EXPLORE WITH US - Dad Is SICKENED By Killer Son's Confession

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

Dad is SICKENED by killer son's confession...The following podcast episode is not legal advice. Do not rely on the information in this presentation without speaking to a licensed attorney.No one discussed in these videos has been formally diagnosed by EWU and our psychological analysis is based on the general behaviors and traits of the people discussed.

16-year-old Michaela Constanzo left school after track practice, but never made it home. Two days later, search teams make a haunting discovery. As investigators look deeper into Michaela's life, they discover what it first seems to be a typical teenage drama. However, the reality of the situation is far darker than anyone could have ever suspected. It makes me so scared because I haven't seen her, you know, since I went to Elgo yesterday. It makes me really nervous because I haven't seen her and I want to make sure she's okay. I think she's not safe because if she was,

then she'd be like, she'd notify other people. Do you have any questions for me? Yeah, find her, wait. The truth of what actually happened to Michaela is only revealed in a bizarre twist when a suspect unknowingly implicates themselves without realizing they're being recorded. We're blowing me.

They kind of just sit down, we're crying because we didn't know what we did done We're figuring out the right mind to know what to do with anything. Celia Constanzo begins to feel uneasy when her 16-year-old daughter Michaela doesn't message her after finishing track practice at school. As hours pass without any communication from Michaela, Celia leaves work early and heads to West Windover High School to pick up her daughter, but finds the campus empty. Scared and anxious, Celia hurries home, hoping to find her. find Michaela there, but to her dismay she finds only her younger daughter and no sign that Michaela has made at home. Overwhelmed by panic, she confides in her other two daughters about

Michaela being missing. Both sisters immediately joined their mother's frantic attempts to reach out to their sister, but hear nothing back from her. As the news of Michaela's sudden disappearance quickly spreads within the community, numerous students from West Windover High school joined search parties to look for their missing friend. From her favorite spots in the neighborhood to messaging and calling her, Michaela's friends and family try everything, but fail to track her down. As night falls, Celia alerts the police about her daughter's disappearance. Having encountered several cases of rebellious teenagers running away from home for a while, the police decide to wait until the following morning to see if Michaela shows up at school.

But when their assumption is proven wrong the next day, it reinforces Celia's belief that something horrible happened to her daughter. The police immediately began the investigation by running a thorough background check on the family. They discovered that everything was well at home and that 16-year-old Michaela was raised in a loving family, alongside her two sisters, Kim and Alicia. Renowned for her athletic prowess, she stood out as one of West Windover High School's top athlete. and possessed a natural talent for writing. In an exclusive interview with Iwu, one of Michaela's closest friends talked to us about their friendship and her talents.

I guess the way our friendship, like, developed was in middle school. We were kind of in the same, like, friend group in elementary school, and actually, if I'm being completely honest, I thought she was very annoying. In elementary school, I was not her biggest fan. She kept making fun of me for being short.

And I was like, what are you talking about? You're short of me. In middle school, we had the opportunity to do a project together. Mickey and I got paired up together, and we very quickly realized that I was the crafty one, and she was the good writer,

and I did not like writing, and she did not like crafting. I have, I think, the first chapter or two of the book that she shared with me. Amazing writer. I remember she shared this with me, and it had to have been in maybe sophomore year of high school. I'm the type of person who, like,

is very picky about, like, grammar and spelling and things. So, of course, I'm reading it, and I'm like, this is spelled wrong, and you need a period here. But at the same time, I was so impressed with her ability to write this book and actually sat down and read it a few weeks ago. At school, she'd been dating her classmate, Javier Tujillo, for a year and a half. And yet Javier had only shown up at the search parties looking for Michaela much later in the night. Investigators interview Javier to ask his whereabouts from the day of Michaela's disappearance and establish a timeline of events.

The following footage has been analyzed by a qualified team, including a licensed professional counselor and a licensed attorney. Where did she go by? What's with Nickley? Like usually Mickey. Mickey? Are you her boyfriend? Is that what I understand? Yeah, we've been like on and off, like a year and a half. Yesterday, you've seen her yesterday, right? Yeah, the last time I saw was during lunch. What was going on during lunch? Where was you guys?

Well, usually, like, if we have good grades, we get an hour for lunch. And our lunch starts from. 11.30 to 12.30. So we have an hour. And we were feeling hungry. And so I wanted to go to the taco truck. And she's like, okay. And we went, we got burritos. We came back to school. We ate him. And after a while, like, she went with her friends and I went with mine. That was the last time you seen her? Yeah, it was the last time we saw her. No, we walked down the hall together after lunch. And after that, I never saw her again. Because we have split classes after that. It's interesting that as he says that was the last time he saw her, he's shaking his head no.

As he says it, he realizes that he made a mistake. This is a brain body mismatch, much like you see in a person who is being deceptive, but the difference is he corrects himself. Typically, verbal and nonverbal communication matches, but when the brain is thinking one thing and the mouth says another, the nonverbal and verbal will misaline or mismatch altogether. When this occurs in individuals who have something to hide, they won't correct it. But when it's just a case of nerves or talking without really thinking, then the individual

will often go back and correct themselves, as Javier does here. And what did you do after school? After school, I picked up my brother and then went home right away to go and change. What time was that? Like around like 340, 335. Okay, and then what did you do after that? After that, I went to work. What times are you going to work?

Well, I left to work, I got 3.45. I thought they're like about 3.50, 351. And clocked in, I got 3.55. And I didn't get out to, like, 10. Did you text her or talk? Yeah, no, it's because I didn't know something was going on. Okay. No, but yeah, like I was saying, I was working,

and I guess Michaela's mom went to my house. And she told my brother, have you seen Michaela, like, is she with your brother? And my brother told her, no, my brother's done working ever since out of school. And he went looking for me at work and he goes, hey, is anything like wrong with Mokila? She arrived because her mom went looking for her at her house. And I go, yeah, everything's fine. Why?

She goes, I don't know. Like, I just helped me something's wrong. And then he left and I go, like, about an hour or an hour and 30 minutes later, Michael's mom came and did you know a police officer named Kat? When she goes by that? Yeah, they came looking for me and they're like, hey, like, Have you been hanging out on, like, did you hang out with her after school?

And I told me, and they told me, because she's been missing after track practice, they didn't know where she was. Okay. I told him, no, that I came to work, like, right at 3.45, and I didn't see her. Do you know anybody she would have been with it after track practice? Well, usually she gets rides from track practice,

or else she goes home walking. And if she gets right home, she gets one from... And then if she goes walking home, she goes to the back because our school has a football field in the back and there's a little shortcut through the right and she goes in through that and she just there's this little kovasat and she goes through there and just follows the sidewalk but i don't i don't understand if she went walking home because it was kind of cool then i don't want she to do that because usually the one that gives her like rides she's the one that gives them the most rides

does anybody else that have said they seen her after school last night um no they just She saw her two in the locker room. Just in the locker room? Yeah. Anybody see her outside after she left? Anybody you know her? Javier's statement that he was at work while the town started looking for Michaela, established a strong alibi for his whereabouts.

But it was still something that the police needed to verify. As he continues to describe his relationship with Michaela, Javier reveals new details about Michaela's relationship with her mother. But nobody's been talking to school that they seem. her after school. Outside. After track into and things. No, they just said they saw her, like,

write one track into. Okay. How has she been acting lately? I don't know. She's been acting pretty fine. Like, if she's, if something was wrong, she'd vent. She's not one of those girls that hides her feelings,

like, like puts her emotions in her. She has to say what's going on. And if something was going on with her, like, at home, she'd be telling, like, I want to go, like, I want to get out of here. I want to go somewhere else. I'm tired of my mom. So it's been good, huh?

