Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - 'Bubbly' mom’s remains just found on side of road in obscure woods: WHO MURDERED CHERYL COKER?

Episode Date: May 4, 2020

Cheryl Coker, a mom of two, disappeared in October 2018. Mushroom hunters have discovered bones and clothing in a wooded area just 17 miles from Coker's home. The clothes match what Coker was wearing the day she vanished. Riverside police continue to state that husband Bill Coker remains the one and only suspect.Joining Nancy Grace today: Jim Elliott - Attorney with Butler Snow, legal counsel for various Georgia municipalities and other governmental entities. www.butlersnow.com Steven Lampley - Former Detective - Author of “Outside Your Door”   Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics at Jacksonville State University, Author of "Blood Beneath My Feet" Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Beverly Hills  Levi Page - Investigative reporter CrimeOnline  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Hi guys, Nancy Grace here. At a time when we are all pulling together to fight coronavirus, COVID-19, I have something for you. An all-free e-chapter on coronavirus crimes and how to fight them. Don't be a coronavirus crime victim. From door-to-door sales of fake cures and tests, vaccines. That's not real. To robocalls that are trying to scam you. To fake ads.

To phishing you online. To fake cures that are being sold on the internet and on infomercials right now. You've got to arm yourself against these crimes. Please download our free e-chapter, Coronavirus Crimes, Don't Be a Victim. Go to crimeonline.com. You'll see it there. Hit the link and download it for free. Arm yourself against criminals and scam artists, cons that will not only take advantage of you, but take advantage of you, your parents, your grandparents, and people you love at a time when we are all fighting the virus. I hope you go to CrimeOnline.com and download this. It's been highly researched and presented for you for free.

Goodbye, friend. Keep the faith. A young mom goes missing. What is the latest in the disappearance of Cheryl Coker? In the last hours, a major break in the case. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Let's kick it off with our friends at WDTN-TV. This is Ethan Fitzgerald. I would say it's definitely not normal. This is an odd case, to say the least. Wednesday night, Detective Abney says the department recovered Coker's car in a parking lot off Burkhart and Spinning Road. WEDNESDAY NIGHT, DETECTIVE ABNEY SAYS THE DEPARTMENT RECOVERED COKER'S CAR IN A PARKING LOT OFF BURKHART AND SPINNING ROAD. COKER'S 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS FOUND NEAR CLANCY'S TAVERN. THE CAR

WAS LOCKED, BUT HER BELONGINGS WERE STILL INSIDE. All of her personal belongings did remain inside the vehicle, her purse, cell phone, wallet, ID, credit cards, etc., which added to the suspicion to say the least.

COKER IS A MOTHER OF TWO, AND HER FAMILY SAYS THESE TWO WERE THE ONLY THINGS THAT COOKER DID NOT HAVE. COKER IS A MOTHER OF TWO, AND HER FAMILY SAYS THESE TWO WERE THE ONLY THINGSDIT CARDS, ETC. WHICH ADDED TO THE SUSPICION TO SAY THE LEAST. COKER IS A MOTHER OF TWO AND HER FAMILY SAYS THESE CIRCUMSTANCES JUST DON'T ADD UP. NO ONE IN THE FAMILY HAS HEARD FROM COKER SINCE SHE DROPPED OFF HER DAUGHTER ON TUESDAY MORNING. SHE HAD ALSO MISSED WORK THAT DAY WHICH AGAIN VERY ODD, NOT A CHARACTER.

ACCORDING TO HER FAMILY SHE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. SEEMS TO BE A VERY GOOD MOTHER FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD. to her family she's never done anything like this before. Seems to be a very good mother from what we've been told and again all this is out of character according to the family. Well it certainly is. Cheryl Coker missing. Mrs. Work drops her daughter off first and why is her Highlander parked outside Clancy's Tavern in the middle of the day. With me, an all-star panel, Jim Elliott, a renowned attorney with Butler Snow Legal Council for multiple municipalities. You can find him at butlersnow.com. Cheryl McCollum, founder, director of the Cold Case Research Institute and crime scene expert.

Professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, Joseph Scott Morgan, death investigator, psychoanalyst to the stars. Joining me out of Beverly Hills, Dr. Bethany Marshall at drbethanymarshall.com. But first, to CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter Levi Page. Levi, major break in the case, but I like to start at the beginning. Tell me about the day Cheryl Coker last seen alive. So, Nancy, it is October 2nd, 2018 in Riverside, Ohio. And Cheryl Coker, at 7.15 a.m., she drops her daughter off at school. And then at 7.35, she returns home and she logs into facebook and she shares some posts on facebook and then all of her social media activity stops at 7 45 slow down slow down slow

down stop stop so we see her at drop off of daughter at 7 35 is that correct 7 15 oh thank you significant thank you 7 35 she returns home you. 735, she returns home. That's about right. Drops. She's about 20 minutes away from the school. How old is the daughter? She's in middle school. Middle school, so that's usually 6 to 8. Yeah, sure. 6th grade to 8th grade. Drops her at 715. She's back at home in her Highlander around 735. How do you know that, Levi? Because there are social media posts on Facebook, and it pinged. Her cell phone pinged near her home. Excellent.

Just FYI, you can post from anywhere in the world. All right? You can post. You don't have to be at home. But that ping convinces me. Her cell phone pinged. She made it back home. Reminds me a lot, Jackie, of Jennifer Dulos,

how her cell phone's at Connecticut. Mom, we all know, is dead, but she's classified as missing. Her cell phone pinged back in the home. It never made it out of her SUV in the garage. Back to you, Levi Page. So we got a cell phone ping, 735 AM. What day is that? October what?

October 2nd. 2nd. Can you get the day of the week of that for me, Jackie, please? And was that any special day? Like, was it Columbus Day? Was it whatever day? Anyway, daughters in school, that's significant. Back home, 735 AM.

And then what happens after that, Levi, very quickly, please. So three hours later, her 2016 Toyota highlander was seen entering a parking mall strip a strip mall it's about less than a mile from her home parking strip mall no no parking lot of a strip mall yeah was it the kroger there along with a bar called clancy's okay kroger and clancy's but she parked closer to Clancy's and not as close to Kroger. Yes, no. Okay, question to you. Is there surveillance video there in the parking lot?

Yes, there is. And who got out of the car, her or somebody else? So at first, law enforcement was not able to determine it, but then they further investigated this, and there was a person dressed in all black, and they had a hood covering up their face. Please stop. Please stop right there. Please stop. Cheryl McCollum, Director of Cold Case Research Institute. Can you just surprise me one time? Can you not be having an affair with your secretary or your assistant? Can you not be having an affair with your husband's, with your best friend, the husband having an affair with your best friend? Can you not dress having an affair with your husband's, with your best friend, the husband having an affair with your best friend?

Can you not dress up like a ninja all in black? Do you remember Jodi Arias, what she said? Ninjas dressed all in black came and attacked me and Travis. And I lived and they stabbed him 29 times and shot him. What's with the ninjas, Cheryl? You know, Nancy, a lot of times people get what they think about criminals off TV. And this is so classic. I'm going to hide my identity by dressing in all black and covering my head with a...

And you know what that says to me? It's so not random. It's so not random. Not random. Because if some perv broke in on her while she's at home, tapping away on her social media, and let's just say rapes and kills her and wants to get rid of the car. Number one, would not dress all in black like a ninja,

would still have on their regular random burglary clothes, maybe pull a cap down. That works. But then go to a parking lot and park her car. That is somebody that knows. She goes to that Kroger. I bet you money, Cheryl McCollum. Well, not just that, Nancy.

What concerns me a little bit is the time of day. It is 7.30 in the morning. No, no, no, no, no. Uh-uh. Wait. Hold on. 7.35 is when she gets back home from dropping off the daughter. And according to Levi Page, unless he is about to be barbecued but good,

three hours pass and then she drops the Highlander off. Is that right, Levi? Yeah, around 10.50 is when the Highlander is seen going into this strip mall parking lot. But, Nancy, for me. Okay, so you can't even. Are you even selling beer at Clancy's Tavern at, what did you say, 1030, 11 o'clock in the morning? What time exactly, Levi? 1052 is when it pulled in.

You can't even go in a tavern and get a beer at 1052. Is that right? You're the expert. Okay, yeah. So unless they're having brunch in there, jump in, Cheryl McCollum. Again, my concern is the 735 that she gets home, you would think, okay, she's going to piddle around a little bit and then get ready to go to work.

