Going West: True Crime - Carla Vicentini // 380

Episode Date: February 10, 2024

In February of 2006, a 22-year-old Brazilian woman was seen leaving a New Jersey bar with an unknown man. Days later, her boss received a mysterious phone call, with the person on the other line screaming for help. But was this the missing woman? And what happened to her? This is the story of Carla Vicentini. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398 Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/carla-vicentini 2. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/114y4qu/17_years_ago_carla_vicentini_went_to_usa_never_to/?onetap_auto=true 3. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/nyregion/talk-of-the-town-a-small-brazilian-town.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.vwhf.gJd68S-7NRv_&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 4. NJ.com: https://www.nj.com/essex/2015/02/nine_years_after_disappearance_fbi_renewing_campai.html 5. Tapatalk: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/usedtobedoe/vicentini-carla-02-09-2006-t1375.html?amp=1 6. Clube dos Detectives: https://www.podcastcdd.com.br/post/27-carla-vicentini-desaparecidos 7. Newsbreak: https://original.newsbreak.com/@fatim-hemraj-561392/2799235643159-16-years-ago-a-brazilian-exchange-student-moved-to-america-21-days-later-she-vanished-what-happened-to-carla 8. NJ.com: https://www.nj.com/news/2010/02/billboard_will_feature_brazili.html 9. Brazilian Times: https://www.braziliantimes.com/brasil/2021/02/15/desaparecimento-de-brasileira-em-nj-completa-15-anos-e-internautas-cobram-solucao.html 10. Paraná PRC: https://g1.globo.com/pr/parana/noticia/2016/02/mae-de-jovem-paranaense-que-sumiu-ha-10-anos-nos-eua-cre-em-milagre.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host Teeth and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody, big thank you to Stacy for recommending today's case. This case is very unique from others that we've covered even though it does have some similar elements to like other young women's disappearances but this case has so many eerie details and some interesting avenues that I haven't really seen before in any of our other episodes so like it is truly a baffling story. Yeah so thank you so much Stacy for sharing Carla's case with us so that we can share it with all of you. Absolutely, and I think that's all we've got.

Alright guys, this is episode 380 of Going West, so let's get into it. On February 9, 2004, a 21-year-old nursing student named Mara Murray went missing from Haverhill, New Hampshire after crashing her car. Within minutes of the accident, Mara vanished from the scene and hasn't been witnessed since. A perplexing story that has been riddled with misinformation and harmful theories is finally being told by one person who can put rumors at bay, her own sister Julie Murray. Media Pressure Season 1 features the untold story of Mara Murray, with the first two episodes

out now. And it's the premiere show for the new network by Sarah Turni, the sister of missing Alyssa Turni, Voices for Justice Media. Even we put out an episode on Mara's case one year ago, but now you can hear from people who actually knew Mara. It's the most intimate look at Mara Murray's case yet, and you don't want to miss it. Julie Murray has been advocating for

justice for her sister for 20 years, so her voice deserves to be heard, and Mara's entire story deserves to be told. So go listen to media pressure, the voice deserves to be heard and Mara's entire story deserves to be told. So go listen to media pressure, the untold story of Mara Murray. Today, wherever you listen to podcasts. In February of 2006, a 22-year-old Brazilian woman was last seen leaving a New Jersey bar with an unknown man. Days later, someone close to her received a mysterious phone call with the person on

the other line screaming for help. But was this the missing woman? And does someone in her small US circle know what happened to her? This is the story of Karla Vicentini was born on April 29, 1983 in Goiolera, Parana, Brazil. Goiolera is a small city of about 25,000 people in the southern state of Parana, just over the border of Paraguay. Carla was the oldest of three daughters born to parents Tanya and Orlando,

with her mom Tanya working as an analyst at a consulting firm, and her father, Orlando, working as an accountant, which will come up a little bit later. So Carla's family described her as gregarious and bright and said that she had a voracious desire for education. In 2006, 22-year-old Carla was nearing the end of her studies at the State University of Moringa

in Goya-era. And there, Carla's concentration was textile engineering, which is the study of designing and crafting fabrics from raw materials. And though she had educational and career aspirations at home, her dreams took her farther away. For years, she yearned to study abroad in the United States, longing for adventure and desiring to learn English.