Yeah. And we haven't had any problems since I can. So what have you been here? What do you think's been going on? Do you think that she... I think, I don't know. But she ran away before? Yeah, she ran away once, but...

What was this? It was... I'm not sure, I think. Last year. But when she ran away, she notified me and her friends... She left me a voice man to her friends. Right next door to me. And she left me a voicemail.

And she goes, hey, I'm running away from home because I feel like pressure right now. Like, my mom and my mom. and you're screaming at me, so if you're, like, looking for me, I'll be at... And... That was into the last? Yeah, that was the end of the most now. And then in the morning, after that, I was feeding my dogs, and I saw her with... So now it's like, okay, everything's okay.

Knowing she'd run away before reassured officers that this was likely what had happened again, but she hadn't ever gone away for this long without informing anyone. What had changed this time? Do you have any questions for me? I'm like, what have you guys, like, been trying to do? Like, do you guys have, like, airplanes, people, like, search parties and things like that? Yeah, we're getting another search party ready right now. We're going to go out.

We do have airplanes that were going up all day looking today. Yesterday I tried getting an EO from work because I was scared. Yeah, everybody was out looking last night, and it wasn't very organized. The people were looking, and we're trying to get everybody on the same page now. So, yeah, we're doing... I'd like to say we can do more, but we're doing everything we can't right. I got out at 10 yesterday, one of the time. I went for her, didn't finish him to, like, two.

I went to a Ford Tunnel to the back of the school, where, like, three miles, and I couldn't find anything. I just think that she's, like, in someone's house. You think somebody's house? Yeah. Do you think she's safe in somebody's house, or do you just... I think she's not safe, because if she was, then she'd be, like, she'd notify other people.

Can you call or something? Yeah, she'd come to, like, don't tell my mom that I'm over here with this friend. Okay. Yeah. After collecting a statement from his brother, the investigators are able to establish a solid alibi for Javier. This firmly established that Javier

played no part in Michaela's vanishing and eliminated any suspicion surrounding his involvement. Moreover, while Michaela's family admits to events in the past when she ran away, they insist that she was always responsible and would always inform her siblings about her whereabouts. Before conducting interviews with any of Michaela's friends, the investigators analyze her phone records to speak with individuals whose numbers were recorded in the calls and messages on the day she disappeared.

One particular number stands out in the list. This individual had made repeated efforts to reach out to Michaela through a series of text messages and phone calls on the day she disappeared. The number belonged to one of Michaela's schoolmates, Cody Patton. As the investigators dig into Cody Patton's history, they find out that his relationship with Michaela traces all the way back to their childhood in the apartment complex where Michaela lived with her family. Since the complex is managed by Cody's parents, he spent much of his childhood there and grew up with Michaela. Over the years,

they developed a deep friendship, but it drifted apart in high school. As they delve deeper into Cody's background, they uncover that he is quite popular and a top player in the school's baseball team. But he also carried a bad reputation for dating many girls at school and reportedly cheating on them. However, it appeared that in recent years, Cody, at the age of 18, had ultimately found a steady and enduring relationship with the 18-year-old Tony Frato, a fellow student at West Windover High School. Despite the skepticism of many schoolmates about this odd pair, given Cody's popularity in Tony's reserved demeanor, the couple remained unfazed and deeply in love with each other. In fact, Cody had been living with Tony and her family after he had a major fallout with his father a few months ago.

He actually proposed marriage to Tony soon after, leading to their engagement, which left the school community shocked by the unexpected news. Yet there's a certain detail that raises suspicions. Cody had a brief relationship with Michaela before eventually. committing to Tony. This was years ago and both had mutually parted ways, so why had he then sent messages to Michaela and called her? The investigators bring Cody in for an interview and ask him about his whereabouts on the day of Michaela's disappearance. Yesterday about three o'clock, what kind of school get up? Two days a 30. About 3.30, what were you doing about 3.30? Cody clearly looks nervous, but it's not clear if the investigators did any rapport building with him, which would help make him feel more comfortable.

Cody is fidgeting and picking at his thumbs and fingers, which is an anxiety response, but you would expect this if the investigators went into immediate questioning with no rapport building or general questions first. I went from Mr. Ulamont, my 192 Mr. me. Okay. I went from this class about, I don't know, I'd say about 320 or so. I went to, welding shop, talked to Labato. I was in there for a few minutes and I left class, left his class, I remember what I did, and I went back. I was talking to him again for a few

minutes. Back to Lobato or back to Miss? Back to Lobato. And then the end of school, I walked out, and as I was walking past, I saw him kill and I said hi, I just, I don't know where, and she said, what? Where did you see her at? I had her locker on the log hall. Okay. Right, kind of where the bottom's class is. And she goes, what? And I stalked and turned around, so she knew I was talking to her.

And I said, I'm just saying hi. And then she goes, she was, where were you at? And I said, I was in the bottom's class. She goes, oh, okay. And this is what time, you think? About 3.30 something. Okay. 32, I don't know.

And I went outside and I left. You left to one. You have to go home. While recounting his day, Cody uses a lot of and then statements. I went to and then she goes and I went outside and I, and then... This is generally a red flag as sometimes people use and then statements when they're intentionally leaving out chunks of their story, as it allows them to jump to the point. Overall, his story is very choppy and he seems to lose his place and stumble a bit,

which is strange for what should be a simple and fairly straightforward day. What were you leaving in? My friend Wendy's car. It's a hill wizard. What color is it? It's a white. That's a white trail laser? Yeah.

Okay. It was probably half brown. It's all dirty. Okay. Why is it all dirty? I have no idea. That's how she gave to me. Okay.

Because I was borrowed her today. Already yesterday. After describing some of the events of his day, Cody explains why he'd called and messaged Michaela. And I had text to Michaela and asked her if she got out of me, no answer. So I called her and no answer. And she called me back. And I left my phone in the car when I was getting some of the parts of them.

And then I called her back, no answer. So I was like, okay. So I texted her and I said, hey, what are you doing? And she goes, I'm in practice right now. And I said, oh, okay, well, when does it get over? She was about five or so. And I said, okay. And then I was loading up the rest of the,

stuff in his bow. There is a really long pause in Cody's recollection here, which is a change in his speech pattern so far, given that he has answered everything else fairly quickly. This will no doubt raise red flags about him searching for the right answer versus the honest one. If he'd taken this long earlier, when it would have been innocuous, then we might just assume he has a memory issue with time, but he didn't. Note the other times Cody takes long pauses.

About that time. uh, Michaela called me back and, uh, I called her again because I didn't have my phone. And then she answered

and she said, so can you come help me? And she goes, give me just a second. I just got a locker room. I'll get ready. I'll call you back. I said, okay.

I don't know how long later then she called me back. Was that on a text or you can't have a phone? Okay. And, uh, so she called me back. I don't know how long later.

And then, uh, I, uh, I said, can you come help me? And she goes, I can't have to go home to go to work out or something at 8.30. And I don't know.

And her mom was picking her up at 5. Okay. And I said, okay, no worries. And I asked her, she was okay because she had a weird tone of voice, kind of like an indifferent, like, I don't know, sad, mad type. And I was like, you're all right? She goes, yeah, just like, it's like, okay, no worries. And I hung up and continued to get stuff done. Cody continues to narrate the rest of his evening, informing the detectives that he picked up Tony from a golf course at seven, and then they got drinks from a McDonald's drive-thru.

Soon after, both had been informed by their classmates about Michaela's disappearance, and they'd join the search parties immediately. However, Cody reveals one shocking detail that reverses everything that the investigators had found out so far. I left and then So you didn't see her at all? I saw her after school. That was it. By the law? Yeah.

The other night you didn't see her at all. I saw her leave to school when I left. When did you leave? 530. You seen her leave the school? Yeah. Where was she leaving from? She was going out the front.

