WEBVTT - Hell and Gone Murder Line: Tyler Smith Part 1 0:00:08.285 --> 0:00:17.765 School of Humans. On September fourteenth, twenty eighteen, in Galesburg, Illinois, 0:00:18.165 --> 0:00:21.445 a twenty three year old graduate of Western Illinois University 0:00:21.605 --> 0:00:25.165 named Tyler Smith headed out to party with some friends. 0:00:25.805 --> 0:00:29.165 Tyler had dreams of becoming a police officer. He was 0:00:29.245 --> 0:00:32.525 always super athletic. He played football in high school, and 0:00:32.765 --> 0:00:37.285 after graduating from Western Illinois University, he applied to and 0:00:37.485 --> 0:00:40.845 was accepted into the Police Academy in San Jose, California. 0:00:41.565 --> 0:00:44.685 According to his family, he was one of only fifty 0:00:44.725 --> 0:00:48.365 candidates out of five thousand who were selected for that program. 0:00:48.805 --> 0:00:53.485 Tyler's mom, Sandra, said that Tyler loved California. He loved 0:00:53.525 --> 0:00:57.125 everything about it, especially surfing in outdoor sports. He was 0:00:57.165 --> 0:01:01.885 super excited about his upcoming move. Once he entered law enforcement. 0:01:02.045 --> 0:01:05.685 Tyler hoped to eventually possibly become a DEA agent or 0:01:05.765 --> 0:01:08.965 work with a canine unit. He was starting his life 0:01:09.005 --> 0:01:11.925 and chasing his dream, and he was actually making it happen. 0:01:12.925 --> 0:01:15.645 Tyler had also been in the Army National Guard since 0:01:15.645 --> 0:01:18.765 twenty thirteen, and he had come back to Illinois to 0:01:18.765 --> 0:01:24.205 fulfill his commitment because the next day, September fifteenth, Tyler 0:01:24.325 --> 0:01:29.605 was due to report for drills. Tyler and his friends, 0:01:29.725 --> 0:01:33.685 a guy named Evan and Evan's cousin Robbie, were out 0:01:33.765 --> 0:01:36.725 drinking that night. They were blowing off some steam and 0:01:36.805 --> 0:01:40.445 taking advantage of their last night of freedom. According to 0:01:40.525 --> 0:01:44.485 Tyler's mother, Sandra Halsney, who has been working on a timeline, 0:01:44.885 --> 0:01:47.685 they went to several bars in the area. He and 0:01:47.765 --> 0:01:50.525 his friends left a bar at ten thirty and were 0:01:50.565 --> 0:01:53.485 seen at a nearby atm at around ten forty two. 0:01:54.685 --> 0:01:58.605 Then at some point Tyler got separated from his friends, 0:01:59.125 --> 0:02:01.925 and what happened next is kind of a mystery because 0:02:02.045 --> 0:02:05.245 later his friends told his mother that they were all 0:02:05.685 --> 0:02:10.125 intoxicated that night and they can't remember exactly how they separated. 0:02:10.925 --> 0:02:13.005 I will say I think that one of the things 0:02:13.085 --> 0:02:15.885 that first got to me about this case was the 0:02:15.925 --> 0:02:19.045 fact that, in my opinion, we've all been there. We've 0:02:19.045 --> 0:02:21.445 all gotten separated from our friends, maybe had a little 0:02:21.445 --> 0:02:23.845 bit too much to drink, and not known where we are. 0:02:24.605 --> 0:02:26.525 There are all times in our lives when we've been 0:02:26.565 --> 0:02:28.805 a little bit vulnerable and in a strange place. I 0:02:28.805 --> 0:02:32.325 know it's definitely happened to me. But Tyler was five 0:02:32.365 --> 0:02:35.325 foot eleven and weighed just over two hundred pounds. He 0:02:35.485 --> 0:02:39.125 was very muscular and fit, so it's not surprising he 0:02:39.245 --> 0:02:42.645 probably felt like he could take care of himself. Tyler 0:02:42.765 --> 0:02:46.765 started walking around lost and made several phone calls starting 0:02:46.805 --> 0:02:50.845 at eleven oh five pm. Then at some point he 0:02:50.925 --> 0:02:54.725 stopped answering the phone, and the next morning he never 0:02:54.805 --> 0:02:57.405 showed up at the National Guard Armory to report. At 0:02:57.445 --> 0:03:02.165 seven thirty am, around twelve hours later, his body was 0:03:02.205 --> 0:03:05.245 found in the Cedar Fort Creek area, just two blocks 0:03:05.285 --> 0:03:07.485 away from where he was last seen the night before. 