Murder In America - EP. 133 Robert Ben Rhoades: The Truck Stop Killer (PT. 2)

Episode Date: November 10, 2023

For years Robert Rhoades terrified the highways of America, under an alias. But when he was ultimately caught, the depravity of his crimes would shock the nation... you are listening, to Murder in America. - Find your bright spot this season, with BetterHelp! Visit https://BetterHelp.com/MIA today to get 10% off your first month. - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is sponsored by Hocum, the new film that critics are calling Damian McCarthy's most unnerving horror yet. From the director of Oddity, Hocom stars Adam Scott, in a deeply monstrous horror that bloody disgusting called Pure Nightmare Fuel that holds you firmly in its grip. Don't miss Hocom, the groundbreaking new horror from Damian McCarthy, now playing in theaters. I really love to get dressed up every once in a while when I'm going out with my girlfriends or on a date night with Colin. But lately I've been trying to be more intentional with my everyday wear. And I've found that the best options that work for me are good quality effortless pieces that will last me forever and they still look cute, which is why Quince has always been my go-to. The thing I love about Quince is that all of their fabrics feel elevated. Their clothing always

fits me perfectly, and I can just throw on anything from theirs and it looks so put together, but it's so effortless. Now that the spring season is upon us, Quince makes it so easy to refresh your wardrobe with spring pieces that feel as good as they look. I love that they always use premium materials like 100% European linen, organic cotton, and ultra-soft denim. And everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They also, also worked directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality and craftsmanship, not the brand markup. I recently have been on the hunt for a good denim skirt, and so I went to Quince and

I ordered their stretch denim mini skirt, and I am absolutely obsessed with it. It is so cute, I've already worn it several times I have made a ton of different outfits with it, and I could not believe the price of it. I actually had to go back and double check it. it is such good quality, I could not believe how affordable it was. But that's been my experience with everything I've gotten from Quince. They are so affordable and their items are amazing. And I know you will love them too. So refresh your everyday with luxury that you'll actually use. Head to quince.com slash America for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available

in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash America. for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quins.com slash America. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life is a journey. I know this. I think we all know this. Some days feel good and other days feel absolutely overwhelming.

Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy sometimes to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is, nobody has all the answers. And no journey should be taken alone. However, having someone with you to listen, to understand, and to support you can make all the different. I know that I'm a huge therapy advocate I've advocated for therapy for years, and if you want to give therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great place to start. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict

code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. BetterHelp also does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences, and their 12-plus years of experience and industry-leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. And something that I love is if you aren't happy with your therapist match, you can switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recommendations. I've personally used BetterHelp in the past, and I think that if you're on the edge, if you're thinking, maybe it's time to start therapy, I say just go ahead and do it. There's literally no downside, because you don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have

someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash MIA. That's BetterHELP.com slash MIA. Warning. The following podcast is not suitable for all We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. In last week's episode, we discussed the life of Robert Ben Rhodes, an unassuming man from Council Bluffs, Iowa, who lived the majority of his life with the the big secret. In the late 80s and early 90s, Robert was a truck driver living in Houston, Texas, and little did anyone know, as he spent weeks driving along the American interstates.

He often wasn't alone. Robert was known to pick up girls from truck plazas and give them rides. His charming and friendly demeanor allowed him to easily gain their trust. But soon after these girls would step into his truck, they would come face to face with evil. Robert would chain them up in the sleeper of his cab. He would then pull out his torture kit, and for sometimes weeks on end, he would whip them, put needles through their breast and genitals, insert large objects inside of them, cut off their hair, and brutally rape them. And we know this because he had survivors who lived to tell their stories. In last week's episode, we told you about two of his victims, Lisa and Shanna,

the two women who managed to escape. And because of their testimonies, Robert Rhodes was finally put in jail where he belonged. But the investigation into his life after his arrest would prove that he was not only a serial rapist, but also a serial killer. In this episode, we are going to walk you through the three murders he was convicted of, but it should be noted that investigators believed he killed many more, and it's suspected that over 40 people died at the hands of Robert Ben Rhodes, meaning he could be one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.

So, this is part two of his story. I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to Murder in America. In April of 1990, Robert Ben Rhodes was arrested for the aggravated assault, sexual assault, and unlawful imprisonment of Lisa Pinau. She was the woman who was found naked and bound inside of his truck on the side of the road in Arizona. After his arrest, detectives knew that this couldn't have been his first offense,

so they started digging into his past. And eventually, they came across the story of Shanna Holtz, another woman who he had kidnapped, tortured, and raped. After linking these two cases to Robert Rhodes, the FBI got involved. They knew that this was a dangerous man who likely had many more victims, so they raided his apartment. And inside, they found all these eerie pictures, pictures of unidentified women who were naked and tied up. And it was clear by the look in their eyes that they were terrified of the man behind the camera. Many of them had whip marks all over their bodies.