She was standing there talking to somebody when I left. And there was a Mexican kid and one of the... How sure you were? It was with her. As he says positive, Cody slightly shakes his head. Just like Javier, this could be a sign of nervousness at the situation, not deception. But unlike Javier, Cody's blink rate also increases. Positively heard.

Yeah. What's you learned, you know? Jeans and a gray sweater. Okay. Anything else? It's about all I can remember. Cheese and a gray sweater. So where were you having you? When I was going up to, I guess you called the Turpike Leaving School, right there.

She was standing by the door. And then, um, uh... Is that part of it was turned? Yeah. Cody had seen Michaela speak with someone at the school's front door. The investigators continue their line of questioning to get as much information about Michaela and this strange individual who may have played a role in her disappearance. So the first time he seen Michaela was at the locker.

Yeah, was approximately what time? Right around, right after the school, about 332, 335. The last time he's seen her was? About 5, sir. And that was where? At school. He was with somebody? Just some.

I thought it was her boyfriend because it was a short... Her boyfriend being a hobby year. Yeah, I thought it was him, but it's just some short Mexican kid, but everybody said he went to work right at school, so. But your positive? She was out front. Yeah, for sure. What does she have, why?

You start she out on what jeans? Jeans and a gray sweater. Anything else with her? She had a black, like a handbag backpack type thing. And it looked like it was either striped or a paint, I don't know. It was either striped or polka on, I don't know. But it was black. Anything else with her?

What color shirts do you have on? I couldn't tell. I can tell. I could just tell us she had a big sweater on a big, like, gray look, a hoodie style, but other than that's funny. As Cody continues to describe everything he'd witnessed, he dishes out further information that raises concerns about Michaela's well-being. That was about 530.

Anything else you can think of that I haven't asked? Maybe I should know that you think's relevant? A while back, I can't remember exactly how. How long back. One time she was walking through the hall and she was, she looked like she was pretty upset. She wasn't crying or nothing, but he could, like her eyes were red and looked like she'd probably been crying or something. As he shares this new detail, Cody shows more signs of his anxiety as he starts to rapidly blink. That day, it's our, up where the VIA's at in our front of our school, where the two walkways are on the left side, talking with our boyfriend and our,

and then for at least a week they didn't really say nothing to each other and then at least to school they didn't and uh seemed like they're I guess tense towards each other when you think there was it was a basketball game so I don't think two or three weeks ago it was probably about three or four weeks ago actually because I just barely your boyfriend might have been yeah something to do with this is what you're trying to say or no I just don't just on Kind of, like you said, it's real relevant stuff out there. During an interview, investigators pay close attention to how a person behaves, reacts, or responds to questions.

They often look for a cluster of behaviors, such as the ones that Cody just displayed by rapidly blinking, swallowing deeply, sniffing, and making a tongue-click noise. The click could be due to him having a dry mouth from anxiety, as that's a normal part of the stress response. A cluster of behaviors can consist of multiple actions or responses that, when taken together, suggest a particular state of mind, such as nervousness or anxiety. A cluster often includes a combination of three or more signs of deception, such as inconsistent statements, avoidance of certain topics, changes in body language, or other indicators that a person may be withholding information or lying.

Non-verbal communication cues like facial expressions, gestures, posture, and eye contact are also considered when assessing a cluster of behaviors. It's important to note that the interpretation of a cluster of behavior should take into account the specific circumstances, the individual's baseline behavior and other factors, such as culture and mental health and context. What might be suspicious behavior in one context may be perfectly normal in another. As well, a cluster of behaviors is also not to definitive proof of guilt. Instead, it guides investigators in their decision-making process and can be used to develop additional areas of inquiry or obtain additional evidence.

So then what do you say in court's your opinion? Honestly, I hope she's got in the fight with her boyfriend or something. It's just, it's just a... This quick movement might be the most revealing of all so far, as Cody breaks from his baseline behavior. The idea of baseline behavior, the idea of baseline behavior, refers to the typical or normal behavior of an individual when they are not under stress, lying, or experiencing unusual circumstances. It serves as a reference point that an investigator can compare the person's behavior to during the interrogation. Understanding an individual's baseline behavior is essential in actual decryption of behaviors because it helps investigators

identify potential deviations or anomalies that may suggest deception or discomfort. Up to this point, Cody hasn't moved too much or shown much emotion. But here along with more rapid blinking, Cody rubs at his eyes and pinches his mouth closed, which together all seem to signal that he has some growing anxiety and stress about this subject in particular. In a friend's house or something. Do you have any questions for me? Yeah, finder, but you? Police begin to wonder if they dismissed Javier too soon and meet with him again the same day to verify his whereabouts.

When they bring up Cody's name, Javier shares new concerns. They haven't talked for like about three months and it's kind of strange that yesterday she got texts from him and he went up to only told her, hey, can you come and help me do something in the welding shop because I need help and I don't know. I don't know what he'd ask for that. I think he like kind of like, I shouldn't say stop or like. He's been doing that. How long has this been going on that he's been stalking her?

No, I don't know. It's because they used to have a relationship before I was with her, and, yeah, I don't know. As Javier says this, he does a lip compression, lip-licking, a bit of a bigger breath, and almost seems to lose his train of thought for a minute. This cluster of behaviors could indicate that he has some disdain or dislike for this topic of Cody and Michaela dating previously. Okay. He tries to give her problems, and usually they try to ignore each other. And if they talk, they, like, have added foot toward each other.

They get mad right away. While it was evident that the boys didn't get along, confirming their accusations against each other was crucial. To validate the details, investigators visit Javier's workplace to check the surveillance footage, which definitely showed that he had left his workplace at 10 p.m., and had been working consistently until then. Michaela's mother Celia also corroborates his statements of her reaching out to him while looking for her daughter. As the investigators find no cause to doubt Javier's intentions, they once again strike his name off the list. To verify Cody's statements, the investigating team schedules an interview with Cody's fiancé, Tony Frado, and her statements add an unexpected twist to the case.

In about 5.30, he texted me and said that he was home, and, he's going to... About what time? About 5.30. Okay, you text you? You saw that text? I don't. Okay.

He texted you and said he was home. Right after she answers about no longer having the text message, Tony does some interesting lip compressions and lip-licking. Something about that answer seems to have not sat well with her. And he said he was going to work on

some of those parts and work on its RC cars and everything. Okay. Okay. And then we're... We were texting. We're planning to go do something, get out of the house. And so he came and got me about 7 o'clock from the golf course.

That's where they're home in the meeting. How many times do you text between 5 and 7? Maybe 10, 15 texts. Okay. So at 7 o'clock, what did you guys do? We went and got drinks at McDonald's, and then just sat in McDonald's for a while. and everything. Yeah. And then that's about the time

maybe we sat there close to 45 minutes or whatever, just talking and everything. And that's when we started getting like texts and calls and asking if we had seen Michaela and I said we haven't seen her at all. And so

after about like five calls or whatever we're like, okay, something's going on. So we went and drove around see if we could see her anything. Can you recount where you drove around? We went over, we started over by the school, kind of made our way down to hands in storage.

Back at the school, Cody was texting, calling somebody? Do you know of? I don't know. Did he ask anybody to come help him with anything? I know he was trying to get a hold of Mickey, but I don't know if she was. She did or not because... Did he tell you who was trying to get a hold of me?

Yeah, he did tell me that he was trying to get a hold of her, but every time he called her text, she wouldn't reply or didn't answer. What if you want to do? What if you want her with her? I think just to load in the heavy metal or whatever, so she could grab one and he could grab the other. But I don't know if that happened. I don't know.

It appears that the way that Tony expresses her inward anxiety is through lip compression and licking. This is a red flag that she's hiding something, or she knows more than she's letting on, especially following her saying, I don't know. How would you say that you and Mickey get along? We say hi once in a while. We don't really talk. I don't know Mickey very well.