And in January of 2006, during her final semester of college, Karla had finally saved up enough money to achieve this goal. She was able to obtain a work exchange visa through the World Study Intercultural Education Agency, which helps students travel abroad. And for a hefty fee, the agency handled the legalities of her visa and also sorted out her flights, employment, housing, and health insurance for the duration of her stay, which would

be four months as it's the longest possible stay for a student work exchange visa. Her parents later admitted that they were wary of allowing her to embark upon this journey alone and that her mom Tanya had tried to convince her to embark upon this journey alone, and that her mom, Tanya, had tried to convince her to finish college first. But Tanya admitted, quote, "'There is no mother in the world "'who can stop a child from fulfilling her wishes.' "'When I realized that there was no way,

"'of course I supported her in the project.'" So on January 18th, 2006, Carla's parents took her to the airport, bidding her farewell with a proper send-off. She took with her a stuffed frog to keep her company, which is visible in all the pictures they took together saying goodbye, for what they didn't know would be the last time. In route to New Jersey, where Karla was assigned, she met another Brazilian student who was also completing the program.

And her name is Maria Eduardo Hebeiro. The two became fast friends and wound up staying in the same motel room together. But from the very beginning, the trip just wasn't what the girls had hoped for. Carla and Maria were placed in a motel room with two other young women in the program, and the quarters were cramped and extremely rundown.

The girls were renting a room at the Roxbury Motel in Ledgewood, New Jersey, which is about an hour northwest of New York City. To the benefit of the Visa Company, it was a very cheap spot to stay, and still, almost 20 years later, totals to only about $50 a night, so that kind of gives you a better idea of the quality. Or the lack of. Exactly, yes, the lack of. But the girls were very uncomfortable in such close quarters, not to mention disappointed

with the very dilapidated state of the accommodations. The motel, which is still operational today, boasts just a 1.5 star rating on TripAdvisor, then reviews report bugs, decay, and a layer of grime on the inside as well as the outside. One commenter reported quote, CD people coming and going, and another cited frequent drug use among guests. Needless to say, Carla felt neither safe nor content in her new surroundings, and the American dream as she pictured seemed to be slipping away from her. In addition to her new living space, Carla was assigned to work at a White Castle fast

food restaurant in nearby Dover, New Jersey, which is about 10 minutes east from the motel. And the restaurant sought to hire undocumented citizens for periods of time to save on labor costs. Reports claim that Carla told her family that she was also unhappy with the treatment that she received at her job, with menial pay and poor working conditions. But with limited money and mobility, and speaking very little English, she really didn't have any other options. So Carla's trip was slowly dissolving into a nightmare.

Carla and Maria agreed that they needed to get out of the motel in Ledgewood and found a better housing arrangement as well as better jobs. Maria later said in a statement, quote, The job in Dover was not what we expected. We left in search of other working conditions. So on a whim, the girls quit their jobs and moved to Newark, New Jersey, which is a much larger and more desirable area situated along the Paseik River, and it's just west of Manhattan. So the girls now had New York City in their backyard and found themselves among far more

opportunities than they'd had in the smaller, quieter community of Ledgewood. Newark also had a taste of home for Carla and Maria because Newark, New Jersey offers one of the highest concentrations of Brazilian immigrants in the United States accounting for about 2% of the population. So this was a huge relief for Carla and Maria who could have some of the comforts of home and they were also able to speak their native tongue

with the locals, no longer fearing what was lost in translation as they began learning English. The girls settled in the ironbound neighborhood of Newark, which was known as Little Brazil, so it was perfect for them. The living quarters were still pretty tight, with Carla and Maria sharing a small apartment with a man in his 70s named José Fernandez, who had also moved from Brazil. But they were able to secure a deal on the living situation

because José apparently had a debt to settle with Carla's father Orlando. Orlando, who as I mentioned, ran a successful accounting firm in Goiara, had apparently done the accounting for a gas station that Jusé owned. So this seemed as fair a deal as any

in order to get Carla and Maria out of their problematic living situation, so the girls took him up on it. Carla found work at Mediterranean Manor, which is a banquet hall, and Maria started working as a server at Adega Grill, which is a Portuguese restaurant located on Ferry Street in Newark, just blocks from their apartment. She had started working as a server at Adega Grill, which is a Portuguese restaurant located

on Ferry Street in Newark, just blocks from their apartment. And just as a little FYI, the two restaurants were only about a five minute walk apart from each other, and they both remain operational to this day. So it was super easy for them to just stroll to work from this new apartment. The girls moved into Juzé's apartment in the first week of February, and just a few days later, Carla was gone. Tanya, whom Carla called on a daily basis, claims that things were turning around for her daughter, saying, quote, I spoke to her every day until the day that she disappeared.

