Cold Case Files - REOPENED: Where's Peggy?

Episode Date: August 15, 2023

After a mother hears about allegations that her physically abusive boyfriend has sexually abused her daughter, she goes mysteriously missing for over a decade. A trunk, a storage unit, and a Cold Case detective's dogged determination help solve the mystery. Sponsors:  Angi: Download the free Angi mobile app today or visit Angi.com   Progressive: Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 29 million drivers who trust Progressive.   

Hey Cold Case fans, we have something special for you. We're bringing you double the episodes every week. We know you dedicated fans need your fix in between new episodes. So every Thursday, we are back bringing some of our best episodes from previous seasons. Let us know which classic episodes you'd like to hear again in the comments. And don't worry, we'll see you back here every Tuesday for all new episodes of Cold Case Files 2. Now, on to the episode. This is the storage unit number B32. I could see the bottom of a green metal steamer type trunk.

Within about six seconds, you could smell a strong odor, distinct odor of death. I looked at Detective Doyle and I said, Peggy's going to be in there. In 1990, Gerilyn Reome lived at home in Syracuse with her mother, Peggy, and her mother's boyfriend, George. On the surface, they may have seemed like a happy family. But that was tragically far from the truth. I'll tell you now that this story ends with a murder and a dead body, but it starts with a little girl and the villain who lived in her own home. Gerilyn Reome was 13 when her mother's boyfriend, George Geddes, began to abuse her.

And in the way that one bad deed usually breeds another, George's abuse kicked off a chain of events that led to the mysterious disappearance of Gerilyn's mother, Peggy Reome. Peggy would remain missing for another 12 years, while her daughter hoped against all odds that her mom was alive somewhere and would someday come home. From A&E, this is Cold Case Files, the podcast. I'm Brooke, and this story, adapted from a classic episode of Cold Case Files, is told by the unparall, Bill Curtis. We're here at the Sheriff's Office inactive records file.

We're heading down to the case file where Peggy Reome's case was kept. Detective Keith Hall works cold cases for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. Spring of 2002, I was assigned the Peggy Reum case. At that time, it was classified as a missing person investigation. She was 31 when she disappeared, without a trace. In 1990, I was in the sixth grade. I was living with my mother and George Geddes, and it wasn't a happy time.

In 1990, Jerry Lynn Reom is 13 years old and living in fear of her mother's boyfriend, George Geddes. George was sexually abusing me repeatedly. There was a time that he got caught, George Geddes. George was sexually abusing me repeatedly. There was a time that he got caught by another adult, and that's when I told. So I knew that somebody was there behind me to say, yes, I've seen this. Jerry Lynn runs away to her biological father, Jerry Reum, reports the abuse first thing i did was call the police i told all of us don't let peggy or george know what she was just told

because george would have probably skipped police arrest george geddes in early february a few weeks after that, Jerry Lynn turns 14 and expects a visit from her mom. She didn't come around, no phone call, no nothing. So February 26th, I was calling reporting her missing. Detective Lenny Storto picks up the missing person's case. It's a long time, a long time to go without knowing what happened to your, you know, to a loved one. Storto visits George Geddes in the county jail

and asks about Margaret. Geddes claims he last saw her the day before he was arrested. George said that they got into an argument, it got heated, and he left and went to get a pack of cigarettes. Upon his return to the apartment, he saw one set of prints leading out in the snow to the road, and that's the last he saw of Margaret. Storto doesn't believe Geddes and suspects Margaret Rayaume might have somehow caught wind

of her daughter's alleged rape. I knew from talking to Gerilyn and talking to her grandmother, Margaret Rayom might have somehow caught wind of her daughter's alleged rape. I knew from talking to Gerilyn and talking to her grandmother, Margaret's mother, that she was very protective of her children. And I knew that when she found out about the abuse with Gerilyn that she was going to confront George. It probably got physical,

and that was always in the back of my head. Storto has a murder suspect, but no evidence, or even a body to examine. He returns to Geddes' apartment, hoping to catch a break. When he asked me where things were and what was in the apartment and what I'd done with it, he wasn't too happy when I told him that I'd disposed of almost everything.