Do you really care for her? As a person, I don't have anything against or no. Not only is there an upward inflection in her voice, but Tony avoids answering the question here, while also not outright lying. By saying as a person, she's completely rephrasing what the detective is saying. She's not admitting that she has a problem with her, but goes around it in a really odd way. The original question was, do you care for her? So Tony has avoided directly saying yes or no.

Did her and Cody have a relationship prior to you? I believe so, like, a really long time ago. You don't have any, like, hard feelings towards her or people say. Maybe a hater, that's not the case? No, not at all. Even after being asked multiple times, Tony is consistent with the timeline of events. Starting from their visit to McDonald's,

their search for Michaela and the subsequent trip to Cody's cousin's place to return his friend's car. Tony substantiates every detail, including the specific locations they scoured while searching for Michaela. Additional members of the search team also support this account,

affirming that they witnessed the couple's efforts to locate the missing teenager within the town. The situation looked nothing beyond regular teenage drama, and the investigating team crosses off Cody's name from their suspect list. It's now March 5th, two days since Michaela's sudden disappearance, and the investigators remain empty-handed, devoid of suspects or fresh leads to propel the case forward. Just then, an unexpected twist changed. the entire course of the investigation.

A distressing phone call reaches the investigators from an employee working at a local mining company in West Windover. He recounts seeing a set of tire tracks turning into an otherwise desolate patch of the desert while he drove back to West Windover. He shares that he had followed the tracks into the desert and saw what looked like blood splattered onto the ground and the rocks. Recognizing the gravity of his discovery, he had now called the police to relay this ominous find.

In this never-before-seen eerie video, the police arrive at the desert location and quickly uncover the tire tracks, as well as the blood splatters the caller had reported. The shallow grave in the desert confirms their worst fears. As soon as the officers notice human flesh, they call the forensics team to assist them in retrieving the body and the samples.

It's Michaela Constanzo. The apparent cause of her death was a profound wound on her throat. Her hands were bound with zip ties. While the zip ties suggested a potential kidnapping, the investigators remain uncertain about who might have had motives to abduct her and why. Their focus pivots to the mine worker who'd originally reported about finding the grave in the desert, but they find no evidence to incriminate him or any suspicious person in the desert who may have been involved. With no leads to verify, the police circle back and request the school to provide their surveillance tapes from the day of Michaela's disappearance,

in the hopes that they will find something or someone they might have missed. The CCTV footage exposes a disturbing reality that changes everything. In the footage they see Michaela in the hallway at the end of the day and someone following her. But it isn't her boyfriend Javier, as Cody Patton has suggested. It's Cody himself. On the day that Michaela went missing at 5.41 p.m., Cody walks by the school's locker room for the first time. At 5.44 p.m., he exits and re-enters the school from the back door and goes back to the locker room. Ten minutes later, he walks by the locker room and continues to pace there.

At 6 p.m., investigators watch Michaela leave the school, and shockingly, Cody follows her. During his interview with the investigators, Cody claimed that he witnessed Michaela along with another person at the school's entrance. However, the surveillance video contradicted this statement entirely. Instead, the investigating team see Cody exiting the school through the back door at 6 p.m., which differs from his earlier statement of leaving school at 5.30 p.m. The investigators speak with Cody's parents to find out more about their son's whereabouts. They confirm meeting Cody and their family that night, but do flag their concerns about his friendship

with the person who lent their car to Cody. Tell us about her or what you know about her, if you don't mind. She's creepy. Yeah, she's what? Creepy. She used to be their dance teacher before they were in kindergarten, both of our kids.

Yeah, when they were four years, no, eight, four. Four. Yeah. She regularly left the kids, drive her vehicle. Yeah, I'll care of her buddy. Remarks from Cody's parents

had sparked significant apprehension regarding this person who frequently allowed teenagers like Cody to use their car. To gather additional information about who had access to the car and their locations on the day of Michaela's murder,

the investigating team interviews this individual. So when was the next time you had contact with Cody, whether it was in person or calls or texts? Texting. Throughout the day, you know, we were going to go to Metro after school.

He said, no, I've got to hurry and get this stuff done. And then about quarter to six, I'm like, I need my car. I'm not done yet. That's all you would say. Yeah. What else do you think you text back and forth? Just hurry. I need my car, you know, nothing.

And he didn't seem irritated or anything. It was just normal conversation. When you let him have a little. the car, you say about noon. What condition was it in? I mean? Well, the night before there was that flash rainstorm and I was at Smith. And so it basically washed everything off that was there before. You know, so it was clean from the rain. When you got it back, what did it look like? It was dusty. The police find out that Cody had been the only person she'd lent her car to on that day. Adding to the intrigue, a distinctive detail about the car emerges, one that

sharply contrasts with Cody's narrative. This individual recalls that the car was covered in dust when Cody returned it, while Cody had stated that he'd received the vehicle in that condition. However, Tony contradicted both of these accounts in her statement. So you've seen the vehicle at about $450. Yeah. What condition was the vehicle in? Was it clean?

Yeah. Was it dirty? Not that I noticed. I mean, there was a few, like, dirt or whatever from, like, the metal because they'd been laying on the ground or whatever. But that's all I was. So he wasn't dusty. There was no mud on it? Not that I noticed, no.

Okay. When he got you at 7 o'clock, did you see the vehicle? Yeah. What did it look like then? The same. It wasn't dusty or anything? The varying descriptions concerning the car's condition raised serious doubts about Cody's involvement in the crime.

In pursuit of substantial evidence against him, the team takes custody of the vehicle for analysis and speaks with his classmates, friends, and teachers. In the course of these never heard before interviews, the investigators come across astounding testimonies regarding Cody's attitude, as well as an unsettling rumor that had been making its way around the school. He is the person who is aggressive and he does have a temper.

And they were telling me earlier that I think she's afraid of him because I think he does abuse her. I'm pretty sure he's hit her before. But she never told you that? No. But they said they told me they had tape of him choking her against the wall. So when you say he has a temper, have you ever seen the temper? I haven't, personally. I don't think... I've seen him, like, be angry and storm up,

but I've never seen him, like, take it out on anybody or anything. I just seen him, like, disappear. Shockingly, beneath a facade of a happy couple, Cody and Tony were grappling with issues. Their seemingly harmonious relationship exposed a dark side when a heated argument between them in the school's locker room was caught on surveillance camera. An incident that a staff member at the school further elaborated on in his interview with the police. Anything we haven't asked about, we should know about? I don't know. Cody seemed, just after the semester ended, which was in January, I mean, he seemed a little

distracted that he got kicked out of my weights class. And I don't know if things in his life were just kind of piling up or what, but he would show up in the gym and me now and again, and I would kick him out. And that's kind of where this all started when I didn't even really ask him why he was here at the school that night. Because our relationship is kind of confrontational sometimes. And so I just really didn't want to get involved in that area of it. And so that's why that night I wish, you know, I look back now and wish I would have said something to him. But, I mean, he just didn't really act like he was mad at anything that night.

I mean, he put the keys in his mouth, you know, and he, I mean, he did his, I still see it to this day, you know, of how he looked. But, I mean, it just didn't look like he was mad at something or somebody. Of course, I'm not sure what happened from that point on. Why didn't you get kicked out of the class? Because of the relationship between him and Tony turned bad, so to speak, and so they wanted to keep them separated as much as possible. Tony was in the weights class? Yes, she was with him in that semester.

