Dr. Insanity - Abandoned Car In Woods Leads Cops To Killer's Secret Graveyard

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

You can go to my sponsor https://aura.com/drinsanity to try 14 days for free. That’s enough time for Aura to start scrubbing your personal info off these data broker sites, without you lifting a finger. ----- These officers just found an abandoned car in the middle of the forest… They don’t know it yet, but this very car will lead them to the most horrifying discovery of their lives. Beneath a pile of leaves, officers find the deceased body of 44-year-old Crystal Hannah. But in the days that follow this gruesome discovery, what starts as a search for one woman’s killer quickly unravels into a decades-long trail of domestic crimes, dozens of victims, and a sadistic serial offender who’s been slipping through the cracks for the past 20 years. ---- This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Look at that. These officers just found an abandoned car in the middle of the forest. They don't know it yet, but in a few minutes, this very car will lead them to the most horrifying discovery of their lives. Hey, look at this.

This looks like a grave. Less than a mile away, under a pile of leaves, officers find a deceased, decomposing body of a man. missing mother. But in the days that follow this gruesome discovery, what starts as a search for one woman's killer quickly unravels into a decades-long trail of domestic crimes, dozens of victims, and a sadistic serial offender who's been slipping through the cracks for the past 20 years.

She supposedly went out with somebody last night. He was going to put my mom and my nanny six feet under. and you know, the shelter out. And having a deputy come down and talk to me. My best friend is missing. The last communication with through tech to, to her boss stating she was on her way to work. She never arrived. And then there's been some crazy text.

Approximately 25 minutes after receiving this missing person's 911 call, a Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy is dispatched to speak with a caller regarding the disappearance of her friend. Crystal Hannah. Unknowingly, this officer is on the verge of uncovering a case that will unfold into one of the darkest investigations the town of Elliston has ever seen. So what's going on? Okay, so my best friend, she supposedly went out with somebody last night. So is your best friend Crystal? Yes.

Okay, that's your call. All right. This morning, I get a phone call from her daughter. like, hey, have you even heard from mom? And I was like, no. She was like, we can't find her. She texted somebody at work and said that she was on her way to work. This morning.

This morning. Okay. And then she never arrived. All right. The van's missing. No one can find the van, her mom's van, that she was driving. All right. So do you know, like, where she normally stays?

Yeah, she's been staying down here, call away and break, like that house. What worries me is she has. He had an abusive ex. Right. The statements provided by Crystal's friend are troubling, to say the least, but it's the combination of details that really stands out. A missing vehicle, an abusive ex, and a mysterious man Crystal went on a date with just the night before.

Taken together, it paints a situation that could lead in almost any direction. With that in mind, officers quickly get to work. One heads to Crystal's home. Crystal's home to conduct a welfare check, while another calls her daughter, Chelsea, to gather more details about the man her mother was supposedly meeting the previous night. Like, I just want her to be home and everything be okay. Yeah, I'm sure she's fine. I'm sure she's fine.

Um, so what time about last night was that last text? Okay, so about last night, she told me at 803, she said, love you beautiful, and I said, love you mom. She said, I'm probably going out, and then she told me where she would leave the key, and I said with who, and she said, a guy named Matt, don't say anything, because she didn't want me to let her ex know, because her ex is crazy, and she said, I may not have service. He lives on 12 o'clock knob. 12 o'clock knob? Yes. Was there a specific address at 12 o'clock knob? Okay, no. She actually said he lives on. on 12 o'clock knob.

So on that road. What's his first and last name? His name is Matt, and I don't know if he goes by Matt or Matthew, but his name is Matt, like, Matt Thomas. And I would appreciate it, like as soon as I'll find out something,

and if you find her or find out anything about her, please call this number. Absolutely. Okay, we'll do. With Crystal's daughter questioned, officers are now able to attach a name to her mysterious date. Matthew Thomas, who supposedly lives somewhere on 12 o'clock Knob Road.

Meanwhile, the officer sends to conduct a welfare check arrives at Crystal's home. But no one answers the door, and her van is missing. Detectives back at the station waste no time and begin calling more of Crystal's family and friends, trying to determine whether there's any chance she may have left voluntarily. That's when they learned that 44-year-old Crystal was somewhat naive, but also kind, trusting, and dependable, which makes the idea that she would suddenly vanish, leaving behind her daughter, three sons, and her grandchild,

without any notice, feel extremely unlikely. As the first day of Crystal's disappearance comes to an end, detectives know the first 24 hours are critical. So that night, they stay late, working to track down the man Crystal was supposedly meeting, Matthew Thomas. After digging through records and filtering through multiple people with the same name, they finally get a hold of the right one.