She was happy and dying for me to come visit her. She never tired of thanking God for having the opportunity to make her dream come true. Carla was feeling more comfortable navigating a new city when more people around her spoke Portuguese and her living quarters were nicer and a lot more private. Working at a proper restaurant instead of a fast food chain was more fulfilling for her as well and her employees were more respectful of Carla and her time. And now the girls were positioned a lot closer to the excitement of Manhattan.

Thursday, February 9th, 2006 was a chilly winter day, hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit or about negative 1 degrees Celsius. So obviously, it was pretty cold. Carla finished up her shift at Mediterranean Manor and walked the five minutes to the Adega Grill, again where Maria was working as a cocktail waitress. She arrived around 10.30pm and sat at the bar for a drink. And here's where the witness statements and timeline become a little bit complicated. Now one source claims that Carla hung out at the bar for a bit, then walked

back to their apartment to change out of her work clothes, coming back a little while later. Others state that she wasn't actually seen walking home until hours later. But either way Maria reported that Karla seemed intoxicated, even claiming that she had been drinking to the point of vomiting. Whether she had been drinking before she came into Adega or not is still unknown though. Another inconsistency is who Karla was last seen with at the bar. Some sources claim that there were two men chatting with her in the hours leading up to her disappearance, and some claim that it was only one person. The man that she was later seen leaving with is described as a stocky white man standing

about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing around 200 pounds. He's believed to have been in his 30s and he had blue eyes, salt and pepper colored hair, and a short beard and he was wearing a black t-shirt. Maria called him quiet and strange and recalled that his name may have been Antonio. As with all the details in this case, his description also varies, with one depiction claiming that he actually had red hair, which is very different from salt and pepper. It's unclear why or how their conversation began as Maria claimed that this man didn't speak any Portuguese and Carla spoke very little

English. But early in the morning of February 10th, 2006, Carla told Maria that she was leaving with the man, which both puzzled and alarmed Maria. By her recollection, quote, she told me that she was going to go out with this guy and that later she would go home, that in 10 minutes at most, she would be home and open the door for me to come in. I tried to talk to the guy. He didn't speak a word of Portuguese

and she didn't speak a word of English. She had no papers, no money, nothing. Now at this point, which was around 2.30 a.m., Karla claimed that she was going outside with the man to his car to quote, view a photograph, though everybody including Maria are now left to wonder what the hell that even means. Before Carla left with this unknown man, she passed a piece of paper to Maria's manager, though some sources claim that it was passed directly to Maria herself, that allegedly had a name and phone number written on it.

Sadly, Maria misplaced that piece of paper that night and couldn't recall what it said, which definitely could have helped the investigation, but we will never know. And that was the last time Maria ever saw her new friend. Carla borrowed Maria's keys, as it's possible they only had one set, and walked out with this unknown man, vowing to be home very soon. But after Maria closed down the restaurant for the night and returned home a very short while later, she realized that Carla hadn't come back. And because Maria didn't have her key, it's assumed that Jusé let her into the apartment,

but we have no idea how she got in and I'm gonna bring that up a little later too. But Maria was obviously alarmed to find that Carla still hadn't made it home, and as the hours wore on, she became increasingly more worried about Carla's whereabouts, knowing that she had been drinking and left with an unidentified man. But one of the most eerie details of this case is that some of Carla's belongings had made it home that night, even though she didn't. Now back in the apartment, Maria allegedly found her friend's blue Hugo Boss brand coat, her passport, her work clothes, and her wallet.