0:03:11.125 --> 0:03:15.125 Since then, Sandra Tyler's father, Keith Smith, and the rest 0:03:15.125 --> 0:03:18.005 of his family have been desperately trying to find out 0:03:18.005 --> 0:03:20.925 what happened to him. How did Tyler end up in 0:03:20.965 --> 0:03:25.845 that drainage ditch, did he fall, did he drown? Or 0:03:26.405 --> 0:03:30.205 could he have been murdered? I'm Catherine Townsend. Over the 0:03:30.245 --> 0:03:33.445 past five years of making my true crime podcast, Helen Gone, 0:03:33.885 --> 0:03:36.725 I've learned there's no such thing as a small town 0:03:36.765 --> 0:03:40.445 where murder never happens. I have received hundreds of messages 0:03:40.445 --> 0:03:43.205 from people all around the country asking for help with 0:03:43.245 --> 0:03:46.965 an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families, and their communities. 0:03:47.725 --> 0:03:49.445 If you have a case, you'd like me and my 0:03:49.485 --> 0:03:51.885 team to look into You can reach out to us 0:03:51.925 --> 0:03:54.445 at our Helen Gone Murder line at six seven eight 0:03:54.845 --> 0:03:58.685 seven four four six one four five. That's six seven 0:03:58.725 --> 0:04:03.045 eight seven four four six one four or five. This 0:04:03.285 --> 0:04:38.805 is Helen Gone Murder Line. Sandra and her son Tyler 0:04:38.845 --> 0:04:41.805 have always been close. In fact, Sandra said she was 0:04:41.845 --> 0:04:43.925 going to drive with him to start his new life 0:04:43.925 --> 0:04:47.925 in California, but before he left town, Tyler made those 0:04:47.925 --> 0:04:50.085 plans for a night out with some of his old friends. 0:04:50.965 --> 0:04:54.045 Sandra said that Tyler told her and his father, Keith, 0:04:54.285 --> 0:04:56.365 that he was planning on staying at a friend's house. 0:04:56.965 --> 0:04:57.565 Here's Sandra. 0:04:58.605 --> 0:05:02.325 And they went out and they were drink king and 0:05:02.685 --> 0:05:06.565 I'm assuming he was celebrating leaving, you know, Drill. So 0:05:06.725 --> 0:05:10.325 that was a big thing for him. And he went 0:05:10.325 --> 0:05:13.565 out with his friends, and you know, he's just turned 0:05:13.565 --> 0:05:15.805 twenty three. I mean, that's what they do. They go out, 0:05:15.845 --> 0:05:18.885 they drink, they have fun. They went to light maybe 0:05:18.965 --> 0:05:22.325 four or five bars. There's just one block of bars. 0:05:22.365 --> 0:05:26.005 They walked everywhere, and so he had went missing and 0:05:26.045 --> 0:05:28.045 he didn't show up for Drill. And I didn't even 0:05:28.085 --> 0:05:30.485 know this until about Saturday, at about four point thirty. 0:05:30.525 --> 0:05:33.845 I got a messenger. I got a phone call from Evan, 0:05:33.885 --> 0:05:36.005 who was this guy that he was supposed to stay with. 0:05:36.805 --> 0:05:39.205 Sandra said she was not familiar with the area where 0:05:39.285 --> 0:05:43.245 Tyler and his friends were, but they weren't worried because 0:05:43.325 --> 0:05:46.285 Tyler was obviously a very physically fit guy who could 0:05:46.325 --> 0:05:50.885 take care of himself. Also, Tyler was gregarious and kind 0:05:51.045 --> 0:05:55.925 and had no issues with talking to strangers. The next day, 0:05:56.525 --> 0:05:59.205 Sandra could not reach her son. Then she got a 0:05:59.205 --> 0:06:01.605 call from Evan, one of the guys who was out 0:06:01.645 --> 0:06:04.645 with Tyler the night before, saying that Tyler never showed 0:06:04.685 --> 0:06:07.565 up for the National Guard drill. This was an immediate 0:06:07.605 --> 0:06:12.005 red flag because Tyler always showed up on time. Sandra 0:06:12.125 --> 0:06:15.565 and Keith made the drive to Gilsburg. They found Tyler's 0:06:15.565 --> 0:06:17.445 car in the driveway of the house where he had 0:06:17.445 --> 0:06:19.965 been staying, but there was no sign of their son. 0:06:20.885 --> 0:06:23.005 They talked to his friends, Evan and Robbie about the 0:06:23.085 --> 0:06:26.565 night before. Basically, the guys said they had all been 0:06:26.605 --> 0:06:28.925 pretty drunk and that after they left the last bar, 0:06:29.245 --> 0:06:31.685 they got separated from Tyler, and they said they hadn't 0:06:31.685 --> 0:06:35.805 seen him since. At some point, Tyler ended up with 0:06:35.925 --> 0:06:40.565 Evan's car keys. They were found in Tyler's Jean's pockets. 