Going West: True Crime - Kayelyn Louder // 342

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398 Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. Kayelyn's Obituary: https://www.brownfamilymortuary.com/obituaries/kayelyn-louder 2. NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/update-missing-america-kayelyn-louder-n219596 3. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/mystery/comments/ag5d2f/the_disappearance_of_kayelyn_louder/ 4. Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/2018/5/31/20646055/man-convicted-of-killing-uncle-gets-another-chance-at-parole 5. People: https://people.com/crime/utah-social-worker-kayelyn-louder-vanishes/ 6. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/542274222570458/ 7. Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/2015/4/16/20562756/kayelyn-louder-autopsy-inconclusive-but-family-insists-death-was-not-an-accident 8. KSL: https://www.ksl.com/article/32604089/questions-remain-in-death-of-kayelyn-louder 9. KSL: https://www.ksl.com/article/31880265 10. KUTV: https://kutv.com/news/local/cause-of-death-remains-unclear-for-kayelyn-louder 11. ICFDA: https://www.drugawareness.org/antidepressant-kayelyn-louder-autopsy-inconclusive-after-body-found-of-woman-who-disappeared/ 12. BrainScratch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHPPFIaU2aw 13. KSL: https://www.ksl.com/article/5805839/man-charged-with-murdering-uncle 14. Herald Extra: https://www.heraldextra.com/news/2009/mar/02/family-mourns-man-shot-by-nephew-in-pleasant-grove/ 15. Fox 13: https://www.fox13now.com/2014/10/09/family-of-missing-woman-reacts-after-police-release-audio-from-911-calls 16. LDS Women's Project: https://ldswomenproject.com/interview/searching-for-kayelyn/ 17. Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/2014/10/8/20550132/missing-woman-made-confused-911-calls-prior-to-disappearance-police-say 18. Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/2009/9/15/20340631/man-bound-over-to-trial-in-killing-of-uncle 19. KUTV: https://kutv.com/news/local/police-release-video-and-911-calls-of-missing-murray-woman 20. Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/2014/11/15/20552864/family-friends-continue-to-search-for-kayelyn-louder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on to crime fans? I'm your host Teeve. And I'm your host Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody, thank you so much for tuning tuning in hope you're having a great day and thank you so much to Sarah and Lauren for recommending this very mysterious story that we have for you guys today. And just a little reminder if you guys do have any case suggestions or any cases that you want us to cover you can email us going west podcast at gmail.com a lot of the times you guys send us messages on

social media we don't always see those, but we try to do our best to get through the ones that are said to our email. So please send your cases there. Yes, and thank you guys because we love case suggestions. Also, this is our wedding weekend. We're going to get married on Sunday. So if you're listening to this on Friday when it comes out, a couple more days, we will be married folk. This is our last episode of fiance and fiance. Exactly. We're so excited. We're really excited. And I'm sure you guys are just annoyed with us, that we continue to keep talking about our wedding, but we are really excited. Hope you guys are too.

Yeah, we'll post some photos on our socials because some people ask, so we'll go ahead and do that next week. But thank you guys for tuning in. Let's dive into this one. All right guys, this is episode 342 of Going West. So let's get into it. Why waste the next 120 days earning less interest when you can grow your cash faster than fast right now? Open a new savings or checking account with Motive to enjoy speedy savings with the 5.75% 120-day GIC, eligible only on transfers from another financial institution.

Apply today at Motif Financial.com slash GIC 120, limited time offer conditions apply. Motif Financial.com slash GIC 120. In September of 2014, a 30-year-old woman went missing from her Utah condo after a series of strange calls to 911. When police recovered surveillance footage of her walking barefoot in the rain before vanishing off screen, the case became even more perplexing. This is the story of Kalin Louder. Kaelin Louder, nicknamed Kiki by her family and friends was born on January 21, 1984, in

American Fork, Utah, which is just about 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City. Kaelin joined parents Suzy and Jesse, and was born alongside a twin brother named Colton, but the twins also had a brother named Parley and a sister named Maddie, making four kids altogether. The family were followers of the Mormon faith and loved attending church together. Kaelin specifically is lovingly referred to by her family as open-minded and a friend to everyone. Her mom Susie recalls quote,

