Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Dad Admits "Missing" Infant Son Strangled & Dumped in River | Crime Alert 03.20.26

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

An Oregon father allegedly admitted on Sunday to killing his 11-month-old son after falsely reporting him missing. The suspect in the murder of a 87-year-old Alaska man found dead in the woods not far away a day later. A 92-year-old millionaire developer was found dead and decomposing in a swanky beach home in California’s Hermosa Beach last week, and a suspect was arrested after a seven-hour standoff. A California woman and her boyfriend charged with 27 counts of torture and child abuse related to their treatment of the woman’s 11-year-old niece that included dragging her around on a dog leash. Sydney Sumner reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney Sumner. An Oregon father allegedly admitted on Sunday to killing his 11-month-old son after falsely reporting him missing. Jared Stoller, 27, called Sutherland Police,

claiming he woke up and his baby was missing from a room at the Relax Inn. Stoller said his son had been sleeping in a car seat in the room, which had a window pushed in. However, once at the police station, Stoller admitted to lying about the suspected kidnapping. He then confessed to killing his infant son days earlier in dumping his body in the South Umpqua River. While Stoller initially told police that his son died during co-sleeping, he later confessed to manually strangling his son. Stoller also agreed to take police to the river where they eventually located the infant's body. An autopsy is pending.

Stoller is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree abuse of a corpse. He's due in court later today. The suspect in the murder of an 87-year-old Alaska man on Saturday was found dead in the woods, not far away, a day later. Matthew Thomas Becker, 61, was the ex-son-in-law of the man he killed, Romaine Clark. Anchorage Police believe he gunned Clark down minutes after trying to kill his ex-wife as she tried to open her Anchorage hair salon. The ex-wife told police that Becker had been living in Arizona since they divorced, and she was unaware he had come back to Alaska. She told police she thought someone had tampered with the lock to her business Saturday morning because she couldn't fit the key inside. Then she saw Becker in a car. He got out and started shooting at her, then jumped back in and sped away as she fled.

The woman contacted police and said she was concerned about her elderly father who lived with her. Police say Becker apparently went directly to the home after failing to kill his ex-wife. Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said, based on preliminary evidence, it appears the suspect went to the rear of the residence, fired a couple of rounds through a plate glass window, striking and killing the victim, and then fleeing the scene. Friends who had planned an outing with the older man found Clark's body minutes before police arrived on the scene. Case said officers were hailed by friends who were waiting to meet up with the victim, who went inside the residence because he hadn't come out yet.

They discovered the body, and then they notified us. Police launched a manhunt for Becker, warning the public he was armed and dangerous. His body was found just before 10.30 a.m. on Sunday. The medical examiner will determine his cause of death. Becker's brother said the divorcee owned a comedy club in Bisbee, Arizona, and had recently been diagnosed with cancer. More crime and justice news after this. A 92-year-old millionaire developer was found dead and decomposing in a swanky beach home in California's Hermosa Beach last week, and a suspect was arrested after a seven-hour standoff. Hermosa Beach Police said they were asked to conduct a welfare check shortly after noon on Saturday, after a landlord at the home reported that they hadn't heard from a tenant there in several days.

Police said upon arrival, officers observed evidence suggesting a possible deceased person inside. The property manager allowed officers access to the location where they encountered an individual inside who was not the tenant. The individual was uncooperative, made statements indicating possibly being armed and barricaded themselves inside. the residents. SWAT teams responded to the home and negotiators eventually persuaded the suspect to surrender. Once inside the home, investigators found the dead man, later identified as prominent real estate developer Demetrius DeCoulos. The suspect was identified by two names, 39-year-old Robert Phillips Simmons and Eleanor Bolew. During the standoff, residents and Taurus were evacuated from the area. Simmons-Bowloo finally came out of the residence looking like a blues brother, wearing a dark suit,

white shirt, dark tie, sunglasses, and fedora. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Simmons-Bow-Lew with a single count of murder. The indictment said that investigators believed DeCoulos was killed sometime between March 7th and March 14th. A California woman and her boyfriend have been charged with 27 counts of torture and child abuse related to their treatment of the woman's 11-year-old niece that included strangulation, dragging her around on a dog leash, and forcing her to sleep in an uninsulated garage. Ineslaus County Sheriff's Office said it was contacted by someone who said the little girl was refusing to go home because her aunt had been physically abusing her. When the girl was interviewed, she disclosed physical abuse spanning an extended period of time. A search warrant on the home found surveillance footage that corroborated statements made by the victim. They also found evidence indicating that the child had been living primarily in the garage and the backyard.

The sheriff's office said the garage was not a converted living space, lacking heating and air conditioning and in salivism. leaving the child exposed to unsafe temperatures year-round. The aunt, 37-year-old Priscilla Mastaz, and 36-year-old Anthony Machuca, told detectives they had custody of the girl since 2024. The investigation was launched on January 31st, and Manchuka was arrested when they made initial contact with the couple at the home. Mastaz's arrest was delayed because she was pregnant in near term. She was arrested on March 12th after the birth of the child.

The newborn and a four-year-old child were taken into protection. custody by Stanislaus County Child Protective Services. The Sheriff's Office did not reveal the status of the 11-year-old girl. The St.islaus County District Attorney's Office filed a criminal complaint against the pair on Monday, charging them with 27 felony and misdemeanor counts. The most serious charges include torture, conspiracy to commit torture, child endangerment, injury to a child, assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal threats. The Sheriff's Office said, among the acts referenced are repeated physical abuse, including strangulation, and slapping, withholding adequate nutrition, causing the child to become malnourished, forcing the child to perform strenuous physical exercise to the point of exhaustion under threat

of assault, restraining and dragging the child with a dog leash, and subjecting the child to sustained verbal abuse and threats of injury. Investigators say more charges are possible as they sit through evidence. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Cindy Sumner. This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human.