0:06:40.605 --> 0:06:43.725 Sandra claims that Evan told her at some point, I 0:06:43.765 --> 0:06:46.485 guess they must have decided that of the three of them, 0:06:46.845 --> 0:06:49.565 Tyler was the most sober, and so he apparently was 0:06:49.605 --> 0:06:52.245 going to drive at one point. Obviously this is not 0:06:52.365 --> 0:06:55.205 a great choice, which I guess they must have realized, 0:06:55.245 --> 0:06:58.645 because in the end none of them drove home. Evan 0:06:58.765 --> 0:07:01.085 said he woke up at five thirty am the next 0:07:01.085 --> 0:07:04.365 morning he realized that Tyler wasn't there, but his stuff 0:07:04.405 --> 0:07:06.325 was there, and his car was parked in the driveway, 0:07:07.045 --> 0:07:11.125 and he knew Tyler still had his car keys. Evan 0:07:11.285 --> 0:07:13.645 started trying to call Tyler. He called him at five 0:07:13.725 --> 0:07:17.005 thirty eight am five forty five am, but Tyler never 0:07:17.045 --> 0:07:20.285 picked up and never responded. Evan texted again a little 0:07:20.285 --> 0:07:25.365 while later, but that text stayed unread. Evan immediately reported 0:07:25.445 --> 0:07:29.085 Tyler missing to the police that morning and also called Sandra. 0:07:29.965 --> 0:07:33.325 Sandra said that she has no reason to doubt any 0:07:33.365 --> 0:07:36.925 of the story that Evan and Robbie told her, and 0:07:37.005 --> 0:07:40.885 that they seemed very cooperative and helpful, but she did wonder, 0:07:41.085 --> 0:07:43.285 just being human, if there could be more to that story, 0:07:43.645 --> 0:07:46.045 maybe they got in some kind of argument, maybe even 0:07:46.125 --> 0:07:49.045 just a minor dumb, drunken argument that can we sometimes 0:07:49.085 --> 0:07:52.045 get into after a long night out. And then she 0:07:52.165 --> 0:07:55.725 wondered if some reason Tyler decided to leave suddenly, and 0:07:55.765 --> 0:07:58.685 maybe he was going to stay somewhere else. That was 0:07:58.765 --> 0:08:01.805 just a possibility. It's also possible that after they split up, 0:08:01.845 --> 0:08:04.405 he went on into another bar by himself. Because it 0:08:04.525 --> 0:08:07.645 seems so weird that he had just randomly disappeared into 0:08:07.685 --> 0:08:08.765 the darkness. 0:08:09.045 --> 0:08:12.405 We don't have clear why he was looking for another 0:08:12.405 --> 0:08:15.245 place to stay. I don't know, you know, I just 0:08:15.445 --> 0:08:19.005 it's I'm not saying Tyler was innocent. He could drink, 0:08:19.045 --> 0:08:20.805 he could party with the best of them, you know, 0:08:20.845 --> 0:08:23.685 he just did four years at the university. The kitchen party, 0:08:23.805 --> 0:08:26.845 you know. But he also had a good head on 0:08:26.885 --> 0:08:28.325 her shoulders. It wasn't stupid. 0:08:31.285 --> 0:08:36.005 Sandra told Dateline that after she and Keith talked to 0:08:36.045 --> 0:08:39.245 Tyler's friends, they went to the police station. Then what 0:08:39.365 --> 0:08:43.005 happened next was horrifying. She said. A pizza delivery guy 0:08:43.165 --> 0:08:46.805 randomly walked in and said something about a body being 0:08:46.845 --> 0:08:51.605 founded nearby creek. She said she sensed immediately that the 0:08:51.605 --> 0:08:56.325 body they found was Tyler. According to the Gailsburg Police Department, 0:08:57.045 --> 0:09:00.525 someone was passing by the Cedar Fork Creek area. They 0:09:00.565 --> 0:09:05.845 found Tyler's body at around seven pm on September fifteenth. 0:09:06.365 --> 0:09:10.685 Forensic testing would reveal that Tyler's body had been lying 0:09:10.725 --> 0:09:15.165 there since early that morning or the night before. He 0:09:15.285 --> 0:09:17.925 was lying face down in about two inches of water. 