Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 50 | Murders So TWISTED, Even Detectives Were Left Speechless

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

In today's episode, we are diving deep into 3 terrifying true crime cases that you will never guess how they end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It always starts small. A missed call. A text that doesn't sound quite right. A noise in the hallway when no one's home. And you ignore it until you can't. And the stories you're about to hear, reality unravels slowly. And then all at once. A woman vanishes, but her messages keep on coming.

A quiet college student is led into the woods in broad daylight but never comes back. And a family home seems haunted and the truth is eerier than you can imagine. And each story begins simply a night. But things aren't what they seem. This is murders with a twist. And by the end of these stories, you'll question just how well you really know the people around you. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder.

All things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, intellectual, beautiful-minded freak! And today we are talking about just that murders with a twist, three different stories with absolutely crazy. crazy endings that you are not gonna expect. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go Mach 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes,

and bust through this windshield into these murder with the twist cases together. David Kropa was a 36-year-old auto repair shop manager starting a new chapter in Omaha, Nebraska. And he had recently separated from his long-term partner, Amy, the mother of his two children. And he was kind of nervous about getting back into the dating scene again as you are.

especially when you're a little bit further along in life. It can be daunting. And not long after, he would actually meet someone, and that someone was Shanna Liz Goliore, who was also a single parent of two children. So Dave and Shanna just kind of casually dated for a few months in 2012, because Dave made it very clear that he was not looking for anything serious at the time since he was just getting back into the dating scene,

and Shanna was totally cool with that. She was kind of on the same page. So it was around this same time after a few months of dating Shana, that Dave would actually meet a, woman named Carrie Farver. And Carrie was a 37-year-old single mom and she was a brilliant computer programmer. And they would actually have a little bit of a meat cute because Carrie would actually bring her Ford Explorer into see Dave at his shop just for maintenance. But it wasn't just maintenance that happened and sparks ended up flying. That was terrible. I'm sorry. But Carrie was very independent.

She was very intelligent and she was very lively. Exactly the kind of person Dave enjoyed spending time with. So that November, Dave would actually ask Carrie out. And their first date went exceptionally well. After dinner, they headed back to Dave's apartment, but as they walked in, they unexpectedly crossed paths with Shanna Goiler, who had stopped by without notice, Shana being the other woman that Dave was seeing. And the two women exchanged only a brief passing glance in the hallway, and Dave didn't think much of it, because both these women knew that he was just casually seeing people at this point. He wasn't committing to anything. So Carrie would spend the night that night. Dave figured life would carry on normally, but he had no idea what was coming

next. So on the morning of November 13th at 2012, Dave left his apartment to go back to work before Carrie did. And before he left for work, he would give her a kiss goodbye. And the same morning, Dave actually received a strange text from Carrie. And in it, she abruptly proposed moving in with him, even though at this point, they had only been casually dating for about two weeks. And Dave was stunned. Because this was completely out of character for Carrie. You think you know someone after two weeks, you know? But both of them had mutually agreed that they weren't seeking a serious relationship with one another once again. So he was like, what?

Why is she just being all weird all the sudden? Maybe he didn't really know who Carrie was. But he replied and politely but firmly declined. And he said that moving in together was completely off the table at this point. And almost instantly her tone flipped. And Carrie would fire back with text slaced with profanities. She would go on to say, fine, I hate you, I'm dating someone else, I don't want to see you anymore, go away. And Dave's jaw just dropped, because what had just happened?

How did the funny, kind woman he'd been with hours before turned so vicious so quickly? And that evening, Dave returned home to find Carrie gone from his apartment, which was understandable after the vicious exchange they just had. So for two days, Dave kind of was hoping to hear from Carrie mostly out of concern, but he heard nothing. But then the messages resumed. And Carrie began bombarding him with texts, saying, I hate you, you ruin my life, you're a terrible person. And Dave was just taken aback by the straight venom coming out of Carrie. So feeling very unnerved, he decided it was best to just cut off all contact.

Probably for the best. And he would think to himself that he dodged a bullet, trying to just shug off the unease of all those vicious messages. But he would have no way of knowing how literal that thought would become. So while Dave tried to move on, Carrie's family was growing alarmed. Because Carrie had always been a very devoted mother to her 14-year-old son, Max, and she was very closely connected to her own mother, Nancy Rainey. And after November 13th, Carrie never returned home. And she would end up missing very important family events in the following weeks, including a relative's wedding, her own birthday and even her son's birthday.

So there was never any appearance, but only bizarre text excuses. Nancy would actually receive a text from her daughter, Kerry, saying that she had actually taken a new job in Kansas, which made no sense. So naturally, her mother, being worried about her, would try to call her, but Carrie would never answer, which was highly unusual for her, according to her family.

And Nancy had knew that her daughter had struggled with depression and bipolar disorder in the past, and she warned, Carrie might be in a crisis, and off of her medication. So naturally, being super desperate as a mother worrying about her child, Nancy went to the police in mid-November and reported her daughter, Carrie Farver, missing. And initially, authorities were not urgent in the search because the messages from Carrie's phone indicated she might have left on her own accord.