But when he picks up the phone, the conversation takes a strange turn. Matthew confirms that he once did live on 12 o'clock Knob Road, but he says he moved out of the state a few years ago, and now lives in North Carolina. Matthew also says he has no idea who Crystal Hanna is and claims he never spoke with her, let alone went on a date. These statements leave detectives stunned.

Their strongest lead is suddenly over a hundred miles away and denying everything. This doesn't sit right with the investigators, so while they begin verifying his alibi, they also start digging into the social media account Crystal had been texting, the one belonging to Matt Thomas. Given the urgency of the case, they file an emergency request for Facebook login records tied to the account. What they receive are IP addresses linked to every recorded login on the account,

and none of these logins came back anywhere in the state of North Carolina. Instead, they all originate from the same small Virginia town of Elliston. With this discovery, detectives are left facing an interesting possibility. The man Crystal thought she was talking to may have never been Matthew Thomas at all. It may have been someone impersonating him. With that theory in mind, officers request Crystal's phone location data, and when it comes back, it starts to confirm exactly what they feared, because the final ping from Crystal's phone comes in at 9.50 a.m.

on a stretch of road called Pedlar Road, just three miles away from the home of Crystal's ex-boyfriend, James Hunter Stollard. By now, it's 1 o'clock in the morning, and detectives decide not to waste it. time. Uncertain of what they'll find, they head straight to James's house, hoping Crystal might be there, or at the very least that James knows something about her disappearance and the mysterious date she had the night before. But as the detectives arrive, they approach the house with unusual caution, almost as if they've already learned enough about James to know this situation could turn dangerous. Yes, sir. Hey, it's Deputy Kuzmov, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. How are you doing tonight?

How you doing, too? I'm an investigator Marshall. I'm coming out with him. I understand you had some patrol guys talked to you earlier today. Yes, sir. Is that about Crystal? Yes, sir. So we're taking this thing pretty serious, you know,

because she's been, it's not common for her to go off and be gone for any extent period of time when you guys were together, was it? What do you mean? Like, would she go off the grid and turn front and off? Oh, yeah. She would do that? Okay.

All right. Well, I understand, when's the last time you saw her? It's been two days. Two days. Yeah. So, Friday? What's the day? Yeah, it's get good screwy and plus it's good.

Yeah. Well, we're at 1 o'clock now, unfortunately. I know you're doing the job. Yeah, yeah. So are you thinking Friday or maybe before then? Friday? Friday. Does that sound right?

Did she drive up here? She's probably some groceries with mom and her dad. The commitment at the end of the driveway, when she went to just what she went. Just okay. I don't think she's talking about it. Did she ever give you any inclination where she might go or anything? Okay. All right. Well I want to show you this real quick because I'm up front with everyone, okay? When I'm doing this stuff just because I want to figure out stuff and move on so we don't waste anybody's time to figure it all out.

So this yellow dot's your house right? Right here. This is a cell phone tower on Peddler, okay? So I did an emergency peeing on her cell phone, which is now you know turned off and she was here it was three points so I got this box here and what it says is it was go ahead West 3.1 miles from here so put this box so it's easy to see exactly 3.1 miles your house here she was here 24 hours this morning this morning at 9 o'clock so not 24 hours this morning at 9 o'clock so not 24 hours Yesterday was the last time I was the singer, I guess.

Probably. So it was yesterday, not two days ago? What's today? Monday. Today's technically Monday right now. So yesterday was Sunday. Uh-huh. One of those days. Okay.

Well, this is not two days ago. This is, you get what I'm saying? It's not, I had no. It is. I only got you. Because, I mean, obviously she's not in any trouble. We're just trying to find. You're more welcome to come in, man.

When confronted with Crystal's phone, location data, James appears genuinely caught off guard, claiming he knows nothing about it and struggles to recall the last time he saw Crystal. However, given the late hour, his calm demeanor, and willingness to let officers search the house, nothing immediately seems suspicious. And as they prepare to search the home, they aren't aware of how much more involved he is than he's letting on. To make me feel better, you don't mind if we just walk around out here and whatever? Do what we got to do, you. You sure? Yeah. Okay. Just so we can. clear it off and you do whatever you need to do yeah yeah you don't care if we

walk inside go ahead man i appreciate it did she end up moving out uh she left her stuff she ain't where she cool if we turn these lights on thanks she ever mentioned if one to hers help for any reason or anything yeah i know uh she uh she uh calls me fucking always hurt myself all right because she slept here in the last week couple days before she brought groceries she came here for for that reason and she came a couple days ago for groceries and then yesterday what was yesterday's reason like you didn't see her no she must have just stopped and used her phone to all that's all I never seen her okay I appreciate you being so

