Every Town - The Tragic Story of Kali Poulton - Rochester, NY

Episode Date: May 20, 2022

In the hearts and minds of Kali Ann Poulton’s family and friends, she will forever be 4 ½ years old. Their memories of Kali have been frozen in time, and she only comes alive on home videos playing and smiling on camera. In today’s episode, we’ll tackle the harrowing death of an innocent 4-year-old girl at the hands of a predator. --------------------------------------------🎉 Exclusive Video Library: https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 🥇 Watch This Episode on Youtube! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilYuiNIvy_I&ab_channel=ScaryMysteries--------------------------------------------🎧 Scary Mysteries PodcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scary-mysteries/id1273612861Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZooEZMoZ421WdsOVJhVkTAll Others: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579 Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine, because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between. With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime.

Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Everytown. Thank you guys so much for tuning into our podcast. If you guys enjoy listening to Everytown, then I wanted to let you know that there are always a video component to each episode over on our YouTube channel called Scary Mysteries. They're really well put together and put faces to the names, so you can always head over to our Scary Mysteries YouTube channel if you want to view them. There's also two other videos that come out on our YouTube channel. each and every Monday and Wednesday, where we cover strange and creepy stories from all around the world.

Those can also be listened to in podcast form on our other podcast channel called Scary Mysteries. We have tons of cool content for you all around. Thanks so much for the support and tuning in. Hope you enjoy the episode. Every town has a dark side. In the hearts and mind of Kaylee Poulton's family and friends, she will find out of her. forever be four and a half years old. Their memories of Kaylee have been frozen in time and she only comes alive on home videos playing and smiling on camera. In today's episode, we'll tackle the

harrowing death of an innocent four-year-old girl at the hands of a predator. A tragedy almost drove Kayleanne's mother crazy, but more shattering was finally knowing after two years what really happened to her little girl and her instincts about who did it were right all along. I'm Andrew Fitzgerald and welcome to this week's episode of Everytown, which will take us to Rochester, New York, beginning in 1994, and taking us up until the time that justice was attained with the brutal death of Callie Poulton. In September of 1989, David Poulton and Judy Gifford became parents to a lovely baby girl,

who they named Callie Ann. She was adored by everyone for her infection. laughter. And the toddler was three years old, her parents decided to separate, but David and Judy maintained a friendly relationship. The mother and daughter then settled in to Gleeson Circle, a quaint suburban apartment complex surrounded by large oak and maple trees in East Rochester, New York. As a single mom with an only child, Judy was naturally protective of the apple of her eye. In order to make ends meet, Judy took on a part-time marketing job of placing inserts and magazines that she would then deliver. She wanted to save up

for a Disney World trip with her daughter the following summer. At around 6.45 on a warm spring evening on May 23rd, 1994, Mrs. Gifford was busy with her job and wanted to finish the delivery of the magazines that she could take Callie to McDonald's afterwards for the kid to enjoy playing at the outdoor children's playground. Seeing other kids playing on the streets outside, Kelly begged her mom to join them and ride her white and pink colored big wheel tricycle. Judy agreed as long as Callie rode her tricycle

in front of their house within the mother's sight. The kid was thrilled and rode happily back and forth along the sidewalk while her mom would check on her from time to time. After a few minutes, Mrs. Gifford was done with her task and ready to load the magazines in her car for delivery. When she went out to call for Callie, there was no answer, though, and the kid was nowhere in sight. Judy intuitively sensed that something was wrong, so panic gripped her, as she couldn't control her crying. She continued, yelling Callie's name and soon thereafter, her neighbors frantically helped looking for the little girl and her big wheel.

One of those neighbors was 24-year-old Mark Christie, who had moved to the Gleeson neighborhood complex in mid-April of that year with his girlfriend in 18. month old son. Mr. Christie was carrying his son to the complex's playground when Mrs. Gifford asked him if he had seen Callie, but he said no and continued walking. The strange thing Judy noticed was Mark's high-top sneakers were untied. The panic-stricken mother then called authorities for help. She recalled, I called 911 right away. The fireman and police showed up. They brought a dog. They searched the grounds, went door to door, and they on nothing. I then dawned on the hapless single mother and that she was facing every parent's nightmare. Callie was missing, and something very bad may have happened to her. The following day,

Mrs. Gifford was investigated by two Monroe County Sheriff's detectives at her house. They asked a ton of questions to the distraught mother, who was the last one to have seen and talked to her daughter in the night that Callie went missing. Normally, police would look at the victim's family with no clue of an abduction and lack of any leads, Judy became a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. This only added to her pain, and she thought that had police focused on searching the loop of 300 apartments and their occupants, they would have solved the case of Callie Faster. When asked of any potential suspects, Mrs. Gifford had no one in mind. When police inquired of a new resident in the complex who had shown affection towards Callie,

Judy then told them about Mark Christie. He lived approximately 100 yards from Mrs. Gifford and her daughter, and the two used to help Mark's baby play at the local park slide playground. The distressed mom told the authorities how Mr. Christie had given her the creeps in several instances, where he told her about how beautiful Callie was. Mrs. Gifford recalled, he would say, your daughter is a very precious little girl, and I'd say thank you. We were accustomed to hearing that.