If we're to believe that she actually walked back to the apartment after her shift at Mediterranean Manor and then returned to a Dega afterward, it makes sense that she left her work clothes behind. But it was freezing cold that night and snowed heavily in the days following. So the fact that she had left without a coat points to Carla potentially being forcibly removed from the apartment or perhaps never leaving it alive. Most sources report that even if she had gone back to her apartment to change out of her work clothes, she had the rest of her items, her wallet, passport and coat with her until she departed the bar around 2.30am that morning. That meant that Carla actually had made it back home safely and

then left again, or worse, been taken against her will. Maria was the one who reported her friend missing and later called her family back in Brazil to deliver the shocking and saddening news. That just around three weeks after arriving to the United States, 22-year-old Karla had just disappeared. The following days brought heavy snow, along with chaos and confusion. And Maria was the only one with her boots on the ground, and felt like she was fighting on her own for Karla's case to be taken seriously. Especially because Karla's family was in a different country, and no one else in the

entire US really knew her at all. With limited English and few resources, she felt her friends slipping away. Tanya, who is Carla's mom, remembers the sense of helplessness that she felt in the early days of Carla's disappearance, saying, quote, Carla called me every day, sometimes more than once, just to tell me that she loved me. The day that she disappeared, she called me in the morning, and then didn't call again. When I answered Maria's call, I was confused and didn't know what to do. As it was snowing heavily, I even thought Carla was unable to return home.

But I felt that Maria was scared. I couldn't help her. I could only beg her to do everything to find my daughter. Every story has a beginning. Yours can be unforgettable with a ring as unique as the love it symbolizes. Let Design by Savan craft your one-of-a-kind engagement ring, a masterpiece that tells a story as enchanting as your favorite audio series or as captivating as the latest true crime podcast. I'm Savan, the master artisan behind ever being we create, our passion is bringing your dream ring to life. The story begins at designbysevan.com. Visit for a free consultation. Because Carla was from a foreign country and her only advocate was a young woman who had a limited understanding of English, the case stalled almost immediately, and her loved ones were critical of the lack of priority given to the investigation and the onset of

Carla's disappearance. The Newark police major crime squad, who specialize in cases of abduction and human trafficking, took up the investigation, and two detectives who spoke fluent Portuguese were assigned to be liaisons to Carla's family, as well as to Maria, and the few people that Carla had met in Newark,

just hoping that they could be of service as the last people that Carla had met in Newark, just hoping that they could be of service as the last people that she interacted with before she disappeared. The police began circulating missing posters and attempted to talk to those who lived and worked in the vicinity, and anyone who had been at or near the Adega Grill that night.

However, they hit their first of many setbacks when few people were willing to be questioned in regard to the disappearance because they were concerned that their status as undocumented workers and residents would land them in trouble with the government. So it just didn't feel like anybody that they talked to who was there that night could actually help them and glean any new information about where she could be. So that was just a very unfortunate piece of the story. But police did put forth a reward of $2,000, which was later raised to 5,000 by a concerned donor.

In the days of chaos following her disappearance, police pulled the closed circuit footage or CCTV footage from the Adega Grill that night. But strangely, Carla is never seen on the tapes. Whether this is by accident or a glitch or by design is hard to say, but Tanya feels that it was contrived that someone at the Adega Grill, perhaps an employee, knew more than they were willing to divulge and to protect their own best interest, edited any of Carla's appearances out of the tape.

Though newspapers and outlets based in Brazil reported heavily on the case, Carla's disappearance came and went without much attention in the States, which is where the news on her story mattered the most So it just didn't feel like anybody was coming in with information to help and nobody was really talking about her story And because of all the language barriers as well, it just felt like we have nothing and We're trying but we're not trying hard enough. It's really interesting that this girl that's from a different country

trying hard enough. It's really interesting that this girl that's from a different country, she goes missing in the US, and the only people really that give a shit are the people of Brazil. They're the only people talking about it. They're the only people doing news coverage on the case, but nobody in the US is talking about it or like really investigating it at this point. But then came another unsettling detail in Carla's disappearance. Several days after she went missing, her boss received a chilling phone call from an unknown number. Her boss reported picking up the phone to hear a woman screaming on the other end, but the line quickly went dead.