So what occurs between 730 and 1030 is what is so critical. This person, if they took her car to drop at Eclancy, means they walked to her house or didn't have a vehicle of their own. Good point. I've got a little info on that. Let's listen to WHIO-TV7. This is Cheryl McHenry. October 2nd, detectives say Cheryl left her house on Christie Avenue about 7.15, dropped off her daughter at Stebbins High School, then got back home around 7.35. She spent the next few minutes sharing posts on Facebook. At about a 745 that morning, pretty much everything electronically with her just stopped. Three hours later,

surveillance video shows Cheryl's SUV driving into the Kroger parking lot at Spinning and Burkhart, less than a mile from her home. It isn't clear who was driving. The pit of my stomach, something hurt and I knew something wasn't right. Margie Keenan called Riverside Police to report her sister missing after Cheryl's daughter couldn't reach her. She would never, never be gone without calling her 15-year-old daughter. But the family wasn't alarmed until Cheryl's SUV was found the next night with her purse and cell phone inside. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys are talking about a missing mom, Cheryl Coker, and in the last hours, a major break in the case.

Take a listen now to WD, excuse me, take a listen now to WDTN-TV News reporter Dana Smith. Coker's car was discovered right here in this parking lot that I'm standing in, and it was picked up by these security cameras right here behind me driving into the lot. However, the cameras did not pick up who exactly was inside the car and what happened to them. WAS PICKED UP BY THESE SECURITY CAMERAS RIGHT HERE BEHIND ME DRIVING INTO THE LOT. HOWEVER, THE CAMERAS DID NOT PICK UP WHO EXACTLY WAS INSIDE THE CAR AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. CHERYL COKER'S CAR WAS DISCOVERED IN A PARKING LOT NEAR CLANCEY'S TAVERN. HER CELL PHONE AND PURSE WERE STILL INSIDE THE CAR, BUT SHE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. We were in the back unloading a truck. So, I mean, it happened right out front.

COKER'S ARRIVAL TO THE SHOPPING PLAZA WAS PICKED UP BY JOE BROMLEY'S SECURITY CAMERAS. So it happened right up front. Coker's arrival to the shopping plaza was picked up by Joe Bromley's security cameras. One camera was set to record constantly. One camera, which was actually Clancy's camera, was set to only motion record. So when the car pulled in, there's a few seconds where they don't get out of the car, and there's no movement on the screen, the recorder shut off. In this surveillance video, Coker's car can be seen driving down spinning road before entering the back of the parking lot and pulling into a parking space and stopping. But because there wasn't enough motion on the screen, the motion-activated cameras don't pick up who left the car.

You know, another issue I'd like to find out, let me know if you know Levi Page, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, was where she parked in a parking lot. Because when I hear that a woman, not in her exercise clothes, parked the last spot away from the Macy's or the Walmart or the whatever and walk the whole way in, N-O. Somebody else parked that car there. That's just my gut reaction. So if you know that, jump in, Levi. Guys, Jackie tells me this happened on a Tuesday morning. And in answer to your question, Cheryl McCollum, everything goes dead at 7 45 a.m no more posting no more cell phone no transactions no amazon shopping no paypal no ebay no nothing 7 45 and then at 10 30 somebody's dropping off her highlander

it's over it's over in about two and a half hours. I believe she's dead and that's my window. Cheryl McCollum. That's the concern. That tells me that whatever happened to her happened to her almost immediately at her home. It was quick. Whoever took her car, it might

have taken them an hour to get her out of the house. It might have taken her them more time to disguise themselves. But that is so critical to me that, again, almost immediately that she arrived home, something bad happened to her. And take a listen to how her car is found by her daughter. Not by police, not by her husband, by her daughter. Here's Kristen Escoe, WDTN.

Cheryl Coker's daughter tells me she used the Find My iPhone app on her phone to try to track down her mother's cell phone, and that led her to this parking lot behind me on Burkhart Road, where she found her mother's car with that cell phone and purse locked inside. She tells me that discovery alone was disturbing, CAR WITH THAT CELL PHONE AND PURSE LOCKED INSIDE. SHE TELLS ME THAT DISCOVERY ALONE WAS DISTURBING SINCE HER MOTHER DOESN'T OFTEN VISIT THE BUSINESSES ON THIS SIDE OF THE

STRIP MALL. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Marissa Coker says it's hard to think about the possibilities of what could have happened to her mother, 46-year-old Cheryl Coker.