�It doesn't matter who you were, what you believe, or what you wear, she loves you for you. That's why she has so many different friends. She loves everybody. So Kalin was fun, carefree, quirky, and had the gift of being able to chat with anyone about anything. Growing up in the mountains of Utah and right by Utah Lake, she loved to spend time around animals and had a horse that she formed a very special bond with. She was also a voracious reader and so voracious that Susie remembers that one time she had

to ground her for reading just so that she would pick up something else for a bit because that is how much she read. Her family also joked that she was so skilled and competitive at Scrabble that quote, no one liked to play with her. So she was very smart girl. Kaelin graduated from Lehigh High School in Lehigh, Utah, which is just outside of American fork, and then she went on to study at Utah State University. Wanting to put her big heart to good use, she pursued a bachelor's degree in social work

just hoping to work with children. Then Kaelin eventually settled in Murray, Utah, which is a suburb of Salt Lake City, and there she got a black Chinese pug who she named Phyllis, which is such a funny, Phyllis. A terrible name for a dog. It is, yeah. But she referred to her as her baby and took Phyllis everywhere with her. In 2009, the louder suffered a tragedy that sent shockwaves through their tight-knit family.

Kaelin's twin brother, Colton, was reportedly suffering from an addiction to methamphetamine. And during an altercation with his uncle, who is Suzy's brother, Jeffrey, Colton's shot Jeffrey. According to the louder family, Colton had been struggling with his addiction for a long time, and the family was deeply concerned for him. Reports are varied on the nature of the confrontation between the two men, and the public may never know exactly the reason for Colton's outburst. But according to his autopsy, Jeffrey Ackerman had toxic levels of methamphetamine in his

system at the time, as well as marijuana and also traces of cocaine. A neighbor of Colton's grandparents later said that Colton had been snooping around multiple houses in the area, leading up to the shooting, and that she had approached him to ask what he was doing. While Colton responded that he didn't mean any harm, he was just, you know, looking for money. So that evening, which was February 27, 2009, 25-year-old Colton and his 45-year-old uncle were in the garage of Colton's grandparents, so Jeffree's parents, who he lived with.

And for unknown reasons, Colton ran from the garage and Jeffree followed, because I guess he was attempting to get him back to the house. And as he was being followed, Colton shot back at Jeffrey, hitting him six times with a 45 caliber handgun. Jeffrey collapsed in the street and Colton tossed the gun into the parking lot of a medical center and disappeared into the neighborhood. Jeffrey was unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, but after a pursuit of Colton through the suburbs of Pleasant Grove and American Fork, he was apprehended and arrested, apparently with no knowledge of what he had done. His family later alleged that Jeffrey had been trying to convince Colton to stop using

drugs, and it even suggested that they move in together so that Jeffrey could help him ween off of his dependency. So the family was understandably rocked by this tragedy, and they just believed that Colton was not in his right mind when this incident occurred. He was normally very lighthearted and fun loving and before this, on his record he had a few misdemeanor drug charges but this was very clearly like the worst thing that he had ever done. Now Jeffree's brother-in-law, whose name is Jeff Wilson, granted an interview after Colton's arrest, and he spoke on behalf of the entire family saying, quote,

"'We need to grieve for both people.'" Colton, when he does come to understand what happened, it's gonna be devastating for him. When Suzy Louder visited her son Colton in prison where he was being held on bail, totaling a million dollars, she said he didn't understand what had happened and did not think that he had killed anyone. Jeff Wilson continued quote, Jeff was looking at moving in with Colton to help him. When he was shot, it was shocking to both of them, I believe. But Jeff also stated in no uncertain terms that the family was pretty much standing by Colton in his time of need despite his grave mistake.

He said quote, I can't talk bad about Colton because I love the boy. I know the real Colton. We've always been taught in our life in these kinds of circumstances to love the person, to forgive the person and to be there for them. And that's what Jeff would have wanted to do. Ultimately, though Colton was undoubtedly responsible for his uncle's death, the court ruled in favor of manslaughter and sentence Tim to just five years in prison.

Though his perception of events was skewed at the time due to the drug use, according to Colton's legal team, Jeffrey became angry when he used drugs and Kalin's twin brother Colton had been scared and paranoid. So though the source of their fight again is unknown, Colton's attorney alleged that this was a legitimate case of self-defense.

Now, singer Uncle Kild and her brother sent to prison, understandably took a toll on Kaelin. Though her family claims that she had no history of anxiety, depression, or mental illness, everyone was having to learn how to cope. And between 2013 and 2014, Kaelin was struggling with her own setbacks, like having trouble finding and hanging onto a job in her field of social work. In the late summer of 2014, 30-year-old Kaylen had been employed as a social worker at Gateway

Academy, which is a private boy's high school but was let go for undisclosed reasons and was apparently struggling with the change. She started putting as much energy as possible into finding a new position, but wasn't really having much luck. So Kalin, her beloved dog Phyllis and Kalin's roommate Carol, were living in Murray, Utah, in the Willows condominiums at the time. On Friday, September 26, 2014, Kalin reportedly said that she was planning on staying home for the weekend, just planning to clean up her apartment and polish her resume and preparation to continue her job search.

