1 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Halloween, that time of year when, for those in the 2 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 1: northern hemisphere, the air is full of mischief and the 3 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: skies have darkened so perceptibly that we can almost feel 4 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: the quickening hand of winter laying ice upon our necks. 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: Some of us celebrate by going trick or treating with 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: our kids. Others might dress up in elaborate fancy dress 7 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,959 Speaker 1: or in the image of whatever current bogey man has 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: gripped the zeitgeist to shock our friends at parties. More 9 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: still will probably end up sitting at home watching scary movies, 10 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 1: listening to podcasts, or, for the braver among us, participating 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: in a seance or two. It's the time of year 12 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: when the veil between this world and the next is 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: said to be at its thinnest, when spirits walk the earth, 14 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: displaced and restless, to knock on doors and reminders of 15 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: their absence. Alloween or All Hallows Eve, has its roots 16 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: in the ancient Celtic festival of Sowin, a feast marking 17 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. 18 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: As part of the festival, offerings of food and drink 19 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: were left out to honor and appease the dead, ensuring 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: their good will and protection through the dark months ahead. 21 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: Strict adherence to the ritual was paramount lest the ace 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: she or fairy folk punish the human population of the 23 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: land with visitations, spoiled yields, disappearances, and even death. The 24 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: act of dressing up or guising is thought to have 25 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: begun more than two thousand years ago, with people adorning 26 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: animal hides and garish masks in an effort to blend 27 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: in with any malevolent spirits that might appear from the 28 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: other world. The idea being that if the spirits couldn't 29 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: see the human underneath the disguise, they would simply let 30 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: them be. Should you fail to dress up or maintain 31 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: the disguise at just the wrong moment, however, there was 32 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: no telling just what might happen. You're listening to Unexplained 33 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: and I'm Richard McLean Smith. It was Halloween night in 34 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: two thousand and one. In the early hours of November one, 35 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,959 Speaker 1: Down at the Player's Nightclub in State College, Pennsylvania, a 36 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: Halloween party was in full swing. The club on West 37 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: College Avenue, located just a stone's throw from the central campus, 38 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: was a popular hangout for college kids from Penn State University. 39 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: Among the crowd of revelers that night, dying up dance 40 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: floor with a warm, alcoholic buzz with twenty one year 41 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: old seniors Stacy Pack, Lisa Kim, and Hyung Jong Song, 42 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: also known as Cindy the Trio. Like most of everyone 43 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: else there were in fancy dress for the occasion, Cindy 44 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: had opted for a simple bunny costume, complete with ears 45 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: and bushy tail. All three young women had met through 46 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: the close knit Korean Undergraduate Student Association and had soon 47 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: become inseparable. The Player's nightclub was one of their favorite hangouts. 48 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: They could often be found there most Thursday nights, as 49 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: Cindy wasn't working her weekly shift at the university's laptop library. 50 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: That night had been an especially fun occasion for them. 51 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: It wasn't just the buzz of it being Halloween and 52 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: how such nights seemed to charge the air with just 53 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: that little bit more electricity. It was Cindy herself, or 54 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: rather the old Cindy. For the best part of a month, 55 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: Cindy had been carrying the weight of a broken heart. 56 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: She and her ex had been seeing each other for 57 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: six months and even shed an apartment together before he 58 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: abruptly called the whole thing off and moved out. For 59 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: the Korean student, so far from home with no close 60 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: family to turn to, it had been a difficult few weeks, 61 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: but slowly the bright smile for which she had become 62 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: renowned on campus was returning. That night, down at the 63 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: Player's nightclub, it seemed as though she was finally back 64 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: to her usual self. Shortly before two a m. With 65 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: the night club about to close, Stacy suggested they head 66 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: to another party at a friend's place in the university's 67 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: park Hill apartment complex, a short drive away along East 68 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: Beaver Avenue. The three young women, joined by another friend, 69 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: emerged from the club moments later and stepped out into 70 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 1: the chill autumn air up above a large waxing gibbus 71 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: dissolved intermittently between passing clouds as they clambered into Stacy's car. 72 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: The party at park Hill was petering out by the 73 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: time Cindy and her friends arrived. After another hour or so, 74 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: they decided to call it a night. Around three thirty am. Stacy, Lisa, 75 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: and Cindy stepped back out into the chilly morning air, 76 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: bundled back into Stacy's car, and set off towards Cindy's apartment. 