And so what class did he go to? It was a credit recovery class to try and see if he can get graduated this school year because he had some classes that he had failed in the past that he was trying to make up credit for. Okay. And when you say the relationship between them went bad, what do you mean? He got a little, I'm not sure all the details because, of course, they don't disclose too much to us. But apparently the administration was just trying to keep those two apart as much as possible,

because I guess he got a little bit of violent toward her a couple of times. Okay. But you never saw any problems? Not between those two, no. Clearly, Cody had anger issues and often resorted to violence. One of his friends had tried to warn Michaela about it as well. The last guy just asked Michaela's like, is Cody trying to talk to you again. He's like, she said, yeah, and I'm like, well, you probably shouldn't.

It's bad news. He's, you know, his girlfriend, you know, that basically is what I said. And that's about it. Okay. So you and her were texting back and forth? Just a little bit. Okay. Did she mention to you what he was texting her about or what she was talking?

No. She said she told them to leave him alone before her. That's what she said to me. To you, she told you that? Okay. You told Michaela that he's bad news, but he's just because, I don't know, he's kind of two-faced, I guess I'm going to say to put it. Okay. The situation became increasingly alarming when both this friend and his mother reported similar instances of violence and manipulation involving Cody.

I think I was talking to one of the other teachers or talking to the vice principal, and it was about certain behaviors with Cody. I had huge issues because it had finally gotten to a point where he quit hanging out with him because he was like doing ridiculous stuff, things that are like maniacal. He burned my son with a piece of metal and then tried to play it off like it was an accident. It's cool? No. No. His parents are on a shop and we were soldering a battery cable together and he's like, is this hot?

Touch me with it. Like, no, it's not hot. Nice. These disturbing descriptions show some potential signs of serious mental health struggles. along the lines of conduct disorder, and its adult relative antisocial personality disorder. Frequent outbursts of anger and aggression when faced with obstacles or not getting their way, even in minor situations, can be a big cause for concern. The red flag is when this behavior goes beyond occasional frustration.

Deliberately causing harm to others, whether physically or emotionally, is another significant red flag, as well as an apparent absence of empathy or remorse for the pain and suffering they inflict. A tendency to lie, manipulate, or deceive others for personal gain is also common in individuals with antisocial personality disorder. So is struggling to form and maintain healthy relationships due to their aggressive and manipulative behaviors. Many individuals with conduct disorder display these behaviors in childhood or adolescence,

identifying such issues at a young age is essential for intervention and treatment. If these behaviors persist into adulthood and are not simply a phase of adolescence, it may suggest a more serious underlying condition like antisocial personality disorder. Well, and then he took his phone one night because his phone had broken. This is, this was it for me. I was like, mm-mm. What happened was I went to their house, I went in their house like two, three times. And I was there once in a sudden.

I was in their living room the entire time. I came back out and they told me his older brother that I'm not allowed to hang out there anymore. And I was like, what did I do? Apparently it's because I stole money. And I was like, I don't know what money you're talking about. And when we were in class one day, because he came in to see Tony, he's like, because this is his old phone. And he's like, can I see him all? He was looking at it and whatnot.

He's like, when you're going to give me 30 books for this? I'm like, you're just letting me, you say you're let me borrow it, you know, until he got around. And he took it and I was on the computer playing guitar. This was my guitar class. And he apparently sent him a text to himself saying that I basically admitted for it. Like, the I stole the money. And I was like, really? Are you kidding me?

It was his older brother that said, hey, that he borrowed your phone anytime recently? And he was like, you had to think about it, yeah. And he's like, oh, because check it out. This is what he did. It doesn't seem like you texting. He's like, I don't know how you texting, you know. And my son may be a lot of things, but he is not a team. Have you ever seen Cody Violent?

You said you and him almost got into it. Oh, a couple times we have. I almost got on a fight with him three or four times. one time I was at the shop he threw a blow at me and then I went underneath him I picked him up, slant him on the ground like you need to knock your stuff off before I kick you bit

the last most recent circumstances they were out, me and a couple of my buddies were out and they were all drinking and whatnot and I was like you know I'm not doing this because they're acting ridiculous I was like okay I'm not getting in trouble and so I said I'm walking home and it was like 10 or 11 at night and I was like I'm walking home

and he's like, what are you being? He's going off he's all mad and I'm leaving and he's getting ready yelling in each other's faces. I'm like, I'm sick of your crap, and we're sitting there, and then he comes up, he's like, well, I'm sore, and he just walks up. The last time, and I was like, I'm not dealing with this crap no more. Because of his controlling and erratic behavior, Cody had lost many friends, but had his anger pushed him to do something unthinkable this time.

To find out more about what transpired between Cody and Michaela and how their relationship changed after they broke up, the investigators talked to her best friend. You were at track practice with her on the third. Okay. Was anything unusual going on? The only thing that Caleb was talking about was she had her phone with her, and she was saying that Cody Patton had been texting her.

That was weird. Why was it weird? Because they usually don't talk because they don't really like each other. Okay. Was she bothered by these texts all of a sudden? She just seemed annoyed by it. Like, why would you want to bother at all? Uh-huh.

What about Cody? Do you know him very well? I love him. Do you ever talk about Michaela? Tell me how annoying she was. Her voice just annoys me and stuff with that. Contrary to the impression Cody had given to the investigators during his interview, the reality was quite different regarding his relationship with Michaela. Both could not stand each other and were hardly cordial.

Adding to this, the friend also disclosed a concerning offer that Cody made to Michaela on the day she mysteriously disappeared. Do you know what she met? I randomly texted her out of nowhere. Because her and Cody don't text. They don't even talk to each other. Okay, so it was real unusual. Was you getting texts from Kobe?

Okay. Why didn't she have a ride that day? Well, she didn't ask for a ride, but normally that's why I stayed. It was probably she can get her right home. Given their history, it was strange for Cody to reach out to Michaela for help. Why, Addy offered her a ride back home? The investigating team interview Michaela's boyfriend Javier again to find out if he knew anything about the messages or the reason behind Cody's sudden change and behavior.

What about Cody? I don't know. That was it the first time she talked, well, he started bothering her in like three or two months. Okay. You say bothering her two months prior what was going on? He would annoy her and like try to talk to her and say hi and text her and stuff and she'd tell him like leaving a know. I don't want you in my life, but I'm done with you. And I guess he didn't get it.

And after she told him that, like, she stopped texting her, like, trying to talk to her for, like, two or three months. And then, like, after that, this happened. Did she tell you about those times, or did you see the text? No, she would tell me that she was annoying and that he would bother her. She didn't feel comfortable. How come? Do you know? Well, I guess it's because they were dating, like, back in eighth grade or so.

I don't know, like, he heard her, like, he broke her heart. So, did you see any of the texts that Cody sent to her? No, she had to just tell me that, like, he would, like, go and visit her, like, not at her door at her house, and just to say hi and leave. I would talk to him. This is a clear red flag and sounds like obsessive and stalking behavior. In his attempt to mislead the investigation, Cody had deviously fabricated an elaborate lie by pointing towards Javier as a potential suspect in his interview.

He had also pretended to show concern for Michaela by building false narratives about seeing her distressed and isolated on campus. Javier's interview also exposes a shocking truth. Tony wasn't the first girl Cody had allegedly assaulted. Did she ever tell you if Cody ever hurt her physically? No, she's coming about this one. 10th grade one. They were dating and she was talking to someone's friends and I guess they were out in front of her house or something and I guess he got jealous or something and he had this little knife or I guess he accidentally cut her on her left shoulder or something and who told you about that? She was telling me. Oh, she told you that? And when did that happen? I'm not sure if it was like because she was she was talking with her friends, his friends or if it was an ex and you know if she told you that?