And upon hearing of Carrie's mental health history, one officer suggested it wasn't uncommon for people with bipolar disorder to exhibit erratic behavior and take off on unannounced trips. And this just made Nancy really frustrated because she knew her daughter wouldn't just abandon her life without a word. But for the moment, Carrie's disappearance was treated as a voluntary absence rather than foul play. Meanwhile, Dave, the man Carrie was seeing, continued receiving an onslaught of harassing messages from Carrie. And in the texts and emails, Carrie bounced back and forth between lonely pleas and frightening threats. One moment she'd write, we belong together, Dave, and the next would be, I will do what I can to make you suffer.

So Dave, being, you know, terrified, changed his phone number multiple times, but somehow the messages always found him. He did know she was a computer programmer after all, so she was pretty smart, but she seemed to just have unlimited resources in reaching him and had an obvious, very unhealthy obsession with him.

So as weeks passed with no physical sighting of Carrie, she effectively became a ghost that lived in Dave's devices. And at this point, Dave and Shana, the first woman he was seeing, started to grow closer because they empathized with each other over this actual terrifying situation. And Shana claimed she, too, was receiving hateful messages from Carrie as well, accusing her of stealing Dave. And even on one occasion, Shana phoned Dave in tears, saying her garage door had been vandalized. And Dave would rush over immediately to see what the graffiti was. And the words on her garage would say, horror from Dave.

So this is obviously extremely unsettling to Shawna so she would file a police report pointing the finger at Carrie as the culprit. Because, I mean, only an idiot would sign under something that they wrote terribly. And the harassment would just escalate further and further. Both Dave and Shana would live simultaneously and get emails full of threats whenever they spent time together. And one chilling night, as Dave would try to relax on his recliner, a text would pop up saying, I see you. You're sitting in your chair with your feet propped up wearing a blue shirt. shirt. And this was exactly what Dave was wearing and doing in that moment. So creepy, but a

prickling sensation crawled over Dave's skin. So the stalker at this point wasn't just behind the screen, but they were physically watching him. And by early 2013, the terror went beyond words. Because Dave would spot a familiar SUV parked near his apartment one night. And it was, you guessed it, Carrie's Ford Expedition. The same one. that she met Dave when they went for the little meat cute at his shop, he now found it stalking him. So he would naturally alert police who would examine the vehicle. And inside, they would find one single fingerprint on a mint container. But oddly enough, it didn't match Carrie or anyone in the law enforcement databases.

So it was now as if Carrie had just evaporated, leaving behind only traces of angry digital echoes. So even as the messages continued, no one ever saw her in person. And while all this is happening, her son Max decided to message mom on Facebook after having received messages that sounded off. And his mother would respond. But when he asked his mom also to verify his middle name and their dog's name, the account went silent. I love how a child is cracking the case more so than the police at this point. So to those who loved Carrie, it was becoming very clear that the real Carrie was not behind. these messages. And something was very wrong. So over the years 2013 and 2014, the

stalker campaign against Dave, supposedly by Carrie, intensified to a horrifying degree. And Dave's ex-girlfriend, Amy, the mother of his children, even received threatening messages herself, despite having no involvement in their love triangle. And one evening, while Dave had a romantic partner over, someone attempted to break into his apartment by jiggling the door handle. I can't just like goose up my spine. Yuck. And later that night, a brick was thrown through his window. And another time, Dave's auto shop was vandalized as well. So it seemed no one in Dave's life was off limits at this point. And the stalker's obsession with Shana was particularly fierce. Dave got an email from Carrie with a picture of a woman tied up in the trunk of her car

and threatened to kill Shana. And Dave, seeing this picture freaking out, thinking of Shana would call her to make sure that she was unharmed. But luckily she wasn't and Carrie was just bluffing. But in another cruel trick, Dave received a link to a fake obituary for Shana, as if Carrie was fantasizing about eliminating her rival. And then came the most drastic incident. Because in August of 2013, Shana Goiler's house burned to the ground, tragically killing her pets, which she had two dogs, a cat, and... and a snake. And investigators would obviously investigate and determine it was arson. So Liz immediately voiced her suspicion that Carrie was responsible because she had been getting

tons of threats and so had Dave. And Dave was horrified that the stalker's threats had escalated to real violence. So fearing for his safety and his sanity, Dave armed himself with a nine-millimeter pistol. And by now, nearly everyone believed Carrie Farver was an unhinged woman committing these acts because she couldn't let go of this relationship and rejection in the relationship. And for over two years, Carrie existed only as a vengeful phantom, tormenting Dave and Shana from afar. So Carrie, the loving mother and talented programmer, as she was known, was nowhere to be found. But the truth, when it finally emerged, would prove more twisted than anyone could have ever imagined. So in 2015, with the harassment still ongoing, with no sign of Carrie in the flesh,

law enforcement decided a fresh look was needed. So Potawatomi County Sheriff's Detective Ryan Avis and Jim Dottie volunteered to tackle the cold case. And they would approach it from two different angles. One assumed Carrie was alive, and the other assumed she was dead to cover all possibilities. And quickly, red flags would start to appear. Detective Dottie was struck by one name that kept popper. popping up in these case files and that was Shanna Liz Goliard. And Shanna had never met Carrie beyond the passing moment in that hallway when Dave was on his first date with Carrie.