And that signature choppy short haircut he was known to give his victims. So after finding all of this, the first step the FBI wants to take is identifying the women in these photos. And more importantly, they wanted to try to make sure they were all still alive. But this would not be an easy task. You see, not only did Robert travel all around the U.S., but he also chose victims who were transient, people who moved around a lot and didn't have a good home life, or people who were dependent on drugs. And he specifically chose these types of victims because, sadly, no one came looking for them.

So the best thing the FBI could do from here was to look at cases all around the U.S. that matched Roberts' MO. Maybe there were Jane Does out there that had torture marks on their bodies, or even that short, choppy haircut. So they began combing through cases and eventually one sticks out. It was the story of Regina K. Walters of Houston, Texas. Regina Walters was no stranger to tragedy. Throughout her life, her family faced a lot of hardships. Before she was even born, her mother, Carolyn Walters, would lose her firstborn child shortly after birth. But she and her husband would go on to have three more children.

There was Diana, born in 1969, Brian and her husband. 1971 and then finally Regina in 1975 and for a while things seemed to be going pretty well that is until October of 1982 one day Carolyn walked into her oldest daughter's bedroom but she couldn't find 12-year-old Diana eventually she opened her closet door and it was there where she found her 12-year-old daughter hanging from a clothing rod. Next to her body was a suicide note that she recorded on a tape recorder and on the message Diana ended it with quote, I hate you forever. The heartbreak that the Walter family experienced after this loss was incomprehensible. Diana was only 12. She was a baby with her entire life ahead of her. Now I don't know why she decided to kill herself.

or what that message even meant. But Carolyn would carry the guilt of her daughter's suicide with her forever. Eventually, grief consumed each and every aspect of her life, including her marriage. She and her husband tried to make things work, but they ultimately decided to separate. Carolyn and the kids would move to Pasadena while their father stayed in Houston. And from then on, she was very protective over Brian and Roe. Regina. They were all she had left. But sadly, after a few years, Regina told her mom that she didn't want to live with her anymore. She wanted to move in with her father. And she did. But Carolyn

always tried her best to keep a close relationship with her daughter and to make sure she always knew she could come back whenever she wanted. So in January of 1990, Carolyn was pleasantly surprised when Regina called and asked if she could move back home. At the time, Regina was just 14 years old. And after years of living with her dad, Carolyn couldn't wait to have her daughter back. Regina arrived at her mother's house on February 1st, 1990. Now, that weekend, Carolyn already had plans to go visit her parents in Grapeland, Texas. Her dad had just been diagnosed with cancer, so she wanted to go spend some time with him. And normally, she would have made Regina come with her. But since it was her first weekend back, she didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to do.

So Carolyn left, and Regina stayed back in Pasadena. Now, again, Regina is only 14 years old, but she was pretty independent. And Carolyn would only be gone for a couple of days. And when she returned back that Sunday, she was relieved to find Regina in the living room watching TV. So she walked over to her daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead. How was your weekend? she asked. Regina told her mom that she spent the previous night babysitting for a neighbor, but the rest of her weekend was pretty uneventful. Now, there were many things that Carolyn wanted to discuss with her daughter, old conflicts that never really got resolved.

And after years of living with her father, Carolyn knew that they would eventually have to have these conversations, but not right now. Right now, she was just enjoying her daughter's presence. So from there, they sat in the living room and chatted until about 9 p.m. But then Regina randomly gets up and tells her mom that she has to go to the neighbor's house to return their key. She said she accidentally brought it home after babysitting. But she reminds her to come right back home since it's a school night. Regina laughs and says, quote, Mom, you know nothing is going to happen to me.

But that wasn't true. something would happen to Regina. After walking out the front door, Carolyn only expected her daughter to be gone a couple of minutes. But eventually, an hour would pass, and Carolyn started to get worried. So she picks up the phone and calls the neighbor where Regina babysat. But they hadn't seen her at all. And from here, all of the worst possible scenarios are running through her head. Did she run away?