And one disturbing casual conversation they had, Mark said that Callie was the prettiest of all the little girls he would see around the complex. Then he actually asked Judy if her daughter would tell her if anyone dared to touch her, to which the suspicious mother replied, Yes. It made Judy uncomfortable to say the least,

that she tried to avoid Mr. Christie whenever she could after that. The detectives then wasted no time in contacting Mr. Christie after talking with Judy. Unluckily, though, they found nothing that would link Mark to Kelly's disappearance. They learned that he grew up in Hilton, New York, as a punk, but he had no criminal record and was never involved in crimes against children. In the many grueling hours, detectives interviewed Mark. He maintained his innocence and denied any involvement in his neighbor's daughter's mysterious disappearance. He even went on to pass a polygraph test. But the detectives were convinced Mr. Christie was lying and hiding something. Mrs. Gifford felt disappointed that

police hadn't found anything that would prove Mark was accountable for Callie's disappearance. But in due time, Judy's suspicions proved to be correct. After Callie's disappearance in May of 94, police weren't able to pursue a single lead, even after and interviewing dozens of people about the case. The suspected neighbor, Mark, kept firm about his innocent, which made matters worse because he was no longer considered a viable suspect. This turnaround and decision was based on Mrs. Gifford's testimony that she had seen Mark and his son at the playground right after Kelly vanished without a trace.

But two investigators, Patrick Crow, who wrote the book, seducing among our children, and how to protect your child from sexual predators, and Thomas Passmore didn't let Mark totally off the hook. They maintained that he was the primary suspect in the case, so the duo of investigator struck an informal relationship with Mr. Christie, so he would stay on their radar. They told Mark that he could discuss the case with them anytime he was ready to talk about it. In dire need to find answers about her daughter, Mrs. Gifford, quit her marketing job,

and devoted her time, making sure that the public and the authorities didn't bury Callie's case into oblivion. She took an active stance and got involved instead of sitting back while waiting for the police's investigation results. She said, I went on every talk show that asked me and used every vehicle possible to get coverage. And her efforts worked as huge national shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show and America's Most Wanted feature the story of Callie Poulter. Judy often worked past midnight in a donated single-room office making posters and flyers she distributed at toll boots and county fairs.

Kelly's pictures were also inserted into airline ticket jackets, displayed on car windows, office walls, and many storefronts. Just a few months after the girl disappeared, Mr. Christie left Gleeson Estate and moved to the rural hamlet of Gananda, 15 miles east of Rochester. Allegedly, he was evicted from the Gleeson property because of complaints that he exposed himself to two girls. Mark found a new job as a part-time security guard at Nortel, a telecommunications company, and had a brand-new wife named Lacey Newton.

If Mark thought moving away from his former neighborhood would end the hauntings of Callie's disappearance, he was really. wrong. Three weeks into their marriage in August of 96, the Christy couple had an argument that led to Mark's confession of murdering little Miss Polter. But why would he suddenly admit it like that? It would be like committing suicide. Mark probably thought his desperate attempt would gain his wife's sympathy, who threatened to leave him because of his strange behaviors. But sadly, Lacey Ann wasn't moved by her husband's dramatic, so she immediately left with their son to go to her father's house, where she called up 911.

And finally, Mark was facing a dead end. Again, Investigator Patrick Crow was quick on his feet, and after learning that Mark hadn't left his house yet, he drove across the county to speak to him. But the investigator was welcomed by Mark's mother, who shouted that her son won't go with Mr. Crow. and had already contacted a lawyer. Despite this, Mark still went with the investigator

under the condition that he'd be brought to his lawyer afterward. As they drove, an uncuffed Mark told the investigator that he would spill the beans about Kelly's disappearance after he had consulted as attorney. But the seasoned investigator knew any lawyer would never allow his client to do that. So Mr. Crow cleverly devised a plan that would subtly make Mark saying incriminating things.

When the Monroe County investigator casually mentioned that Kelly's parents will never find out what exactly happened to their child, or if Callie ever suffered, Mark surprisingly replied, She didn't suffer. Upon reaching Rochester, they had lunch at an Italian restaurant, but they began talking about Callie's case. The comfortable atmosphere put the suspect at ease

and made him confident during their conversation. So without much coaxing from the investigator, Mark said he felt haunted, seeing Callie's face and posters and on national TV shows. At this time, Mr. Crow had already deciphered the kind of person Mark was. He liked to be in control, so the police agent stroked his suspect's ego. The investigator complimented Mark because he had beaten the police Ferenz Square, trying not to sound like he was bragging. The suspected abductor then said that getting rid of the kid's big wheel

in order to elude the police was his clever idea. Mr. Crow further bolstered Mark's pride by pretending to be amazed at how the latter fooled the police. And it perhaps encouraged Mark to divulge more, so he asked the investigator if he was interested in how he had done it all. Mr. Crow then said, sure. and then Mr. Christie was on a role recounting the unfortunate incident, but forgetting that the law enforcer was out to trap him. Mark then said that after he killed Cali,