cooperative with us and you know let this Marcus placed off and things like that and alright thank you thanks man we'll see you next off Thanks, you too. The search of the house doesn't reveal anything important, and James' questioning provides no immediate cause for concern. As the first day of Crystal's disappearance comes to an end, detectives leave empty-handed, heading into another night with no idea of where Crystal is. And while they don't know it yet, they're only a mile from uncovering the truth. It's 5 a.m., and Officer Richard just arrived to investigate a call about an abandoned car found in the the middle of the forest. At first glance, it doesn't seem unusual. Vehicles are often

dumped in remote areas after being stolen or used in other crimes, but this time will be different because they're about to find exactly where Crystal had been all this time. So I just ran the number plate and it comes back to the missing woman from yesterday. Crystal Hannah, let's not touch anything for now. We should call for backup. Upon running the license plates of the car, officers realize this isn't just a simple case of an abandoned vehicle, because this very car belongs to no one else, but to Crystal Hanna. Detectives and backup units are called in to secure the area and search for any sign of Crystal. They split into groups, looking for any indication of where she might have gone.

That's when two officers notice bloodstains on the leaves not far from the car, and just beside them, drag marks in the ground. Without hesitation, they follow them. Hey, look at this. Looks like a grave. The hell? 10.50 are. I think we found the missing woman.

This looks like a fucking grave. Just 100 yards from Crystal's car, officers stumble upon something deeply unsettling. A small steep made with leaves, with a rock and a couple of flowers. set on top of it. A forensic team is called in immediately, and as they begin on covering the leaves,

they're prepared for the worst. This is her... God, it's like she's decomposing, right? Officers discover Crystal's body. It shows early signs of decomposition, with mold beginning to form. And as the forensic team continues their work, the reason for her death becomes clear,

blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation. And with that, the nature of the case drastically changes. This is now a homicide investigation. As officers and the forensic team continue securing the area, theories about Crystal's death begin to form. She was trusting in kind by nature, and with the possibility that she was catfished by someone impersonating Matt Thomas, investigators begin to suspect she may have been lord and killed.

As officers work to collect evidence and secure the scene, a man arrives claiming to own the property where Crystal's body was discovered. At first, nothing seems out of the ordinary, but in reality, this man already knows the person responsible for Crystal's death. He just doesn't know it yet. Hey, bud. Thirty-two guys. Somebody out of here with me. It's my property. It's your property.

Yeah. Okay. So it's an active crime system. right now. What's his meaning? So I can't give any information right now. I can call a lieutenant from investigating to see how to talk to? I need to talk somebody. I need to find out what's going on. Okay. Yeah, if you will, just stand up here with me. Okay, no problem. And what did you say your name was, sir? My name's Skip Jackson. Deputy Willes, nice meet you, sir. Nice meeting you, sir. I appreciate everything you guys do.

Yes, sir. The initial conversation with the property owner doesn't raise any suspicions, but unknowingly, detectives have just spoken to James' stepfather. This will soon give James an unexpected advantage, allowing him to adjust the way detectives see his involvement in Crystal's murder. But before any of that happens, the news about the dreadful discovery reaches Crystal's family. Even so, investigators still need to speak with Crystal's daughter and anyone who might have insight into who could want Crystal dead. So they arrange an interview with Crystal's devastated family,

where they will soon learn of the threats Crystal and her family have been receiving for months. So my name's Jeff, I'm an investigator. I've been working with Investigator Marshall. I talked to you last night. So I know you've got a lot going on right now. I know you're incredibly upset and feel a big loss. So if you want to talk now and you feel like you can, that's fine. I feel like it's necessary.

If you want to wait, that's fine. Or if you want to talk now, there's more later, that's fine too. So what can you tell us? I can tell you about how toxic he was and the things he did to my mom that could have led to the anger that possibly did have killed her. Okay. What type of things did you see? There was multiple occasions, but he tried to play it off as, like, the good guy.

I would leave, but there's pictures and I was in the hospital for proof too that he beat her so she was almost dead. She was barely breathing at the hospital. They had to put oxygen on her to help her breathe again. And she had bruises all over her body. And the last time I seen her on her left to put her bald spot because he ripped her hair out. He chipped her teeth. He's physically put his hands. on her and hit her face into the concrete. He's put his hands on me, trying to drag me out of the house. He's tried to destroy everything we have. He told my mom that he wishes she was dead multiple times in front of me.