Police say Coker was last seen the morning of October 2nd, dropping her other daughter off at school. Marissa says she last saw her mom the night before she went missing. I was over there for about three hours. We were having a good time listening to music and everything. You know, I want to go to Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, joining me out of Beverly Hills. Dr. Bethany, there's just something about a violent felony first thing in the morning. I remember trying to roust witnesses, locate witnesses, get their statements, and I would go to high crime areas first thing in the morning because I knew that I'll be asleep from partying and committing evil all night long. So I would

wait, I'd get there, get in position and they'll bust up in there, bam, bam, bam, about 7.30 in the morning. It worked Because they're all asleep. I find there's something twisty about committing a murder or a kidnap or a rape at 7.45 in the morning. Nancy, whoever did this had been contemplating it for some time. This was planned. This was not random. As you said, the perp knew her. Who was she dating somebody?

Was somebody stalking her? Had, was there? Well, wait a minute, Bethany. I could see some freaky dude. I mean, it could be anybody. Delivery guy, Amazon guy, construction worker, yard person that sees her leave, dropping her daughter off. Maybe you've seen her do it before sees her come back home knows she's alone at that time in the morning and go in to try to

rape her or go in and try to burgle and then she comes back i could see that happening but what messes that theory up is hiding the car so what happened in that car what happened in that car? What happened in the car? Why would car need to be hidden? I'm not a forensic expert. I'm a behavioral expert. And what I will say is the guy dressed up like a ninja is very interesting to me because sometimes these criminals are what we call histrionic, which is the clinical term for drama queen. They love sort of the suspense and the excitement and, you know, planning the crime, planning it out is very exciting to them. And they have this big plan in their head and they dress like Cheryl McCollum said, like a criminal that they've seen on TV, but who in her life would match that behavioral profile?

Who was a drama queen? Who was preoccupied with her? If it was a delivery man, if it was the Amazon guy, was there somebody who hung around the house and kept trying to talk to her or was preoccupied with her? Whoever did this had a big personality. That's all I'm trying to say. Well, you said, I'm, quote, just a psychoanalyst.

Well, you're anything but, Dr. Bethany Marshall. But I do happen to have a forensics expert, in addition to Cheryl McCollum. Joining me, Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University and author. So what do you believe is the primary crime scene, the home or the car? The vehicle is nothing more than a methodology of transporting her. That home is where everything went down. And, you know, back to what Cheryl was saying earlier,

you know, you've got this window that you're dealing with in time. It almost smacks to me that someone was laying in wait for her as she arrived back at home. And I think from an evidentiary standpoint, from an examination of the scene. Hey, you've been in the biz way too long, Joe Scott, when you're imagining somebody hiding in the bushes, lying in wait. If you're going down the random rapist road. No, that's not what I think. You're lying in the bushes, lying in wait. If you're going down the random rapist road. No, that's not what I think. Lying in the bushes. No, not lying in wait in the bushes. I think somebody's in her house.

And they are waiting for her to show up. And then they took her out and put her in that vehicle and transported her away. That's the only explanation. Well, catch this, and I want your expertise on this, because suddenly the investigation changes. Take a listen to WDTV TV. I'm going to start that over. WDTN TV2 News Reporter Adam Ross.

We're now treating this as a homicide investigation. There's a lot of information that we cannot discuss. A homicide, but still no body in the missing persons case that's gripped the Miami Valley since October. William Coker, Cheryl's husband, is our one and only suspect at this time. Police say William Coker has been largely indifferent

to the investigation, showing little interest in finding out what happened to the woman he married 19 years ago. AT THIS TIME. POLICE SAY WILLIAM COKER HAS BEEN LARGELY INDIFFERENT TO THE INVESTIGATION, SHOWING LITTLE INTEREST IN FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WOMAN HE MARRIED 19 YEARS AGO. So one time in four and a half months we've been contacted by Mr. Coker in regards to Cheryl's whereabouts, you know, concerning whether or not she's even alive, where she at. We have asked Mr. Coker to take a polygraph. At this current time, after multiple requests for a polygraph, Mr. Coker is reluctant to do so at this time. I can't wait to find out what is it that they found. What evidence? Was it blood spatter?