0:09:18.965 --> 0:09:22.365 Sandras said that from the beginning she thought the case 0:09:22.365 --> 0:09:25.725 should have been investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise, 0:09:26.725 --> 0:09:30.245 but the police very quickly concluded. She said that this 0:09:30.285 --> 0:09:33.685 had been an accident. She said the autopsy was done 0:09:33.725 --> 0:09:36.565 in just thirty one minutes, which she was later able 0:09:36.565 --> 0:09:38.565 to figure out. And I'll get into this in much 0:09:38.605 --> 0:09:41.805 more depth a little bit later and next week through 0:09:41.805 --> 0:09:42.885 her own investigation. 0:09:43.325 --> 0:09:46.445 It's so unfortunate that there's so much information I have 0:09:46.765 --> 0:09:51.125 uncovered so much, and like nothing's being done about it. 0:09:52.485 --> 0:09:55.525 In fact, Sandra's advocacy for her son and her determination 0:09:55.725 --> 0:09:58.845 she has done an incredible amount of work really is 0:09:58.885 --> 0:10:00.885 another one of the main things that made me want 0:10:00.885 --> 0:10:03.445 to look further into this case. As you all know, 0:10:03.685 --> 0:10:05.925 I like to take cases not just a talk about 0:10:05.925 --> 0:10:08.285 what was done, and to bring the case public attention, 0:10:08.765 --> 0:10:12.085 but also I want to help people. I want people 0:10:12.085 --> 0:10:14.725 out there who may be dealing with these situations and 0:10:14.765 --> 0:10:17.525 their homes and their towns and their families to be 0:10:17.565 --> 0:10:20.685 able to advocate for themselves. I want to learn what 0:10:20.765 --> 0:10:23.845 we can from this case, and in my opinion, Sandra 0:10:23.885 --> 0:10:26.445 has done an amazing job of getting information when she 0:10:26.485 --> 0:10:29.925 got frustrated with the police. Because we always struggle with 0:10:29.965 --> 0:10:32.445 that balance. I talk a lot about this. We're always 0:10:32.485 --> 0:10:35.405 trying to ask ourselves, how do we find information and 0:10:35.445 --> 0:10:38.485 do our own detective work and support the police investigation, 0:10:38.885 --> 0:10:41.565 but not interfere with it. We're always trying to get 0:10:41.605 --> 0:10:52.245 that balance right. Tyler's phone was found pretty intact. The 0:10:52.285 --> 0:10:55.725 screen wasn't even cracked. According to Sandra, there was no 0:10:55.805 --> 0:10:59.245 password protect on that phone. So initially this would seem 0:10:59.445 --> 0:11:02.365 like a really good piece of evidence. It seems like 0:11:02.405 --> 0:11:04.605 you'd be able to trace where he was the night 0:11:04.645 --> 0:11:08.005 before using GP. Yes, but there were some complications with that. 0:11:08.725 --> 0:11:10.925 And this is where the difference between what we see 0:11:11.005 --> 0:11:15.605 on shows like CSI and reality really coming to start contrast. Because, 0:11:16.005 --> 0:11:18.405 first of all, at some point in the evening, Tyler's 0:11:18.405 --> 0:11:21.365 battery died, but that wasn't the problem. The data was 0:11:21.365 --> 0:11:24.725 still there. Really, the bigger problem was that apparently Tyler, 0:11:24.965 --> 0:11:27.765 when he was walking around in that neighborhood, that area 0:11:27.885 --> 0:11:31.725 was kind of a dead zone, so GPS tracking apparently 0:11:31.765 --> 0:11:35.365 didn't really work there. Sandra said she was prepared to 0:11:35.405 --> 0:11:38.525 assist with the police investigation, but she said she was 0:11:38.685 --> 0:11:42.365 very surprised when police ruled so quickly that this had 0:11:42.405 --> 0:11:46.405 been what they described as an accidental drowning, even though 0:11:46.645 --> 0:11:51.165 Sandra said she later learned that Tyler had several wounds 0:11:51.165 --> 0:11:53.805 on his body that made her believe that he had 0:11:53.805 --> 0:12:00.245 been viciously assaulted. Sandra told me about the reaction she 0:12:00.325 --> 0:12:03.405 had from police when she came to their office and 0:12:03.445 --> 0:12:06.245 asked to see her son's body. At Lasse came in 0:12:06.405 --> 0:12:10.885 and gave Sandra Tyler's belongings, including his wallet. They told 0:12:10.965 --> 0:12:13.445 her that Tyler smelled of alcohol and that he had 0:12:13.485 --> 0:12:16.845 been found in a creek bed. Now at the time, 0:12:17.005 --> 0:12:20.085 according to Sandra, police said there was no way that 0:12:20.125 --> 0:12:23.005 Tyler had fallen from the distance to where he was found. 