According to Susie, she had also gotten some disappointing news on the job front that evening, and hadn't gotten a job that she had interviewed for recently. So that evening around 9pm, Kaylyn made a concerning phone call to 911, reporting what she thought was an altercation in her building. According to Kaelin, there was a loud, violent party taking place in the clubhouse of her building, which is a space that residents could like rent out for gatherings. In the call, Kaelin reports, quote, I did hear a fight that was very brutal. Then the operator responds,

were weapons involved or mentioned? To which Caitlin then responds, um, yes. When asked what kind of weapons she heard or saw, Caitlin stated, guns. But when police arrived, they just found a wedding reception. And the guests, who were very surprised by the arrival of police, claimed that there had been no fights or yelling, and that there were no weapons present either. Not a single guest corroborated Kalen's claim. About an hour later, so shortly after 10pm or so, Kalen called 911 again, but she hung up before she could speak with the operator. When the operator called Kalen back, she apparently had trouble remembering her address and was

a little bit incoherent. Referring to Carol, which again is her roommate, Kaelin even told the operator, my friend told me I'm delusional and paranoid. The next morning at 8.18am, Kaelin made a third 911 call, but this time sounding a lot more frightened. When the operator picked up, Kaylen gave him her address and then said, quote, there's an intruder in my house, they're stealing shit from my house. Then she repeated the address to the dispatcher, gave him her phone number, and then yelled, get the fuck out of my house.

After giving her phone number again, the call continues as follows. Now we're gonna play the 911 call for you guys. It's a few minutes long, but you'll be able to hear everything that's said. By the way, in the beginning of the clip, there's a few bleeps and breaks, and that's when she is swearing,

and when the address is stated, we didn't do that. That's just the only clip I could find. So if it sounds like really broken up, it's just because somebody covered up and kind of bleeped those parts. Yeah, and I think also when she states her phone number as well. Yes. So here we go. No, no, no, no, see, I just have your emergency. Hi, five, four, one, I'm going to have an IVV shooter. Repeat the address of your emergency. I find a safe for when I'm going to shoot or without. Repeat the address for verification.

They're stealing from my house. Okay, say your address one more time. I'm having a hard time hearing you. Sorry. And the phone number you're calling from? 801. Get the address out of my house. And repeat the phone number for verification.

Okay. Do you know who this person is? No, I don't, I just know they're going to treat her in my house. You don't know who they are? No, I don't. Are you at the location now? Yes, I am. Your weapons involved are mentioned? They're not talking or responding. I'm just telling them to leave So I can hear them. Staying safe. So you haven't seen them, you can just hear them? Yes, correct. Are you or anyone else in immediate danger?

I believe so. OK, are you able to get yourself the safety? I just want to answer that one. I think you're here. I'm sorry, what? No. Can you talk freely with me? Yeah. Okay, where exactly are you? I'm Annie. The back bedroom. Okay.

Where does this cut back enter the building? There's only one door on the west side. Okay, where are the possible exits from the building? There's only one. Get out of my house. Is there anyone else in the building you belong there? Yes, there's six apartments. I'm sorry, what?

There's six apartments. I'm sorry, what? 6. There's six people. 6 apartments. Okay, is there anybody else in your apartment that should be there? I believe you're here. I have a roommate. Where is she at? Next door to the room.

Okay, I'm just going to stay on the line with you until I'll see if you're okay. Just let me know if anything changes. What is your last name? Louder. And your first name? Caitlin. It's what? Caitlin.

Can you still hear them? Yes. Where does this sound like they're at? The front room. I can't hear the entrance. Where does this sound like they're at? The front room. I'm going to enter. Get this ball in place. Shut up! Are they seeing you?

Yeah, I heard someone say hey, go in there. So there's obviously two of them. Yeah, I lost the door. I don't know. I just want to keep going out in there. There. Come here. I'm going to go to the other side. There's a little thing going on there. There.

Come here. Here. We might have left. I didn't see any of these. What's going on now? Hello. So I'm just looking to you if anything's been taken. Someone opened the door and I heard them come in. So I know that this happened. Where they went at all.

No, don't do that here. It's so soon lost. It's not possible. They must have a hear or something. Because when I took the dog out, I just keep it talking. So it's so soon, law is not possible. They must have a year or something. Because when I took the dog out, I just keep it talking. And there was people last night, like, sitting outside the window.