Was it, well, what could it be that they found that suddenly turned this case on its head? Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. To you, Jim Elliott, high-profile lawyer with Butler Snow, what, do lawyers tell their clients how to behave? Because, or maybe they should, because showing absolutely no interest in the disappearance of your wife, that's a problem. Raises lots of risk. No interest. In four months, the husband calls what, maybe once? In almost four and a half months? I mean, can't you just teach them to pretend they care? Well.

Jim Elliott, you're the defense lawyer. Well, I mean, there are other greater experts on here than me about people's behavior, but a client cannot become something they're not. Concerned, caring, apathetic, whatever it is they are. Well, that's true. That's going to show after this long. And actually in this case, they had just filed for divorce. So cops may have said, oh, he's totally faking it.

He's calling every day. He's in the middle of a divorce. He doesn't care. Although just once in four months, Jim Elliott, Jim Elliott, do you remember, does this name ring a bell to you? Scott Peterson. Absolutely. Remember that name? How it turns out he was cheating on his pregnant

wife and everything about him just seemed fake. Every interview he gave, every statement he gave, he really didn't seem that interested in finding Lacey. Do you remember the big vigil that was held in the park? And at first he wasn't even speaking out. Her family, her mom and stepdad were speaking out, not the husband. I mean, that just smells bad, Jim Elliott. Certainly words are one thing, Nancy, but a person's demeanor tells an awful lot more about what their truth really is. Man, you are so right about that, Jim Elliott.

Now, of course, in court, defense attorneys, sad to say, like Jim Elliott. That's why he wins a lot of cases because he seems so earnest. But he's right about that. Jurors look at the demeanor of a defendant. Cops look at the demeanor of a defendant. Cops look at the demeanor of a defendant. And he's right. If you try to get your client to fake it, that's not going to work either. In the last hours, a major break in the case.

But I want you to first hear WHIO TV7 Mike Campbell speaking to the husband. Did you ever see Cheryl come back after dropping off? No, but I got up to for a few minutes and she was in the shower, but I didn't see her. And this would have been after she dropped Michaela off? Yes. OK, so then you didn't see her at that point. Then did you go back to sleep? Yeah. And then when you woke back you go back to sleep? Yes.

And then when you woke back up, she was gone? Yes. And her car was obviously then gone as well? Yes. So who do you think that is on camera at the Kroger lot parking that car and then walking away? I don't know. Someone she met. Someone she met because she was meeting people and probably wanted me to think that she was at work. I don't know. I'm just guessing.

Well, I don't know what I expected, but I got, uh-uh. I don't know. Right there, Cheryl McCollum, is making my teeth hurt. Because no matter what time I get up in the morning, today it was five o'clock in the morning, my husband is right there. What do you mean she gets up and takes the children to work, to school, then she has typically goes to work and he's still laying in the bed? Idle hands, the devil's workshop. Go ahead and laugh, but that's the truth, Cheryl McCollum. What if he went back to sleep?

Well, he went back to sleep so he doesn't have to have any memory. That's going to be his story. My concern starts when the sister has to report her missing. Again, he doesn't even report her to the police as missing. He shows no concern at all from the beginning. I don't care what's going on in that marriage. That woman was the mother of his child, and he should have been concerned enough for that child. You know, the girls were scared.

I mean, this makes no sense that he's so lax today's alone in his response to what's occurred. Guys, in the last hours, there has been a major break in the case. Take a listen to Greene County Sheriff Gene Fisher. Afternoon about 530, we received a phone call from a resident on Waynesville Jamestown Road who was mushroom hunting, and found what appeared to be bones in the field. The officers went down. Detectives were called out. We recovered several bones and a skull that evening and went back out to the scene today with BCI.