Was she kidnapped? By midnight, Carolyn was spiraling. She even woke up her 18-year-old son Brian to see if he knew where she was, but he didn't. The next call was to her ex-husband, Regina's dad. But he too had not seen her. So on February 4, 1990, Carolyn went to the Pasadena Police Department to file a missing persons report, and her case was given to Officer Susan Tremel in the juvenile unit. But after giving the police all of her daughter's information, Carolyn went home and created

flyers to be distributed throughout town. The flyers included a recent picture of Regina, along with descriptive information and her telephone number. There was also a reward listed for anyone who had information on her whereabouts. But from here, the flyers were plastered all over town, and soon enough, tips started to roll in. One woman called and mentioned that she had seen with a young man at an intersection near an apartment complex in town. So with the help of Officer Tramel, they were able to determine that Regina had been with 18-year-old Ricky Jones, a young man who was on probation for auto theft. According to Ricky's friends, Casey Cook and Zelda Trent, Ricky and Regina met on the Saturday night that she told her mother she was babysitting on. They said that Ricky and

Regina had been staying at their place over the past few days, but once they saw the missing person's flyers posted everywhere, the two decided to skip town. According to the friends, since Ricky was on probation, he was scared to be caught with a minor. So he and Regina left and were planning to hitchhike a ride to Mexico. Officer Tremel had to tell Carolyn the horrible news, that her daughter had run off with a guy. And sadly, this is actually pretty prevalent. Officer Tremel had investigated many runaway cases, but she reassured Carolyn that they weren't going to stop looking for Regina. or her new boyfriend Ricky.

And in the beginning, in everyone's mind, Ricky was the bad guy who ran off with her. So they start their investigation by digging into Ricky's past. They also trace his last steps and talk to all of his friends. But February of 1990 would come and go, and there was still no sign of Ricky or Regina. But on March 17th, they would get their first big break. At around 1.15 that day, Regina's father in Houston gets a phone call, and it was from a man.

The guy asked if he was speaking to Regina's father, and when he said yes, the man said he knew where Regina was located. Now clearly, her father is ecstatic. They had all been worried sick about her, so he rushed over to grab a pen and paper so he could write down the location. But then the man says, quote, There have been some changes made. I cut her hair. She's got short hair now. But Mr. Walters didn't care about Regina's hair.

He just wanted to know where she was. But all the man will say is, quote, she's in a barn and a loft. Suddenly Mr. Walter's heart sinks. Is my daughter dead? He asks. But all he's met with is silence. and then the stranger hangs up.

Now, following this, Regina's dad tries to trace the call, but according to the phone company, he hadn't been on the call long enough for them to trace it. But they told him, going forward, if this guy calls you again, keep him on the line for as long as you can. So Regina's dad relays this information to the Pasadena Police Department,

as well as Carolyn and other family members. So if any other mysterious calls come in, they would be prepared to trace them. Now, as an investigator, you also have to prepare yourself for the fact that this might be someone trying to mess with the family. I mean, we have heard a number of stories where people will call the families of missing persons just to toy with them, which is about the worst possible thing anyone could do. But the investigators here were pretty sure that wasn't the case. You see, on the missing person's flyers that were posted around town,

the only number on it was Carolyn's, Regina's mom. Her dad's phone number wasn't even publicly available, and the only person that would have known the phone number was Regina herself. So for a while, investigators were thinking that it might be Ricky calling. Later that same evening, around 11.20 p.m., Carolyn's phone rang in Pasadena. And since her ex-husband had already given her the heads up, she was prepared with a tape recorder. So she answers and presses the record button. And sure enough, it was a mysterious man, asking if they had found her daughter.

Carolyn tells him no, she's still missing. And he responds, Well, if you want more information on where she is, meet me tomorrow morning at the stop and go convenience store in town at 6.30 a.m. And then he hangs up. Now, like any person should do in this situation, Carolyn calls the police and the next morning, at 6.30 a.m. sharp, she arrives at the convenience store. But unfortunately, they also sent a police cruiser instead of an unmarked car, so even if the man did show up, he didn't speak to Carolyn. But later that night, Carolyn received another mysterious phone call. It was the same man,

but this time the instructions were a bit different. He told her that Regina had been kidnapped by Mexicans and that if she ever wanted to see her daughter again, she couldn't go to the police. Next, he gives her a different location for them to meet it, and then he hangs up. Now Carolyn immediately calls Officer Tremel, and this time an off-duty police officer was sent to the location to be more discreet, and Carolyn anxiously waits in her car, eyeing every single vehicle that drives into the parking lot, but once again no one shows up. And by this point, it seems like whoever this guy is is getting pleasure by messing with her family. Now, Officer Tremel had been able to trace the phone calls,

but she was only able to see that they came from different cities around Texas, like Pasadena and Jewett. One of the calls was even made just a few blocks away from Carolyn's home. And then there was one call that was traced back to Oklahoma City. but that's about all they had. Now over the next few weeks, the man would call Carolyn many more times. Some of the calls, he would just yell at her,

saying, quote, I'll never tell you where she is. Other times he mentioned that he saw the police at the meetup location, so he left. And then sometimes he would ask her weird questions, like if she was married and how old she was. But Carolyn was getting multiple calls from this guy every week. And finally, on one of them, she straight up asks,

What do you want? I don't have money. I keep showing up at these locations, but you're never there. So why do you keep calling? And interestingly enough, he starts to list off some sexual demands and yet another meetup location. And it's at this point where Carolyn decides that she's just going to go by her Every other time the police had been there and she wasn't getting answers.