She told anybody else about that? No, I'm not sure. The police's doubts are confirmed with the arrival of the car analysis reports that suggest that the tire tracks and the dust on the car that Cody drove perfectly matched the desert where Michaela's body was found. But what rattles the investigators is the deeply unsettling revelation from the DNA samples, which confirmed that Michaela had been in that car on the day she'd been murdered. Armed with this array of compelling evidence,

the police set up an interview with Cody to confront his web of lies. You told us that you thought that the boy she was with at 5.30 was her boyfriend. Correct. You gave us a description. However, it's not the same description that you told us, Javier, when you saw her at lunch, they don't match. No, she didn't. I thought so. But you didn't say you thought that this boy was her boyfriend because he was wearing the same clothes that he was wearing at lunch.

You didn't bother to tell us that. The story did not make sense there. That doesn't make sense. What do you mean? What do you mean? If you know him, you know him. Yeah. I mean, be pretty easy.

But he was facing that way. As he continues to lie, officers confront him with Michaela's phone records. She didn't call you twice. Mickey didn't call you twice. That's what I recall. No. You sent more than two text messages to her. That's what are going on.

You sit probably five or six. Okay. Okay. That wasn't mud on Wendy's car. That was dust. Okay, so what are you getting at? What I'm getting at is you're not being totally truthful with us. Yes, I am.

No, you're not. I'm showing you some inconsistencies based upon your own statement and physical evidence that we had found. Okay, you're not being totally truthful with us. I went puddle bashing. No, that wasn't mud. I'm telling you. It's dust. It's dust on that back bumper.

It's dust on the side of that truck. It's not mud. Okay. Okay. I don't know what to say. Cody continues to play innocent and feign ignorance. The officer then presents the car analysis reports and what they found on the school surveillance camera

in an attempt to get him to confess. We found tire impressions at the scene. They match the avalanches and tires, or trailblazers, I'm sorry. Okay. It shows the width is the same, the wheelbase is the same, tire pattern is the same. That trailblazer took her. to that scene. So you're saying I do.

It's interesting that he's not getting upset here. An innocent person would be in disbelieve or feel anger over being falsely accused of killing someone. Cody's response is much more in line with someone who is guilty. Remember, for a guilty person, it's important that the police like them, because people are more likely to believe someone that they like over someone they dislike. While an innocent person can afford to be angry and emotional when wrongly accused, a guilty person needs to keep their cool so they can still try to look good to others and continue to talk their way out of the liar's loop.

It's much harder to remain likable and convincing if they allow themselves to get angry or too upset. I think maybe you're not telling us the truth about what happened. I'm telling you what the physical evidence is showing us. All of it's pointing to you. Okay. Okay. Now, the issue we have is the scenario of what happened with her. And I'll be frank with you, it doesn't look good. What do you mean?

Well, I'll tell you, the video from the school indicates to us that you were waiting for her. Okay? Waiting for her to get done with track. Okay? I wasn't. That's why you walked by the girls' locker room three times. And you walked away from the girls' locker room three times. and you walked away from the girl's locker room three minutes before she left the locker room. That's exactly what happened. It's all on video. Okay?

I told you I was in the school. No, you told us you weren't in the school. You told us you weren't in the school at that time frame. You didn't give me a time frame. I did. You gave me the time frame that you were in the school. So I can remember. Earlier, Cody used selective memory statements,

and here we see them in action when he's confronted. Now he can deny withholding information because he already stated that I could remember. I mean, let's be used to it here with someone with a gun to it. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me. You have given more than enough detail right up until 5 o'clock and right after 7 o'clock.

But between 5 and 7, you've got a serious lack of detail. And I think I know why. Okay, why? Because that was the time she disappeared. And that was the time she died. And you were involved. I wasn't involved in her death. I know you were now, okay?

How do you know I was now? Because you basically told us you were. Now, this looks really bad for you, but I think we can get past this. If you would just explain to us what happened. I did not touch Michaela. Listen, we know you have before. Have before what?

We've got witnesses. Witnesses say what? Well, about you grabbing her and choking her and choking Tony. We know you do that. We know you have some anger issue. Me and Tony. these issues are different.

Don't sit here and try to play on me and stuff. I'm not playing on you. I'm telling you the truth. Well, you're trying to twist my past to make it fit this scenario. I'm not twisting anything. Listen, you can either tell us what happened and be truthful with us or we're just going to have

to go with what we got, okay? And I don't want to do that because it's going to make you look very bad right now. Okay? I need you to be truthful with me. All these mistruths, all these untruthful things. They are. Okay. You have been intentionally vague about several details. Or they're completely false statements. I haven't falsified anything. Yes, you did. Okay. I haven't. You're not me. I have not falsified anything.

But you did. Okay. That wasn't mud on that truck. It was dust. Dust that matches out at the gravel pit. Okay. Overwhelmed by the undeniable evidence arrayed against him, Cody eventually buckles and changes his statement about his statement. last meeting with Michaela and makes a shocking revelation. Tell us... Can we turn it off? I'll tell you two things about me, there. It's nothing. It probably has anything to do with it.

It's just, it's personal. I understand that, okay? And I understand it might be embarrassing to you, or it might be very intimate to you, but we can't, okay? Because we have to be accurate here. Because if we turn it off and then we say you said something, the judge is going to go, well, why'd you turn it off? Unless you were going to lie to us about what happened.

You know, the reason I started talking to Caleb is she told me at lunch a day at school that she loved me. She just wanted to start talking again. That's all her phone calls is done for it. And she said she wanted her right home. And I said, okay, that's fine. So I gave her right home. I loaded what was left in my parts into the car and gave her right to the house. And I dropped her off and I went home.

And she was texting me and I texted her back. And she said she wanted to hang out. I said, okay, so I went down and I left the car at my house, and I just walked down there and we were talking, and then I went back home because her mom had called her or something and was wondering where she was at, and she didn't want her mom to know that we were talking again and her boyfriend to find out.

I didn't want to cause anything with Tony. I mean, I'd never cheated. I just was talking to her. And she said she wanted to go out driving around. So we went out to the gravel pit, and she started arguing with me and stuff. and she just let me out, and I let her out, and one other truck out there, that was it. And I turned around and left.

When presented with evidence he can't deny, Cody now integrates those pieces into his new story. He's careful to mention that there was another truck there to throw suspicion on someone else. A tactic he's been using since his first interview. Guilty people will often keep volunteering information to look extra helpful or honest, and to give the police another suspect other than themselves to look at. Officers are definitely going to see red flags and are going to dig further. And that was the last time it was art. And then everybody told me she went missing and I got scared.

Because I knew people claim me. There was a big step, Cody. That's much closer to the truth. You're not telling us anything we don't know. Last time I missed art. You're doing the right thing now. But I've never made a hand. mother.

Cody, there are no other for friends for tire tracks out there. Just yours. I don't... These are my shoes. I got boots. I got mountain shoes.

This is it. I did not kill McHaleck Stanton. I don't think you did it. I don't think you planned on it. I don't think you intended. I didn't. I think she got hurt.

And I think you panicked. I didn't do anything. I simply got pissed off and left. I didn't yell. I didn't do nothing. She just said, I let her out. What'd you fight about?

About Tony. She wanted me to leave Tony for her. And I said, no, because I'm not gonna leave Tony. What changed Thursday? Why did? I don't know, I've always just said hi to her every once in a while. Never really talked to ever since Alex left, but she just, one day she'd been filing her boyfriend for a while.

What time did you go back to your house and get the trailblazer? I don't know. I don't know. And then you went to her apartment and picked her up. picked her up on the back side of the fence of a selective road and then there's a fence and then there's a trailer parked up right here and then he drove straight through the gravel pit we went up past the golf course and drew a little dirt road thing in on the

the old exit and then we were just kind of going down that road and we went out there and we were talking along the way and she started bringing up Tony and we just kind of was like not mad but just like I told her I was like I'm not gonna leave Tony I'm like I don't want to talk about it. I told her, I was like, I really appreciate the you love me. I really do. But I'm not leaving Tony. And she goes, then let me the fuck out. And I said, what is your problem? And she goes, I'm not going to be around you. If you're going to still be with her then, I said, okay, fine, whatever. I think it's fucking out. She got out and I peeled out and turned around left. Where did she get out? We went past a big tank that's out there, a little ways, and that was it.