The bones that were recovered were taken to the Montgomery County Crime Lab and those bones were identified this afternoon as that of Cheryl Coker, this thing out of Riverside. The remains now skeletonized of Cheryl Coker have been found. To CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter Levi Page, what happened? So this person was looking for mushrooms in a remote wooded rural area, 15-minute drive from Cheryl's home, and they discovered her skull. It's about 17 miles away from where she is. As a matter of fact, take a listen to WDTN2 news reporter Kristen Esco. It's devastating, but yet when I talk to the family, it's, you know, it's a little bit of peace of mind right now because they at least know, they know where Cheryl is. David Rader

says he never gave up hope Cheryl Coker would be found. He and his team from Texas EquiSearch helped organize 14 searches for Coker, the most recent one two weeks ago. He says they covered a lot of ground but never looked in the area along Waynesville Jamestown Road where a mushroom hunter found her remains Saturday evening. I found some bones along the side of the road. Okay. I was actually wearing clothes, I think. We probably went out 10 to 12 miles in every direction. And from what I understand, this was probably anywhere from 17 to 20 miles from her resident. To Joe Scott Morgan, joining me, Professor of Forensics, Jacksonville State University, what does the location and the manner in which Cheryl's skeletonized remains were found tell you about the killer's MO?

Well, the fact is, is that this is an isolated location, but yet, but yet it's still within an easily drivable distance. You know, you can make that trip in that period of time from when she last was seen or last known to be on her social media till we see that car being parked and that's significant. We're only talking 15 to 17 miles away from her home and this is also an area that individuals around this particular town would probably be at least passing familiar with. You know, they know that there is a wooded area. They know that there's a rural area where something could kind of lay up in an obscure way. And yet there's not a lot of work there that you have to do.

You know, from my understanding, Nancy, where these remains were found, there was not any evidence at all that a grave had been dug. And that's significant because the remains are laid on top of the ground. On top of the ground. We still have skeletal remains, a skull, and we have clothing.

And that's a big piece of this. You know what's interesting about that? That's the first thing our producer, Brett, said was, what idiot, his words, not mine, would try to hide a body and leave identifiable clothing on it? Plus, if you have especially any type of synthetic fiber, that is not going to deteriorate over time. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Guys, in the last hours, there has been a major break in the case of missing mom, Cheryl Coker. We now know that her remains have been found skeletonized in an isolated and wooded area. But the dichotomy remains that while her killer took her remains to this isolated area only found by people hunting for mushrooms in a densely wooded spot the body was not buried straight back out to you joseph scott morgan professor forensics jacksonville state that tells me so much about my killer weigh in very quickly uh yeah what what it what it tells me is this was an area that had been identified for a dump location, but it was quickly done.

We're gonna get this body from the roadway where we park on the side of the road perhaps, and we're gonna take this body out as far as we can humanly take it away from anybody that could physically see it and just lay it on the ground. And that's what this individual did, Nancy. And what about the clothing? Clothing found with the remains has been turned over to Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

But hold on. I need to shrink on that other question. Dr. Bethany, what does it tell you that the perp takes the body that far out and then doesn't bother to bury it? Nancy, it could be one of two things. It could be complete and utter contempt for Cheryl Coker because we know even the worst of criminals will place a blanket over the body

or they will bury it in a shallow grave or there's an act of decency at the very end. It's always so strange, but they do that. So this is complete and utter contempt, or whatever happened to her was so quick, so violent, so unpremeditated in her home, that the perp didn't even have a chance to prepare a dump site. I mean, he just thought hastily of the most wooded area, the most remote, dumped, and then needed to get back to work or show up somewhere so that he would have an alibi as to when Cheryl went missing.

At CrimeOnline.com, you can actually see the video, the body cam footage from the cops where two male mushroom hunters lead them to the spot where they find Cheryl Coker's remains, just lying out there to be attacked by animals, to really showing contempt for her. The clothing found the remains turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. What do you think, Cheryl McCollum, about the possibility that forensic evidence may be found on that clothing? I don't think there's any question it's going to be. You're going to have a hair. You're going to

have skin cells left from touch DNA. There's going to be a lot of evidence on that clothing. The most important thing is what was she wearing? Was she wearing the exact same clothing that she wore when she dropped her daughter off? Or has she already started to change clothes to go to work? Everything is going to be relevant. The most relevant thing on top of the forensic evidence is the manner of death. Was she stabbed? Was she strangled? Was she shot? Was she sexually assaulted? All of these things are going to give us a lot of answers. I don't know. Levi Page, was she totally skeletonized? Is there any tissue left? No tissue left. She was totally skeletonized, Nancy.

