:35:14,605 Speaker 1: he still lives in that same neighborhood, in that same 618 00:35:14,765 --> 00:35:18,525 Speaker 1: English tutor house. It's still owned by him and his family. 619 00:35:19,685 --> 00:35:23,045 Speaker 1: And again I should say, obviously Larry Amos has always 620 00:35:23,125 --> 00:35:27,525 Speaker 1: completely denied any involvement in Klea's disappearance. He said that 621 00:35:27,685 --> 00:35:31,085 Speaker 1: the business trip was pre planned. He said people claiming 622 00:35:31,125 --> 00:35:33,405 Speaker 1: that he was skipping town or running away were just 623 00:35:33,445 --> 00:35:39,445 Speaker 1: spreading wild rumors. So what happened to Clea Hall. Again, 624 00:35:39,845 --> 00:35:42,845 Speaker 1: for reasons we've discussed before, I don't think it's likely 625 00:35:42,925 --> 00:35:44,805 Speaker 1: at all she got into a car with someone else. 626 00:35:45,605 --> 00:35:49,285 Speaker 1: Police have never been able to find any evidence that 627 00:35:49,285 --> 00:35:51,365 Speaker 1: there was another car at the Amos residence that night. 628 00:35:51,925 --> 00:35:54,365 Speaker 1: No neighbors saw her leave, no one saw her along 629 00:35:54,365 --> 00:35:57,525 Speaker 1: the route, either walking or another vehicle they didn't recognize, 630 00:35:58,165 --> 00:36:00,565 Speaker 1: And for this reason, I also think it's unlikely a 631 00:36:00,605 --> 00:36:04,045 Speaker 1: stranger grabbed her in the very short distance between Larry 632 00:36:04,045 --> 00:36:07,645 Speaker 1: Amos's house and hers, with no one seeing her. So 633 00:36:07,725 --> 00:36:10,925 Speaker 1: I keep coming back to that third possibility, a theory 634 00:36:10,965 --> 00:36:14,045 Speaker 1: that I believe is far more likely that Clia never 635 00:36:14,125 --> 00:36:17,325 Speaker 1: left the Amos house that night, and that something happened 636 00:36:17,365 --> 00:36:19,925 Speaker 1: inside that house, some kind of altercation that we still 637 00:36:19,925 --> 00:36:24,165 Speaker 1: don't know about. Obviously, the case file is still sealed, 638 00:36:24,405 --> 00:36:28,005 Speaker 1: so there is very limited information out there available to 639 00:36:28,045 --> 00:36:30,725 Speaker 1: the public. But I did do a deep dive into 640 00:36:30,765 --> 00:36:34,125 Speaker 1: the blueprints and construction history of the Amos house. Over 641 00:36:34,165 --> 00:36:38,805 Speaker 1: the past eighteen years, that house has had nine major renovations. 642 00:36:39,245 --> 00:36:42,325 Speaker 1: I'm always looking for patterns in these cases, and I 643 00:36:42,365 --> 00:36:45,365 Speaker 1: do see quite a few similarities, at least on the surface, 644 00:36:45,685 --> 00:36:49,725 Speaker 1: between Clia's case and the case of Kristen Smarts. Kristen's 645 00:36:49,725 --> 00:36:53,365 Speaker 1: case was finally solved after over twenty years. Kristin was 646 00:36:53,485 --> 00:36:55,925 Speaker 1: nineteen years old when she vanished in nineteen ninety six, 647 00:36:56,285 --> 00:36:59,285 Speaker 1: and over the years there was a person of interest, 648 00:36:59,325 --> 00:37:01,925 Speaker 1: a guy named Paul Flores. A lot of people believe 649 00:37:01,965 --> 00:37:04,805 Speaker 1: that he had assaulted Kristin and killed her, and that 650 00:37:04,885 --> 00:37:08,645 Speaker 1: her remains may be in his father's house, but no 651 00:37:08,725 --> 00:37:11,405 Speaker 1: one could prove it. But over the years a lot 652 00:37:11,445 --> 00:37:14,565 Speaker 1: of people looked at that house as a place of interest, 653 00:37:15,445 --> 00:37:19,005 Speaker 1: and like in Clia's case, police did go in in 654 00:37:19,045 --> 00:37:22,125 Speaker 1: the year two thousand. They executed a search warrant, and 655 00:37:22,245 --> 00:37:24,845 Speaker 1: just like in Clia's case, they used ground penetrating radar, 656 00:37:25,045 --> 00:37:27,645 Speaker 1: but they didn't dig up the backyard and they didn't 657 00:37:27,645 --> 00:37:32,365 Speaker 1: find anything. Then years later, in twenty twenty one, detectives 658 00:37:32,365 --> 00:37:34,725 Speaker 1: went back to the house again and this time they 659 00:37:34,725 --> 00:37:38,125 Speaker 1: did dig up the backyard. They found evidence linked to 660 00:37:38,205 --> 00:37:42,805 Speaker 1: Kristen Smart buried under the deck. I only mention this 661 00:37:43,205 --> 00:37:45,445 Speaker 1: because a lot of people over the years have said, well, 662 00:37:45,485 --> 00:37:49,965 Speaker 1: they've searched there, They've used ground penetrating radar, they didn't 663 00:37:49,965 --> 00:37:54,165 Speaker 1: find anything. So we can't rule out the possibility that 664 00:37:54,205 --> 00:37:57,325 Speaker 1: there could be secrets buried in that backyard or somewhere 665 00:37:57,325 --> 00:38:00,685 Speaker 1: else in that house. So if something did happen to 666 00:38:00,725 --> 00:38:04,045 Speaker 1: Cleia in the house that night, why would Larry Amos 667 00:38:04,125 --> 00:38:07,125 Speaker 1: or someone in his family want a heart her. Well, 668 00:38:07,565 --> 00:38:10,645 Speaker 1: one potential motive could be something related to money, because, 669 00:38:10,685 --> 00:38:12,685 Speaker 1: as some of you may know, in my other podcast, 670 00:38:12,805 --> 00:38:15,445 Speaker 1: Red Collar, I talk a lot about financial fraud and 671 00:38:15,485 --> 00:38:18,885 Speaker 1: how financial fraud can lead to murder, and there are 672 00:38:18,925 --> 00:38:22,485 Speaker 1: a lot of red flags in Larry Amos's background related 673 00:38:22,485 --> 00:38:26,045 Speaker 1: to fraud. He has filed for multiple bankruptcies and in 674 00:38:26,085 --> 00:38:28,645 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, he was running another organization called 675 00:38:28,685 --> 00:38:32,445 Speaker 1: Progressive Southeast Arkansas. It was supposed to be a housing 676 00:38:32,685 --> 00:38:37,085 Speaker 1: development corporation where he would build houses with this federal 677 00:38:37,125 --> 00:38:41,005 Speaker 1: grant money he got, but actually what he did was 678 00:38:41,165 --> 00:38:45,405 Speaker 1: just scam the government because the only houses that he 679 00:38:45,525 --> 00:38:48,965 Speaker 1: sold he ended up selling a house to his own 680 00:38:49,045 --> 00:38:53,205 Speaker 1: daughter at a huge discount, And according to these court papers, 681 00:38:53,245 --> 00:38:55,565 Speaker 1: a lot of the other homes that he built were 682 00:38:55,565 --> 00:38:58,685 Speaker 1: badly constructed or never built at all. And these court 683 00:38:58,685 --> 00:39:01,005 Speaker 1: papers alleged that he took the money and just kind 684 00:39:01,005 --> 00:39:05,205 Speaker 1: of ran and left people without homes. So if Clea 685 00:39:05,325 --> 00:39:08,045 Speaker 1: was a person handling the books, could she have seen 686 00:39:08,125 --> 00:39:10,445 Speaker 1: something she wasn't supposed to see? Could she have seen 687 00:39:10,525 --> 00:39:13,365 Speaker 1: some shady stuff she didn't like. Could they have gotten 688 00:39:13,365 --> 00:39:17,325 Speaker 1: into an argument, or could Cliah have gotten into conflict 689 00:39:17,365 --> 00:39:20,085 Speaker 1: with someone else inside the house that night, someone who 690 00:39:20,965 --> 00:39:24,765 Speaker 1: was never mentioned in the original police documents, because remember 691 00:39:24,845 --> 00:39:27,165 Speaker 1: we don't have access to the case fall, we don't 692 00:39:27,165 --> 00:39:29,885 Speaker 1: have a confirmed list of who was there, and Larry 693 00:39:29,925 --> 00:39:34,205 Speaker 1: Amos over the years has not been forthcoming. One person 694 00:39:34,405 --> 00:39:36,485 Speaker 1: who has been mentioned over the years, though he was 695 00:39:36,565 --> 00:39:40,845 Speaker 1: never officially a person of interest, was Larry Amos's older son, Omar. 696 00:39:41,605 --> 00:39:43,685 Speaker 1: Omar Amos was in his twenties at the time when 697 00:39:43,685 --> 00:39:46,885 Speaker 1: Clea went missing. He didn't live with Larry and his 698 00:39:46,925 --> 00:39:50,085 Speaker 1: wife Patricia, but he did live in a house close by, 699 00:39:50,205 --> 00:39:52,885 Speaker 1: so he was over there a lot. Omar has his 700 00:39:52,965 --> 00:39:56,445 Speaker 1: own dark past. He later was arrested for assaulting a 701 00:39:56,445 --> 00:40:00,565 Speaker 1: female victim. So I