1 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:51,961 Speaker 1: School of Humans. Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold 2 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,361 Speaker 1: case murders in an effort to raise public awareness invite 3 00:00:55,401 --> 00:00:58,761 Speaker 1: witnesses to come forward and present evidence that could potentially 4 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,961 Speaker 1: be further investigated by law enforcement. While we value insights 5 00:01:03,001 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: from family and community members, their statements should not be 6 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,961 Speaker 1: considered evidence and point to the challenges of verifying facts 7 00:01:10,041 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: inherent in cold cases. We remind listeners that everyone has 8 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 9 00:01:17,961 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: Nothing in the podcast is intended to state or imply 10 00:01:21,041 --> 00:01:23,601 Speaker 1: that anyone who has not been convicted of a crime 11 00:01:24,121 --> 00:01:27,121 Speaker 1: is guilty of any wrongdoing. Thanks for listening. 12 00:01:29,481 --> 00:01:33,161 Speaker 2: On Jeane First, nineteen eighty seven, Teresa Anne Beer was 13 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 2: about to go on an adventure. She was headed into 14 00:01:35,881 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 2: the woods to look for Bigfoot. Teresa was sixteen years 15 00:01:39,881 --> 00:01:42,601 Speaker 2: old and she was wrapping up her freshman year at 16 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:44,801 Speaker 2: Fresno High in Fresno, California. 17 00:01:45,321 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 3: She was one year behind a lot of her. 18 00:01:47,161 --> 00:01:51,641 Speaker 2: Classmates, which wasn't surprising because Teresa was living in a 19 00:01:51,761 --> 00:01:55,601 Speaker 2: very abusive environment with her uncle, John Richmond, his two 20 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 2: young sons, and his seventeen year old girlfriend. John also 21 00:01:59,921 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 2: had a wife, but I haven't been able to confirm 22 00:02:02,601 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 2: whether or not they were estranged at that time, or 23 00:02:05,641 --> 00:02:08,441 Speaker 2: whether John's wife was actually living at home during that 24 00:02:08,561 --> 00:02:13,001 Speaker 2: time with the girlfriend. As you'll see, John's family setup was, 25 00:02:13,081 --> 00:02:16,801 Speaker 2: to say the least, a bit unusual. Teresa's plan was 26 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,561 Speaker 2: to skip school on June first and drive into the 27 00:02:19,561 --> 00:02:22,001 Speaker 2: Sierra Nevada Mountains for the day with a forty three 28 00:02:22,081 --> 00:02:25,441 Speaker 2: year old friend of her uncle's named Russell Skip Welch. 29 00:02:26,041 --> 00:02:27,201 Speaker 3: But Teresa never. 30 00:02:27,041 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 2: Came home, and soon the man who took her into 31 00:02:30,441 --> 00:02:34,641 Speaker 2: the woods was rambling about Teresa being kidnapped by a monster. 32 00:02:36,001 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 3: The case made local news. 33 00:02:38,441 --> 00:02:42,721 Speaker 2: Teresa's missing poster was released, along with her description height 34 00:02:42,921 --> 00:02:45,881 Speaker 2: five foot five, of weight one hundred and ten pounds, 35 00:02:45,921 --> 00:02:48,801 Speaker 2: with brown hair and hazel eyes, and a surgical scar 36 00:02:48,881 --> 00:02:52,401 Speaker 2: on her lower right leg. The poster also stated that 37 00:02:52,441 --> 00:02:56,441 Speaker 2: she went by a nickname Sam. According to a book 38 00:02:56,441 --> 00:02:59,321 Speaker 2: that was written about the case, Skip told the authorities 39 00:02:59,481 --> 00:03:02,881 Speaker 2: that this was his nickname for Teresa because he said 40 00:03:02,921 --> 00:03:05,041 Speaker 2: she reminded him of a runaway girl that he saw 41 00:03:05,041 --> 00:03:09,281 Speaker 2: in a movie. On Friday, June nineteenth, nineteen eighty seven, 42 00:03:09,761 --> 00:03:13,201 Speaker 2: the Fresno Bee published the first newspaper article about this 43 00:03:13,281 --> 00:03:17,161 Speaker 2: case with the headline man blames Bigfoot for missing girl. 44 00:03:17,921 --> 00:03:21,561 Speaker 2: But this was much more than a tabloid story. This 45 00:03:21,761 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 2: case would involve allegations of sex, slavery, serial killers, drug use, 46 00:03:26,761 --> 00:03:30,161 Speaker 2: Bigfoot colonies, and at the heart of this story, it 47 00:03:30,201 --> 00:03:33,721 Speaker 2: would reveal a system that completely failed a young woman 48 00:03:33,801 --> 00:03:37,681 Speaker 2: on every single level, a system that allowed a sixteen 49 00:03:37,761 --> 00:03:42,641 Speaker 2: year old to vanish without a trace. I'm Catherine Townsend. 50 00:03:43,161 --> 00:03:46,001 Speaker 2: Over the past seven years of making my true crime podcast, 51 00:03:46,041 --> 00:03:48,961 Speaker 2: Helen Gone, I've learned that there's no such thing as 52 00:03:48,961 --> 00:03:53,361 Speaker 2: a small town where murder never happens. I've received hundreds 53 00:03:53,361 --> 00:03:55,961 Speaker 2: of messages from people all around the country asking for 54 00:03:56,001 --> 00:03:59,001 Speaker 2: help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families, 55 00:03:59,161 --> 00:04:01,801 Speaker 2: and their communities. If you have a case you'd like 56 00:04:01,841 --> 00:04:04,001 Speaker 2: me and my team to look into, you can reach 57 00:04:04,041 --> 00:04:06,201 Speaker 2: out to us at our Helen Gone Murder Line at 58 00:04:06,241 --> 00:04:09,401 Speaker 2: six seven eight seven four four six one four five. 59 00:04:09,881 --> 00:04:13,681 Speaker 2: That's six seven eight seven four four six one four five, 60 00:04:14,441 --> 00:04:17,601 Speaker 2: or you can send us a message on Instagram. 61 00:04:16,841 --> 00:04:18,121 Speaker 3: At Helen Gone Pod. 62 00:04:18,801 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 2: This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Teresa Anne Beer was 63 00:05:04,241 --> 00:05:08,121 Speaker 2: born on April sixteenth, nineteen seventy nine, in Fresno, California, 64 00:05:08,761 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 2: and from the very beginning her. 65 00:05:10,761 --> 00:05:11,801 Speaker 3: Life was hard. 66 00:05:12,641 --> 00:05:15,641 Speaker 2: Teresa grew up with her mother, Shirley, and her father, David. 67 00:05:16,001 --> 00:05:19,481 Speaker 2: The couple also had two other daughters, Yolanda, who lived 68 00:05:19,481 --> 00:05:22,841 Speaker 2: with David's grandmother, and Vicki, who lived at home with Teresa. 