Yet she was the supposed target for most of Carrie's wrath. So why would a brief acquaintance like Carrie's fixate so much to Shanna? So the detectives began to suspect that perhaps Carrie had never been the stalker at all. And perhaps something terrible had happened to Carrie back in 2000. And the person truly behind the stalking was working hard to make everyone believe Carrie was still alive. And not just alive, but full-blown crazy. So investigators would revisit all of the digital evidence and there was a lot. So crucially, back in 2013, both Dave and Shanna had willingly allowed police to dump the contents of their phones when the harassment was first reported.

And the data had just been filed away and untouched for years. But a digital forensic expert, Anthony Kava, now combed through the evidence with fresh eyes. And what he would find was stunning. Because on Shanna's phone backup, there were photos of Carrie Farver's SUV, the Ford Expedition. Taken about a month before police found the vehicle in January of 2013. So that meant that Shanna somehow knew where Carrie's missing vehicle was long before the authorities did. Red flag. And even more damning, the mysterious fingerprint in Kemp.

Kerry's SUV was finally matched. And if you haven't guessed it by now, feel like it's kind of obvious. But it was Shanna's fingerprint. So in that instant, the narrative completely flipped. Shanna was not another victim of Carrie's abuse. Shanna was impersonating Carrie. And piece by piece, the team gathered evidence

of Shanna's elaborate web of deception. I mean, this is years and years of crazy. And they discovered that the frightening photo of a bound woman in the trunk emailed from Carrie had been taken with Shanna's phone. And a surveillance video uploaded under Carrie's name was traced back to Shanna's home IP address. And Shanna had gone so far as to even use software to mask her IP and schedule messages, allowing Carrie to send harassing texts even when Shanna was sitting right next to Dave, thereby deflecting suspicion.

So for three years, Shanna had effectively played the role of, of Carrie Farver, sending approximately 15,000 emails and 50,000 text messages in Carrie's name. Just a full-time job of obsessive, crazy torment. And the most chilling revelation, Carrie Farver had been dead the entire time. So investigators now believe that Carrie was murdered on the very day that she disappeared in 2012, likely within hours of her last sighting at Dave's apartment. But proving a murder with no body would be be a challenge. So detectives kind of needed a breakthrough at this point and Shanna herself provided one. Because in December of 2015, when suspicions closed in on her, Shanna pulled a desperate

stunt. She would shoot herself in her leg and call 911, claiming that, stay with me, Dave's ex-Amy Flora had ambushed her at a park at night. Girls really reaching, just reaching for the stars with that one. And it was basically just a terrible attempt to frame Amy as the real stalker. And police immediately saw through it because, you know, they're not five years old. Because the injury and the story was very inconsistent and Amy had an ironclad alibi. So this backfired spectacularly on Shana. Shanna, whatever the fuck her name is, confirming her very manipulative behavior.

Basically, it was her nail in the coffin. So good on you, Shanna. So with this incident, investigators convinced Shana to let them download her phone again. Under the pretense of investigating Amy's supposed harassment. The manipulative gets manipulated. If you know, I like that. Police W moment.

And naively, Shanna would agree. And the new data yielded more golden evidence. Because logs of 20 to 30 fake email addresses Shanna had created using variations of Carrie's name popped up. And that app that let her schedule future text messages popped up as well. So as part of their plan, Doddy and Avis convinced Shanna that they believed her and actually requested her help to get Amy to incriminate herself. I love this. This is good.

So suddenly, Shanna began forwarding emails from Amy, confessing to shooting Shanna at the park. How convenient. And they continued to push Shanna to get more. And one email mentioned that Amy had stabbed Carrie three to four times and put her in a trash bag. And Shanna grew frustrated when no arrest happened after that email came out because the police know that she's full of shit. But they couldn't put Amy away just yet.

They needed details that only the killer would really know. Just full-on entrapment, but I'm here for it. And almost immediately, they received more confession emails from Amy, mentioning that Carrie had been stabbed in her car. And acting on that tip, they re-inspected Carrie's vehicle for a third time, peeling back the fabric from the front passenger seat. And this time, they found blood stains soaked in the foam padding. How did you not look for that before?

But that's, you know what, whatever. Whatever. This all years could have been avoided, but whatever. Peel back the fucking foam. Next time, it's not my job. I'm just judging from the outside. But anyway, DNA testing confirmed it was Carrie Farber's blood. And it was preserved under the upholstery.

It just sucks that they didn't look closer the last time because, like, this could have been solved so much earlier and caused the family so much less stress. But again, not my job. But now the mountain of evidence was undeniable. An investigators executed a search warrant on Shanna's property. And in her home, they found items belonging to Carrie, including a digital camera and a camcorder that had been taken from Carrie's residence.