Bill Waltos is Peggy Reum's landlord. With her apartment vacant more than a month, Waltos tells Detective Storto he threw everything out of the unit, including a mattress stained with blood. Maybe six, eight inches. It almost looked like, you know, that time of the month for a woman, so I just didn't, I never gave it another thought. Very frustrating when you're trying to determine

what happened to somebody who's missing and kind of just, like, dropped off the face of the earth, so try to start back where the last person saw her. And then she had her car here. Did he come back and get her car? Storto knocks on a few more doors and finds a downstairs neighbor named Butch Oka. He tells his story that is right out of Rear Window about George Geddes and a rather large and heavy trunk. And we heard this big banging coming down the stairs, like bang, bang, bang.

We came, I came out the door to see what it was. He was coming down these stairs here, and he had a steamer trunk, like a blue steamer trunk, coming down, all the way down. And his truck was parked out here. And he came down, and he put it in the back of his truck. Oka asked George Geddes if he needed help carrying the trunk, but Geddes seemed to be in a hurry. Normally he would talk, but he didn't even talk. He just went and got there as fast as he

could, and he left as fast as he could. George Geddes' trunk appeared around the time Margaret Riom disappeared, a coincidence that is not lost on Detective Storto. George was asked about the trunk, and he was a contractor and said that the trunk was heavy because he had his tools, saw blades, his tools of trade. When I asked him what he did with the trunk, he said he sold it to some guy in a bar and couldn't give us any of the information on who the recipient was or what bar it was, and he said he was pretty wasted.

Geddes is convicted of raping Jerry Lynn Reum. The investigation into Peggy Reum's disappearance, however, goes cold. Meanwhile, Jerry Lynn Reum faces life without a mother. This is my mother's wedding day. I wrote back on here, Mom, I hope you're happy wherever you're at. Remember, I'll always love you.

I hope you come back real soon. Love, Jerry Lynn. My mother knew where we were living and then we moved. And then when we moved, I remember sitting in my bedroom crying because if my mother knew where we were living, and then we moved. And then when we moved, I remember sitting in my bedroom crying because if my mother came back, she wouldn't know where we moved to. For 12 years, neither Peggy Riome nor the mysterious steamer trunk can be located. That is, until a cold case detective happens upon a woman with a story about George.

What is the one thing you've always scratched your head wondering about George? And that's when she looked at me and said, well, I don't know. Oh, there's that storage shed. Angie is the go-to place for everything home, and they've made it easier than ever to connect with skilled professionals to get all your home projects done. If you own a home, you know how much work it can take. Whether it's everyday maintenance and repairs or making dream projects a reality, it can be just hard to know where to start, and it really does seem never-ending. But now, all you need to do is Angie that and find a skilled local professional who will deliver the quality and expertise you need.

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Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. Twelve years after Peggy went missing, investigators were as frustrated as ever that they can't pin her disappearance and suspected murder on her ex-boyfriend, George Geddes. While they may not have been able to try Geddes as a murderer, he was convicted in 1990 of raping Peggy's 13-year-old daughter, Gerilyn. While his conviction stood alone as the single victory in this case so far, it provided little peace to Gerilyn, who was still searching for her missing mother. By 2002, Geddes had served his time for Gerilyn's rape and was released from prison, now a free man. Cold case detective Keith Hall was convinced that Geddes was Peggy's killer and that he belonged back behind bars. But he had little to go on.

Then, a conversation with Geddes' most recent abuse victim finally gave Detective Hall some hope and a solid lead. This is where Peggy was last seen. She lived in the upstairs apartment. Keith Hall is a cold case detective. In 2002, he walks a street in Mattydale, New York, where Margaret Peggy Reom disappeared 12 years prior. Reom is presumed dead. The number one suspect, her ex-boyfriend, George Geddes. Witnesses saw George Geddes dragging a trunk down a flight of stairs.