77 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: As the car made its way through town, they passed 78 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: the occasional eerily costumed straggler swaying drunkenly on the sidewalk, 79 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: like a lost extra from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But 80 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 1: before long they were heading out beyond the crowded bars 81 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 1: and well lit downtown streets, to where the roads grew quieter, 82 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: the houses further apart. Inside the car, the girl sat 83 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: in a kind of dreamy silence, half drunk, half tired, 84 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: watching the spindly silhouettes of the trees as they passed, 85 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: in that strange early morning calm that comes after hours 86 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: of noise and dancing. The smell of smoke, cheap vodka, 87 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: and perfume hung in the air Up above. The moon 88 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: seemed to follow them, sliding silently between drifting clouds, keeping 89 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: pace over the rooftops and empty sidewalks. Finally, they arrived 90 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: at Cindy's apartment, just off West Clinton Avenue. The College 91 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: Park complex where Cindy lived was purpose built student accommodation, 92 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: comprising a dozen or so buildings, each with about twelve apartments, 93 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: and so A light, misty rain was falling as they 94 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: pulled up Stacy and Lisa said their goodbyes to Cindy 95 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: as she stepped out of the car. The complex was 96 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: deadly silent, with not another soul in sight as they 97 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: waved her off. They watched on for a moment as 98 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: she drew closer to her door, Then, eager to get 99 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: to bed themselves, Stacy started up the engine and drove off. 100 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: It was sometime in the afternoon the following day that 101 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: Yong Chu Kim, also known as Katherine, Cindy Song's flatmate, 102 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: returned home. Katherine had missed the previous night's celebrations, having 103 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: been away in Philadelphia. She and Cindy had made plans 104 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: to hang out that afternoon, and she was looking forward 105 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: to catching up on any gossip from the party. When 106 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: Catherine arrived, she found the front door locked from the outside, 107 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: so it wasn't a huge surprise to find no sign 108 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: of Cindy inside, But as the afternoon turned to evening, 109 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: Cindy was still yet to appear. Text to Cindy's phone 110 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: went unanswered, but Catherine wasn't immediately concerned. There were countless 111 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: places she could have been. Perhaps she'd hooked up with 112 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: someone the night before, she thought, or had picked up 113 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: a last minute shift at one of her two jobs, 114 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: but when there was still no sign of her the 115 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: following morning, Catherine began to worry. Weirdly, Stacy and Lisa 116 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: hadn't heard from them either, since they'd last seen her 117 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: two nights before. It was around this time that Catherine 118 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: spotted the fake eyelashes Cindy had warned for Halloween on 119 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: her bedside table, suggesting she had at least made it 120 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: back inside the apartment after Stacy dropped her off. Catherine 121 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: also found a bag that Cindy had used that night, 122 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: containing a change of clothes and something else too, her 123 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: mobile phone. It had been in the apartment the whole 124 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: time that Catherine had been trying to contact her. Now 125 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: Cyndy's friends were really starting to panic. Calls were made 126 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: to the laptop library and the Korean restaurant where Cindy 127 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: also worked. Her ex boyfriend and Cindy's aunt, Young Kim, 128 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: who lived in Virginia, were also contacted, but neither had 129 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: spoken to her recently. It appeared incredibly that at some point, 130 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 1: after being dropped off by Stacy and her flatmate, returning 131 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: the following day, she had completely vanished off the face 132 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: of the earth. When there was still no word from 133 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: her by the morning of Sunday, November fourth, Stacy contacted 134 00:09:49,080 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: the Ferguson Township Police Department and reported Cindy missing. Yon 135 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: Jong Song or Cindy, who like many of her Korean friends, 136 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: took an anglicized name to ease her transition into America, 137 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: was born and raised in Seoul. After moving to the 138 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: United States in the mid nineteen nineties, she lived with 139 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: her aunt Young Kim in Springfield, Virginia. After graduating high school, 140 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: she enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, where she majored for 141 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: a bachelor's degree in integrative arts. Her ambition must to 142 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: one day be a successful graphic and fashion designer. Though 143 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: things had been hard initially moving to a whole new 144 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: country and culture, by two thousand and one America felt 145 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: very much like a second home. She had a close 146 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 1: knit circle of friends and an active social life, and 147 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: often took to her personal penn State web page to 148 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: share her various loves like Van Goch and Ben and 149 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: Jerry ice cream, or to proudly promote things that her 150 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: friends had been working on. She enjoyed running and swimming, 151 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:12,160 Speaker 1: but disliked fakers and selfish people. Fun, she said, was 152 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: anything except hardcore drugs. When police first arrived at her 153 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: apartment to investigate, they began by questioning her friends about 154 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: her last known movements. All shared what they knew, which 155 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: in essence wasn't much. Cindy had been in good spirits 156 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: that night, they said, Stacy had dropped her off at 157 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: her apartment, and though she hadn't seen her enter the property, 158 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: the fact they later found her fake eyelashes, bag and 159 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 1: phone inside was clear evidence that she had made it home. 160 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 1: A more thorough inspection of the apartment revealed no signs 161 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:53,199 Speaker 1: of a struggle inside or outside. Nothing of Cindy's, as 162 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: far as anyone could tell, appeared to be missing, except 163 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: for her keys and wallet, which contained her ID and 164 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,960 Speaker 1: credit cards. Detective Brian Sprinkle, who led the case, wanted 165 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: to keep an open mind, hoping that maybe she'd just 166 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: left spontaneously for some time away, but certain details made 167 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: him wonder if she'd done something far more drastic. Cindy's 168 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,319 Speaker 1: friends said she'd been in good spirits the night she disappeared, 169 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: but in reality things were a little more complicated. Although 170 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: she'd been doing better in recent days, She'd also been 171 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: taking medication and seeing a therapist to help get over 172 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: her break up. Cindy's home in America outside of university 173 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: was her aunt Young Kim's house in Springfield, Virginia. As 174 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: her aunt quietly explained to the police, the last time 175 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 1: she'd seen Cindy, she seemed unusually quiet and distant. Cindy's mum, Benson, 176 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 1: back in South Korea, who Cindy was much more open 177 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: with than her aunt, was horrifying to learn that her 178 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:05,719 Speaker 1: daughter was missing. She too, recounted how devastated Cindy had 179 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: seemed after the break up. Then police discovered this on 180 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: Cindy's personal Penn State web page, written just a week 181 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: before she disappeared. Sad but happy, crying but laughing, ugly 182 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: but pretty, hungry but full, hurt but fine, weak but strong. 183 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: I pretend and this is me. Despite the mounting evidence 184 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: that Cindy might have killed herself, in truth, the idea 185 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 1: never really sat right. The more detective Sprinkle learned about her, 186 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 1: the more out of character it seemed. She was studious 187 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: and a reliable employer. The owner of the Sole Garden 188 00:13:56,679 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: restaurant where Cindy worked part time as a server was 189 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: effusive about her dependability and work ethic. She even dropped 190 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: in occasionally on her days off to spend time with 191 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: the owner's young children and to do something without even 192 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: leaving a note. It just didn't fit. When officers searched 193 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: Cindy's apartment, they found tickets for a Britney Spears concert 194 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: due the following week that she'd been hugely excited about. 195 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: Pinned to her wall. Alongside that was a letter and 196 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: resume she'd been working on for a graphic design internship 197 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: that she was hoping to get onto the following year. Perhaps, 198 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: then wandered Detective Sprinkle, maybe she really had just simply 199 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: run away and wanted to be alone for a short time. 200 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: But as the days went by, that supposed alone time 201 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: just got longer and longer, and Cindy didn't come back. 202 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: To Detective Brian Sprinkle and many of his colleagues, it 203 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: was beginning to look like something altogether different had happened. 204 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: Across the road from Cindy's apartment was the twenty four 205 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: Hour Giant Supermarket. It was often used by students on 206 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: a late night essay binge looking for refreshments, or indeed 207 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: by anyone who might just be looking for snacks to 208 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: stave off a hangover in the early hours of the morning. 209 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: That Cindy appeared to have left the flat only with 210 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 1: her wallet and keys could imply that she merely left 211 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: to go to the store with the full intention of 212 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: coming home immediately after. After all, what would she need 213 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: her phone for on a quick dash to the shops 214 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: at five am in the morning. If this is what happened, 215 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: there were only a few likely possibilities for what had happened. 