And it sounded very evil with it. I'm just like a laugh thinking it was funny that she was, that he was going to kill her. It's too easy. He's been threatened us. He said we was all going to pay. all want to pay. He said that, yeah, he did say we were all going to pay and that he was going to put my mom and my nanny six feet under.

It's talking about me and her. Yeah. Was that text messages? My mom and my grandmother. I erased my text messages. But it was from text messages. Yeah. Okay. Clearly devastated, Crystal's daughter barely holds herself together. But despite everything, she and other relatives provide new, strong leads pointing serious allegations towards James that detective simply cannot ignore. And although Matthew's alibi has not yet been confirmed, the statements they just heard officially turned James into their prime suspect.

As the day goes on, officers prepare and gather evidence for James' arrest planned for the next day. But then around 5 a.m., they receive a strange call from James himself. This is David Hughesma. Yeah, hey, what's going on, Sallard? We talk? Yeah. In person?

In person? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah. Let me, um, be you at the house still? Following James' request, investigators rushed to his house, already suspecting the reason behind it. With Crystal's body now discovered, James knows he's likely becoming one of the main suspects. So when he hears from his stepfather that the body has been found,

He decides to solve the case in the most unexpected way. What's going on? What's up? Huh? Yeah. What's going on, man? Tell me what's going on. Uh-huh.

I'll get you. You got the fucking all you heard of the phone. Uh-huh. Started fucking cute on me. I started beating the back and I fucked up. What's that? It's true. What'd you do?

I heard you. Yeah? That's all right. Just be honest with me. You're talking foul. I don't fuck this, dude. Uh-huh. Okay.

I put a ring on the finger of January. Mm-hmm. Okay. I couldn't get the hurt since I... Yep. I couldn't. Where's he at now? She's dead, man.

Out of nowhere, James confesses to killing Crystal. Whatever detectives were expecting to hear, it probably wasn't an outright confession, especially after he had successfully deceived them the day before. To investigators, it appears as if James is... His guilt and remorse have finally caught up to him, pushing him to confess to the murder. However, this will soon turn out to be a part of his new strategy. One meant to minimize the weight of his crime and gain empathy with a single goal.

Shifting blame and reducing his charges to the minimum, something investigators will soon discover he has managed to accomplish many times before. For now though, James is detained and placed in the back of a patrol car. before being transported to the local police department for a formal interrogation. But before questioning begins, the lead detective takes time to prepare. He finds out that James' history of domestic abuse dates as far back as 2004. Over the years, he's been involved in multiple cases involving girlfriends, including felonious assaults, aggravated malicious wounding, and repeated violent behavior.

In 2013, James even assaulted his own mother during an argument over a chainsaw. calling her slurs before knocking her to the ground and forcing her face into the dirt. A few years later, he got into a confrontation with Crystal's daughter and managed to manipulate the situation so thoroughly that he was documented as the victim in the police report. Repeatedly facing only minor repercussions despite the severity of these incidents, it becomes clear that James is a skilled manipulator and that his relationships are defined by control and abuse. That impression only deepens when detectives speak with Crystal's co-workers, and it becomes clear that Crystal was no exception.

By now, the detective understands exactly who he's dealing with, a highly manipulative, violent man with a documented history of abuse and a pattern of evading accountability. Basically, what I'm doing, or what we're doing here, just having a conversation with you to kind of figure out what happened. kind of, you know, sort of your explanation of how things went about. She came and she made love to me, loved on me and stuff, and then when I got her phone, she started acting fucking belligerent.

Okay. Now, is this Saturday morning or is this some other time? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And she started acting fucking belligerent. And I got on her fucking messenger and she got fucking violent and she, I got violent with her too, and he didn't even up hurting.

I didn't hurt her. I knew she'd be a fucking cheat on me. I just didn't have the proof. She wouldn't tell me. Nobody told me. Yeah, yeah. I've been with somebody for 10 years and finding out that they're messing around on. I put her in January.

and she left for two fucking months and come back and then left and come back and left and come back and left and she left her shit there like her stuff's been in my house the whole time she's been gone I've had nothing but her

in my house you know I didn't even want to go in my house it's the worst fucking hurt I've ever had my life man it's incredibly difficult it's the worst fucking hurt I've ever had my life because I loved her

with everything I had in me and it's like it's like I was loving the fucking floor or something. I don't understand it. I done everything I could. I can put her name cross side of my fucking head. Just to get her in the fucking...