Despite reporting it to the police, repeated attempts to track the call to its origin proved to be unsuccessful. Now, it is worth noting that several sources have reported that the call actually came to Juzet's phone, not her boss's phone, which are two very, very different people, so I don't know why this isn't clear. Yeah, I don't know how that could get confused because they're two different people and then it just makes, I feel like it makes a big difference Who received this call because if it's from an unknown number? Did it you know did Carla have her phone on her and they got either of these numbers that way or is whoever took Carla?

Connected to the boss or she'll say like this really matters who this call came into 100% and one source even claimed that she Juse spoke with the FBI about this phone call and that he had received as many as five from this same source. Oddly, this news outlet also reported that Juse inexplicably waited months to report the phone calls to the police, so we don't really know why he didn't report it earlier. Suspicious. So in addition to the ominous, untraceable calls, police in Newark received an anonymous tip claiming that Carla was being held against her will at a motel in Honesdale, Pennsylvania,

which is 97 miles or 156 kilometers southwest from where she disappeared. And Honesdale is a very quaint town in the rural Pocono Mountains So it feels kind of random that this tip is coming in but the tip also included the detail that she was being detained in a room or apartment Numbered 12h though the address was not included in the tip So Newark police teamed up with the Honesdale Police to scour the community of about 4,000 people, desperately seeking any sign of Carla. But after doing some investigating, they found nothing. And I am really glad that the Newark Police did try.

They took this tip seriously as they did with many of the tips that came in. And I think it's difficult because there still is a lot of information that has not been released publicly. Well, a few witnesses who had been willing to speak with investigators also placed Carla on the street after leaving the bar, walking between the Adega Grill, which is located at 130 Ferry Street, and the apartment complex in which the girls were living, which was just a few blocks away, also on Ferry Street.

Another witness claimed to see her getting into a car with a man, though it's unclear if it was the man that she had been talking to at the Adega Grill or somebody else. And it's also not mentioned if this was near the restaurant or near her apartment. And it was probably impossible to figure out if this guy that you're talking about is the same one that she was seen leaving with from the Adega Grill because there's at least two different descriptions of the guy that she left with from the Adega Grill because there's at least two different descriptions of the guy that she left with from the Adega Grill. So yeah, and nobody can apparently pinpoint where she had last been seen, you know, getting

into this man's car. So as her parents clamored for any piece of information that they could glean from Maria and the local police force, Carla's boyfriend, Chiago, came forward with a shocking new piece of intel from back home in Goyera. According to Chiago, he had gotten a frantic phone call from Carla in which she was sobbing and claiming that her landlord slash roommate, Jose, had touched her inappropriately. Now, Chiago claimed that she couldn't stop crying and told him that she needed to move out as soon as possible.

Carla called him to tell him this the day before she disappeared and had apparently already found a new place to live, planning on vacating Jose's apartment in just four days. And here's one thing I wanted to say about this. What would be the reason for Tiago to lie about this? Well I don't think he did or would. Right? I mean it just seems like this is pretty credible. Well let's talk more about Juzet.

So Juzet was questioned in regards to her disappearance, but claimed that he had been asleep for the whole ordeal. Remember this. He says he was sleeping that whole night and that he went to bed long before she is believed to have returned to the apartment to drop off her things and said that he woke up later that morning when she had already been gone for hours.

So this just makes me wonder even more if Jusé did open or unlock the door for Maria when she got home because being able to prove that he was home would definitely be helpful, but we also can't look past the fact that Carla's belongings were at the apartment and she disappeared after getting home. Did this American man simply walk her home or drive her home and then split and she was met with foul play in the apartment with Jouzay. Like maybe she rejected his inappropriate advances and it escalated.

And did these strange calls even happen if they did come into Jouzay? Like that is such an eerie part of the case to me, but the only person who apparently heard them was Jouzay or I guess her boss, but it does seem to me like they came into Juzet. So was this some kind of red herring to point blame away from him?