216 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: She'd been the victim of a hidden run that someone 217 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: had tried to cover up, or she'd been deliberately attacked 218 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: or abducted and possibly murdered. On her student web page, 219 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: Cindy listed her strong qualities as creativity, responsibility, and her 220 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 1: unbounding energy. Under weaknesses, she said that she was too gullible. 221 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: Others agreed she had a tendency to naively assume the 222 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: best of everyone. Perhaps some wondered she'd been approached by 223 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: someone on her way back from the supermarket asking for help, 224 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: and Cindy had stopped to speak with them, only for 225 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: them to then attack her. Either way, all speculation was useless. 226 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: What the police needed was evidence something to point to 227 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: a crime being committed. Just over a week after Cindy disappeared, 228 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: the first search teams assembled outside Cindy's apartment block while 229 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: the heavy hum of a police search helicopter buzzed overhead. 230 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,360 Speaker 1: Numbering about twenty to thirty people, the team was compiled 231 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: from members of the Ferguson Township Police, as well as 232 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: Center County and Elk County Search and Rescue departments. They 233 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: focused first on the wooded area and bike paths immediately 234 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: to the west of Cindy's apartment, but eventually stretched across 235 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,640 Speaker 1: to Brier Green on the eastern edge of town. Teams 236 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: worked methodically plodding along under colorless skies as they searched 237 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: for a body, jewelry, clothing, bank cards, or anything else 238 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: belonging to Cindy. Search docs yanked at their leads, eagerly 239 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:46,920 Speaker 1: sniffing at whatever patch of undergrowth they could find. CCTV 240 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: from the Giants Superstore was investigated, and Cindy's email and 241 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:55,639 Speaker 1: bank cards were monitored. Cindy's ex boyfriend and others were 242 00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: questioned over their possible involvements while all over town. Cindy's 243 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: face with her characteristically bright smile peered out from posters 244 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: and leaflets with requests for any information. They detailed Cindy's particulars. 245 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:16,200 Speaker 1: Twenty one year old Asian female, black hair, brown eyes, 246 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: height around five foot two, last seen in the early 247 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: hours of November first, wearing a rabbit costume consisting of 248 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: a pink sleeveless shirt with a rabbit imprinted on the front, 249 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: a white tennis skirt with a cotton bunny tail attached 250 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: to the back, brown sweded knee high boots, rabbit ears, 251 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: and a red knee length hooded parker, but all of 252 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: it was to no avail. The CCTV footage had already 253 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 1: been taped over by the time the police got to it. 254 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,360 Speaker 1: Cindy's e mail and bank carts remained inactive throughout. All 255 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: potential suspects were eliminated, and the search teams found nothing. 256 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: After three solid weeks of investigating, Detective Brian Sprinkle and 257 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: the Ferguson Township Police Department had failed to find one 258 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: single clue as to what might have happened to Cindy. 259 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: Due to complications with Cindy's father's health, it wasn't until 260 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: late November that Cindy's mother Pensun and brother Kihor were 261 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 1: finally able to fly out to the States to do 262 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:30,440 Speaker 1: what they could to help for Cindy's mother, especially already 263 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: enduring a life away from her daughter on the other 264 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: side of the world. It's impossible to articulate the sadness 265 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: she must have felt as she sat for the first 266 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: time on her daughter's bed, surrounded by all her things, 267 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 1: feeling for all the world as though she might step 268 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: through the door at any minute. They were adrift on 269 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: a sea of grief. Cindy's brother vowed that they would 270 00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: stay in town until Cindy's case was resolved. As November 271 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 1: turned to December, the nightmare showed no sign of ending. 272 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 1: Around one thirty am in the morning of Friday, December seventh, 273 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: police received an anonymous phone call from a woman claiming 274 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: she had some vital information relating to Cindy's case. Police 275 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 1: tracked the call back to a phone line located downtown 276 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,439 Speaker 1: on East College Avenue, but they never heard from the 277 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: caller again. Penn State University put up a twenty seven 278 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: thousand dollar reward for any information that would lead to 279 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:42,479 Speaker 1: a breakthrough in the case, but as two thousand and 280 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: one came to an end, no one came forward with 281 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:50,439 Speaker 1: anything useful for Cindy's family. The lack of movement in 282 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: the case was devastating. After a further month of nothing, 283 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:59,679 Speaker 1: they conducted a press conference accusing Ferguson Township PD of 284 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: fail to commit sufficient time and attention to Cindy's disappearance. 