And Dave would also recall that he actually had a tablet in storage. And the tablet had a memory card that had been in Shanna's phone around the time of the murder. And the memory card would have a gruesome photograph. And it was of a decomposing human foot with a tattoo. A tattoo matching one of Carrie Farvers. And this would be the closest thing to finding Carrie's remains. So armed with overwhelming evidence, police arrested Shanna on December 22nd, 2016, and charged her with first-degree murder. And the trial in 2017 was staggering for those that heard the full story.

And prosecutors painted Shanna as a diabolical mastermind, consumed by jealousy after Dave chose to date Carrie instead of her. And within days of the brief encounter in the apartment hallway, Shanna had allegedly ambushed Cary, likely stabbing her to death in Carrie's own SUV. And then she dedicated years to impersonating her victim and terrorizing anyone connected to Dave. And Dave was floored by this revelation. I can't even imagine. He would go on to say, then to learn that Cary's not only not at fault, but she's been murdered. And Shanna, the person who I leaned on was responsible, it's still hard to process.

No shit. Oh, my. Like, that is, I don't even know how you trust anyone. after that. But indeed, Shanna had deceived Dave and everyone by pretending to be his comfort and ally all while secretly tormenting him. But because Carrie's body was never fully recovered, the case was entirely built on circumstantial evidence and Shana's digital footprints. And in a bench trial, Shana waived her right to a jury. The judge would find the evidence compelling. And he would find Shanna Liz Goliar guilty of murder in 2017 and sentenced her to life in prison.

Good! And the judge would know. how utterly bizarre and chilling the entire case was. Something completely out of a nightmare yet extremely real. But even years after the verdict, Shanna still maintains her innocence, astonishingly claiming that the real killer is still out there. And she herself was somehow framed.

But no one believes her. I sure is shit. Don't believe her. But in contrast, Carrie's family had finally got clarity to what happened to Carrie. Though it was obviously a very devastating truth. And Nancy, her mother and Carrie's son, Max, were heartbroken to learn how her life had been stolen away from her. But they were grateful that her name was finally cleared.

And in Carrie's honor, those detectives and the forensic team helped establish a scholarship in her name. And it would be at a local community college where she actually once studied, hoping to preserve the memory of who she really was. And her mom would go on to say, Carrie was only 37 when she died. I want her to be remembered as the fun-loving, talented, smart woman that she was. was. It was a misty spring dawn in rural Darden, Tennessee. And pink light would creep over the tree tops as 20-year-old Holly Bobo sipped coffee and study at the kitchen table. And she would be dressed in her favorite pink blouse and jeans. And Holly was a nursing student, and she often woke up early to prepare for classes at UT Martin. And at this point in the day, her parents had already

left for work. So it was quiet in the house, and it was only Holly and her older brother, Clint, that were home. And shortly after 7.30 a.m. on April 13th, 2011, Clint would hear the family dog start barking furiously outside. So curious as to why the dog was barking, he would peer through the window and he would see a man in head-to-toe camouflage talking with Holly in the garage. Now, Holly had a boyfriend, Drew Scott, and he often went hunting and very often dressed in camouflage. So Clint naturally assumed that it was Drew. But he would see they were kind of getting in an argument of sorts. Holly appeared to be in some sort of distress, kind of whispering and arguing. And Clint believed it looked like they may actually be breaking up,

so he kind of wanted to give them space. So after a while, Clint's mother, Karen, would call the house after a neighbor reached out claiming that they heard a scream. And seemingly out of nowhere, Karen would tell Clint to get the gun and shoot the man. And she would say, that's not Drew. And Clint at this point was very confused as to what he was witnessing, and he would double check to see if the man outside was Drew or not. And he would ask his mom on the phone, you want me to shoot Drew? Because he was looking outside and who he was looking at was his sister's boyfriend. But as he was on the phone and looking outside, he would see that Holly and Drew were walking into the woods behind the house. And he would have one hand gripping Holly's arm.

And Clint's heart was just pounding in this moment, not knowing what to do. but he would quickly grab the gun and he would run outside. And when he did go outside, he would find blood near Holly's car in the garage. And in that instant, Clint realized something was terribly wrong. And by this time, Holly and seemingly Drew vanished into the dense trees. And this quiet, normal morning just exploded into a nightmare. So Holly Bobo had been abducted at dawn mere steps away from her home. So at this point, Clint would frantically call 911 choking out what he,

scene. And law enforcement would arrive pretty quickly after about 10 minutes later, but they did not begin the search in the woods for at least two hours. And then the community and law enforcement mobilized in a massive search. And the blood by Holly's car suggested some sort of struggle. And investigators believe that Holly was taken as she was heading to her car with her school lunch and her books. And in those first desperate days, hundreds of volunteers combed through the woods of Decatur County. For any trace of the blonde blue eyes, nursing student. And searchers did find Holly's lunchbox discarded on a rural road a few miles away, hinting the kidnapper had driven off in that direction. And some other items were located as well,