69 00:05:23,601 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 2: But according to a book that was written by a 70 00:05:25,921 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 2: journalist named Jay O'Connell in twenty twenty called Meth Murder 71 00:05:29,881 --> 00:05:34,161 Speaker 2: and Bigfoot a California crime Saga, Shirley was physically abusive 72 00:05:34,241 --> 00:05:37,561 Speaker 2: to her two young daughters. When Teresa was three years old, 73 00:05:38,041 --> 00:05:42,161 Speaker 2: Shirley broke her daughter's leg. Teresa went to the hospital, 74 00:05:42,201 --> 00:05:45,241 Speaker 2: and sometime after that, social so servis got involved. So 75 00:05:45,601 --> 00:05:48,481 Speaker 2: David and his wife ended up getting divorced, and according 76 00:05:48,481 --> 00:05:51,881 Speaker 2: to the book, for several years Teresa and her older sister, 77 00:05:51,961 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 2: Vicki lived in foster care with a family friend from church. 78 00:05:56,001 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 2: Now there's very little information generally about those years, but 79 00:06:00,001 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 2: from the book at least it seemed like Teresa was 80 00:06:02,681 --> 00:06:05,721 Speaker 2: actually thriving in that foster home. The book described the 81 00:06:05,721 --> 00:06:09,361 Speaker 2: Foster family as loving, but several years after that, when 82 00:06:09,441 --> 00:06:12,841 Speaker 2: Teresa was preteen age, her father filed to get custody 83 00:06:12,841 --> 00:06:16,361 Speaker 2: of Teresa, so Teresa went to live with her father 84 00:06:16,521 --> 00:06:19,001 Speaker 2: and his new wife, Margie, in the city of Compton 85 00:06:19,161 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 2: in La County. But Teresa's older sister, Yolanda, later told 86 00:06:23,521 --> 00:06:27,441 Speaker 2: Jay O'Connell that Margie was abusive. We don't know if 87 00:06:27,481 --> 00:06:30,721 Speaker 2: these claims are true. This is hearsay, but according to 88 00:06:30,761 --> 00:06:34,801 Speaker 2: the book, Yolanda claimed that Margie would actually lock the 89 00:06:34,841 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 2: refrigerator so that the kids couldn't get food. Things with 90 00:06:38,401 --> 00:06:41,601 Speaker 2: her dad and stepmom were not working out, so Teresa 91 00:06:41,641 --> 00:06:45,001 Speaker 2: spent some time staying with a great grandmother. Then her 92 00:06:45,081 --> 00:06:48,921 Speaker 2: forty two year old uncle, John Richmond, pursued custody of Teresa. 93 00:06:49,481 --> 00:06:53,601 Speaker 2: But John Richmond was not a loving uncle. Not only 94 00:06:53,881 --> 00:06:57,161 Speaker 2: was John using Teresa, as according to his girlfriend Tammy, 95 00:06:57,201 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 2: a domestic slave by asking her to take care of 96 00:06:59,801 --> 00:07:02,521 Speaker 2: his young sons instead of going to class, but also 97 00:07:03,001 --> 00:07:04,721 Speaker 2: John and his friends. 98 00:07:04,401 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 3: Allegedly sexually abused Teresa. 99 00:07:07,361 --> 00:07:10,601 Speaker 2: Tammy said later that not only did John have sex 100 00:07:10,641 --> 00:07:13,201 Speaker 2: with her, but that he would let his friends who 101 00:07:13,201 --> 00:07:16,321 Speaker 2: were drug users, have sex with her. This was later 102 00:07:16,401 --> 00:07:18,881 Speaker 2: confirmed by a detective, Doug Stokes, who worked the case 103 00:07:18,961 --> 00:07:22,441 Speaker 2: and spoke to the author of the book, Jay O'Connell. 104 00:07:22,641 --> 00:07:24,801 Speaker 2: One of John's friends was a forty three year old 105 00:07:24,801 --> 00:07:29,161 Speaker 2: methamphetamine user and self described amateur bigfoot enthusiast named Russell 106 00:07:29,241 --> 00:07:32,801 Speaker 2: Skip Welch. He was the one who took Teresa to 107 00:07:32,841 --> 00:07:35,961 Speaker 2: the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Skip had been married to a 108 00:07:35,961 --> 00:07:39,441 Speaker 2: woman named Shannon, but according to media reports, she passed 109 00:07:39,441 --> 00:07:42,281 Speaker 2: away in nineteen eighty five and died of a drug overdose. 110 00:07:43,041 --> 00:07:44,801 Speaker 3: Skip mainly did odd jobs. 111 00:07:45,241 --> 00:07:47,641 Speaker 2: He painted houses to earn money, but also had an 112 00:07:47,641 --> 00:07:50,921 Speaker 2: interest in camping and searching for mind minerals in the wilderness. 113 00:07:51,401 --> 00:07:53,921 Speaker 2: Skip's other hobby was filing mineral claims. 114 00:07:54,681 --> 00:07:55,881 Speaker 3: Let me back up for a minute. 115 00:07:56,001 --> 00:07:58,281 Speaker 2: There's a law called the General Mining Law of eighteen 116 00:07:58,321 --> 00:08:00,361 Speaker 2: seventy two. It goes back to the time of the 117 00:08:00,361 --> 00:08:03,801 Speaker 2: California gold Rush. Basically, what this law does is that 118 00:08:03,841 --> 00:08:06,841 Speaker 2: it allows people who find valuable minerals like gold or 119 00:08:06,881 --> 00:08:09,721 Speaker 2: copper on a plot of land to assert rights to 120 00:08:09,801 --> 00:08:13,121 Speaker 2: the mine on that land. Skip mainly searched in an 121 00:08:13,161 --> 00:08:16,161 Speaker 2: area called shut Eye Peak, an area in the Sierra 122 00:08:16,241 --> 00:08:19,761 Speaker 2: National Forest. Apparently it was nicknamed by the Native Americans 123 00:08:19,801 --> 00:08:20,601 Speaker 2: who made camp there. 124 00:08:21,601 --> 00:08:23,041 Speaker 3: Skip Pud also filed. 125 00:08:22,801 --> 00:08:24,881 Speaker 2: Paperwork for other claims in the north of the state, 126 00:08:25,161 --> 00:08:28,521 Speaker 2: near the southern boundary of Yosemite National Park. This is 127 00:08:28,561 --> 00:08:31,321 Speaker 2: a remote area of the country there are thousands of 128 00:08:31,401 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 2: acres of untamed wilderness. One of the areas where Skip 129 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,041 Speaker 2: liked to go, according to the book, was an area 130 00:08:37,121 --> 00:08:40,881 Speaker 2: called Ghost Canyon. Skip believed it was once an Indian 131 00:08:40,881 --> 00:08:44,641 Speaker 2: burial ground back in the early eighties. Fresno in the 132 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:46,881 Speaker 2: area around it, like a lot of areas around the 133 00:08:46,961 --> 00:08:50,001 Speaker 2: United States at that time, had a serious myth problem. 