What side of the road was the tank on? Right side. How far past the tank did she get out? Half a football field, football field and a half. That doesn't sound like something you would do, Cody, and just leave her stranded out there. I know she runs track and everything, that's a long way from town.

When she had texted me, she said not to come back. That wouldn't be safer. I waited at the top of the thing and then saw her walking towards. I said, whatever, and I let. What time did she text you to tell you? you to tell you no to come back? I don't know. Maybe two minutes after dropping her.

And there was a truck out there, so I figured someone would pick her up and bring her back to town, because it looked like a railroad truck. Cody, that's not to get tired of you. You know we have your phone records and her phone records and the text stopped well before that. Her text stopped five minutes before she leaves the school.

You are on the right track, Cody. I'm not lying. You are. You are. You're not. being totally truthful. I didn't kill her. Cody, you are on the right track, okay? And you've made a huge step. I did not kill her.

As Cody's will begins to break, the inconsistencies within his statement become increasingly obvious. At first he admitted to dropping Michaela off at her house, but then he changed his story by sharing that he'd driven her to the gravel pit and left her in the desert after a heated argument. As the officer rapidly identifies the flaws in his fabricated tales, Cody eventually crumbles under the weight of the pressure. I just want to see my family. What are you going to tell him? Are you going to tell them the truth about what happened? I want to, friend. I know, you want to. This isn't easy. Personally, I think they need to know, okay, because you're their son. They need to

know the truth. You want to stay up and tell him? I just want to be with a little bit. I understand. and we'll do our best to make that happen. On the brink of uncovering the truth, the interrogators decides to take a gamble by summoning Cody's father to the station, hopeful that he might assist in eliciting a confession from his son. A short while after the officers leave the father and son alone in the room, Cody breaks down.

He gets started fixing this now as much you can. It's not about us. I don't believe. What you did is heinous, Coney. I know you want to be with your family, and I want to be with you. There's something wrong, man. I want to be near you as much as I can. I don't want to abandon you at all, okay?

We got to do it right. We're going to get it as well. You've got to go all the way with this. You need to put it to bad as cooee you can. You can get out of this town. You know what that means? You've got to just do what they need you to do. You know what I'm saying?

You've got to do a written statement or whatever it is they need so that this can be done right now. We are getting our answers. They need their answers. The family needs their answers. What is going to happen to you guys? What if you don't see? Nothing is going to happen to us.

I mean, Jesus Christ, It's it, man. This community can't do anything else to be. We have to fix that. Do you understand that? He did something that you've got to think about it. In his confession, Cody reveals the horrifying details of what it really transpired that night. There's something not quite right with his story, though the truth would eventually come to light.

All right, Cody. You know, I know you told you, Dad, a lot of. of what happened. To the question we've been asking, tell us what happened. Leaving through driving out there, and she started bringing up about how you should get together and all this stuff. I said, I'm not going to leave Tony. She started getting upset, and I started getting upset, too.

I said, it's not going to have to stop asking. And then she said, stopped the car, and we got out, and I said, what the hell are you doing? I was like, at least let me take you back to town. And she goes, no, and started yelling. started yelling at me and pounding on my chest and stuff. And I was just kind of push her away at first. And then she kind of hit me, just kind of clipped me on the head. And it kind of hurt.

But I just really a good shove. And she fell back and hit the back bumper of the car. And she had moves for a minute. And I started saying, Mickey, it's not funny. Get up. I'm sorry, but she's not funny anymore. She started coming around. So I got down by her side and helped out.

And I said, okay. and she goes, where am I had? I said, Mickey, come on. You were the same place we were, we're fighting. She stood up, and she goes, you're trying to hurt me, huh? And she starts yelling, and I was like, you're fucking crazy.

I'm not trying to hurt you. All I do was push you, and she continues to start pounding on my chest. I finally said, McCabella, enough, and I shoved her pretty hard, and she fell down and hit her head, and she just laid there and was looking at sky, and, like, her eyes started to turn black.

She started to like shake and seize and I looked at where she was at. There's this big rock she had hit her head on it. They tried to pick her up and put her in the car. She kept moving and moving and tried to like check her poles and stuff. And I couldn't get anything and she was flopping. So it had to shovel from prying on my car. I had her, tried to hit her on her head, trying to just knock her out.

And it hit like right here. and I took her up pretty bad. She started making this awful sound. So I took the dagger thingy and pushed her right here. The end of it hit her chin and it split it open.

And she started grudely poor and making this sound. And she would have stopped so I pushed him right here and then she stopped. I didn't know what to do I was going to call my damn but I knew he would freak out.

I tried to take her clothes off to put her in. The little grave thing I'd down, because I figured her body would decompose faster without clothes. So I covered her up, and I took the clothes over in the gravel pit area and burned her. I couldn't get the pants on that, and I didn't want a disrespect her, so I put her sweater over her. This is an interesting line he's drawing here. He claims he didn't want to disrespect her, but has just killed her. It's clear he's trying to paint himself in a better light, but it's not working.

I panicked. I just covered it up really quick and put bushes over and left. I sat there for like two hours before we got the morning and cried my brains out. I was so scared. So I just went down and clean myself up and wiped the show off in the dirt. Even while recounting what he did to Michaela, Cody talks about how scared he was. He only places emphasis on himself. He doesn't feel bad that he just brutally ended someone's life and left her in the desert. He doesn't express remorse for doing this. He's just scared for himself. This is classic self-centered thinking associated with antisocial personality disorder. And we got Tony, she asked what was wrong and I said nothing. I made got food. And we went to my cousin. Now, you said you cut her on the neck? Yes, sir.

And that was with the shovel? Yeah. I think it looks like that. The blade part. I tried to go like that, and it didn't work, and that's when I pulled the... It's an e-tool and an entrenching tool, a military shovel. And when you fold it in half, it's got like a pokey spike on the opposite end of the blade. Yeah, but it's one like that. Chubble blade. And that's when it, like, made this pop sound, and it...

That's when she really made a horrible sound, but it can't get out of my head. My dad said, they're crying. It's the exact same. They couldn't be safe. Cody's chilling admission of Michaela's cold-blooded murder leaves everyone stunned into silence. However, even with his confession, the detectives identify that certain aspects of his story seem out of place. How did zip tie get on her arm? What happened there? I was just going to zip tie her up and try and put her in the car and take her out to the dump and just dump her out there.

But I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to do it. And I just put it out, like, and they just sat there. I screamed. Mm-hmm. Because I was so, so angry, it was so sad. I didn't know what to do. It sat there. It was like, cold like this on her.

And I said, why did you just listen to me? Um, you said you tried to take the clothes off, but her sweat was still on her. And I noticed the sleeves, the little bands, was still on her wrist. How'd you try and get her clothes off? Did you try and cut them off? At the end of the shovel, it's got a serrated edge on it. And I was trying to cut it with that, and it kept getting caught. So I just cut it, and then I pulled it.

She was sitting on her arms, and I just was trying to pull them. And then when it tore one of them, I just panicked. And I just started going like that, tried to cut them. You said you start to fire. And I just burned her shirts. Anything else? Her shirts and her sports brahtie, and that was it. The police arrest Cody soon after his confession.

Based on the statements gathered from Michaela's friends, they suspect that Cody may have wanted to get back together with Michaela, but killed her after she'd rejected him. But despite all the evidence corroborating Cody's confession, something seemed to miss. There was a gap in the narrative that prompted police to believe that there was more beneath the surface waiting to be uncovered. Following Cody's arrest, he spoke to his father over the phone,

and it appears he isn't aware these calls are recorded. Though he gave a glimpse of his temper during interrogation, it's in these calls that the other side of Cody truly shows. This has a ripple effect, okay? We just happen to be the ones that are closest to you, and it's not easy. I can tell you that, it's not easy. It's not easy for me.