And so we're scoping us out or something. Nobody knows about the state. About the state key. The IDP key, yes. Nobody knows about it. It's impossible. Well, I took it out. I had it on my personal.

Where it's on. Someone opened the door. There's actually people with no-no racial. People being out there all the doors. And there's actually people like No No racial, like people being out of time. And the times that you're just in states is faith, being in and then in rest. Why is it so long? Well, I can't explain that. But I heard like two people talking. Is the office the floor? What was that? Is the office the floor? I'm not sure whether they're coming from.

They're on the way. I don't know whether they're coming from me. All right. So do you want them? Because I do want them to... You got no idea. So I do walk under this. You got no idea? Oh, the staffs follow.

They are friends. Do what? In the bathroom, we have a clock in the bathroom, so it's straight. And the bathroom is straight. Oh, there is no place to sit in that room. You have to, um, so, so, so. So yeah, a pretty disturbing call. Kaelin is very clearly believing that somebody was inside her apartment, but then her roommate Carol is saying, that's impossible. The door is locked and she's saying, well, I don't know how to explain that because I heard somebody there.

And when that part of the conversation is happening, you can kind of tell the 911 dispatcher. His voice drops a little. He almost seems disheartened and a lot less urgent to get information and he's just kind of letting the two roommates talk and not saying very much. Yeah, and you can hear Carol talk about this spare, this hideaway key that she had. And they talk about that for a second, and she's basically explaining to Kaylin like, well I don't think anybody knows where that key is, so how could they have gotten in? Right.

And I mean, when police did arrive to the apartment complex, they did survey the condo as well as the entrances and the exits, and they found no sign of forced entry, and also no sign that anyone but Kayin or Carol were inside the apartment. The police left the scene and by this time, Carol had gone somewhere, though it's unclear where, but it's also unclear what Kalin did for the next few hours. The next time Kalin was publicly seen was at 3.30pm that afternoon and the parking lot for apartment building.

Now it was a chilly, rainy day and the little cottonwood creek which ran parallel to Kalen's apartment complex was running high that day. In the surveillance video footage of Kalen pulled from the cameras in the parking lot, she can be seen emerging from the lush wooded areas surrounding the creek with her dog Phyllis in her arms. Now it may appear to be a routine bathroom break for her dog at first, but closer analysis of the video brought forth

many questions. Kaelin is clothed in just a tank top in shorts, walking barefoot on the pavement and in the dirt and brush of the wooded area behind her apartment complex. And we're gonna post these videos on our socials. If you guys wanna go check them out, Instagram, at going west podcast, Twitter, at going west pod, and then we're also on Facebook, just look up going west.

So that day, which was Saturday, September 27th, 2014, it was hovering in the low 60s Fahrenheit or around 15 degrees Celsius, not to mention the added chill of the rain. So it was, it was pretty, I wouldn't even say it was like cold. It was just, I think the rain made it wet and a little chilly, but it's only 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not, right, not terrible. Yeah, it's not like cold outside. So her being outside in a tank top and shorts,

maybe she's gonna be a little like, ooh, I wanna put on a jacket, but it's not like, oh my God, I'm gonna freeze out here. So just keep that in mind. But after Kalin places Phyllis on the pavement of an empty parking space and starts back toward the apartment, she can be seen turning and talking to someone in what investigators have described

as an animated conversation. However, it's definitely possible that she was just talking to her dog, Phyllis, which we are all guilty of was just talking to her dog Phyllis, which we are all guilty of, I talk to my dog do-y all the time. And when her family was shown the footage, her brother Parley said, quote, I actually see her bending over talking to her dog Phyllis saying, come here, go outside so we can use the bathroom. But I will say on the footage, it's kind of hard to see what's going on. I mean, it's a color video. It's kind of low quality, but the picture's very clear.

Like you can see what's going on. You can see her. She's pretty much center frame of this video. So it's not like she's off in the distance and we can't see. It's pretty clearly her. You can see her holding Phyllis. You can see Phyllis on the ground. But it's hard to know really what's exactly going on.

It looks like she's just taking her dog out to go the bathroom. Yeah, it doesn't really look all that suspicious when you see the video. Like there's nothing in the video that seems alarming to us right now. Right, right, exactly. Cause she just emerges.

She's, looks like she's probably kind of just talking to her dog a little bit. Her dog's just standing there. So maybe that's why she's saying, come on, go. Her fillet is just standing in the parking spot. So the next and final time that Kaylyn can be seen on surveillance footage is at 5.45 pm that evening. So this is a little over two hours after the last time she was seen on footage.