including a school paper of Hollies and her cell phone and SIM cart. And these were all located separately. But nothing much would come from these discoveries at this point. And despite exhausted efforts in foot searches, ATV sweeps, and prayer visuals, nothing of value surfaced. And Holly's disappearance would make national headlines. And the image of her smiling face, a pretty young woman with everything ahead of her, was plastered on missing posters offering a $250,000 reward. Because who would do such a thing in such a close-knit community? And fear would just start gripping the entire area. So as days turned to weeks without any sort of answers, speculations started to swirl. And law enforcement didn't name suspects initially, but they didn't really have to, because rumor mills filled in the blanks. Because

emotionally charged cases, the closest person to the victim often falls under suspicion, and is often the case in most cases. And Clint, almost positively knowing that this man that walked her into the forest was Drew, obviously made him a suspect. And this, of course, fueled speculation and rumors. Was it a breakup like Clint had guessed? Was it a jealous argument? Or did Drew just snap? And Holly's family would stand by Clint, yet whispers always spread about her brother as well. And they were asking questions like why hadn't he immediately recognized the danger? Was it possible that he knew the abductor? Why did he decide to go check the garage instead of rushing after Holly into the woods? But Clint would insist that he really thought that the man with Holly was her boyfriend Drew and

that he was just frozen by confusion in the moment. And by the time reality set in, it was just too late. And the suspect, according to him, was a man that was 510 to 6 feet tall who was 180 to 200 pounds and had long dark hair. So investigators publicly stated they did not consider Clint a suspect, the brother. And Clint later said that he was shocked that some people eyed him with suspicion. The community just desperately needed someone to blame.

So if it wasn't the boyfriend or the brother at this point, perhaps it was maybe the local, sexual offender. So police zeroed in on a man named Terry Britt. And Terry was a convicted sex offender who lived not far from the Bobo's home. And Britt was known to prowl for victims. How are you known for that? You're not in jail?

That doesn't make any sense for me. But anyway. So detectives would search his property, vehicles, and even put him under surveillance for months. But Britt had an alibi, and no initial evidence tied him to Holly at all. So it was a very frustrating dead end. But behind the scenes, other names bubbled up.

And those names were Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, and Shane Austin, and Jason Autry. And these were men from the area known for criminal behavior and heavy drug use. In fact, Holly's own mother, Karen grimly remembered that she had taught both Zach Adams and Jason Autry in elementary school years and years earlier. And as boys, she remembered that they were troublemakers. And as adults, they were deeply involved in meth and morphine. And they were widely regarded as bad news around town. So tips had actually come in early in the investigation about these men. But initially, their alibis appeared to check out.

with no physical evidence or witnesses directly linking them to the case. So months would pass and then a year and there was still no sign of Holly. And the Bobo family's torment was only amplified by intense media attention. And Holly's parents made tearful public appeals, begging for their daughter's safe return. And Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents followed hundreds of leads. And Holly's disappearance became one of the most infamous unsolved cases in Tennessee history, just casting a long and fearful shadow over the entire community. entire community. So it seemed that Holly Bobo had just vanished without a trace. But in truth,

critical clues and witnesses were slowly coming together. And a shocking, grisly picture of what happened was about to emerge. So for more than three years, the town of Darden lived in limbo. Holly's friends and neighbors were just haunted by the unknowns. And many locals kept the story alive with prayer visuals each year, refusing to let hope die. But as time were on, hope was kind of hard to sustain. And some evidence would trickle in in 2013. Because in 2013, a purse thought to be Hollies was found in the woods, only for Karen Bobo to confirm it wasn't hers. So it was just another discouraging false lead. And TBI agents and the Decatur County Sheriff quietly continued working the case in the background. But the turning point came in 2014, nearly three years after Holly vanished. And investigators descended

on the property of Zachary, Zach Adams. And as mentioned before, this was like the local old criminal. And during this encounter, Zach was described as so nervous he was shaking. And he allegedly would not give his cell phone number or allow law enforcement inside his home. Red flag! So after law enforcement left, he also allegedly did a number of suspicious things, like vacuuming his car for an hour and hosing down a mattress outside. Double red flag. And Zach's younger brother, John Dylan Adams, was arrested on an unrelated weapons charge. And eventually he, he'd took a plea deal for no jail time in exchange for information. And he claimed that on April 13th, 2011, he had gone to Zach's house to get his vehicle. And while he was there, he saw his brother

Zach dressed in camouflaged clothing. And he also saw Jason Autry and Holly Bobo. And Zach had allegedly told him that he had recorded a video of him essaying Holly. So finally, an arrest was made. And shorter thereafter, more arrest followed. Zach Adams and Jason Autry. And another associate, Shane Austin, who was allegedly present during the crime. But he cut a secret immunity deal in exchange for cooperation.