Like, I don't know, it's all so weird to me, especially as well since Juzet knew Carla's dad and was also from Brazil. So they had this other connection and history coupled with what her boyfriend Chiyago said. Like he's just looking really suspicious to me. Well, because there's so much misinformation about the details about this case,

you know, regarding the phone calls and whatnot, the only thing that I find extremely credible would be Carla's boyfriend, because again, he would have no reason to lie about this. Like why would he lie about his girlfriend telling him that Her landlord is touching her inappropriately. I just don't see why But yeah, he does look very suspicious at this point and he's gonna look even more suspicious here in a second He really is so Carla's parents Tanya and Orlando did what they could from nearly

5,000 miles or 8,000 kilometers away from nearly 5,000 miles or 8,000 kilometers away. They pleaded with local investigators for information, but they were just told that the police were doing all they could. So what they could do, the parents, what they could do, they appealed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brazil, but were informed that there was little that Brazilian officers could do from so far away. Now, as I mentioned about Juzé talking to the FBI about those phone calls, the FBI did become involved offering a sizable reward of $20,000 for information, but even that couldn't bring

forth any more info about what had happened to Carla. Strangely, Juzé traveled back to Brazil just four days after her disappearance and was reportedly uncooperative with both the police investigation and the desperate pleas for information from her parents. So is it a coincidence that he went home so quickly or was he trying to leave the situation? While Carla's parents then appealed with the Brazilian Senate for their assistance, and José Fernandez was forced to testify in front of a grand jury to relay the events of the night that Carla disappeared. And this time, his story changed, saying that he woke up when two men brought Carla to the

apartment around 3am. He then claimed that he heard her exit the apartment again a short time later, assuming she had left with the men. But that was not what he had told the police department when he was initially questioned, having feigned ignorance and telling them that he hadn't seen or heard anything

on the night that she vanished because he was asleep. And I just don't see how right after this happens, you say that you didn't see anything. And then you remember later that you did, like if anything, it would be the other way around. This man is so sus to me. Yeah, it's always very suspicious when a story changes, especially,

like this isn't that like crazy of a detail. It's like, did you see somebody come into the apartment or were you asleep? It's one or the other like you can't you know, there's no in between here I also have to say with with other people having said that she was seen with two men that she was seen with one man this information could have gotten back to Juzet and I also think about the fact that he's saying, oh, I heard her coming into the apartment with a couple men, and then she left, so I assume she left with these men. Again, this is a new piece of the story,

of his story, his perspective, and he is now pointing blame to somebody else, saying, well, there was a couple men that she was with, so they must have been the ones to do something to her, not me. Well, looking back at this interaction between her and this guy at the bar, that also seems suspicious to me, you know?

But the fact that her clothes and her wallet and her belongings made it back to that apartment, lets us know that she had to have gone back to the apartment at some point, whether she left with this guy, this guy that she was talking to at the bar, or whether Juzet did something. Exactly. But somehow, according to investigators, Juzet was ruled out as a suspect, but they did not share why they believed he was not involved, if

they were able to concretely prove that, or if they just let him go as a suspect for whatever reason, but he was never brought up on charges for sexually assaulting Carla either, though Orlando accused him publicly of such, and Juzet replied by suing him for harassment. According to Tanya, Jose is now deceased. So if he did have any information regarding what happened to her, we may never know what that is. Maria was also ruled out as a suspect, and following her time in New Jersey,

she eventually relocated to the West Coast and then moved back to Brazil. Weeks turned to months and still, the Vicentinis waited for any sign of their lost daughter. In the immediate aftermath of Carlos' disappearance, Orlando attempted to travel to Newark to search for her, but his visa was denied, which is obviously so sad that he doesn't even have the ability

to travel to the US to look for his missing daughter Yeah I cannot imagine how just helpless and frustrated her parents fell and her family fell in those first couple months Yeah, because it wasn't until May of 2006 that Tanya was able to go which was about three months after Carla vanished But when she arrived she spoke with investigators passed out missing persons flyers, and retraced her daughter's steps. Alas, she came home to Brazil empty-handed.

Frustrated, she said of her time in Newark, quote, Unfortunately, Brazilian women are not well-liked in the United States. I lived through this. It's not a lie. They think they go there to be call girls. The police were considering the hypothesis that Carla had been enslaved in a criminal prostitution ring, but imagine she didn't go there for that purpose. Even if she was in a situation like that, can't the police get into that network?