It's the worst fucking hurt in the world, man. What kind of relationship you all had most of the time? It was very toxic, but I ain't ever loved somebody as much as I loved Dorino with me. I don't understand it. Like, she could say to do the worst shit. She sent me with the car. Say the worst shit to me in the world.

I steal my fucking heart. I don't know. The fucking pump blood for her, you know what I mean? I don't understand it. It's like she put a fucking curse on me or something. I don't know. I mean, our love was as strong as fucking love we've ever seen. I've ever seen, but the fights were awful.

Just as detectives anticipated, James tries to cast himself as the victim. But unfortunately for him, detective have already done their homework and know exactly who they're dealing with. So they stay calm and act understanding, because what matters most now is getting James to provide as many details as possible about the day of Crystal's death. However, while investigators prepared for more manipulation attempts, James is about to do the exact opposite.

We appreciate you being cooperative and going through it. So as that's going on, and you've referenced a few times of, you know, you said you hit her. Right. Was that with an open, open hand, closed fist with something? Lutters. Okay. Do you have anything in your fist? No.

Okay. Do you know if it was your right or left hand? No. Okay. Yeah. After you hit her, she said she was. I don't know what she said. She, I was so fucking blind, man.

Okay. I'm trying. And take your time? It was a lot of fucking, her yelling, like, give me my phone, give my phone, give my phone. Give my phone. I still had the phone when I hear her,

and she still was acting fucking retard. Like, trying to fucking come at me. All of a fucking shit, all she was worried about was the phone. She wouldn't be fine and what the fuck was on. It got fucking bad. I pushed her down and fucking bigger up. After you hit her the first time, pushed her down? Yeah.

Would you say like tackled her or just grabbed her and threw her down? Okay. Then what happened next? You jump on top of her or what happened next? They choked her out. Then what happened next? Then I'll move her to where she's at. Okay.

So, um. A flower and covered her. What'd you use to cover her out? Leaves and sticks and chop up on rock on top of those, like a headstone or something. Okay. I wouldn't be totally disrespectful. I didn't love her. Yeah.

So fucked up. She was my fucking world. It's took a whirl from me. And it's like she's running around with it. with it. Surprisingly, James drops his attempts to manipulate the facts and gives detectives a clear account of the murder. At first, it appears as if James has given up trying to escape justice, but that impression

does not last, because James is about to try something that he thinks will buy him time and help him minimize the consequences of his actions. Displice disorder and I got like six other fucking things that I don't take medicine for For those things diagnosed? Okay, do you know what they are? You said intermediate, I'm sorry? Intermediate explosion disorder. I got bipolar, BTSD, ADHD, some other kind of fucking shit.

I got diagnosed by a psychiatrist in the region too. So let's listen to this one. This is one of those kind of questions that some people would think are kind of silly. So did you have any strange, unusual mental experiences around the time of this crime? And if you did, what were they? So have you ever heard or seen things that weren't really there? I've heard many things, but I don't ever see shit. I agree with you all the time.

Now, is it while you're taking drugs or? It's an all-time thing. How do I speak to a doctor? A doctor? Yeah. Like a psychologist or somebody? I need to speak with him and tell him everything. To see if he can dissolve his shit and figure out how to fucking...

Doing I? Are we a rock alone? Yeah. All right, bro. You know how you're wrong with him? With James raising concerns about his mental status, and requesting a psychiatrist, the interrogation comes to an end. He's placed in jail while awaiting a court-ordered mental evaluation,

gaining time to prepare his act before any future questioning takes place. Meanwhile, the investigators still have some work to do. They work on confirming Matthew Thomas's alibi, and when they do so, he's officially ruled out as a suspect, eliminating any uncertainties about his involvement. Then, just days later, James is evaluated, and questioned by a court-appointed forensic psychiatrist. However, his performance doesn't last long.

The evaluator finds no signs that James is mentally unfit to stand trial, concluding that he understands the charges against him and was fully aware of his actions during Crystal's murder. With that, James' final strategy fails, and the case continues to progress. Investigators try to determine whether James was the one impersonating Matt Thomas, but based on the available reports, it remains unclear. James, meanwhile, sticks to his claim that Crystal willingly came to his house at 1 a.m. and that no force was involved.

The investigation concludes that Crystal was murdered around 9 a.m. on June 5th. After spending the night at James' house, she was getting ready for work when James took her phone and discovered messages with another man she had been talking to. From there, he lost his temper. The argument quickly escalated into a physical confrontation, during which James repeatedly struck Crystal and ultimately choked her after knocking her unconscious. Then, almost a year later, on August 18, 2003, despite James' continued efforts to delay proceedings and deflect responsibility, he is convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.