134 00:08:50,361 --> 00:08:54,441 Speaker 2: The meth trade was exploding. Both John and Skip used meth, 135 00:08:54,721 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 2: and it was around the house. On the morning she disappeared, 136 00:08:59,001 --> 00:09:01,321 Speaker 2: Teresa left home as if she was going to school, 137 00:09:02,081 --> 00:09:05,441 Speaker 2: but she had a secret plan. Earlier that week, she 138 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:07,761 Speaker 2: had told two of her friends that she planned to 139 00:09:07,761 --> 00:09:10,681 Speaker 2: skip school to head into the mountains with Skip so 140 00:09:10,721 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 2: they could look for Bigfoot, who she claimed Skip had 141 00:09:13,881 --> 00:09:18,201 Speaker 2: seen before. Skip was a Bigfoot expert, apparently, and knew 142 00:09:18,201 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 2: where to find him. So on June first, Skip came 143 00:09:21,481 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 2: over to John Richmond's house. He told John that he 144 00:09:24,201 --> 00:09:27,001 Speaker 2: would drive Teresa to school, but their actual plan, as 145 00:09:27,001 --> 00:09:29,641 Speaker 2: she had told her friends, was to search for Bigfoot, 146 00:09:30,001 --> 00:09:32,721 Speaker 2: or at least that's what Teresa thought the plan was. 147 00:09:33,641 --> 00:09:37,521 Speaker 2: After that, Teresa disappeared. When she didn't show up at school, 148 00:09:37,721 --> 00:09:40,921 Speaker 2: administrators called the house and talked to John. He told 149 00:09:40,961 --> 00:09:44,361 Speaker 2: the person from the school that Teresa was homesick. Now, 150 00:09:44,481 --> 00:09:48,081 Speaker 2: admittedly he lied there. He later told the police that 151 00:09:48,121 --> 00:09:50,641 Speaker 2: he lied because he wanted to handle the matter himself. 152 00:09:51,201 --> 00:09:53,361 Speaker 2: But like a lot of other parts of this case, 153 00:09:53,441 --> 00:09:56,521 Speaker 2: it's still a mystery. We do know a few things 154 00:09:56,521 --> 00:10:00,401 Speaker 2: about what happened that morning. After leaving Teresa's house, Skip 155 00:10:00,441 --> 00:10:03,081 Speaker 2: and Teresa stopped off at his daughter Shandra's house. 156 00:10:03,841 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 3: The thing that's so disturbing. 157 00:10:05,321 --> 00:10:08,841 Speaker 2: About this, among many other things, is that, according to 158 00:10:08,881 --> 00:10:12,281 Speaker 2: the book, even his daughter Shandra later told police that 159 00:10:12,401 --> 00:10:14,481 Speaker 2: she had a bad feeling about Skip. 160 00:10:15,001 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 3: She said Skip had a habit. 161 00:10:16,641 --> 00:10:19,841 Speaker 2: Of offering young women drugs and using that to lure 162 00:10:19,881 --> 00:10:23,681 Speaker 2: them into sexual encounters. On that day, Skip was having 163 00:10:23,681 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 2: some car problems, but after he ran some errands and 164 00:10:26,721 --> 00:10:30,281 Speaker 2: went to cash's disability check, Skip started the car. He 165 00:10:30,361 --> 00:10:34,001 Speaker 2: and Teresa headed into the mountains, but they didn't come back, 166 00:10:34,641 --> 00:10:37,921 Speaker 2: and no one in Teresa's family ever saw her again. 167 00:10:47,001 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 2: Teresa's uncle, John Richmond, called the Fresno police at nine 168 00:10:50,401 --> 00:10:54,441 Speaker 2: thirty pm on June first, to report Teresa missing. Detectives 169 00:10:54,441 --> 00:10:56,481 Speaker 2: didn't follow up on this call until the next day, 170 00:10:56,601 --> 00:11:00,241 Speaker 2: June second. The case was assigned to Detective Doug Stokes. 171 00:11:00,761 --> 00:11:02,680 Speaker 2: He headed out to interview John Richmond. 172 00:11:02,721 --> 00:11:03,081 Speaker 3: First. 173 00:11:03,841 --> 00:11:06,441 Speaker 2: John told the detective that Skip was a speed freak 174 00:11:06,481 --> 00:11:09,001 Speaker 2: who liked to think of himself as a survivalist, someone 175 00:11:09,041 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 2: who could live off the land for a long period 176 00:11:11,201 --> 00:11:15,401 Speaker 2: of time. John's girlfriend, Tammy, told detective Stokes about another 177 00:11:15,481 --> 00:11:17,841 Speaker 2: girl who she believed had been dating or hanging out. 178 00:11:17,761 --> 00:11:19,801 Speaker 3: With Skip, a young woman named Michelle. 179 00:11:20,641 --> 00:11:23,201 Speaker 2: So detective Stokes went to talk to Michelle and found 180 00:11:23,241 --> 00:11:25,881 Speaker 2: out that she was seventeen years old, very young like 181 00:11:26,001 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 2: Teresa and a lot of the other women who Skip 182 00:11:28,881 --> 00:11:29,961 Speaker 2: reportedly hung out with. 183 00:11:30,881 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 3: Now according to. 184 00:11:31,601 --> 00:11:34,041 Speaker 2: The book, Michelle said she wasn't dating Skip, she was 185 00:11:34,081 --> 00:11:37,481 Speaker 2: just a casual acquaintance of his. But the second time 186 00:11:37,521 --> 00:11:41,241 Speaker 2: police came to her house, she did tell detectives something else. 187 00:11:41,921 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 2: She talked about a scare incident involving Skip that happened 188 00:11:45,961 --> 00:11:48,481 Speaker 2: a year earlier. She said that in the summer of 189 00:11:48,561 --> 00:11:51,361 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty six, Skip invited her to go on a 190 00:11:51,361 --> 00:11:53,881 Speaker 2: big foot hunt in the mountains and that they headed 191 00:11:53,921 --> 00:11:56,001 Speaker 2: out to camp in Sierra National Forest. 192 00:11:56,641 --> 00:11:58,441 Speaker 3: She said that she invited two male. 193 00:11:58,241 --> 00:12:01,041 Speaker 2: Friends who were about ten years older, a guy she 194 00:12:01,121 --> 00:12:03,801 Speaker 2: was casually seeing named Sam, and another guy named Corky 195 00:12:03,881 --> 00:12:06,361 Speaker 2: to go along with her. While they were out there, 196 00:12:06,441 --> 00:12:10,481 Speaker 2: Skip was taking meth and said he saw a white monster. 197 00:12:11,601 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 2: Apparently during this time, Skip started talking about how Bigfoot 198 00:12:15,081 --> 00:12:18,441 Speaker 2: worshiped women, which at first seemed to be kind of 199 00:12:18,441 --> 00:12:21,361 Speaker 2: a positive thing, but then Michelle said that Skip started 200 00:12:21,361 --> 00:12:25,241 Speaker 2: talking about satanic sacrifices. She said that all of them 201 00:12:25,441 --> 00:12:29,321 Speaker 2: were terrified. It's not clear whether the things that Michelle 202 00:12:29,361 --> 00:12:32,361 Speaker 2: and the other guys saw and heard were from paranoia, 203 00:12:32,441 --> 00:12:35,921 Speaker 2: possibly due to drug use, or whether they were freaked 204 00:12:35,921 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 2: out just by the scary environment and stories, or whether 205 00:12:38,801 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 2: they actually saw or heard something out there. According to 206 00:12:42,081 --> 00:12:45,361 Speaker 2: the book, Michelle told police that later that night, she 207 00:12:45,441 --> 00:12:48,281 Speaker 2: woke up screaming. She said she saw something that she 208 00:12:48,401 --> 00:12:51,921 Speaker 2: described as being white, about three feet tall, with big eyes, 209 00:12:52,361 --> 00:12:55,201 Speaker 2: something that she said looked like a devil. She said 210 00:12:55,201 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 2: she started running and in her fear, almost fell off 211 00:12:58,041 --> 00:12:58,481 Speaker 2: a cliff. 