So she's dressed in the same clothes, tanked up in shorts, and still without shoes. But this time, she's without her dog Phyllis as well, who she actually left inside the apartment. So she did go back, drop Phyllis off, and now she's outside again a couple hours later. But in this footage, she's coming into the frame of the video from the same place,

from the wooded area. So I don't know how she got back over there unless there's footage that the public doesn't know about about her entering the wooded area from that location, but the video shows this very small specific area. So it's possible that she entered from a different spot. Right. But again, I mean why she's out there in that outfit in the wooded area without her dog doesn't really make sense. Like what are you doing back there? And how long was she back there? But again, I mean, why she's out there in that outfit in the wooded area without her dog

doesn't really make sense. Like, what are you doing back there? And how long was she back there? Why? So after this, in the footage again, she comes into the frame of the video and there's actually a silver car in the parking space that was empty in the previous video.

And she was standing in that parking space in the other video talking to Phyllis and now there's just a silver car there so she kind of goes around the car and then she kind of trots off frame. Yeah, it's like a it's like almost like a slow jog of her. Yes. Kind of just like the way you would run if you were barefoot in the rain. Yeah, you're just like woo woo woo woo.

Yeah, like just a slight jog past the car and out of frame, going towards her apartment building. But it didn't appear that she was running from anybody, she wasn't looking behind her, she didn't look fearful, it was just, she was just kind of jogging away casually. But this was the last time that Kaylyn was seen alive. Kaelin was seen alive. At Public Mobile, we do things differently.

From our subscription phone plans to throwing a big sale right now when no one else says, well, maybe they are, but who cares, our sale is better. And it's on right now, no waiting necessary. You have the latest phone, now take advantage of a great price on a 5G subscription phone plan. It's the perfect deal for anyone who could use some savings right now. Subscribe today at publicmobile.ca, different is calling. So, definitely just told us that that video footage from 545 was the last time that Kaelin was seen alive.

Yes, and again, if you guys want to watch that, just go check out our social accounts to watch the different videos. But if you can't see it, I think we pretty much described what it looks like if you're in the car and you can't look at it right now, you could always just go check them out later. So according to Susie, who again is Caitlin's mom,

she and her daughter talked nearly every day. That Saturday morning, she and Caitlin chatted nearly every day. That Saturday morning she and Kaylen chatted for a few minutes on the phone until the call dropped due to poor reception. Susie said that she recalls telling her daughter, quote, I'm driving through the canyon and I'm going to lose you I'll call you back later. But calls to Kaylen later that day and also the following day which was Sunday September 28th when unanswered. By Monday, Susie was growing worried when neither she nor Kalen's dad Jesse had heard

from their daughter. Then on Tuesday, Kalen's roommate Carol called Susie, worried since she hadn't seen her at their shared apartment. The next morning, which was Wednesday morning, Susie and Jesse headed to the Willow's condominiums in a panic, just hoping to find Kaylen. Instead they found her wallet, purse, phone, and her dog Phyllis, but don't worry, she was safe inside the condo.

But there was still no sign of Kaylen. So Jesse called the police right away to report Kaylen missing, but aside from what was left behind in her apartment, there was no sign of her. Police combed surveillance footage from the building, finding only the footage of her appearing to talk to her dog at 3.30 pm, and then trotting out of the frame at 5.45 pm for the last time. Suzy remembers that she knew that something was wrong, but tried not to think about the possibility saying quote It took me a couple of days to really believe it. I thought we'd find her. I thought she'd come back

When police posed the idea that Kaylen may have been suffering a mental health crisis her family was really skeptical about this She didn't have a history of mental illness and they remembered her acting like herself leading up to her disappearance have a history of mental illness and they remembered her acting like herself leading up to her disappearance. They did, however, concede that she had been struggling with a minor bout of depression due to her trouble finding a new job. And the 911 calls did kind of seem to give credence to the theory that she was experiencing paranoid delusions, but her family admitted that it was odd and out of character for her to go out in the rain without proper footwear,

clothing, or an umbrella, but they didn't really think that she was having any sort of mental health crisis. Right, because we can, a big reason why we brought up her brother earlier is because of what happened and his lack of memory for that. But also we have to remember he was addicted to methamphetamine. And so I think that was maybe more of a drug related situation and not necessarily a mental health

related situation. I don't know, obviously, but that's just kind of what it seems like. So I mean, her family is really confused by this. They're like, well, she has never struggled with anything. She's been acting totally, quote unquote, normal. So what is up with these 9-1 these 911 calls? Why is she out in the rain by herself without Phyllis and without shoes? Like what is going on? Well that was kind of the most unusual aspect of her disappearance was the fact that she left without Phyllis. So her

family kind of wondered if maybe she had met someone with ill intentions in the parking lot as she headed back inside. Her sister Maddie said quote, the only thing that we can think is that she ran out to maybe meet somebody or ran to another person's condo. But when she would leave, she would be gone for maybe an hour or so, and she would be very anxious to get back to her dog. Yeah, she loved her dog so much, and obviously we're going to get into what happened to Kaelin in just a moment, but her family did report on her Facebook group that Phyllis has since gone to live with a very loving family in case anybody is wondering about that.