0:12:23.965 --> 0:12:28.045 They told her bodies don't just end up there side 0:12:28.125 --> 0:12:31.885 note this would change later, because police later told Sandra 0:12:31.965 --> 0:12:34.565 that they did believe that Tyler had fallen from above 0:12:34.605 --> 0:12:39.205 the railing. Initially, though they said he must have gotten 0:12:39.245 --> 0:12:42.685 down in there somehow fallen and knocked himself out from 0:12:42.725 --> 0:12:47.245 the train tracks above. Just for clarification, there are train 0:12:47.365 --> 0:12:49.885 tracks in the area where Tyler's body was found. The 0:12:49.925 --> 0:12:53.805 ground there is very rocky and uneven. Police told Sandra 0:12:53.845 --> 0:12:57.365 and Keith they believe Tyler had possibly fallen over the 0:12:57.445 --> 0:13:03.165 railing and then drowned, but Sandra questioned that because Tyler's 0:13:03.165 --> 0:13:06.885 body was found face down, her arms were stretched behind 0:13:06.965 --> 0:13:10.605 him and his palms were facing up, So she wondered 0:13:11.005 --> 0:13:14.005 how could he have gotten himself into that position? Why 0:13:14.045 --> 0:13:16.205 would he not try to reach his arms out and 0:13:16.245 --> 0:13:19.445 somehow break his fall if this was an accident, and 0:13:19.525 --> 0:13:22.685 she had other questions about the scene. There were marks 0:13:22.965 --> 0:13:27.085 in the muddy water near one of Tyler's hands that 0:13:27.245 --> 0:13:30.845 to her looked like drag marks, looked like the hand 0:13:30.925 --> 0:13:33.765 impossibly the whole body had been pulled a few inches. 0:13:35.605 --> 0:13:39.805 She also saw marx on Tyler's wrist. Police later told 0:13:39.845 --> 0:13:42.365 her they believed those were from the zip ties when 0:13:42.405 --> 0:13:46.805 they had zipped Tyler into the body bag, but Sandra 0:13:46.925 --> 0:13:50.845 wondered about that post mortem lebidity would normally have settled 0:13:50.885 --> 0:13:54.085 in by the time Tyler's body was found, so could 0:13:54.125 --> 0:13:58.005 those marks she wondered have been from something else, perhaps handcuffs. 0:13:58.565 --> 0:14:01.005 There was also a beer can next to Tyler's body. 0:14:01.645 --> 0:14:05.845 Sandra said that it was never tested for fingerprints. She 0:14:05.925 --> 0:14:09.045 began to suspect that Tyler did not fall into that 0:14:09.125 --> 0:14:15.925 position she believed he was placed there. Police did not 0:14:16.125 --> 0:14:17.845 let her identify Tyler's body. 0:14:18.285 --> 0:14:21.325 I literally begged to see him, and they refused for 0:14:21.365 --> 0:14:22.765 me to see him or I tim I said, but 0:14:22.765 --> 0:14:25.205 I'm his mother, like, don't you need a family member 0:14:25.205 --> 0:14:26.525 in a dam? And they're like no, one of the 0:14:26.525 --> 0:14:28.565 police officers used to drill with your son and she 0:14:28.645 --> 0:14:32.885 knew him and she ided him. Plus he has tattoos 0:14:32.925 --> 0:14:38.805 that match or a tattoo, and I'm like, well, I'd 0:14:38.925 --> 0:14:40.885 like I won't touch him. I'll just look at him 0:14:41.085 --> 0:14:43.085 and promise I won't screw anything up because they're like no, 0:14:43.125 --> 0:14:45.845 his body in a body bag and sip tight and 0:14:46.605 --> 0:14:49.445 everything's evident. And then Steve and I had to drive 0:14:49.525 --> 0:14:53.525 back home to two two and a half hours, you know, 0:14:54.565 --> 0:14:58.325 after finding on our son's dead in this concrete canal 0:14:58.565 --> 0:15:03.685 and with no answers and refusally even see him. So, 0:15:04.565 --> 0:15:07.605 you know, it's just it's just been a nightmare. 