212 00:12:59,241 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 3: In the end, everyone made it. 213 00:13:00,721 --> 00:13:03,841 Speaker 2: Out of the woods that night, but after Theresa went missing, 214 00:13:04,161 --> 00:13:06,201 Speaker 2: Detective Stokes was connecting the dots. 215 00:13:06,521 --> 00:13:08,441 Speaker 3: He'd figured out that Skip Welch, a known. 216 00:13:08,361 --> 00:13:11,241 Speaker 2: Drug abuser and rumored's sexual predator, had taken her to 217 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,401 Speaker 2: the mountains, and Skip already had warrants out on him 218 00:13:14,401 --> 00:13:17,721 Speaker 2: for drunk driving and some other charges. Police were looking 219 00:13:17,761 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 2: for Skip and his brown nineteen seventy six Monte Carlo, 220 00:13:21,841 --> 00:13:23,881 Speaker 2: and it didn't take them long to find it, because 221 00:13:24,001 --> 00:13:27,081 Speaker 2: on June fifth, the car was spotted at a friend 222 00:13:27,161 --> 00:13:31,801 Speaker 2: of Skip's named Dorothy Davis. Dorothy told police that on 223 00:13:31,921 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 2: June first, Skip had driven down the mountain very erratically 224 00:13:36,121 --> 00:13:38,321 Speaker 2: and that when he got to her place, the car 225 00:13:38,401 --> 00:13:41,121 Speaker 2: had dents on it. He told her that a satanic 226 00:13:41,161 --> 00:13:43,401 Speaker 2: group had taken control of a girl he was hanging 227 00:13:43,401 --> 00:13:47,081 Speaker 2: out with. He said that it had changed into quote 228 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,561 Speaker 2: something white looking. Dorothy told police she believed that Skip 229 00:13:51,641 --> 00:13:53,481 Speaker 2: was just high and then he needed to calm down 230 00:13:53,521 --> 00:13:56,801 Speaker 2: and sleep it off. On June tenth, police picked Skip 231 00:13:56,921 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 2: up and they brought him in for an interview. Now, 232 00:13:59,121 --> 00:14:01,401 Speaker 2: during this interview, he talked about how he was a 233 00:14:01,401 --> 00:14:04,481 Speaker 2: bigfoot expert. He was very open about that. He said 234 00:14:04,681 --> 00:14:07,521 Speaker 2: bigfoot exists. He said there have been tons of sightings 235 00:14:07,521 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 2: of Bigfoot in the high Sierras. 236 00:14:09,441 --> 00:14:12,081 Speaker 3: And he seemed to be completely. 237 00:14:11,481 --> 00:14:14,121 Speaker 2: Serious about his theory that there were bipedal eight blake 238 00:14:14,241 --> 00:14:17,521 Speaker 2: creatures living up in the mountains. Skip said, not only 239 00:14:17,561 --> 00:14:20,801 Speaker 2: had he seen Bigfoot, he had interacted with Bigfoot and 240 00:14:20,841 --> 00:14:23,361 Speaker 2: these other creatures who lived up in the mountains. He 241 00:14:23,401 --> 00:14:26,041 Speaker 2: said that he had quote not violated them, and that 242 00:14:26,121 --> 00:14:30,401 Speaker 2: therefore they made themselves readily available to him end quote. 243 00:14:30,481 --> 00:14:34,361 Speaker 2: He said he had taken pictures of Bigfoot on multiple occasions. Now, 244 00:14:34,361 --> 00:14:37,121 Speaker 2: according to the book, Skip had even taken his alleged 245 00:14:37,161 --> 00:14:40,961 Speaker 2: Bigfoot polaroids to an expert, the chair of the anthropology 246 00:14:40,961 --> 00:14:45,321 Speaker 2: department at Fresno State University, and this anthropologist agreed to 247 00:14:45,321 --> 00:14:48,601 Speaker 2: meet with Skip and look at his pictures. The anthropologist 248 00:14:48,641 --> 00:14:52,081 Speaker 2: told Jae O'Connell. Back then, this wasn't unusual. There was 249 00:14:52,121 --> 00:14:54,801 Speaker 2: a lot of interest in Bigfoot during the eighties. The 250 00:14:54,841 --> 00:14:58,201 Speaker 2: movie Harry and the Hendersons, about a family finding Bigfoot, 251 00:14:58,241 --> 00:14:59,401 Speaker 2: came out in nineteen eighty seven. 252 00:14:59,801 --> 00:15:00,521 Speaker 3: I remember this. 253 00:15:00,881 --> 00:15:03,481 Speaker 2: There were a lot of rumors of Bigfoot sightings in 254 00:15:03,481 --> 00:15:06,161 Speaker 2: the summer of nineteen eighty six. I remember, as soon 255 00:15:06,201 --> 00:15:09,241 Speaker 2: as I could read, seeing tabloid newspapers at the supermarket 256 00:15:09,601 --> 00:15:13,321 Speaker 2: with people who were claiming to see Bigfoot. So back 257 00:15:13,321 --> 00:15:16,521 Speaker 2: to his alleged evidence. When Skip showed the anthropologist the 258 00:15:16,521 --> 00:15:19,401 Speaker 2: photos that he was so excited about, the anthropologist told 259 00:15:19,481 --> 00:15:22,921 Speaker 2: Jay O'Connell years later that he vividly remembered that meeting, 260 00:15:23,361 --> 00:15:25,961 Speaker 2: that he didn't see anything in those pictures except shadows, 261 00:15:26,241 --> 00:15:29,121 Speaker 2: and that he talked to Skip about projection, the idea 262 00:15:29,161 --> 00:15:32,681 Speaker 2: that we project images of expectation. Basically, we see what 263 00:15:32,721 --> 00:15:36,241 Speaker 2: we want to see. The expert saw zero evidence of Bigfoot, 264 00:15:36,401 --> 00:15:39,521 Speaker 2: but Skip was absolutely convinced that he had seen Bigfoot, 265 00:15:39,761 --> 00:15:41,921 Speaker 2: and he wasn't going to let someone else tell him otherwise. 266 00:15:42,481 --> 00:15:45,081 Speaker 2: In fact, a few days later, Skip left a brown 267 00:15:45,121 --> 00:15:47,881 Speaker 2: paper bag full of bones at the anthropologist's office that 268 00:15:47,921 --> 00:15:51,081 Speaker 2: apparently were not human in nature. I'm just guessing here, 269 00:15:51,121 --> 00:15:54,361 Speaker 2: but it seems like they were much more likely to 270 00:15:54,441 --> 00:15:57,681 Speaker 2: have come from roadkill or grocery store, retisserie chicken or 271 00:15:57,721 --> 00:16:01,121 Speaker 2: something like that than a sasquatch. The anthropologist said that 272 00:16:01,161 --> 00:16:04,401 Speaker 2: nothing he saw in Skip's evidence pointed to the existence 273 00:16:04,401 --> 00:16:08,161 Speaker 2: of Bigfoot. I want to just take a minute to 274 00:16:08,361 --> 00:16:11,321 Speaker 2: talk about my connection to the case. So a couple 275 00:16:11,361 --> 00:16:14,521 Speaker 2: of listeners called me about this case who were from 276 00:16:14,641 --> 00:16:18,681 Speaker 2: the Fresno area, and around that time, totally by coincidence, 277 00:16:18,721 --> 00:16:21,001 Speaker 2: I got a call from a producer who said that 278 00:16:21,041 --> 00:16:24,281 Speaker 2: they were working on a documentary about this case, and 279 00:16:24,561 --> 00:16:28,081 Speaker 2: they were planning on bringing in a bigfoot expert, and 280 00:16:28,241 --> 00:16:30,681 Speaker 2: I said very politely that I would be happy to 281 00:16:30,721 --> 00:16:33,441 Speaker 2: be a part of the crime documentary, but if I 282 00:16:33,561 --> 00:16:35,201 Speaker 2: was part of it, I would want to focus on 283 00:16:35,481 --> 00:16:39,361 Speaker 2: the foster care system failures, the criminal justice system failures 284 00:16:39,361 --> 00:16:41,881 Speaker 2: that allowed a young woman to go missing and be 285 00:16:42,001 --> 00:16:45,161 Speaker 2: missing for more than a day before reported, and to 286 00:16:45,321 --> 00:16:50,281 Speaker 2: explore any non Bigfoot related leads. I do not believe 287 00:16:50,361 --> 00:16:55,321 Speaker 2: that Bigfoot exists. However, I am open minded. I understand 288 00:16:55,361 --> 00:16:58,041 Speaker 2: that there are many animals that have not been found 289 00:16:58,081 --> 00:17:00,961 Speaker 2: for a long time, such as the giant squid. 