They actually were drawn to this action by hearing the loud banging noise of the trunk and bouncing off the steps. Original detectives thought the trunk might contain the body of Peggy Reum. I was motivated. Getting this case was a challenge. I knew it when I was assigned the case. From that point on, it became personal. Detective Hall meets with the victim's daughter, Cherry Lynn. After it fell in Keith's lap, from day one, he was telling me he's given his 110%.

I still remember the look that I saw in Geraldine's eye. She wanted to believe me, but it had been so long since her mother had disappeared that, you know, she looked like a little hopeless. In 1990, George Geddes went to prison for raping Jerry Lynn. He's now out. His conviction reversed on appeal. I talked with his ex-wives. I was able to develop his personality. He was a violent individual.

He would punch them, strike them, choke them. George Geddes' most recent punching bag is a woman named Alicia Geddes. The two have recently divorced. Paul calls her up to see what she knows. He was very controlling. He had a very bad temper. Possessive even?

Yes, very possessive. He got violent a couple of times. And on domestic violence, he hit me. Alicia provides valuable background on George Geddes. Then Hall steers the conversation toward Peggy Reum. You had just told me little differences of what George had said, that Peggy had taken off to, I believe it was Arizona, with a cab driver.

Yeah, with another cab driver. Right. Keith was very easy to talk to. He got me thinking way back, you know, bringing out things that I was trying to forget. And the last question I asked Alicia before, you know, walking her to the door was, what is the one thing you've always scratched your head wondering about George? Alicia thought for a few moments, said, geez, well, there is that storage shed he's always rented.

He had a storage unit that he had. And he would call me from jail to make sure that the payments were made all the time. Alicia once asked what was in the storage shed. George said it was tools. And if you push the issue about it... He would get angry. He would get very angry. It's like, you know, we really have to skip this payment.

No, we can't do that. It would mean that I could get a lot of time in jail. Alicia tells detectives Geddes has rented the shed since 1990. Now I'm able to piece together the time frame. Peggy's missing since 1990. George has been running a storage shed since 1990. At some point, I'm going to need to obtain a statement from her. Detective Hall tries to obtain a search warrant for the shed.

The county prosecutor, however, says Hall lacks probable cause. Then the cold case detective tries a different tack. And initially, I wanted to know if you had the authority to go in there and search the storage shed. Lori Albright is a federal probation agent supervising George Geddes on a recent firearms violation. As part of his probation, Geddes must file a report with Albright every month. There is one question on the front here where it asks, do you rent or have access to a post office box, a safety deposit box,

or a storage space? And on this report, Mr. Geddes had checked no for all three of these things. And that's when I said, we need to get into that storage shed. There's a reason why he's lying about this. He doesn't want you to know, doesn't want anybody to know he's renting the storage shed. Gettys' lie constitutes probable cause for a search.

The order is issued, and Hall heads out to the shed. This is the storage unit that George Geddes rented, and number B-32, that's the storage shed that we opened up on April 1, 2004. Armed with a federal search warrant and a pair of bolt cutters, detectives open storage unit B-32. Upon doing that, I could see the bottom of a green metal steamer-type trunk, the same trunk that was described by witnesses in 1990.

I looked at Detective Doyle, and I said, Peggy's going to be in there. Agent Bragg unclipped the hasp locks, picked up the lid. At that point, I could see a stained blanket with two decomposed feet sticking out from underneath. Within about six seconds, you could smell a strong odor, distinct odor of death. It was time to go find George Geddes and bring this case to a close.

I said, George, tell me about the storage shed out in Cicero. Detective Hall gets right down to business with George Geddes. George looked at me for approximately 10 seconds, didn't say a word, just staring. At that point, he broke down, started crying, started flailing his fists, pounding on the table, saying he'd been keeping a secret for such a long time. George admits his ex-girlfriend Peggy Rium is in the shed.

Geddes claims her death was an accident. His final version of what happened to Peggy was that they got in an argument. He punched her. She fell down, hit her head on a wood buffet, and died. Not knowing what to do with Peggy, he went into Gerilyn's room. The trunk that Peggy was entombed in

was actually Gerilyn's toy chest. He put her inside the chest and transported her out to the storage shed. The story didn't make sense from the beginning. Joe O'Donnell is an assistant DA for Onondaga County. Here's a guy who accidentally kills his girlfriend, stuffs her in a trunk, puts her in a storage shed for 14 years.