0:15:08.525 --> 0:15:11.485 Now, this is not uncommon, A lot of people do 0:15:11.605 --> 0:15:14.485 ask about that. In fact, police departments are moving more 0:15:14.565 --> 0:15:17.325 away from having family members identify the body and doing 0:15:17.325 --> 0:15:20.885 it through DNA or other methods. But Sandra said this 0:15:21.005 --> 0:15:23.565 was traumatic for her. She said they told her the 0:15:23.565 --> 0:15:25.765 body was already in a body bag and that due 0:15:25.805 --> 0:15:28.765 to chain of custody rules, they could not allow her 0:15:28.805 --> 0:15:32.045 to see her son's face. They said they were taking 0:15:32.085 --> 0:15:36.805 Tyler to Peoria for an autopsy. After that, Sandra said 0:15:36.845 --> 0:15:40.165 she did have a conversation with the coroner, Mark Thomas. 0:15:40.485 --> 0:15:42.965 She said that she got a call from Mark Thomas 0:15:43.005 --> 0:15:46.325 on Sunday, September sixteenth, twenty eighteen, and at that time, 0:15:46.445 --> 0:15:49.565 she said, Mark told her that Tyler's autopsy would be 0:15:49.565 --> 0:15:53.205 performed the next day by forensic pathologists from Peoria who 0:15:53.245 --> 0:15:55.165 was going to do a thorough exam. 0:15:55.645 --> 0:15:57.565 I said, well, you're going to make sure that you know, 0:15:57.845 --> 0:15:59.565 she didn't have a brain sleep, right, You're going to 0:15:59.605 --> 0:16:01.445 make sure you can't do X rays writ in the 0:16:01.445 --> 0:16:04.285 street and having broken balls or anything like that. And 0:16:04.485 --> 0:16:07.045 the corner told me, oh, yeah, for sure. He's like, 0:16:07.245 --> 0:16:09.165 you know, they know what they're doing and that'll all 0:16:09.205 --> 0:16:11.565 be done. And then I found out later that, you know, 0:16:11.645 --> 0:16:13.525 once I got the report back, I'm like, did they 0:16:13.565 --> 0:16:15.405 act ray Tyler? And he's like, well, I'm sure they 0:16:15.405 --> 0:16:16.765 did it. Let me look at so I guess they 0:16:16.805 --> 0:16:20.805 did it. It's the corner. You didn't even know you're 0:16:20.805 --> 0:16:22.685 putting this stuff on a death certificate. You don't even 0:16:22.725 --> 0:16:25.925 know if he got X ray. Like, I just closed 0:16:25.965 --> 0:16:26.365 my mind. 0:16:27.965 --> 0:16:31.845 Sandra is no stranger to the medical field, so she 0:16:32.005 --> 0:16:34.525 believed that the coroner and the medical examiner would do 0:16:34.565 --> 0:16:37.445 a thorough job, so she was shocked when she got 0:16:37.445 --> 0:16:40.845 the call after the autopsy was complete. The emmy said 0:16:41.085 --> 0:16:46.165 Tyler's death was caused by drowning, and when that conversation happened, 0:16:46.645 --> 0:16:49.485 Sandra said, they made it sound like Tyler only had 0:16:49.605 --> 0:16:56.085 minor injuries. To Sandra, the investigation seemed rushed. She said 0:16:56.125 --> 0:16:59.085 she was also shocked when she discovered the extent of 0:16:59.125 --> 0:17:01.645 the injuries on her son, injuries she said that were 0:17:01.725 --> 0:17:04.005 much worse than what she had been led to believe. 0:17:04.605 --> 0:17:06.725 She said she was told that Tyler had a small 0:17:06.765 --> 0:17:10.085 scratch on his face, most likely from falling and knocking 0:17:10.165 --> 0:17:14.885 himself out. The funeral home director told her Tyler had 0:17:15.005 --> 0:17:21.045 much more than just a scratch. She finally saw her 0:17:21.085 --> 0:17:24.725 son for the first time on Tuesday, September eighteenth. She 0:17:24.805 --> 0:17:27.325 had his visitation scheduled for the following Friday. 0:17:28.165 --> 0:17:30.245 That's when I knew something's wrong. My cheek was ten 0:17:30.285 --> 0:17:33.325 times the size it should be, and I didn't even 0:17:33.325 --> 0:17:35.485 get to see the one side, you know, And I 0:17:35.765 --> 0:17:38.525 telled this by looking at knuscles were all scratched up. 0:17:38.605 --> 0:17:41.245 That I mean he he could he had a huge 0:17:41.485 --> 0:17:44.485 like he had like a wound in his frontal. 