290 00:17:01,481 --> 00:17:02,161 Speaker 3: So while I. 291 00:17:02,081 --> 00:17:06,241 Speaker 2: Think it's extremely unlikely, I am not close minded in 292 00:17:06,281 --> 00:17:07,801 Speaker 2: the possibility of evidence. 293 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:09,641 Speaker 3: However, when it. 294 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,201 Speaker 2: Comes to this case, there is absolutely zero evidence that 295 00:17:14,441 --> 00:17:17,801 Speaker 2: Bigfoot was involved, and a lot of evidence that an 296 00:17:17,801 --> 00:17:20,561 Speaker 2: alleged sexual predator who led a young woman up into 297 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:24,360 Speaker 2: the mountains was involved. I believe that making this case 298 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 2: about Bigfoot is a serious disservice to Teresa the focus 299 00:17:29,721 --> 00:17:33,041 Speaker 2: needs to stay on the victim, not Bigfoot. When you're 300 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,640 Speaker 2: trying to find a missing person, you look at the 301 00:17:35,761 --> 00:17:38,360 Speaker 2: last person to have seen them alive and start from there. 302 00:17:38,921 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 2: In this case, the last person who saw Teresa alive 303 00:17:42,441 --> 00:17:45,001 Speaker 2: was a man who was known for abusing drugs and 304 00:17:45,241 --> 00:17:48,681 Speaker 2: luring underage teens out to the forest. When detectives talked 305 00:17:48,681 --> 00:17:52,360 Speaker 2: to Skip, he told them several different stories. First, he 306 00:17:52,361 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 2: said that he dropped Teresa off at school after they 307 00:17:54,921 --> 00:17:57,441 Speaker 2: rode around for a while. He said that a blonde 308 00:17:57,441 --> 00:17:59,521 Speaker 2: girl had met Teresa and they left together. 309 00:18:00,121 --> 00:18:01,321 Speaker 3: What Skip didn't know. 310 00:18:01,601 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 2: Was that detectives could already place his car at his 311 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 2: friend's house, so they knew he had been up in 312 00:18:06,401 --> 00:18:09,281 Speaker 2: the mountains. They called him out on that bogus story, 313 00:18:09,601 --> 00:18:12,041 Speaker 2: which Skip admitted had not been the truth. So then 314 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,481 Speaker 2: he admitted that, yes, he did take Teresa up into 315 00:18:14,521 --> 00:18:16,640 Speaker 2: the mountains. But then he went right back on this 316 00:18:16,681 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 2: Bigfoot tangent, Only this time he said not only was 317 00:18:19,921 --> 00:18:23,201 Speaker 2: Bigfoot up there, but that Bigfoot was guarding a race 318 00:18:23,241 --> 00:18:26,721 Speaker 2: of super intelligent beings. He said that Bigfoot was approximately 319 00:18:26,761 --> 00:18:29,441 Speaker 2: ten to eleven feet tall and hairy, but this master 320 00:18:29,601 --> 00:18:31,641 Speaker 2: race of people who lived up in the mountains, looked 321 00:18:31,681 --> 00:18:34,561 Speaker 2: like regular people, and he said one of those master 322 00:18:34,681 --> 00:18:39,400 Speaker 2: race humanoids apparently liked Teresa. Skip said that the superintelligent 323 00:18:39,441 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 2: being who was hanging out with Teresa actually kind of 324 00:18:41,881 --> 00:18:44,241 Speaker 2: looked like Teresa, that they were the same age and 325 00:18:44,321 --> 00:18:47,561 Speaker 2: both medium height, and he said they ran off together 326 00:18:47,721 --> 00:18:51,880 Speaker 2: to escape our abusive household. After that, Skip told this 327 00:18:52,041 --> 00:18:55,121 Speaker 2: wild story about being attacked by a devil like creature. 328 00:18:55,521 --> 00:18:57,201 Speaker 2: He said he was trying to get down the mountain 329 00:18:57,241 --> 00:19:00,041 Speaker 2: and drive away, but he said the creature basically picked 330 00:19:00,041 --> 00:19:02,801 Speaker 2: his car up somehow and made it hover over the ground. 331 00:19:03,281 --> 00:19:06,201 Speaker 2: Then he said that the entity was actually inside the 332 00:19:06,281 --> 00:19:08,400 Speaker 2: vehicle with him. He said he looked in the rear 333 00:19:08,521 --> 00:19:10,241 Speaker 2: view mirror and saw the face of a man in 334 00:19:10,281 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 2: the back seat. He said he began to believe that 335 00:19:12,641 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 2: he was actually seeing the face of the devil riding 336 00:19:15,121 --> 00:19:18,881 Speaker 2: in his car, so he told Detective Stokes he decided 337 00:19:18,881 --> 00:19:22,361 Speaker 2: to do battle with this devil monster. He told police 338 00:19:22,441 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 2: he started hitting the wooden speaker that was in the 339 00:19:24,401 --> 00:19:27,281 Speaker 2: back of his car, trying to fight this poultergeist, and 340 00:19:27,361 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 2: then he showed the detective a bunch of wounds on 341 00:19:29,961 --> 00:19:33,001 Speaker 2: his hands. He had scratches on his knuckles, scratches that 342 00:19:33,041 --> 00:19:34,721 Speaker 2: he claimed he got while hitting. 343 00:19:34,561 --> 00:19:35,321 Speaker 3: The car speakers. 344 00:19:36,361 --> 00:19:39,360 Speaker 2: Skip told Detective Stokes that he managed to escape this 345 00:19:39,521 --> 00:19:42,281 Speaker 2: devil spirit by calling on the power of Jesus Christ, 346 00:19:42,481 --> 00:19:45,161 Speaker 2: and after he apparently extra sized it, he drove to 347 00:19:45,201 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 2: her friend's house in the North Fork area, but he 348 00:19:47,641 --> 00:19:49,641 Speaker 2: said he returned to the mountains the next day where 349 00:19:49,641 --> 00:19:52,001 Speaker 2: he la saw Teresa. He said she was running through 350 00:19:52,041 --> 00:19:55,201 Speaker 2: the trees with this other humanoid girl. 351 00:19:55,681 --> 00:19:58,321 Speaker 3: He said when he called her name, she didn't respond. 