She recalls seeing her husband falling into a depression as the realization set in that Carla may not be coming home. Tonya claimed that he was quote paralyzed with grief and that he couldn't bear to talk about Carla or what had happened to her. Tonya remembered sadly quote, the police would find a body and call me. I would spend two, three days talking to them, trying to reach a conclusion. In the end, the girl had one more tattoo or one less or a sign that indicated that she was not my daughter. Several blood tests from my husband and myself were sent there in an attempt to help recognize

the corpse. We kept waiting for the result in front of a distant body. I buried many girls with the same physical characteristics as Carla. I cried for all of them." For years the family was stagnant. She remembers her two younger daughters being fearful and clinging to her after Carla vanished, afraid to leave her side. She recalls a home full of love leading up to the disappearance, saying that quote, our house was happy, we had parties for everything, but after the disappearance, saying that quote, Our house was happy, we had parties for everything, but after the disappearance,

I don't even have the strength to celebrate Christmas. The most difficult day for the family has been her birthday. In April of 2007, coming up on Carla's first birthday since her disappearance, Tanya explained, quote, I told my family and friends, don't remind me it's her birthday This month has a 28th and a 30th, but no 29th. I'll only remember that day when I have her back Though the family still mourns the horrific loss. They've done their very best to move through it

Tanya and Orlando have multiple grandchildren now, and their lives are filled with loving them and spending quality time with them and their two other daughters. For years, Tanya entertained the idea that Karla was being held somewhere against her will, and although that was a terrifying reality or thought, it would mean that her daughter was still alive. In an interview 10 years after her daughter's disappearance

in 2016, she said quote, Today, calmer and with my feet on the ground, I don't know why. Something gives me the hope of a miracle happening. I see so many crazy cases of girls who remain alive for decades in captivity and this, despite being horrible, gives me hope. Turning over pain makes wounds bleed and pain is inevitable. This will not change the situation we're experiencing at all, since everything happened in the United States. Here we can do nothing, or rather everything that could be done with the Brazilian authorities. I can't tell you if this hope of mine is a survival tactic.

Maybe it's more of a force in me that tells me to believe and trust. Due to the language barrier, the unclear timelines, the lack of reliable sources or information, and the sheer amount of time that has passed, it's difficult to even speculate about the outcome and it's becoming more and more unlikely that Carla's case will ever see a resolution, but we desperately hope it will because somebody knows something.

However, now, nearly 20 years since her daughter was taken away from them, Tanya says that she has come to be at peace with the likelihood that she is no longer alive, and that they may never know what became of her. But she still holds out hope that she will find answers in justice for her daughter, and that the guilty parties will be held accountable. Tanya said mournfully, quote, My mother's heart says that she is dead, but my mind won't let me give up looking for her,

to go to the end of the story. In a way, I would rather receive the body than stay in this expectation." She added that regardless of her situation, she believes that Carla would have reached out to her family and let them know that she was alive by this time. Tanya added, quote, I think that Carla isn't alive because she would never stay more than two days without contacting the family. Someone destroyed her dream. Carla stood at about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 140 pounds. She had blonde

hair and brown eyes. She sported multiple body piercings, including her ears, tongue, and belly button. She also had multiple tattoos, which included a gray angel on her back, a tribal tattoo on her lower back, and a red and yellow chameleon on her left hip. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a white tank top, a blue Hugo Boss brand jacket, blue or white jeans, light brown high heeled ankle boots, a silver ball in her navel, a silver ball in her tongue, a more my brand sports watch on her left wrist, a large silver ring on her ring finger, and two silver rope necklaces, one of which held a pendant.

She would be turning 41 this year. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest. So if you have any information about the disappearance of Karlovich and Teeny, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Tuesday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. Again big thank you to Stacy for recommending this case. Please make sure you share it because there is still a chance for justice

for Carly's family. And if you guys have a case that you want told on the show, we have a list of a few hundred, but we always try to go by the month or the season that it is where it takes place. So yeah, and we're just working through a long list of those. Yes, we are, but so please, if you have one

that you want us to cover, please send it in anyway to our email, goingwestpodcast.gmail.com. That is the best place where we will definitely see it. So thank you everybody who has sent some over. Like Keith said, we are very much working through a long, long list, but we appreciate every suggestion. And if you'd like to share Karla's missing persons poster, we're gonna post it all over our socials,

and you guys know what those are. And also if you wanna see photos from this case and every other case that we've covered thus far. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. වවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවවව� Thanks for watching!