285 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,640 Speaker 1: On New Year's Day two thousand and two, thirteen year 286 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: old Alicia Kazakivich was abducted from her home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 287 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: After a fevered search was mounted for her, involving fifty 288 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:23,359 Speaker 1: FBI agents, Alicia was eventually found alive three days later, 289 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: chained up at the home of her abductor. Cindy's family 290 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 1: wanted to know why it was that the disappearance of Alicia, 291 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 1: who was white, had merited such a profoundly different response 292 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 1: to Cindy's disappearance, for whom it took the police a 293 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 1: whole week before they began searching for her in earnest. 294 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: Though Alysia was a minor compared to the more self 295 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 1: reliant and autonomous twenty one year old Cindy, who had 296 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 1: possible reasons to electively disappear, there was some considerable justification 297 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,120 Speaker 1: to the anger. The police department's response was to cut 298 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 1: off all communication with Cindy's family. Either way, none of 299 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: it brought Cindy home. Then, on February thirteenth, the police 300 00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: received a possible tip off. It came from a woman 301 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, nearly two hundred miles from where Cindy was 302 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: last seen. The caller claimed she'd spotted someone that looked 303 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: like Cindy in a car in the city's Chinatown district. 304 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,719 Speaker 1: The young woman appeared distressed and even called out for 305 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,919 Speaker 1: help before the man she was with quickly intervened, telling 306 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 1: the witness to get lost. According to investigators, however, the 307 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: witness's story changed so many times following her initial testimony 308 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:51,879 Speaker 1: they couldn't verify her statements in any meaningful way. Several 309 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 1: attempts were made to identify the man, who was described 310 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: as having an olive or light brown skin complexion and 311 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: medium length hair, but nothing came of it. Detective Sprinkle 312 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: described Cindy's disappearance as the most baffling case he'd ever 313 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:14,680 Speaker 1: been involved with. By May two thousand and two, he 314 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 1: was at a complete loss and just about ready to 315 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: accept any kind of help. Back in September, two thousand 316 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: and one, nineteen year old Penn State student Ryan Buell 317 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: established the Penn State Paranormal Research Society. The twenty five 318 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 1: member strong group had been in discussions with self described 319 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 1: psychic Carla Barron about giving a talk to the organization 320 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:45,160 Speaker 1: when it occurred to Buell that maybe she could help 321 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: the investigation. Detective Sprinkle felt he had nothing to lose. 322 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 1: Carla Barron was based in Los Angeles, but had a 323 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:08,439 Speaker 1: connection with Pennsylvania, having graduated from lock Haven High School, 324 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:13,159 Speaker 1: about forty miles north from where Cindy disappeared. With her 325 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 1: own radio show, The Crystal Palace and regular appearances on MTV, 326 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: Barron claimed to have assisted in over fifty criminal cases 327 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: in Mexico and the United States, including the O. J. 328 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: Simpson and John Bennet Ramsey cases. Over a number of 329 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:34,479 Speaker 1: phone calls with Detective Sprinkle in May, Barron made the 330 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,959 Speaker 1: startling claim that she'd made contact with Cindy's spirit. There 331 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: were three to four men involved. She'd said they'd loaded 332 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: her into a vehicle with the intention of carrying out 333 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: a sexual assault. It wasn't very long before she crossed over, 334 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: she added solemnly. Over the next few weeks on the 335 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: phone to Sprinkle, Barren relayed a series of visions she 336 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:05,440 Speaker 1: claimed to have regarding Cindy's disappearance. According to Baron, she'd 337 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: seen the image of an Asian word carved into a 338 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: tree in Two Deck Park, a small recreational ground right 339 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: next to Cindy's apartment complex. Another vision involved a wooded 340 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: area and water, as well as some kind of electrical 341 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: device lying close to a railroad crossing. She couldn't say 342 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,679 Speaker 1: what any of it meant exactly, only that all of 343 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: it was linked to Cindy. In August, Sprinkle invited Baron 344 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: to come down to State College to investigate the area 345 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: for herself. Walking together through Two Deck Park, Carla found 346 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: herself drawn to one of the trees at the park's periphery. 