And the clothes were actually, it was not discarded beside of her. The skeleton still had the clothes on it. I don't know why that just struck me wrong. It's a grotesque picture to think of. It's a horrible visual that her children are going to have to live with the rest of their life. Their mother's body left out in a wooded area, practically on the side of the road, unburied until she's skeletonized. Joe Scott, what, if anything, do you believe,

what forensic evidence could possibly be attained from those clothes? Well, if there are any kind of tears, rips, or, you know, we call them defects in the continuity of the clothing. let's say a bullet has passed through the shirt, might be able to find that. If there is a slicing or cutting wound, that might potentially be there. Say, for instance, on the shirt. If there is any kind of blood staining, that might be there. But, Nancy, keep in mind, this body's been out there for quite some time, I think up to 18 months, if I'm not mistaken. So evidence could potentially be greatly diminished. I think that for me as a forensics guy, I really want to take a close look at the skeletal remains,

particularly the head. We don't have any soft tissue to go on. And skeletalized remains are the most difficult to determine manner and cause of death with. Are there any defects in the skull, any fractures, any trauma? You know what's very, very odd? Levi Page, please describe for Jim Elliott, renowned attorney joining us, about one of the last texts that Cheryl Coker sent to a co-worker. Yes. So Cheryl filed for divorce September 21st, and then September 24th, she was texting with

a co-worker, and she said, I'll be in if I'm not dead. I'll see you tomorrow if I'm not dead. So while you marinate in that text, Jim Elliott, what's your advice? What would you have advised when the husband, in midst of a divorce, was asked to come take a polygraph? Now, you and I know that unless it's stipulated ahead of time, a polygraph is not admissible in criminal court, unlike civil court. Would you have advised him to take a polygraph or no, Jim Elliott? By representing him, I would not, because, of course, the value of a polygraph is that it leads to discovery of other evidence. If there was some reason he didn't want other evidence to be discovered why should he

protest so you say no you agree with him not taking the polygraph if you were his client i mean if you were his lawyer you're up for it okay i'm sure if you were a cop you'd want him to do other otherwise but i i hear you i mean look when they got oj simpson to take a polygraph you know he flunked it like a negative 40. It's horrible. That didn't come into criminal court, did come into the civil case. So, to Dr. Bethany Marshall, what do you make of the text that Cheryl sent? Now, the defense is gonna argue,

hey, maybe she didn't send it. The alternative is somebody gets on her phone and sends a scary message that says, see you tomorrow if I'm not dead. This is a really common story for women who are victims of domestic violence, that they will let people know, and in particular, co-workers for some reason. I think a co-worker is a person who's not in your inner circle. It's not like a mother or a sister

or a brother that will go and confront the situation directly, but it is someone in your life to whom you're accountable and with whom there's predictability and regularity. So that person is the first person who's going to know if you've gone missing. Bethany, Bethany. Yes. Are you sitting down? You better lay down for this. Jackie, let's hear WHIO TV 7, Cheryl McHenry. In the months leading up to her disappearance, there were a number of key developments in her personal life. Cheryl filed for divorce on September 21st, seeking custody and alimony. Cheryl knew her husband had a girlfriend. Police have questioned both. They've both been very cooperative with us at this point.

And then there were suspicious texts. Bill Coker's girlfriend told police Cheryl texted her on August 28th asking that if Cheryl were to die or wasn't in the picture, would she pursue a permanent relationship with Bill? It was reportedly sent by Cheryl, but we're not 100% convinced that she actually did send another text from Bill to Cheryl on September 24th. Thanks for putting the nail in my coffin. And that same day, a text from Cheryl to a co-worker. I will be in tomorrow if I'm not dead. And remember the trip to Florida Bill Coker had taken with his daughter? Police confirm he took his girlfriend, too, something Cheryl's best friend says Cheryl could not

have known. And I think that mama there would have came out if she would have known that other woman was going. Cheryl McCollum, could you just tell me, I'm missing one, one key bit of information. Where's the indictment? Where's the indictment? What's the problem? I'm with you, Nancy. This thing should have gone to grand jury a long time ago, as far as I'm concerned. The police have already said, not only is he a suspect, he's the only suspect. Guys, we wait as justice unfolds for this mom, Cheryl Coker. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.