0:17:44.565 --> 0:17:48.685 Area, like temporal frontal area, like what happened to him? 0:17:48.725 --> 0:17:50.845 I thought he had no I was told he had 0:17:50.845 --> 0:17:51.765 a bump on his head. 0:17:53.645 --> 0:17:57.005 It's heart wrenching for me to imagine the scene of 0:17:57.045 --> 0:18:00.405 this mother who was having to have a conversation with 0:18:00.525 --> 0:18:03.525 a funeral director about her son's injuries and how much 0:18:03.605 --> 0:18:05.765 makeup they would need to use. I cannot imagine the 0:18:05.885 --> 0:18:09.445 pain this must have caused her, she said. In the end, 0:18:09.485 --> 0:18:11.725 the funeral director did his best and was able to 0:18:11.765 --> 0:18:18.205 cover up some of the injuries with makeup, while Sandrew 0:18:18.245 --> 0:18:21.725 prepared to bury her son. She kept calling the detective 0:18:21.805 --> 0:18:23.965 to find out what was going on with the investigation. 0:18:25.045 --> 0:18:26.765 She learned they were going to list the cause of 0:18:26.805 --> 0:18:31.605 death as drowning, manner of death undetermined, but police told 0:18:31.645 --> 0:18:34.645 her they did not suspect foul play. According to reports 0:18:34.645 --> 0:18:37.405 by the Knox County Corner in the Galesburg Police Department, 0:18:38.765 --> 0:18:42.005 they believed this was an accident. One of the factors 0:18:42.045 --> 0:18:44.085 that led them to believe that was the fact that 0:18:44.165 --> 0:18:46.925 Tyler's blood alcohol level was er point two four to 0:18:47.005 --> 0:18:50.445 six percent. Now, this is very high. In fact, it's 0:18:50.485 --> 0:18:54.405 almost three times the legal limit. He was clearly intoxicated, 0:18:54.445 --> 0:18:56.405 and he was wandering around in an area he was 0:18:56.445 --> 0:19:00.605 unfamiliar with. So we do have to consider the possibility 0:19:00.685 --> 0:19:02.565 that he did have some sort of accident and no 0:19:02.605 --> 0:19:06.365 one else was involved. Sandra doesn't discount that, but she 0:19:06.525 --> 0:19:09.485 believes that police closed the case much too quickly. 0:19:10.685 --> 0:19:13.005 When I went to go see Tyler, Tyler was found 0:19:13.005 --> 0:19:15.365 to see that. Even said to the police officer, Hey, 0:19:15.405 --> 0:19:18.085 this person over here at camera, you know, did you 0:19:18.085 --> 0:19:20.205 guys check these cameras? Yeah, yeah, you know, Well he's 0:19:20.285 --> 0:19:22.205 like just kind of blew me off. And then when 0:19:22.205 --> 0:19:23.485 we got back to the pay station, I said, well, 0:19:23.525 --> 0:19:25.445 can you call the guy and see if you know 0:19:25.565 --> 0:19:30.445 you can he has still has footage. And he's just like, oh, well, yeah, 0:19:30.485 --> 0:19:32.525 I'll call him. You know, I know him. Blah blah blah. 0:19:32.685 --> 0:19:36.405 Like the officer in Tyler's case was horrible. Every time 0:19:36.405 --> 0:19:38.445 I gave him information, He's like, what's that going to 0:19:38.485 --> 0:19:40.085 tell me? How's that going to tell me? I said, 0:19:40.925 --> 0:19:42.885 it's going to give us something, you know, like did 0:19:42.925 --> 0:19:44.445 you look at video to see if you could find 0:19:44.445 --> 0:19:47.165 Evan walking? Did you look at street video? Did you 0:19:47.205 --> 0:19:49.045 look at the bar video? Did you look at surveillance 0:19:49.125 --> 0:19:52.565 video around? You know? Did you even do like a 0:19:52.685 --> 0:19:54.765 you know, you go and knock on people's doors. Did 0:19:54.805 --> 0:19:57.045 you hear anything, see anything? You know, There's a whole 0:19:57.125 --> 0:19:59.565 list of stuff they were supposed to do, and they 0:19:59.565 --> 0:20:01.685 were supposed to call in the state police to help 0:20:01.725 --> 0:20:04.165 them with the investigation, and they just didn't do that, 0:20:04.805 --> 0:20:07.405 And so they didn't follow any protocol at all, not 0:20:07.645 --> 0:20:09.645 one single bit of it. 0:20:10.845 --> 0:20:14.045 She was also frustrated that at every single turn it 0:20:14.085 --> 0:20:16.525 seemed