352 00:19:59,161 --> 00:20:02,921 Speaker 2: He then said, apparently unprompted, that detectives wouldn't find any 353 00:20:03,001 --> 00:20:06,201 Speaker 2: evidence of sexual abuse if they found Teresa. Then he 354 00:20:06,321 --> 00:20:08,321 Speaker 2: told detectives that he could have had sex with her 355 00:20:08,321 --> 00:20:10,481 Speaker 2: if he wanted to, but that he refused to do 356 00:20:10,561 --> 00:20:13,641 Speaker 2: it because, quote, that was not in his nature, which, 357 00:20:13,681 --> 00:20:16,521 Speaker 2: of course, is totally contrary to what a lot of 358 00:20:16,561 --> 00:20:21,241 Speaker 2: other people, including Skip's own daughter, told police. So police 359 00:20:21,281 --> 00:20:24,761 Speaker 2: were clearly figuring out that Skip's story made zero sense. 360 00:20:25,321 --> 00:20:28,521 Speaker 2: But could there have been other possibilities. Maybe Teresa went 361 00:20:28,521 --> 00:20:30,721 Speaker 2: out to the mountains with Skip and then something happened 362 00:20:30,721 --> 00:20:33,521 Speaker 2: that caused her to run away and someone else kidnapped her, 363 00:20:34,201 --> 00:20:36,561 Speaker 2: or she was attacked by a wild animal, a bear 364 00:20:36,681 --> 00:20:39,241 Speaker 2: or something else, or maybe she ran off and had 365 00:20:39,241 --> 00:20:40,360 Speaker 2: an accident and fell. 366 00:20:40,921 --> 00:20:44,081 Speaker 3: It was a huge area. There were a lot of possibilities. 367 00:20:43,921 --> 00:20:47,001 Speaker 2: Bad things had happened to other young women in that area. 368 00:20:47,561 --> 00:20:50,521 Speaker 2: And the sad thing is that, like Teresa, many of 369 00:20:50,561 --> 00:20:53,841 Speaker 2: these young women who went missing were not immediately reported 370 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,121 Speaker 2: missing by family. Days, sometimes weeks went by before detectives 371 00:20:58,121 --> 00:21:01,281 Speaker 2: looked for them. In nineteen eighty four, a nineteen year 372 00:21:01,281 --> 00:21:05,041 Speaker 2: old named Kimberly Billy disappeared from Stockton, and the next year, 373 00:21:05,281 --> 00:21:08,801 Speaker 2: sixteen year old Joanne Hobson went missing from the same area. 374 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,681 Speaker 2: Also in nineteen eighty five, a young woman named Robin 375 00:21:11,761 --> 00:21:17,241 Speaker 2: Armtrout vanished from the same area around Stockton's Delmar Park. Later, 376 00:21:17,361 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 2: it was discovered that all three were victims of Lauren 377 00:21:20,481 --> 00:21:23,961 Speaker 2: Herzog and Wesley Shermantine, who the media called the speed 378 00:21:24,001 --> 00:21:28,961 Speaker 2: Freak killers. These guys were heavy metamphetamine users. So far, 379 00:21:29,401 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 2: they had been convicted of four murders, and they're suspected 380 00:21:32,481 --> 00:21:35,801 Speaker 2: in as many as sixty eight others, many involving rape 381 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:39,561 Speaker 2: and torture. Not only were a lot of these young 382 00:21:39,561 --> 00:21:43,001 Speaker 2: women not immediately reported missing, but Many of their remains 383 00:21:43,001 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 2: stayed hidden for a long time, and some have not 384 00:21:46,481 --> 00:21:50,881 Speaker 2: been found to this day. In twenty twelve, Wesley Shermantine 385 00:21:50,921 --> 00:21:54,281 Speaker 2: gave the authorities information, including a map, that led them 386 00:21:54,281 --> 00:21:58,321 Speaker 2: to a burial site in Lynden, California. Police dug to 387 00:21:58,361 --> 00:22:01,121 Speaker 2: the bottom of a well and they found over one 388 00:22:01,281 --> 00:22:05,481 Speaker 2: thousand human bone fragments. They were able to identify the 389 00:22:05,561 --> 00:22:09,801 Speaker 2: remains of Kimberly Billy and Joanne Hobson, but several other victims, 390 00:22:09,881 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 2: including at least one fetus, remain unidentified. 391 00:22:13,321 --> 00:22:14,801 Speaker 3: To this day. 392 00:22:15,601 --> 00:22:20,081 Speaker 2: Another huge question about Teresa Beers case is where was 393 00:22:20,161 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 2: the actual crime scene. Police asked Kip to take them 394 00:22:24,201 --> 00:22:26,961 Speaker 2: to the area where he and Teresa camped out, so 395 00:22:27,401 --> 00:22:30,721 Speaker 2: he led them up into the Sierra Mountains. Detectives did 396 00:22:30,801 --> 00:22:33,041 Speaker 2: find evidence of some kind of a campsite. 397 00:22:33,321 --> 00:22:34,041 Speaker 3: According to the. 398 00:22:33,961 --> 00:22:37,281 Speaker 2: Police report quote, there was a smoldering fire among the 399 00:22:37,321 --> 00:22:40,161 Speaker 2: heavy layer of pine needles that appeared to be somewhat damp. 400 00:22:40,561 --> 00:22:43,241 Speaker 2: The smoldering burnt area was approximately three and a half 401 00:22:43,241 --> 00:22:46,321 Speaker 2: feet wide by eight feet long end quote, so it 402 00:22:46,361 --> 00:22:48,281 Speaker 2: looked like somebody built a fire up there. And they 403 00:22:48,321 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 2: also found Teresa's belongings Detective Stokes noted in the police 404 00:22:52,401 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 2: report that there was a camera and a purse, plus 405 00:22:55,521 --> 00:22:57,761 Speaker 2: articles of clothing that seemed to belong to a female, 406 00:22:58,001 --> 00:23:00,201 Speaker 2: including a white bra and a T shirt with party 407 00:23:00,201 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 2: animals written on it. They opened up the purse and 408 00:23:03,241 --> 00:23:07,961 Speaker 2: found polaroid photos. In the photos was a young woman, 409 00:23:08,001 --> 00:23:11,801 Speaker 2: who they later confirmed was Teresa Bear. There were photos 410 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,281 Speaker 2: of Skip playing the guitar in an area that appeared 411 00:23:14,281 --> 00:23:16,681 Speaker 2: to be that same campsite, and of Teresa hanging out 412 00:23:16,681 --> 00:23:19,521 Speaker 2: there sitting on the same blanket that was spread out 413 00:23:19,641 --> 00:23:21,961 Speaker 2: at the site they were looking at, but there was 414 00:23:22,041 --> 00:23:26,521 Speaker 2: no sign of Teresa. Detective Doug Stokes told Jay O'Connell 415 00:23:26,641 --> 00:23:29,321 Speaker 2: something else about those photos. He said that later on 416 00:23:29,921 --> 00:23:32,801 Speaker 2: he showed the pictures to other investigators and they told 417 00:23:32,881 --> 00:23:34,161 Speaker 2: him something shocking. 