347 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 1: Moving closer to it, Detective Sprinkle felt the hares stand 348 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,199 Speaker 1: up on the back of his neck. An Asian word 349 00:25:55,320 --> 00:26:00,119 Speaker 1: had been carved into it. Later, the pair made their 350 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: way out to Curtain Village, the site of an old 351 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: iron works nestled away on the banks of Bald Eagle Creek, 352 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:11,719 Speaker 1: about twenty miles north of State College. Although the works 353 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: had closed down in the nineteen twenties, the vacated buildings 354 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: remained Today, it's preserved as a kind of ghost town. 355 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: It was eerie enough out there in the pastoral silence, 356 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: surrounded by the old furnace stack, gristmill, and the long 357 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:35,439 Speaker 1: abandoned grand iron Master's mansion house. Detective Sprinkle eyed it 358 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,919 Speaker 1: all suspiciously, wondering if this was where Cindy had been taken, 359 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 1: or if her body might even still be there. Having 360 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: found nothing untoward, Detective Sprinkle and Carla headed into the 361 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: surrounding trees until they stumbled upon a railroad crossing, where 362 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:58,199 Speaker 1: right beside it was some kind of electrical device, just 363 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:02,440 Speaker 1: as Carla claimed to have seen her visions. The detective 364 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: was astounded, Though none of it led to anything concrete. 365 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 1: At that point in time, Detective Sprinkle remained convinced that 366 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: quote a good deal of the information Carla had provided 367 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: would help them crack the case. On the twenty first 368 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: of that month, Cindy's case was featured on an episode 369 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 1: of Unsolved Mysteries, leading to another bump of public interest. 370 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,160 Speaker 1: A string of tips and apparent sightings followed, but once 371 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,719 Speaker 1: again all of it came to nothing. Over time, with 372 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: no solid leads to bring investigators any closer to finding 373 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: an answer, interest in the case began to fade. It 374 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: was late March two thousand and three, eighteen months since 375 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: Cindy Song vanished into thin air, when Luzerne County Homicide 376 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: to Teensive Lieutenant Gary Kapitano got a call out of 377 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: the blue from an old friend. The man was calling 378 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 1: on behalf of his niece, Ellen Smarker, from Wilkes Barry, 379 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: a town about one hundred and forty miles east of 380 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: State College, who had fallen victim to a string of 381 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:21,480 Speaker 1: recent burglaries. He wanted to know if Detective Capitano could 382 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:25,360 Speaker 1: do him a favor and look into it. Happy to oblige, 383 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: Capitano had called Ellen and asked if she had any 384 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: idea who the perpetrators might be. She gave him two names, 385 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: Hugo Celenski and Paul Weekly. Ellen had grown up with Hugo, 386 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 1: who had a string of prior charges of robbery. Paul 387 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: Weekly was his flatmate. As it happened, Weekly was at 388 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: that point in prison serving time for an unrelated robbery. 389 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,520 Speaker 1: It seemed reasonable to think there was a good chance 390 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:58,480 Speaker 1: he had also robbed Ellen's house, so Detective Capitano decided 391 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: to pay him a visit. Weekly thankfully agreed to talk 392 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 1: with him, alongside his attorney, Tom Cometta. Capitana was somewhat 393 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: surprised when Weekly quickly informed him that he couldn't possibly 394 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:16,160 Speaker 1: have robbed Ellen's house on the night in question. That night, 395 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 1: he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet while on federal probation, 396 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: and records showed he was home at the time. Why then, 397 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 1: thought the detective had. He agreed to speak to him, 398 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: as weeakly explained, then he wanted to inform on the 399 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: guys who actually did it, in the hope that his 400 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: present sentence would get reduced. When Detective Capitana agreed to 401 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: see what he could do, Weakley gave him two names, 402 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 1: Hugo Celenski and Patrick Russin. The detective duly noted them down, 403 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: then got up to leave. Then Weekly's attorney called him back. 404 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: Cap He said, there's more, sit down. What Poor Weekly 405 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 1: told him next was almost too grotesque to believe. He 406 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: claimed that Hugo Selenski had also murdered multiple people, possibly 407 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: as many as sixteen, and that their bodies were buried 408 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 1: on Selenski's property in the nearby Kingston Township. Among the dead, 409 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 1: Weekly set was a young woman he'd picked up from 410 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 1: State College, a woman who'd been wearing bunny ears when 411 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: she was abducted back in two thousand and one, Cindy Song. 412 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: The very next day after his astonishing claim, Detective Capitano 413 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: interviewed Poor Weekly more extensively. Weekly claimed that during the 414 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: summer of two thousand and two, he'd seen Selenski's dog 415 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,760 Speaker 1: carrying a dismembered human arm around in its mouth. He 416 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: said he'd spotted the bodies of a woman and child 417 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: in a well while working on Selensky's water system, and 418 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: had seen bone fragments and a jawbone under the porch. 