I have nobody. You guys got each other. I've got nobody to turn to. I mean, I could call you guys, but it still doesn't do it justice. I'm having a hard time with this conversation. You know, what about McKeel's decisions? What about, you know, I'm talking about...

Well, you don't think about it? And you don't know what you started it. If that's all you want to bring up, then fine. I think about it every goddamn day. It's part of me too. Cody, I never said it wasn't. Well, you bring it up like it's something like, I don't think about it. Like, it's nothing to think about it.

to me. It's my best friend, you know what? It's a fucking mistake that I have to live with. It's hard enough to try and call you guys without breaking down on the phone every goddamn time. But it's hard enough to sit here and hear you say that that day. And then now you say that it's like I don't think about what's right for her. I have five times every goddamn day. I have nerve feelings. I just don't want to be here anymore. And you know, I'm sorry to this I'm sorry to this

I'm a hard for you guys I tried being the glued to this goddamn family because of Tony, stop. You are a part

of this family. I don't feel like it. It takes this to happen for me to feel like I'm a part of the family. You never take the goddamn time to sit down and ask me how I feel.

But all I wanted to do was sit there and feel like I love you for you and you love me. I'm sorry, it's not your fault. We all do. We're apart.

I love you guys. And I'll call you later tonight when everything's called down. I love you guys. I'm sorry. It's okay. I love you guys. I'll call you tonight. Cody also spoke to Tony,

giving us an interesting look into the dynamics of their relationship. I'm taking up your mom. I am. She just came out. So we'll just send to mom's mom. Protect yourself every day of me, no matter what happens. You do too.

Why don't it seem like you guys have some attitude or something? I'm not bad. What I don't talk to me? I can't. It doesn't matter anymore. It's all public information, the fucking news, everybody was there. Are you going to talk to me or not? Because if not, I'm just going to f***ing up and stop wasting my goddamn time.

You don't feel upset. How am I supposed to not be upset? They're gone. Talk to me. I don't know what's safe. What's safe? Maybe you can say, oh, you know what, me and this might be the last time I talked to. Oh, you know, thank you for everything.

I love you, you know. Glad you pushed me through my life and got me this far. Anything? Not just be strong. I do appreciate everything. The investigator's hunch about there being more to this twisted story is finally confirmed three weeks after Cody's arrest when Tony meets with his attorney and makes a shocking request. Can I ask a question that quick? Will you guys be able to represent me?

Okay. The question is, why is Tony looking into getting legal counsel? You'll recall that Cody didn't mention her having anything to do with what happened to Michaela. Yet Tony has been hiding something. It seems she doesn't realize her conversation with the attorney is being recorded. Where? McKaylor. No.

No. Because I knew they wanted the talk, but I didn't know. for sure. When or about what? Exactly. Um, she wanted birth with him and everything, but he didn't seem like he had an interest in her and he didn't want that. Come get me and I would go with them. Um, he came and got me and hit where she died.

Him and Michaela. He decided to go right around and then Michaela had said she didn't want anyone to say. We decided to go out towards the job. We just started kind of heading out that way to get out of town. Would anybody matter anybody when people fell in the way of him? It was kind of tense because she was a little bit upset, but we were just trying to talk to her and everything let her know that we didn't want to cause any problems or have any problems. You want to work everything out.

That was that he didn't like think of the relationship. We were driving around, told us to... Shut about. She just kept saying, well, I'm tired of your BS. and everything and so we didn't want her to be worse and she got out. Cody had got out to talk to her for, I kind of thought her, like, John Adam and everything and like pushing him and everything. And then I looked away just for like a foot second and then heard like a loud bike.

He got out. The attorneys continued to listen, utterly absorbed in shock, while Tony accidentally implicates herself in the crime. I didn't remember last week and he hit her face on the. What did you see? Just that she was on the ground. We're moving. So, you know, we're freaking out.

We didn't know what to do. I don't want down here from that. I wasn't really thinking. And so we basically started chippinaw and functioning his area and the side of it. It kind of spread up on everything. But not of what we did she kind of was. And then I remember as picking a shovel. kind of in the back of the wave of the fuck.

It's kind of lame that she wasn't moving, and so we moved in, you get to the grave. They were kind of finding that deciding what do we do, that I remember, like, putting down away. You heard that right. Not only did both Tony and Cody attack Michaela, but they both had an opportunity to save her and chose not to. I remember the trouble cat, remember.

She wasn't really breathing or anything. know what we do. You're doing with the right mind to know what to do with anything. What started as a witness account soon morphed into the bone-chilling confession of a murder. Tony's confession also dispelled the doubts about the murder weapon, confirming it as a knife, contrary to Cody's earlier claim of it being a shovel in his confession. Cody's attorney asks one last question about Tony's motive in taking Michaela's life. I remember it was, we had into three day leaders, and they went to see other gravel pit on the other side of town.

We burnt everything. I think there was a bag of things that we had been. I couldn't tell you exactly what was in there after that then to McDonald's to get drunk. What wasn't clear was why Tony had admitted to her involvement, despite Cody never implicating her in his confession. It's impossible to know, but Tony may have confessed to her role in the crime, hoping that she could save her fiancé from the death penalty. Following the unexpected development, Cody's legal team promptly informs the investigators about Tony's admission of guilt,

leading to her subsequent arrest. Investigators soon recover all of Michaela's possessions that Cody and Tony admitted to burning and burying in the desert after killing her, along with the shovel. At this stage, the case seemed almost ready to be closed. Nevertheless, a lingering uneasiness remained. Despite Cody and Tony characterizing Michaela's murder is spontaneous and spur of the moment, there was a nagging suspicion that something about this narrative just didn't sit quite right. While the investigating team tried to do their best to find that missing piece,

in a shocking twist, Cody turns on Tony when he allows his legal team to employing a private investigator to gather additional evidence against Tony in a bid to secure a reduced sentence for himself. In a pivotal breakthrough, the private detective uncovers the elusive missing element. Inside a box found in Tony's bedroom, the investigators discover that Tony was obsessed with Michaela and feared that Cody would leave her for Michaela. Several diary entries exposed Tony's deep-seated insecurities and exposed her extreme hatred towards Michaela. One entry read, we might as well break up so that he can get back together with her. She lives closer to him. While another stated, I know in my heart he doesn't love me,

I just feel that if I didn't get in between Cody and Mickey, they would still be together and none of this would have ever happened. In a final twist, this facade of true love crumbles into a climax that can only be labeled as the last act of betrayal. While Tony and Cody both admit to the murder, none claim responsibility for using the knife on Michaela's throat and instead blame it on each other. No one can confirm what really happened in that desert between the three on the evening of Michaela's death.

However, Tony's diary entries cement her motive to end Michaela's life and it's been speculated that she may have instigated Cody to do so. Given the evidence, investigators believe that the pair bound Michaela's wrists and then proceeded to take her life. Eventually, Tony takes a plea deal for a lesser charge of second-degree murder. She testifies in court against Cody and claims that he abused her and actually forced her to commit the heinous crime, stating that she only hit Michaela with the shovel because Cody told her to do it. In May 2012, Cody Patton pled guilty to the first-degree murder charge of Michaela Constanzo, and was sentenced to life without parole,

while Tony Frato was sentenced to life with a possibility of parole after 18 years. As of August 2018, Cody was incarcerated in Ely State Prison in White Pine County, Nevada. On February 24th of 2021, Tony was denied parole a decade after Michaela's tragic death. Her next parole hearing is in May, 2004.