418 00:23:35,001 --> 00:23:36,321 Speaker 3: They said the area. 419 00:23:36,001 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: That Skip took them to could not have been the 420 00:23:38,641 --> 00:23:51,761 Speaker 2: area in the pictures. After Skip welch led detectives to 421 00:23:51,801 --> 00:23:54,481 Speaker 2: the campsite where he said he had been with Teresa Bear, 422 00:23:55,001 --> 00:23:58,801 Speaker 2: Detective Doug Stokes showed the polaroids they had found at 423 00:23:58,801 --> 00:24:01,921 Speaker 2: the campsite to some other investigators, people who were familiar 424 00:24:02,001 --> 00:24:05,161 Speaker 2: with that area. The other investigators said that in their opinion, 425 00:24:05,481 --> 00:24:08,201 Speaker 2: the spot where the campsite was that Skip showed them 426 00:24:08,521 --> 00:24:10,481 Speaker 2: could not have been the same spot that was shown 427 00:24:10,521 --> 00:24:11,361 Speaker 2: in the photos. 428 00:24:11,801 --> 00:24:13,121 Speaker 3: Detective Stokes said. 429 00:24:12,961 --> 00:24:15,481 Speaker 2: The other investigators pointed out to him that there was 430 00:24:15,521 --> 00:24:19,041 Speaker 2: another mountain in the background of the pictures they saw. Basically, 431 00:24:19,401 --> 00:24:22,521 Speaker 2: they believed the polaroids were taken at a totally different 432 00:24:22,561 --> 00:24:25,921 Speaker 2: place about twenty miles away in the Sierra National Forest, 433 00:24:26,161 --> 00:24:29,961 Speaker 2: and although Detective Stokes couldn't say exactly which of the 434 00:24:30,041 --> 00:24:33,241 Speaker 2: mountain peaks they were talking about in his book, Jay 435 00:24:33,281 --> 00:24:36,001 Speaker 2: O'Connell said he had done his own research and he 436 00:24:36,121 --> 00:24:38,761 Speaker 2: believed that it was a Maderra peak near an area 437 00:24:38,801 --> 00:24:42,761 Speaker 2: called Ghost Canyon now Ghost Canyon, according to some members 438 00:24:42,761 --> 00:24:45,201 Speaker 2: of Skip's family, was an area where he had hung 439 00:24:45,201 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 2: out in the past. Detective Stokes said he believed Skip 440 00:24:49,201 --> 00:24:51,681 Speaker 2: recreated the fake camp site at the spot where he 441 00:24:51,761 --> 00:24:54,921 Speaker 2: led police to stage a crime scene to make them 442 00:24:54,921 --> 00:24:58,721 Speaker 2: believe that they had actually been camping there. Police started 443 00:24:58,761 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 2: searching for Teresa, Detective Stokes asked for a piece of 444 00:25:01,881 --> 00:25:04,401 Speaker 2: her clothing from John Richmond so the canine dogs could 445 00:25:04,441 --> 00:25:08,080 Speaker 2: get a cent. This is another creepy fact about the 446 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,081 Speaker 2: case that really just shows what kind of terrible situation, 447 00:25:12,201 --> 00:25:14,641 Speaker 2: in my opinion, that Teresa was living in at home, 448 00:25:15,121 --> 00:25:18,401 Speaker 2: because John Richmond gave the detective quote a white pair 449 00:25:18,481 --> 00:25:20,640 Speaker 2: of girls underwear that appeared to be bloodied in the 450 00:25:20,681 --> 00:25:24,241 Speaker 2: crotch area, and then John explained these were in fact 451 00:25:24,361 --> 00:25:26,881 Speaker 2: Teresa's and that she had started her period the day 452 00:25:26,921 --> 00:25:29,801 Speaker 2: before she had been missing end quote. So the book 453 00:25:29,881 --> 00:25:32,761 Speaker 2: asked the same question I had. How did her uncle 454 00:25:33,201 --> 00:25:36,201 Speaker 2: know her minstrel cycle and why would he give detectives 455 00:25:36,201 --> 00:25:37,561 Speaker 2: a pair of bloody underwear? 456 00:25:37,601 --> 00:25:39,281 Speaker 3: It just seems so creepy. 457 00:25:40,721 --> 00:25:43,481 Speaker 2: The area where Skip claimed that he and Teresa had 458 00:25:43,481 --> 00:25:46,921 Speaker 2: came amped was called Brown's Creek, and at the campsite 459 00:25:47,161 --> 00:25:49,801 Speaker 2: police found a blue shirt that Skip confirmed was his. 460 00:25:50,361 --> 00:25:52,640 Speaker 2: It had a white powdery substance in the front pocket. 461 00:25:53,641 --> 00:25:57,640 Speaker 2: On June sixteenth, Skip was arrested. He was released on 462 00:25:57,721 --> 00:26:00,441 Speaker 2: his own recognissance by a judge, but apparently that was 463 00:26:00,481 --> 00:26:03,881 Speaker 2: a mistake. Apparently the judge was unaware that another judge 464 00:26:03,921 --> 00:26:06,241 Speaker 2: had actually put a thirty thousand dollars bail on Skip. 465 00:26:06,761 --> 00:26:09,321 Speaker 2: He was allowed to leave, but two days later he 466 00:26:09,401 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 2: was brought back to jail. And this whole time Skip 467 00:26:12,441 --> 00:26:15,721 Speaker 2: continued to stick to this Bigfoot story. Meanwhile, other people, 468 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,801 Speaker 2: even people in his own family, were asking a lot 469 00:26:18,801 --> 00:26:23,601 Speaker 2: of questions. Skip's nineteen year old nephew, James Welch, came 470 00:26:23,641 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 2: in voluntarily to talk to police. He said he needed 471 00:26:27,121 --> 00:26:30,321 Speaker 2: to talk to someone because he had very important information 472 00:26:30,761 --> 00:26:34,321 Speaker 2: that could help solve the case. He said he had 473 00:26:34,361 --> 00:26:36,961 Speaker 2: gone up into the mountains several times with his uncle. 474 00:26:37,241 --> 00:26:39,880 Speaker 2: He said he knew his uncle very well and that 475 00:26:40,001 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 2: his theory was that Skip had led detectives to a 476 00:26:42,641 --> 00:26:46,001 Speaker 2: fake campsite, that he had actually taken Teresa into Ghost Canyon. 477 00:26:46,521 --> 00:26:49,201 Speaker 2: James said that he thought his uncle quote, was just 478 00:26:49,241 --> 00:26:51,801 Speaker 2: trying to lead us on a wild goose chase end quote. 479 00:26:52,561 --> 00:26:54,641 Speaker 2: James said that he got into an argument with Skip 480 00:26:54,681 --> 00:26:56,721 Speaker 2: at one point, and that Skip had told him about 481 00:26:56,721 --> 00:26:58,801 Speaker 2: what he called a burial site of the devil. 482 00:26:59,161 --> 00:26:59,481 Speaker 3: Again. 483 00:26:59,641 --> 00:27:02,481 Speaker 2: James said he first thought Skip was talking about Bigfoot 484 00:27:02,561 --> 00:27:05,961 Speaker 2: worshiping women in a positive way. He started to realize 485 00:27:06,001 --> 00:27:08,721 Speaker 2: he believed what Skip was talking about was making some 486 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:12,761 Speaker 2: kind of human sacrifice for Bigfoot. He said, in his opinion, 487 00:27:12,801 --> 00:27:16,201 Speaker 2: his uncle was trying to misdirect them, and according to 488 00:27:16,241 --> 00:27:19,521 Speaker 2: the book, James said, Skip actually believed he could get 489 00:27:19,561 --> 00:27:22,400 Speaker 2: publicity from this whole thing, and he wouldn't have to 490 00:27:22,401 --> 00:27:25,401 Speaker 2: do any jail time. He believed, maybe only a year 491 00:27:25,481 --> 00:27:28,561 Speaker 2: or two for a charge like child neglect or child stealing. 492 00:27:29,201 --> 00:27:33,561 Speaker 2: And that's exactly what happened. Police believed that Skip had 493 00:27:33,601 --> 00:27:37,241 Speaker 2: been responsible for Teresa's disappearance, but they had a problem. 