However, when he was later accused of not being truthful, the deal was revoked. Thank God. And in 2015, Shane Austin would commit slewer slide. Easy way out. Bitch. Though no clear motive was confirmed,

some speculate it was due to guilt or fear. But as the gruesome allegations came out, the community's worst fear were confirmed. Holly had likely been attacked and killed shortly after being abducted. But where was she? Because the suspects weren't talking at this point, at least not about the most important detail. So on a warm September day in 2014, two hunters were searching for ginseng in a remote wooded area in a neighboring Decatur County. And deep in the brush, they stumbled upon a large human skull lying on the ground. And the skull had a bullet hole through the back. And nearby,

investigators later discovered ribs and teeth. And dental records and DNA testing soon confirmed the devastating truth. These remains were Holly Bobos. So after three excruciating years, Holly's family finally had proof that Holly was never coming home alive. And the death was ruled a homicide by gunshot. So though the discovery was heart-wrenching, it also steeled the resolve of prosecutors to get justice. Because now with Holly's body found, the trial could move forward. So over 2015 and 2000, In 2016, investigators gathered everything they could, forensic evidence from the remains, witness statements, and confessions from those involved. And the horrifying actual events of Holly's last hours gradually came to light. And this was primarily through testimony of one

man who was willing to speak. And that man was Jason Autry. And the full truth was almost too awful to believe. Because according to testimony and evidence presented later in court, the early morning of April 13th, 2011 unfolded as follows. Adams, high on drugs, allegedly decided to kidnap Holly Bobo. And according to Autry, the motive may have involved a meth-related dispute. But this version is uncooperated and conflicts with Clint Bobo's statements. And Zach wasn't alone in this abduction. His brother, Dylan Adams, and their friend Shane Austin and Jason Autry were all implicated in a

plot of a essay of Holly Bobo. And Jason Autry would eventually testify in graphic detail about that entire day. And he would say that after Holly was dragged into the woods, she was taken to a property. And this was possibly Zach's home. And there, Holly was allegedly essayed by the entire group. And this was based on statements from Dylan and implications in Autry's testimony, though physical evidence was lacking in accounts conflicted. But Holly was terrorized and restrained.

And at some point, she suffered a head injury from blunt force. And this was as evidence because she had trauma on her skull that showed it. So believing that Holly might already be dead or nearly so, from that assault, Zach and Jason loaded her body, wrapped in a blanket, and put her in Zach's pickup truck. And Jason Autry recounted that he initially thought that the rolled-up bundle was a drug dealer that they'd killed for money, until Zach looked at him and chillingly said, that's Holly Bobo. And Jason, who barely knew Holly was horrified, but nevertheless agreed to help Zach dispose of the body in exchange for drugs.

So they drove to a spot by the Tennessee River under an overpass, and they planned to gut her body and dump it just so that animals wouldn't consume the remains. Just a gruesome, horrific plan fueled by meth-fueled madness. But as they unrolled the blanket on the ground by the water, Holly moved. And at this point, she was still alive. And Jason would see her foot twitch and heard a muffled cry. And he shouted in shock, the bitch is still alive. And in a panic, knowing that Holly could identify them if she survived,

Zach Adams grabbed his gun. And as Jason stepped away as a lookout, Zach shot Holly in the back of the head, killing her instantly. And in that very moment, a boat was heard approaching on the river, startling the men, and they just abandoned their plan. And Autry later said Adams told him they threw her out somewhere, though he didn't actually witness where the body was left. And over the next few days, guilt and paranoia set among the co-conspirators.

And fearing loose ends, Zach also tried to enlist Autry to murder his own brother, which was Dylan, because Dylan would not stop talking about the crime and might get them caught. And Autry pretended to go along with this plan with no intention of adding another murder to his tally. So these conversations, along with the statements Dylan Adams himself made to investigators became key parts in the prosecutor's case. So Holly's abduction wasn't the work of a lone predator, as many assumed, but rather a group of local young men who decided to commit an unthinkable act that morning. The early suspects that had been completely dismissed very early on in the case. And luckily, by the end of the trial, Zach Adams was found. guilty on all counts, which was kidnapping, grape, and murder. And the judge would sentence him

to life in prison plus two consecutive terms of 25 years. So he's gonna fucking rot. Good riddance. And as Zach was led away, he reportedly showed no remorse while Holly's family wept in relief that justice was finally served. And John Dylan Adams entered an all-forward plea in 2018. And he would be sentenced to 15 to 35 years in prison, running consecutively for 35 years without parole. And Jason And Autry got a lighter sentence due to his cooperation with authorities. However, in a bizarre turn after conviction, Autry actually began recanting parts of his testimony, claiming that he just lied under pressure.

And this was a claim that emerged years later and was viewed very skeptically. But as of now, the perpetrators still remain behind bars. And the Bobo family, though deeply scarred by all of these events and by losing a dear, dear family member, worked to keep Holly's memory alive. A portion of Highway 641 was renamed. Hullie Bobo Memorial Highway. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill. Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot.