So hundreds of people rallied around the louders just assisting in the search and offering their support. The family was persistent and brought as much attention to her disappearance as they possibly could, just posting regular updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as circulating emails, flyers and even billboards to alert the community. For weeks after her disappearance, regular searches took place on foot with volunteers, starting near her apartment building and a little cottonwood creek and then fanning out. But there was no immediate trace of her.

So that was something that was so disturbing about her disappearance initially, was that she just seemingly vanished out of thin air, leaving behind nothing but her dog. Like her apartment looked normal, her dog was inside, she had nothing on her when she was in that video, she just went off screen and like, disappeared. Yeah, that was just it. But obviously that doesn't happen, so what did happen? As the search continued, the Class Kids Foundation offered their support and searchers donned yellow and purple ribbons, yellow for Missing Persons Awareness,

and Purple, which was Kaelin's favorite color. But as the weeks gave way to months and the cold weather moved in during the Utah winter, it became increasingly more difficult to search for Kaelin. Her family maintained that, regardless of what was going on with Kaelin at the time, she deserved a proper investigation. Her sister, Maddie, said quote, whatever her state of mind is, to me personally as her sister, it doesn't matter to me. She's missing and we just need her home no matter what.

So to me, it seems irrelevant. And I totally agree. But then, on December 1, 2014, her family finally got the answers they'd been waiting for for close to 10 weeks. Kalens body was recovered. A team working to fix a pipeline blockage in the Jordan River about 5 miles or 8 kilometers from Kalens apartment complex spotted something bobbing in the middle of the river. Under a bridge near the intersection of 3,300 south and 1,200 west concealed by water plants was a badly decomposed body. When it was pulled from the water, it was so unrecognizable that investigators couldn't yet make a determination on the age or even the gender of the body. But upon further inspection, they determined that it was 30-year-old Kaelin Louder.

And of course, the autopsy only brought about more questions. Her body would have had to travel relatively far from her apartment to where she was found, which explains why no one had uncovered it before. But it is possible that she fell into the little cottonwood creek, which was right behind the parking lot that she was last spotted in. Little Cottonwood Creek does connect to the Jordan River, where her body was eventually found, but her body would have had to traverse a few very treacherous drops to wind up where she was ultimately found.

And even though she was found mostly submerged in water, oddly, her lungs were devoid of it, meaning that she hadn't drowned, nor had her head gone under the water until after she had already died. Her toxicology report was free of illegal drugs, but it hasn't been released whether there were any legal drugs in her system. Yeah, so this would probably mean, I guess, like prescription pills, because marijuana still isn't recreationally legal in Utah, and it wasn't even medically legal

until years after her death. But it also hasn't been revealed whether or not she was being like medicated for depression or anxiety or anything else. And then there's the matter of passing time. So sadly, the results of Kalen's autopsy were mostly inconclusive, and her cause of death was simply listed as undetermined, and only noted that it was likely that her death occurred due to exposure to the water and

also the elements, but again, she didn't drown. So how did this happen? So yeah, it's very confusing because they're saying that it's possible that she died due to the elements and exposure, but they're not saying that she did because they can't even conclusively determine that that's how she died because they can't figure it out at all. So they're just stating that as a potential possibility, but not a high enough possibility that they can say that that's what happened. Right. But you and I talked about this and the weird thing about that is when she went

missing, yeah, it was raining, but it was around 60 degrees. So it's not like it was, it wasn't snowing, it wasn't like freezing rain or 30 degrees, right, which you could get like hypothermia during that type of temperature. Right. Yeah, it seemed like it was just fine. Yeah, I mean, like you're saying, it was only 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 15 degrees Celsius. So all of us understand that that is not cold weather. That is very normal weather. Some people consider that quite warm. So that's why this case is so bizarre

because you and I, Heath, we don't know all the ways that somebody can die from the elements or from exposure, but the fact that they have no idea how she died. And it doesn't make sense. Like someone I'd read online just trying to see on Reddit and different theories that were being passed around and someone said, oh, maybe she just laid in the creek and just stayed there and died of starvation.