He drives past the police station. He drives past the fire department. He drives past the ambulance corps. It just, it was preposterous from the beginning. We're looking at the skull of the decedent. This is her skull. Mary Jumbalik is the chief medical examiner for Onondaga County. This is the mastoid process, portion of the temporal bone. It's a very thick, hard portion of skull.

And you can see a very distinct and dramatic fracture through the mastoid. Jumbalik rules out Geddes' contention that Peggy Riome hit her head on a table. It was our conclusion that this is a forceful blow, probably with an instrument, to the skull to cause this type of damage. It's not a simple fall from a standing height or a fist. One of the lead suspects into the disappearance of Peggy Riome has been her former boyfriend, 52-year-old George Geddes, arrested Friday afternoon on charges of violating his federal parole,

charged in 1993 for raping a 13-year-old girl. I am the 13-year-old that George raped. After George Geddes' arrest, Jerry Lynn goes public with the tragedy that was her childhood. I got out of that situation and somehow my mother found out and that's what led to her being gone. The drama is heightened at Geddes' murder trial when prosecutor Joe O'Donnell brings in a green steamer trunk and places it before the jury.

There's been an odor in this courtroom all week, and it's the smell of death. And it's Margaret Reome. And I pointed to him and said, and he brought her in here. He did not intentionally cause the death of Peggy Reome. Geddes sticks to his story. Peggy Reome's death was an accident. It's a theory the jury dismisses. Their verdict, guilty of second-degree murder.

George Geddes is sentenced to the maximum, 25 years to life. I would best describe George Geddes as a waste of humanity. I think there were dregs left over that God had nothing to do with and he dumped them in George Geddes' body. Here's one of my mom and my dad and the three of us. After the trial and sentencing, Jerry Lynn Reome is finally able to grieve for the mother she lost at age 13.

It was weird. Like we even had a service for her. It's not like I was, you know, really crying and everything. I was happy. And then there came anger. Just all this emotion. This is a case I'll never forget. I took this case personal because I like a challenge, and this type of case certainly was a challenge. He did find my mother. He gave his 110%. And, you know, I always have a place for him in my heart.

I love him. Geraldine Riome endured a tragedy that I could not imagine. Not only did she suffer terrible abuse at the hands of George Geddes, a man living in her home, but he also took her mother from her in an extremely violent way. By all accounts, this story should end with justice and retribution and even revenge for Gerilyn. And in many ways it does. But the fact that there was some friendship and love found between Gerilyn and the detective who kept his promise

makes me think that there's more to this case than justice served. Cold Case Files, the podcast, is hosted by Brooke Giddings, Thank you. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and presented by Bill Curtis. Check out more Cold Case Files at AETV.com and by downloading the A&E app. See what hit blockbusters are streaming free this month during Popcorn Summer Movies on Pluto TV. Watch action-packed movies like Charlie's Angels and comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or enjoy School of Rock and The Adventures of Tintin with the whole family. Plus, Pluto TV has thousands of other free movies

available on live and on demand. Download Pluto TV on all your favorite devices for free and start streaming now. You're about to hear a preview of The Jordan Harbinger Show, where we expose how patent trolls shake down innocent victims using legal loopholes and abuse of the system. Hello, I notice you've been sued for patent infringement. I'd be happy to represent you for a price. Just remember, your defense cost is going to run around $3 million. Wow.

The patent we were sued on had, as I recall, 113 claims. And every claim was almost the same. In other words, one claim would say, a computer accessing another computer to unlock software. And the next thing would be, software unlocked by one computer accessing another computer to unlock software. And the next thing would be software unlocked by one computer accessing another computer. That was just the same thing over and over 113 times phrased a little bit differently each time. Since it took us four years and two

million dollars to overturn one of those sentences, they could put us through this for the rest of our lives. For more with Austin Meyer, including the details of his investigation into patent trolls and why none of us are safe, check out episode 326 of The Jordan Harbinger Show.