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How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. In the fall of 1986, in the town of Townsend, Massachusetts, a family began noticing odd occurrences in their home. And this family was the Bowen family. And this family consisted of a father and his two teenage daughters, who lived in a cozy house that by all appearances was perfectly ordinary. But as Halloween passed and winter set in, 16-year-old Tina and 9-year-old Karen Bowen insisted to their father, Frank, that something else was in the house with them.

Because on numerous occasions, objects would disappear and reappear in different places. And the TV would seemingly switch channels on its own or turn off and on. And at night, they would hear really strange noises. And at times, Frank would blame the girls for these weird occurrences, but they would deny it. But Frank would overall just dismiss it as overactive imaginations. And he would say, you girls need to stop watching scary movies before a bit. But the disturbances only escalated. And one evening, the family would even come home to find that someone had used their bathroom, it seemed.

And a chill would creep through their spines. And Frank would begin to search the house for any sort of. answer, wondering if there actually might be more to his daughter's claims. And that's when he would find it. And it was even more shocking and horrifying than he could ever imagine. But first, let's fast forward several months. Because less than a mile away from the Bowens lived the Gustafsons. Priscilla and Andrew and their two young children, seven-year-old Abigail and five-year-old William. And Priscilla was 33 and she was a church nursery school teacher and was actually pregnant with their third child. And her husband Andrew was a lawyer. And they were a very beloved, very wholesome family who had

moved to Townsend five years earlier to build a life in this peaceful community. And their colonial home sat on a wooded lot at the end of a quiet street. And by late 1987, with Christmas just on the horizon, the Gustafsons were excitedly preparing for the new baby's arrival. It was just the kind of family and kind of home that just exuded warmth. But the Townsend's tranquility was about to be, shattered because they began to notice certain items disappearing and reappearing in different places, including things like cordless phones and cable boxes. And some of these items were just never seen again. So the Gustavsons would report the item stolen, but their lives would just go on. And they would also notice weird happenings in the house here and there noises and just an overall

odd feeling in the home. But they were none the wiser as to the horrifying event that would soon unravel. Because on December 1st, 1987, a cold Tuesday afternoon, Townsend Police would receive a frantic call. Andrew Gustafson, the father, had arrived at home from work at around 5.30 p.m. to a scene of utter devastation. All day, he had tried reaching his wife Priscilla by phone, but she hadn't answered, which was highly, highly unusual. So he'd quickly drive home, not knowing what was going on with Priscilla, step inside his house, and his whole world would collapse. Because in the master bedroom, he found Priscilla's lifeless body on the bed, bound with a rope and gagged,

with a pillow over her head soaked with blood. She had been shot twice in the head at close range. And there were also signs of vicious S.A. as well. And Andy was so petrified by what he saw that he couldn't bear to search for the children. He would go on to say, I was too afraid of going to look for my children because I was afraid I'd find them dead.

It was so shocking and unbelievable, I screamed, I wailed. So he would just stumble out of the house and call the police. At this point, he was just numb with dread. So when officers arrived and swept the house, his fears were confirmed. And in separate bedrooms, they discovered the small bodies of Abigail and William. And each child had been drowned in a bathtub. But the water had been drained, leaving only the tragic evidence of what had occurred. And Abigail had also severed blunt force trauma to her head, indicating that she had tried to fight back against her attacker. And a veteran Townsend police sergeant who found the children later said quietly that it looked as though Abby had fought to stay alive until the end,

which is just like, so heartbreaking. So a family of four plus the unborn baby had been destroyed in one afternoon. And the town of Townsend was in shock because nothing like this had ever happened there. A loving young mother and her kids slain in their own home is just insane. So who could have done this? Before we get there, let's go back to the Bowen House. Because who they saw would be the same person that destroyed the Gustafsson family. So back at the Bowen House, the situation reached a terrifying climax in December of 1986, as we were discussing. Because that night, someone emerged from a hiding spot in the walls while Frank and the girls searched their home. Because with his face painted wearing a wig and a hairy coat to appear monstrous, the young man confronted the family with a hatchet and a wrench in hand.

And this man was Daniel. LaPlante. And he was the reason they were hearing things in the walls and in the attic and things were going missing and things were being moved left and right and the TV was turning off and on. It was Daniel the entire time, which is so fucking scary. I'd rather my house be haunted. But he had been sneaking in and out of the Bowen's house for weeks, just getting bolder each time. So he corralled Frank, Tina and Karen and a visiting friend into a bedroom at gunpoint. Just a real life horror movie unfolding in their house. And Tina, the older daughter, who, chillingly, had gone on a date with Daniel LaPlant not long before, managed to keep her wits about her. And when Danny was momentarily distracted, Tina bravely leapt out of the second story window and ran for help. And police would arrive minutes later, but Daniel Laplant had vanished. So they would search the house and they would discover an astonishing sight, because behind the cupboard and inside the walls were cramped crawl spaces where Daniel had been hiding the entire time. So the Bowens would naturally flee their house, luckily unhurt, but traumatized by

these events. But two days later, Frank would return home and he would see someone in the window and call police again, and they would quickly arrive. And on the wall, written hastily, officers found threatening messages left by Daniel, saying, I'm still here, come find me. And one was written in magic marker and one was with a knife stabbing through the family photo. Fucking terrifying. And that's And another message warned, I'm going to kill you all. And another knife was through the family photo. And it turns out his message was true because Daniel was still in the house at this point. And police caught him inside the house.