like she had to gather evidence herself, and the 0:20:16.605 --> 0:20:20.205 costs were mounting. She did for a requests. She said 0:20:20.205 --> 0:20:23.165 she had to pay seventy five dollars for an autopsy report, 0:20:23.285 --> 0:20:26.685 plus an additional one hundred and thirty dollars for the 0:20:26.685 --> 0:20:30.285 pictures of her son's body. She got them on December sixth, 0:20:30.685 --> 0:20:36.765 almost three months after his death. Sandra decided to do 0:20:36.845 --> 0:20:40.405 more of her own investigation. She started following her son's 0:20:40.405 --> 0:20:45.565 digital trail. She started going through his bank account. Sandra 0:20:45.725 --> 0:20:49.405 went through Tyler's email. She found a receipt that showed 0:20:49.525 --> 0:20:52.205 that Tyler had used an ATM at ten forty two 0:20:52.245 --> 0:20:56.045 pm on Friday, September fourteenth at a Wells Fargo bank 0:20:56.085 --> 0:21:00.405 in Galesburg. He withdrew one hundred dollars. She asked the 0:21:00.405 --> 0:21:03.725 police to get video surveillance from Wells Fargo, but says 0:21:03.765 --> 0:21:05.205 she was told that it could take up to six 0:21:05.205 --> 0:21:09.245 weeks and that Wells Fargo were very hard to deal with. Again, 0:21:09.765 --> 0:21:12.565 Sandra said she was made to feel that Tyler's case 0:21:12.765 --> 0:21:18.605 was not a priority. Sandra said where Tyler's body was 0:21:18.645 --> 0:21:21.285 found was in a pretty dangerous area with a high 0:21:21.325 --> 0:21:23.925 crime rate. There are people out on the streets late 0:21:23.965 --> 0:21:26.525 at night, so it seemed to her that it was 0:21:26.685 --> 0:21:29.805 very possible that he encountered someone who assaulted him. 0:21:30.485 --> 0:21:32.605 I even went and found the guy that called nine 0:21:32.685 --> 0:21:35.245 one one. I got the police report and got his 0:21:35.365 --> 0:21:37.845 name and then googled him and showed up at his 0:21:37.885 --> 0:21:39.845 house asking him questions. And he's like, how do you 0:21:39.885 --> 0:21:42.925 know where was I at? Like who told you about me? 0:21:43.245 --> 0:21:45.125 And I'm just like, well, the police report. I got 0:21:45.125 --> 0:21:46.805 your name from fish report and I googled. He's like, 0:21:46.845 --> 0:21:48.485 did they tell you where I lived? I'm like no, 0:21:49.045 --> 0:21:50.645 I'm like, I found you on my own, and he's 0:21:50.725 --> 0:21:52.605 just like, oh, because Keith and I showed up at 0:21:52.645 --> 0:21:55.405 the house, and then that's when he shared his wife 0:21:55.445 --> 0:21:59.325 took a video of what she saw down there, and 0:21:59.365 --> 0:22:02.325 then I had the nine one one call and so 0:22:02.605 --> 0:22:04.645 but I've never really spoke to him since I went 0:22:04.685 --> 0:22:06.965 to his house, and I know the police never even 0:22:07.005 --> 0:22:08.285 followed up with them. 0:22:08.885 --> 0:22:11.085 Since she had not gotten any word from the police 0:22:11.085 --> 0:22:14.445 about the ATM video, Sandra started to look for other 0:22:14.605 --> 0:22:18.445 potential surveillance footage. Law enforcement gave her the rest of 0:22:18.445 --> 0:22:23.285 her son's belongings. This included some change Tyler's watch, a 0:22:23.365 --> 0:22:26.085 vaping device, a snuff box with some pills in it 0:22:26.125 --> 0:22:30.245 that she was told were ibuprofen and seventy two dollars 0:22:30.245 --> 0:22:33.245 in cash that was in his pocket. Now, Sandra thought 0:22:33.245 --> 0:22:36.325 this was very strange because he had gone to the 0:22:36.365 --> 0:22:40.765 ATM at around ten forty two and withdrawn one hundred dollars. 0:22:41.085 --> 0:22:43.565 She had the receipt for that, and she said he 0:22:43.645 --> 0:22:45.605 used his debit card at the bars he was at 0:22:45.645 --> 0:22:48.965 that night, So where was this missing twenty eight dollars? 0:22:49.805 --> 0:22:53.165 Then there was the beer can. She wondered why they 0:22:53.165 --> 0:22:55.645 would just assume that it was unconnected to Tyler, Why 0:22:55.685 --> 0:22:59.485