Like, huh? Like I'm not saying that's not possible, especially because people do talk about her mental state during that particular day. But it just no scenario makes sense to me. It seems very, very odd that that would be. Also, we don't know where she would have went into the water in the first place. Is it possible that she walked like a mile down the road and then ended up in the river somehow?

We don't know where she entered that water. Right, so then some people say, oh, if maybe she was killed somehow again there's no because of how badly decomposed her body was there's no hefty theory on how she would be murdered either but some people would say oh maybe her body was dumped in the Jordan River down by where it was found and it didn't go upstream because like you said the little cottonwood creek does connect to the Jordan River but her body would have had to travel all that way, all those miles in this little

creek, which was running quite rapidly that day. But still, it doesn't make sense. Her body would have had to go through multiple drops where there are signs that her body did go through something like that. We don't know. Yeah, I mean, and also I just kind of want to know, like how big the Jordan River is and how intense that river is, especially in September, like, is it dangerous to swim in that at that time of year?

Right. You know, like there's so many different angles and details about this. Also, I just realized I said running rapidly. That's not true. It was just running high that day. Right, so the water level was high. The water level was high. I did not mean to say rapidly. I don't know how fast the water was moving. So is it possible that she fell in and it was carried upstream, but then didn't drown and died some other way. Sure, but how? Yeah, I mean, this is all pure conjecture and speculation on our part, but let's talk about what her family said in a release statement. So they said, quote, we knew this was a possibility, but are saddened not to have more information or closure.

So with police leaning towards her death being an accident brought on by Kalen seemingly heightened emotional state leading up to her disappearance, her parents turned to two different private investigators for answers. One of them, Alan Robbins, said quote, I'm sure there's several places where it can be missed easily. I don't know why she wasn't seen before. We followed up on a lot of leads and a lot of talk, but there's no solid information. The biggest question is, how did the body get that far? It's unusual. not that it couldn't happen, it's just unusual.

The most pervasive theory is still that Kalin was suffering from some sort of paranoid episode and fell into the water, eventually succumbing to the elements by accident. In the rain without shoes or proper clothing, especially if she was submerged in the water, hypothermia may have set in. If she were scared or feared that she was in danger, she may have unknowingly gotten herself into more trouble than she bargained for. One spectator on Kalin's Facebook page mues that her paranoia may have been a side effect

of a thyroid issue that Kalin had been having. According to one commenter, Kalin had a mass on her thyroid and wound up getting part of it removed, and side effects for this can include nervousness, anxiety, irritability, and even paranoia. So this person just kind of theorized that it's possible that Kaylyn was experiencing side effects from her condition that was altering her perception of reality. But if this were even true, which it can't be proved, how did she die? Though there's no evidence that she was met with foul play, if she were in a frightened state as it seems she was on the day she disappeared, it's absolutely possible that someone

took advantage of that and then discarded her into the Jordan River. Different internet sleuths and Reddit users on Kalen's discussion page were also very quick to point out that the area of South Salt Lake City in which she was found was rife with crime and known to be pretty seedy. One commenter even went so far as to say that that particular stretch of the Jordan River eerily was a known dumping ground for bodies. Statistically, Utah experiences about 90 murders per year and multiple bodies have been pulled

from the Jordan River in recent years. That stretches also in area in which houseless people are known to kind of congregate, leading some locals to believe that there's a Salt Lake City-based serial killer just praying on the area's most vulnerable residents. However, as of now, Salt Lake City police have stated that they do not believe that Kaelin's death was the result of foul play. That doesn't mean it wasn't, but again, they don't really know what happened at all. They don't have any clear cut answers or roads that lead them to any particular conclusion

because her autopsy was so fuzzy. And the family's investigator, Alan Robbins, also admits that there's no known evidence to support the conclusion of foul play, nor anything else. But when it comes to the 911 calls, Allen stated, quote, she believed the facts that she stayed in. From the family's perspective, they see that something was a rye. Whether that was external factors, we don't know.