They would find him curled up in a narrow space behind a panel hiding like a human spider. So the officers would haul the bizarre, deranged teenager out and would arrest him. And the towns and people breathed a sigh of relief because the ghost was captured. But the relief was short-lived because Daniel a plant was charged for the bow and brink. and threats. And because he was a minor, he was only held in a juvenile facility. So in October, 1987, less than a year later, Daniel's mother took out a mortgage on her house to bail him out, paying $10,000 to spring this fucking monster from custody. What kind of mom are you? What the fuck? So the 17-year-old at this point was released back into the community, completely

unsupervised, with his criminal trial still pending. And the Bowens had understandably left their home to stay somewhere else, away from where Daniel might find. them. But the towns in quiet neighborhood were once again unaware of the danger that lurked. And Daniel Leplant was free and his dark desires had only grown. And this time, his decisions were irreversible. And that is when he went to the Gustafsson house. So fast forwarding in time after the horrible, atrocious crimes that Daniel Leplant had committed in the Gustafsson's house, the police were now looking for him again. The police would begin to search for the killer. And residents were terrified that a killer could be on the loose in the woods near their homes.

And two days after this horrific event, a break would come. So on December 3rd, a local woman, Lynn McGovern, reported seeing something unsettling. Because she returned to her house on Jewett Street, which was in the same neighborhood as the Gustafin House, and felt that someone was inside. So she flagged down an officer nearby and together they entered, only for a wide-eyed young man to leap out and sprinted to the forest. And this young man being Daniel LaPlante. So at this point, he had been moving house to house likely to shelter from this manhunt. And then he attempted a carjacking, forcing a woman at gunpoint to drive. But she bravely jumped out of a moving car to escape.

Fucking metal. And then he would flee again on foot. And luckily, the chase ended later that evening when officers found him huddled in a dumpster behind a lumberyard in the next town over in Eyre, Massachusetts. So LaPlante was finally caught for good. So at LaPlante's trial in 1988, the full news, narrative emerged and piece by piece like a macabre puzzle. And it turned out that LaPlante had stalked the Gustafsons' home in much the same way he did the Bowens, lurking, breaking in and

stealing small items, possibly even watching the family without their knowledge. And court records and LaPlante's own statements revealed his confession of sorts. So on December 1st, he broke in while Priscilla was out. And he was upstairs rubbing when Priscilla returned home with Little Billy around 1 p.m. And normally, he claimed he would have escaped upon hearing someone come in, but this time he decided not to run. And instead, he would confront Priscilla with a gun. Then he would tie Priscilla to the bed and cruelly lock her toddler son in the closet so the boy wouldn't interfere. And then he proceeded to S.A. Priscilla. And after the assault, he would end her life by shooting her twice in the head. And hearing the commotion, little William,

likely cried out from the closet. And the plant, now done with Priscilla, turned his attention to the children. So he would lead William to the upstairs bathroom and drowned the helpless five-year-old in the tub. And as the plant was getting ready to leave, seven-year-old Abigail came home from school. And she walked in the door expecting to see her mom, but instead she found a nightmare. And this brave second-grader scratched and kicked and punched, but the 17-year-old would overpower her. And he would inflict a head injury to subdue her and then drown her in the bathtub downstairs. And in the span of about 20 minutes, he had annihilated the Gustafson family completely. So the trial was swift. And Daniel LaPlante was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder. And the judge imposed three consecutive life sentences, which is a symbolic stacking to ensure he never tastes freedom again. Thank God.

In Massachusetts, didn't have the death penalty at the time, or surely he would have been a candidate. And LaPlante showed zero remorse during the entire trial. And the haunting truth seems to be that Daniel, plant just derived pleasure from terrorizing others. And after all of this, Andrew Gustafson was completely horrified and was devastated beyond words as to what happened. And at the funeral for Priscilla, Abigail, and William, Andy sobbed through a eulogy, then largely just withdrew from the public view. And in a rare interview years later, he revealed he kept two wedding rings on his finger.

His original from Priscilla and one from a new marriage he eventually entered as a way to honor both past and then hope for the future. So Andy did remarry in 1989 to a kind woman named Carol, who helped him rebuild his life. But Carol attested that Andy was still plagued by nightmares of the murder until the day he died of cancer in 2014. And to this day, Daniel LaPlante still rots behind bars, and I hope it stays that way. And with that, I'm ending the video. My heart just breaks for these families, and it's terrifying to think that this could happen to anyone. but I just want to tell you to be safe out there and be respectful and know that I care about you and I love you and I do appreciate you.

And if you would like me to cover any other cases, let me know below. I always read the comments. And until then, I will see your beautiful face. Stay safe. Okay? Bye.