419 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: But it was the story about Cindy's Song that particularly 420 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: caught the investigator's attention. According to Weekly, Zelensky told him 421 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: in April two thousand and two that he and a 422 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: man named Michael Kokovsky had abducted a young woman from 423 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 1: State College, believing she was a sex worker. Krkovsky allegedly 424 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:30,959 Speaker 1: said he had its way with her and kept her 425 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 1: at his Hunlock Creek home until she died. Weekly acclaimed 426 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: Kokovsky had kept the bunny ears song was wearing as 427 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: part of her Halloween costume as a souvenir. Michael Krkovski 428 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: was a pharmacist from Hunlock Creek who pleaded guilty to 429 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: running a prescription drug rink that netted at least eight 430 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars and was about to be sentenced when 431 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: he and his girlfriend Tammy Fassett were reported missing in 432 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: men two thousand and two. They were both thirty seven 433 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 1: years old. Weekly informed police that Selensky had in fact 434 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: murdered Kikovski and Facet, fearing they might lead the police 435 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 1: to him after he allegedly discovered that Kokovsky had kept 436 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: Cindy's bunny ears. The following morning, June fifth, a team 437 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: of investigators, along with Paul Weekly, made the short journey 438 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: along tree lined country lanes out to Hugo Selensky's seven 439 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: acre property on Mount Olivet Road. When they arrived, Selensky 440 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 1: was preparing to host a graduation party for one of 441 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 1: his sisters, with workmen setting up a tent for the 442 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 1: occasion in the yard. They handed him a warrant to 443 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: search his property. Selensky's face went pale as some officers 444 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: took him inside for questioning Weekly proceeded to lead the 445 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,120 Speaker 1: others around the property, pointing out places where he claimed 446 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: the bodies had been buried. The investigators began to dig. 447 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 1: It wasn't long before they found something. Located about twenty 448 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: feet from a corner of the house, close to a well, 449 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: were two sets of human remains in a shallow grave, 450 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: their wrists still bound together with zip ties, and the 451 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 1: excavation didn't stop there. Over the next few days, officials 452 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:30,760 Speaker 1: unearthed the badly charred remains of two more bodies, as 453 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:34,840 Speaker 1: Weekly continued to direct them around the property, pointing out 454 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: places where he claimed to have seen bones. According to him, 455 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 1: Selensky had as many as twelve of his victims buried 456 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: in the garden. Selenski's girlfriend, Christina Strom, to whom the 457 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: property actually belonged, had lived there the entire time, with 458 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:57,080 Speaker 1: no idea whatsoever that she did so, surrounded by dead bodies. 459 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: In the end, despite Weekly insistence there was more, after 460 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: thirty eight days of digging, the police only succeeded in 461 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 1: finding five sets of remains. After DNA analysis, two were 462 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: found to be pharmacist Michael Kokowski and its partner Tammy Fassett. 463 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:20,400 Speaker 1: Another two were identified as twenty nine year old Frank 464 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:25,080 Speaker 1: James and twenty three year old Addie assasss Keeler, alleged 465 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,680 Speaker 1: drug dealers who Selenski had apparently killed back in May 466 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: two thousand and three before burning their bodies in a pit. 467 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 1: Although the fifth body was impossible to identify, its DNA 468 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:49,040 Speaker 1: was not a match for Cindy's. A short time after 469 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 1: the gruesome discovery at Hugo Selenski's property, police searched Paul 470 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: Weekley's home. On his computer, they found a slew of 471 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: downloaded information about Cindy Song's disappearance from the Internet. It 472 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:07,400 Speaker 1: appeared that Weekly had researched the case thoroughly before electing 473 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:11,800 Speaker 1: to speak to the police about it. Detective Capitano knew 474 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 1: that Weekly wanted to share information in the hope of 475 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,720 Speaker 1: reducing a prison sentence he was serving at the time. 476 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,920 Speaker 1: What emerged over the next few weeks was an even 477 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,360 Speaker 1: more disturbing picture. Weekly, who first met Selensky in prison 478 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,880 Speaker 1: in the nineteen nineties, eventually admitted that it was in 479 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,880 Speaker 1: fact he who had plotted with Selenski to kidnap Kokovsky 480 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: and his girlfriend Tammy, with the intention of extorting them 481 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:42,000 Speaker 1: for money. In the end they had killed them both. 482 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:47,399 Speaker 1: Weekly acknowledged under cross examination that he misled the authorities 483 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: early in the investigation because he wanted to pin it 484 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 1: all on Selenski. My stories had a lot of holes 485 00:35:54,640 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: in them, he said, I told numerous lies. On October sixth, 486 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, Hugo Selenski was charged with two 487 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 1: counts of homicide in the deaths of James and Keeler, 488 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: and was also eventually charged with killing Kokovsky and Facet two. However, 489 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 1: it would take until January twenty fifteen, more than twelve 490 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:21,520 Speaker 1: years after the bodies were discovered, before Selenski finally stood trial. 