he kept her big wheel in his apartment, which the police missed when they searched his unit. But how? Mr. Christie chopped up the tricycle in small pieces and hid them throughout the house, especially in his articles of clothing, which even his wife didn't notice. When Mark had the chance to dispose of the bits and pieces of the big wheel, he placed them in several duffel bags together with his clothes. He was able to avoid scrutiny at the police roadblock,

and he got rid of the bike pieces as he drove throughout the county. But what about the circumstances about Callie's actual disappearance? Investigator Crow used an interrogation tactic, commonly used by law enforcers that minimized the criminal's guilt. He wanted to make it appear as if Mark was still in control, so he told his suspect to tell his story as if Callie's death wasn't his fault. Otherwise, the public would think Mark was a monstrous child killer. It apparently worked because Mark then asked Mr. Crow the length of jail time he might get, to which the latter estimated it would be at least 25 years with the possibility of life in jail.

Mr. Crow then told his suspect that it was time to get it right for himself, his family and God. And those were like magic words that made Mark confess to his crime against Callie Poulter and her family. At the start, Mark clarified that Callie Ann didn't suffer. He said, I strangled her but didn't do anything to her.

By saying he didn't do anything to Callie, he clarified to the investigator that he didn't sexually abuse the young girl. On that ill-fated early evening in May of 94, Callie had driven in Mr. Christie's apartment to play with his toddler Alex. The father knew that Mrs. Gifford wouldn't allow her daughter to go to his unit, so he kept her tricycle in the kitchen where no one would see it. And then, Callie went upstairs to play with Alex.

About ten minutes later, Judy was screaming Callie's name as she was anxiously looking for her. When Mark heard this, he panicked and strangled Callie until she died, which, his 18-month-old son most likely witnessed. He then carried Callie's body downstairs to the dining room and placed it on the floor. Perhaps to make sure his neighbors would see him outside at the time that Kelly disappeared, Mr. Christie then brought his son to the playground where he ran into Judy desperately looking for her angel. Mr. Crow told Mark he was puzzled how Callie's dead body was brought out of his apartment before the police arrived. The child killer detailed that when he and his son went back to the their apartment, he placed Callie's body inside a laundry basket and covered it with a blanket.

The outside scenario was chaotic, and so no one noticed him putting the basket in the trunk of his car. What Mr. Christie finally did was truly a monstrous act. He drove to the telecommunications company, where he formerly worked as a security guard, told the guards on duty that he would pick up some things he had left behind. He then walked to the rear of the building and climbed. He then walked to the rear of the building and climbed to the top of an enclosed 30,000-gallon tank before doing his final evil deed. Mark tied a piece of heavy metal equipment to his victim's body that would weigh her down, and then he dumped Callie's lifeless body into the tank filled with liquid coolant. He told Investigator Crow that he got rid of the blanket, Callie's clothing, but he left her

earrings on, perhaps to further downplay the suspicion of his involvement in the crime. Mark even joined in the search for the missing girl after he had thrown her into that tank. After recounting how he abducted and killed his neighbor's beloved daughter, Mark said, It never should have happened. It was a waste. It took one lunch meeting for Investigator Crow to finally solve a puzzle that had hounded authorities in Callie's family for 27 months since her vanishing in the spring of 94. The meeting on August 10, 1996, was a significant turning point. point in the case, to say the least. For Mr. Christie, he was able to unload his biggest burden off

his chest, but for Mr. Crow, he was able to trap the biggest fish involved in one of the most horrible crimes that plagued Rochester. The answer Mrs. Gifford had been searching for for so long was now certain. Mark Christie was arrested that night in charge with second-degree murder. I was after he led police to the tank where he submerged, Callie, who's better. He was back. He was badly decomposed remains were retrieved. Although Mr. Christie's confession eased her pain, Mrs. Gifford was shocked by the truth because she always believed Callie was alive. In October of 97, Mr. Christie pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and possibly life in jail. Prosecutors claim that Mark had also confessed to a co-worker and his father about murdering Callie

and as part of his plea deal, the first-degree kidnapping charge was dropped. He's currently serving his sentence at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Austin, New York, and will be eligible for parole in 2041. The disappearance of murder of Callie Poulter was solved through Judy Gifford's unwavering resolve to find answers, an investigator, Patrick Crowe's outstanding detective work. For a mother, who lost her only child, Mrs. Gifford couldn't help getting nostalgic at times. If Callie were alive today, perhaps she would have been success.

in her chosen career and happy being a mother. But Mrs. Gifford has learned not to let grieve consumer because the man who caused it isn't worth it. Mark Christie got a life sentence for killing, Callie, and Judy felt the same. He left me with the life sentence to live without her, she said. She has since overcome the belief that she doesn't deserve to be happy. A strong mom never had another child, so Callie remains as the only only woman. She has since overcome. She has since overcome the Only apple of her eye, heart, and mind. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Tune in next week for another one filled with scary, strange, and mysterious stories.

Because who knows? Maybe your town will be next.