494 00:27:37,441 --> 00:27:40,880 Speaker 2: They had no physical evidence and no body. Skip was 495 00:27:40,921 --> 00:27:44,921 Speaker 2: completely unreliable even if he confessed. Now he had already 496 00:27:45,001 --> 00:27:49,881 Speaker 2: lied multiple times to the police. Prosecutors apparently didn't feel 497 00:27:49,881 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 2: they had enough to make a murder charge stick, so 498 00:27:52,241 --> 00:27:55,561 Speaker 2: they charged Skip with child stealing. If he was found guilty, 499 00:27:55,641 --> 00:27:58,201 Speaker 2: he would serve a sentence of up to four years. 500 00:27:58,561 --> 00:28:02,161 Speaker 2: That to me seems to be a shockingly short amount 501 00:28:02,161 --> 00:28:05,601 Speaker 2: of time for that charge. Then the deputy district attorney 502 00:28:05,681 --> 00:28:08,521 Speaker 2: offered Skip a plea bargain. If he pleaded guilty to 503 00:28:08,641 --> 00:28:11,201 Speaker 2: child staaling, he would get a one year sentence, which 504 00:28:11,241 --> 00:28:12,761 Speaker 2: again is ridiculously short. 505 00:28:13,121 --> 00:28:15,201 Speaker 3: But Skip said no to the deal. 506 00:28:15,281 --> 00:28:18,761 Speaker 2: He wanted to go to trial, and in the end, incredibly, 507 00:28:19,321 --> 00:28:22,801 Speaker 2: Skip got zero jail time because the DA's office asked 508 00:28:22,801 --> 00:28:26,441 Speaker 2: that the charges be dismissed. Apparently, according to the book, 509 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,201 Speaker 2: the district attorney felt that if the body was found, 510 00:28:30,241 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 2: and if Skip had already been found guilty of the 511 00:28:32,881 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 2: lesser charge of child staaling, double jeopardy might apply and 512 00:28:36,241 --> 00:28:38,201 Speaker 2: they would never be able to charge him with murder. 513 00:28:38,841 --> 00:28:42,681 Speaker 2: So nothing happened. Skip was free and no new charges 514 00:28:42,681 --> 00:28:47,081 Speaker 2: were brought. Time went on and Teresa Beierre's name very 515 00:28:47,161 --> 00:28:50,281 Speaker 2: quickly dropped out of the news, and when it was mentioned, 516 00:28:50,641 --> 00:28:53,681 Speaker 2: she became just another footnote and a weird tabloid story 517 00:28:53,721 --> 00:28:58,441 Speaker 2: about Bigfoot. Five years after Teresa disappeared, a reporter from 518 00:28:58,441 --> 00:29:01,681 Speaker 2: the Fresno Bee talked to John Richmond. He claimed in 519 00:29:01,681 --> 00:29:03,961 Speaker 2: that interview that he loved Teresa and they were close. 520 00:29:04,601 --> 00:29:07,081 Speaker 2: He told the reporter he believed that she was dead 521 00:29:07,361 --> 00:29:10,841 Speaker 2: or she had been sold into slavery. In March of 522 00:29:10,881 --> 00:29:14,161 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety eight, a little over ten years after Teresa. 523 00:29:13,841 --> 00:29:17,801 Speaker 3: Disappeared, Skip died. He was fifty four years old. 524 00:29:18,521 --> 00:29:22,041 Speaker 2: Sometime around two thousand and eight, John Richmond died of cancer. 525 00:29:28,641 --> 00:29:31,321 Speaker 2: There have been a few articles about this case since then. 526 00:29:31,761 --> 00:29:33,801 Speaker 2: There was one on medium, and at the bottom in 527 00:29:33,841 --> 00:29:36,481 Speaker 2: the comments was a person who claimed to be Skip's 528 00:29:36,481 --> 00:29:40,001 Speaker 2: great niece. This commenter wrote quote he died of a 529 00:29:40,081 --> 00:29:42,481 Speaker 2: drug overdose, so he was never charged with anything else. 530 00:29:43,041 --> 00:29:45,481 Speaker 2: My dad tell this to whoever he can like. It's 531 00:29:45,521 --> 00:29:49,121 Speaker 2: a funny family story. He's adamant that the speed freak 532 00:29:49,161 --> 00:29:51,081 Speaker 2: killers got her and they admitted to it. But I 533 00:29:51,201 --> 00:29:55,281 Speaker 2: never found proof of that end quote. I would love 534 00:29:55,521 --> 00:29:59,081 Speaker 2: to talk to members of Skip's family or John's family 535 00:29:59,081 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 2: who are still out there. I've seen several people claiming 536 00:30:02,241 --> 00:30:04,841 Speaker 2: to be family members or friends of the family commenting 537 00:30:04,881 --> 00:30:07,601 Speaker 2: on these articles. I want everyone to know that I 538 00:30:07,601 --> 00:30:10,801 Speaker 2: would actually really like to talk to these people, because 539 00:30:10,841 --> 00:30:13,561 Speaker 2: I do believe that there could be clues in some 540 00:30:13,601 --> 00:30:17,761 Speaker 2: of these anecdotal stories from years ago about where Teresa's 541 00:30:17,761 --> 00:30:21,361 Speaker 2: body is. Her family was never able to bury her 542 00:30:21,401 --> 00:30:24,801 Speaker 2: and bring her home. No one who knew Teresa ever 543 00:30:24,921 --> 00:30:27,521 Speaker 2: got answers about what actually happened up there in the mountains. 544 00:30:28,161 --> 00:30:31,401 Speaker 2: Did Skip make sexual advances towards Teresa and she refused 545 00:30:31,441 --> 00:30:34,561 Speaker 2: and something went wrong? Could she have run away afterwards 546 00:30:34,721 --> 00:30:37,601 Speaker 2: and then Skip told the Bigfoot story to cover up 547 00:30:37,641 --> 00:30:40,801 Speaker 2: the fact that he made sexual advances toward an underage girl. 548 00:30:41,601 --> 00:30:44,161 Speaker 2: Or could Skip have been high on mess and so 549 00:30:44,361 --> 00:30:47,961 Speaker 2: delusional that he genuinely believed that he saw Teresa run 550 00:30:48,001 --> 00:30:51,761 Speaker 2: away with Bigfoot. But if that was the case, then 551 00:30:51,801 --> 00:30:55,081 Speaker 2: why does Detective Stokes believe that Skip lot about the 552 00:30:55,081 --> 00:30:58,481 Speaker 2: camp site? If he truly believed she ran away with Bigfoot, 553 00:30:58,521 --> 00:31:03,321 Speaker 2: why would he try to mislead investigators Today, no trace 554 00:31:03,401 --> 00:31:06,921 Speaker 2: of Teresa Beer's body has ever been found. She is 555 00:31:07,081 --> 00:31:12,401 Speaker 2: almost certainly still somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, possibly 556 00:31:12,641 --> 00:31:17,721 Speaker 2: in Ghost Canyon. I'm Catherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone 557 00:31:18,001 --> 00:31:21,441 Speaker 2: Murder Line. Helen Gone Murderline is a production of School 558 00:31:21,481 --> 00:31:24,481 Speaker 2: of Humans and iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by 559 00:31:24,521 --> 00:31:28,401 Speaker 2: me Catherine Townsend and produced by Gabby Watts. Special thanks 560 00:31:28,401 --> 00:31:31,441 Speaker 2: to Amy Tubbs for her research assistance and James Wheaton 561 00:31:31,441 --> 00:31:34,761 Speaker 2: for legal review. Noah Caamer mixed and scored this episode. 562 00:31:35,161 --> 00:31:38,321 Speaker 2: Our theme song is by Ben Salek, Executive producers of 563 00:31:38,401 --> 00:31:40,521 Speaker 2: Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, and L. 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