do wonder could Larry Amos or 702 00:40:00,565 --> 00:40:02,965 Speaker 1: his son, or someone else, maybe someone hanging out with 703 00:40:03,005 --> 00:40:05,805 Speaker 1: his son or with another family member, have made some 704 00:40:05,885 --> 00:40:07,965 Speaker 1: kind of a move on Clia and she refused their 705 00:40:07,965 --> 00:40:12,805 Speaker 1: sexual advances, or did one of Larry's relatives do something 706 00:40:12,845 --> 00:40:15,885 Speaker 1: to Clia, something that their father may have helped them 707 00:40:15,885 --> 00:40:20,445 Speaker 1: clean up. Sadly, we can't ask Omar. In July of 708 00:40:20,445 --> 00:40:23,445 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, Omar was beaten to death in his own 709 00:40:23,445 --> 00:40:26,445 Speaker 1: home in Pine Bluff, just five miles away from his 710 00:40:26,525 --> 00:40:33,365 Speaker 1: dad's house on Fawcett Road. Over the years, Laurel has 711 00:40:33,405 --> 00:40:36,685 Speaker 1: told people that she has a recurring dream about Clia. 712 00:40:37,405 --> 00:40:41,365 Speaker 1: In that dream, Clia is sitting in Larry Amos's bathtub, 713 00:40:41,925 --> 00:40:45,085 Speaker 1: her hands are tied. She's screaming for her mom to 714 00:40:45,125 --> 00:40:49,165 Speaker 1: help her. Laurel knows it's just a dream, but it 715 00:40:49,245 --> 00:40:52,525 Speaker 1: seems like her subconscious is screaming that there is something 716 00:40:52,645 --> 00:40:56,645 Speaker 1: bothering her about Larry Amos and about that house. Laurel 717 00:40:56,765 --> 00:40:59,325 Speaker 1: has confessed that she feels guilty. She of course asked 718 00:40:59,325 --> 00:41:02,565 Speaker 1: herself why that night, Why did she fall asleep, even 719 00:41:02,645 --> 00:41:04,805 Speaker 1: though there was no way she could have known what 720 00:41:04,845 --> 00:41:07,485 Speaker 1: was going on? And to me, the fact that Clia 721 00:41:07,605 --> 00:41:10,645 Speaker 1: did not call her mother back means that whatever happened 722 00:41:10,685 --> 00:41:13,925 Speaker 1: to her probably happened between eight and around eight thirty pm. 723 00:41:14,885 --> 00:41:18,445 Speaker 1: So we have to answer the question what happened inside 724 00:41:18,445 --> 00:41:22,565 Speaker 1: that house? I believe this case is solvable. I believe 725 00:41:22,645 --> 00:41:26,485 Speaker 1: someone knows something. Every year, Laurel, Willie and the rest 726 00:41:26,485 --> 00:41:30,245 Speaker 1: of the family released balloons in pink, Clia's favorite color 727 00:41:30,445 --> 00:41:33,525 Speaker 1: on her birthday, March thirtieth. They do the same thing 728 00:41:33,605 --> 00:41:38,165 Speaker 1: on May ninth, the day she went missing. Laurel said, quote, 729 00:41:38,645 --> 00:41:41,285 Speaker 1: she was just somebody that had a light that meant something. 730 00:41:41,885 --> 00:41:44,965 Speaker 1: She had goals, and she had dreams just like everybody else. 731 00:41:45,685 --> 00:41:48,285 Speaker 1: And our family had dreams and goals for her too, 732 00:41:48,765 --> 00:41:52,045 Speaker 1: And so somewhere we're missing out on seeing what our 733 00:41:52,085 --> 00:41:57,525 Speaker 1: life could have been. End quote. I'm Catherine Townsend. This 734 00:41:57,645 --> 00:42:07,725 Speaker 1: is Helen Gone. Murder line. Hell and Gone is a 735 00:42:07,765 --> 00:42:11,245 Speaker 1: production of School of Humans and iHeart Podcasts. It's written 736 00:42:11,285 --> 00:42:14,805 Speaker 1: and narrated by me Catherine Townsend and produced by Gabby Watts. 737 00:42:15,565 --> 00:42:18,645 Speaker 1: Music is by Ben so Lee, and this episode was 738 00:42:18,645 --> 00:42:23,725 Speaker 1: scored by Miranda Hawkins. Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, 739 00:42:23,805 --> 00:42:31,965 Speaker 1: and Elsie Crowley. If you have a case you'd like 740 00:42:32,045 --> 00:42:34,485 Speaker 1: me and my team to look into, you can reach 741 00:42:34,525 --> 00:42:37,605 Speaker 1: out to us at six seven eight seven four four 742 00:42:38,165 --> 00:42:42,045 Speaker 1: six one four five. That's six seven eight seven four 743 00:42:42,125 --> 00:42:49,085 Speaker 1: four sixty one four five. School of humans,