Sadly, the family's tribulations have not yet come to an end. So Colton Louder, again, Kalen's twin, served his manslaughter charge for shooting his uncle Jeffrey and was eventually released from prison. But after being arrested on a DUI charge in 2016, he was sentenced to prison again. This time upon his release, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor

and was later sent back to prison after attempting to cut it off, telling the officers that a stranger in the shadows told him to do so. At his next court date, Colton addressed the judge and his family woefully saying, quote, I'm sure my family is sick of it. I'm sick of it. I can't imagine any rational, normal person not being sick of it. I can't imagine any rational, normal person not being sick of it. It's hard to

look at your behavior and know how toxic it can be, how destructive it can be. I want to start building a life that I'm proud of, and I want to start building a life I wouldn't imagine sacrificing by being high. But his family stuck by his side and the judge even noted how lucky he was for his stellar support system. Then, on January 13th, 2019, tragedy struck again when Colton passed away. The family has not released his cause of death, but it's speculated that it was either an overdose or a suicide, but again, that it's full speculation. But it's hard to believe that so many devastating circumstances can befall a single family, but their resilience and devotion to seeking justice for their Caylin is unwavering. Caylin's cousin Amy told the press quote,

"'We know there's more to the story. Her family deserves answers and she deserves justice. Without help from influential people or deep pockets, our family fears were left to accept what the authorities have speculated. But we know this was not an accident. We will continue to investigate and do whatever we can to seek truth and justice for sweet Kaylin.

So obviously this case is a little bit different than the ones we usually cover on the show, just because of the fact that foul play really isn't believed, though again, nothing can be fully believed because there's just no evidence to support any one theory, but there's still a very clear mystery here, and a grieving family left without answers after years of searching. And something I just can't get over is the fact that there was no water in her lungs and there was also no bruising to her body, like no bodily injuries, like scrapes or cuts. And when she was found, her body was only partially submerged in the river.

So again, we had talked about the fact that her body would have had to go through a lot to travel all those miles to get to where it ended up if she had gone about the fact that her body would have had to go through a lot to travel all those miles to get to where it ended up if she had gone into the river near her home. Well the fact that she was found in the water, but there had been no water in her lungs. Like you would assume usually when bodies are pulled from a body of water like either a river or a lake or something, typically most of the time it's drowning, but that wasn't the case here. There was no water there. So, like, her traveling all that way, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

Well, there wouldn't be water in her lungs unless she had drowned, like if she had breathed in, water, right? So, if it's just traveling along the river and down the river, there wouldn't just, water wouldn't just go into her lungs necessarily, which is how they know that she didn't drown because there was no water there. But a lot of the times obviously when bodies are dumped into water, as we know, they are killed and then they're put in water as a way of, you know, hiding them. But also it makes it really hard because she wasn't found until December, so that's

months of decomposition, which really, really did not help. I know. Medical examiner. It's such a shame. And also another strange thing is that, although many pointed out that it seemed like she was paranoid or maybe even undiagnosed schizophrenic, but she had never shown any signs of any kind of mental illness before around the day that she likely died. And many have also pointed out that it's incredibly uncommon for schizophrenia to develop in someone older than 30. I mean, I'm not a psychologist and it's obviously still possible to come on after the age of 30, but there's just a lot of talks about what she what could have come upon her at that age and not before like it's not like oh we knew that she was suffering from this

she's had this and she was a teenager whatever it's like there was just nothing yeah and and honestly the reason why I think this is such a huge mystery is because they don't believe that she was met with foul play, but they also know that she didn't drown. So how did she die? Like that's the biggest mystery of all is just like, what the hell happened here? I know. And again, I keep saying this, but they can't say anything.

So it's definitely possible she was murdered. It's definitely possible she was met with foul play. They just can't find proof that she was. So that's what's hard about this case. Like we can't really, it feels hard to say anything, but I am just confident that what we know doesn't make any sense. I do not understand how she died

and what caused it and why. But I would love to know what your guys' thoughts are on this case. So please, if you haven't already, head on over to our discussion page on Facebook and just let us know what your theories are, what you think happened here. Or comment on our other socials. And if you have any information about the mysterious death of Kalen Louder, please call the Salt Lake City Police Department at 801-799-3000. 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 Friday we'll have an oh sorry, Tuesday right?

Tuesday after the wedding. Yeah, after the wedding, Tuesday we'll have an all new case for you guys to have into. Indeed, you know, sorry this episode has so much speculation in it, it just feels like we wanted to kind of go through all the possibilities because at the end of the day, anything feels possible in this case, but her family just really wants this story to get out there as much as possible. They've been pushing it for years. So we felt like it was an important one to get out there. And I think any kind of thoughts or theorizing can be helpful. So please don't forget to share this episode and thank you so much for listening to it. And also again, if you wanna see photos

and also the surveillance video from this case, head on over to our socials again. We are on Instagram at Going West Podcast, Twitter at Going West Pod, and we're also on Facebook. All right guys, for the last time as an unmarried couple. Don't be a stranger! Why waste the next 120 days earning less interest when you can grow your cash faster than fast right now? Open a new savings or checking account with Motive to enjoy speedy savings with the 5.75%

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