491 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:26,279 Speaker 1: Paul Weekly, forty six years old, by then, avoided a 492 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:30,560 Speaker 1: potential death sentence by pleading guilty to federal charges, having 493 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,839 Speaker 1: already been sentenced to life in prison in June two 494 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:39,200 Speaker 1: thousand and eight. In February twenty fifteen, Hugo Selenski was 495 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 1: sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Despite the hollowness of 496 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:49,800 Speaker 1: Poor Weekly's accusation that Zelenski had been involved in Cindy 497 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: Song's murder, Detective Brian Sprinkle and his team back in 498 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:59,320 Speaker 1: the Ferguson Township Police department remained haunted by his claims. 499 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:03,759 Speaker 1: Could there really be more bodies on Selenski's property just 500 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:08,320 Speaker 1: waiting to be uncovered? Might one of them be Cindy's. 501 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,760 Speaker 1: In the end, investigators were never able to connect Hugo 502 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: Selenski to Cindy's disappearance, As State Police Sergeant Stephen Byron, 503 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:23,840 Speaker 1: who was heavily involved in her investigation, put it, we 504 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:27,960 Speaker 1: looked at everything. We haven't uncovered one piece of evidence 505 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 1: to corroborate this. In October two thousand and four, shortly 506 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:44,319 Speaker 1: after Hugo Selenski and poor Weekly's arrests, frustrated at having 507 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:48,720 Speaker 1: come to yet another dead end, Detective Brian Sprinkle turned 508 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: once more to self described psychic Carla barn This time, 509 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:58,000 Speaker 1: Detective Sprinkle and Carla agreed to let ABC News film 510 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:02,239 Speaker 1: her in action, almost exactly three years to the day. 511 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:07,840 Speaker 1: Detective Sprinkle and ABC Primetimes John Kinyonis and his camera 512 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:12,000 Speaker 1: crew watched on silently as Carla Baron sat at a 513 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:16,160 Speaker 1: desk down at the Ferguson County Police Station and slowly 514 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 1: laid out a set of tarot carts. Placed above the 515 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:24,880 Speaker 1: carts was a polaroid of Cindy's Song. Carla took a 516 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: deep breath, then settled her mind. She's telling me she's 517 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: in a different place now, she said. She now knows 518 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:38,320 Speaker 1: why this happened to her. Detective Sprinkle leaned in closer, 519 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:44,000 Speaker 1: hoping for more details, but nothing came. Then Carla spoke 520 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 1: into the air, Cindy, how did you lose your life? 521 00:38:49,719 --> 00:38:52,720 Speaker 1: The others in the room held their breath as Carla 522 00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:58,200 Speaker 1: appeared to be receiving more information. It was somebody obsessed 523 00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: with her, she said. Detective Sprinkle jumped in. Is it 524 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:07,439 Speaker 1: Zelensky or Kokowski? He said eagerly. Carla seemed to nod. 525 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:11,200 Speaker 1: They were at the helm. She said, they were orchestrating, 526 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: but the main person she knew the person. Finally, Carla asked, 527 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:22,839 Speaker 1: all right, Cindy, where are your remains? But no answer came. 528 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:27,920 Speaker 1: If you're listening to this episode on its release, it 529 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 1: is twenty four years to the day that then twenty 530 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:34,640 Speaker 1: one year old Heyon Jong Song, also known as Cindy, 531 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:40,800 Speaker 1: disappeared without a trace. Today, twenty one binders remain in 532 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:45,840 Speaker 1: the Ferguson County Police Station archives containing all materials relevant 533 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:49,439 Speaker 1: to the case, one for each year of Cindy's life. 534 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 1: Perhaps someday they might yet yield an answer to this 535 00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 1: tragic and beguiling mystery. Until then, just what exactly happened 536 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:04,759 Speaker 1: to Cindy's song on that haunting Halloween night remains to 537 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 1: this day unexplained. This episode was written by Richard mclin 538 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:19,840 Speaker 1: Smith and James Connor Patterson. Thank you as ever for 539 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:24,040 Speaker 1: listening Unexplained as an Avy Club Productions podcast created by 540 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:28,040 Speaker 1: Richard McClain Smith. All other elements of the podcast, including 541 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 1: the music, are also produced by me Richard McLain Smith. Unexplained. 542 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,920 Speaker 1: The book and audiobook is now available to buy worldwide. 543 00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:41,040 Speaker 1: You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, and 544 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:45,000 Speaker 1: other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show wherever 545 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts, and feel free to get in 546 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:50,879 Speaker 1: touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've 547 00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:53,880 Speaker 1: heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation or 548 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:56,440 Speaker 1: a story of your own you'd like to share. 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