So this time she went alone. She knew it was dangerous, but at this point she was willing to do anything to find her daughter. But once again she goes and he's a no-show. Now for a while there, these calls were coming in almost daily. But then in April of 1990, the call suddenly stopped, which happened to be right to be right around the time when Robert Rhodes went to jail in Arizona. And after his arrest, Carolyn Walters would never get another phone call. Sadly, months and months would pass, and there was no movement in Regina's case. No one had seen her or Ricky since they disappeared back in February.

But Carolyn never gave up hope that they would one day find her, whether that be dead or alive. She even gave investigators an updated photo of Regina to add to the National Crime Information Center database. And she gave over Regina's dental records, just in case they ever found a body matching her description. But as you can imagine, Carolyn was devastated. She lost her firstborn after childbirth, then she lost her 12-year-old daughter to suicide, and now this. Now, Carolyn would eventually move out of Pasadena, but she called Officer Tremel at the time to check and see if they had any leads, but she was always left disappointed. Now as the Pasadena police are investigating Regina and Ricky's disappearance. The Houston police, along with the FBI, are investigating Robert Rhodes,

who is in jail at the time. And just as a little refresher on the timeline here, Shanna Holtz was kidnapped by Robert in January of 1990. She escapes, but afterwards, she was too scared to identify him in a lineup so he was let go. Then, not even a week later, Regina and Ricky disappear. A couple more months would go by, and then in April of 1990, Robert Rhodes would get arrested for kidnapping Lisa Penner. So all of these things are happening pretty close to one another. Now, Robert would end up taking a plea deal for Lisa's kidnapping, and he was sentenced to

six years in prison. So he's not going anywhere for the time being, but like we mentioned, the FBI knows that this guy has more victims. And after finding those photos in his apartment, it's their job to find out who these girls are. Now, one of the photos they found was of a girl in a barn, and she had that signature choppy haircut. And unbeknownst to everyone, they were about to find her. On September 29th, 1990, a local farmer in Greenville, Illinois rode his tractor to an abandoned barn on his property. Back in the 1960s, I-70 was built, which basically split this farmer's land into two sections. And because of that, he hadn't used this barn in decades, so it was decrepit

and falling apart. In fact, the Greenville Fire Department was scheduled to destroy it in just a few days, so the farmer wanted to go through it just to make sure there was nothing of value inside. So at around 5 p.m., he climbed over the fence in front of the old wooden structure and made his way inside. And from here, he walked around making sure there were no tools or even stray animals sleeping inside. But as he did this, something caught his eye. The old barn had a loft upstairs where he used to store hay. And through the old decayed wood, he could see something up there. So the farmer slowly made his way up the steps, and once he got to the top, he knew exactly what he was looking at.

It was a set of human remains. After making the gruesome discovery on his property, the farmer rushed down the steps and back to his tractor. And once he got back home, he immediately called the Bond County Sheriff's Department. Within minutes, special agent Michael Shealy and Sheriff William Gribble were at the scene to investigate. And sure enough, up in the corner of the loft, where human remains. And from the looks of it, whoever it was, had been there a while. The body was mostly skeletonized. Only a small, thin layer of brownish skin covered the bones.

It was also clear that their victim was a young female, and she didn't have any clothes on, so they figured this was likely a sex crime. Disturbingly, she was lying in the loft face up, with her arm stretched out, and her legs spread wide open. Investigators also noticed that she was handcuffed to a large beam inside of the loft. And around her neck was a wire grot attached to a wooden board, the murder weapon. Now this grot was wrapped so tightly around her neck that it had embedded itself into her skin. It was becoming clear that this girl suffered a horrific death at the hands of someone evil.

Even further, they noticed that her hair was cut short and uneven, a clear sign of cruelty. And since the barn was so close to the interstate, investigators figure that someone had to have been driving with the victim in their car when they spotted the old abandoned structure and decided to stop and kill her there. Now, once the barn was processed and all the evidence was collected, the body was put into a black plastic bag and transported to the Greenville Memorial Hospital. And the first thing that they did was bring the remains into the radiology unit for x-rays, and it was there where they discovered that the wire garote around her neck had been twisted 16 times. Now, usually with that much force, the victim would be decapitated, but they hadn't been.

Strangulation was clearly the cause of her death. The x-rays also indicated that there were no fractured bones, and she had multiple fillings. Now, from here, the body was then taken to the Donald Wigan funeral home for a post-mortem examination. An anthropologist Mark Jonesy determined that the victim was a white female, approximately 14 or 15 years old at the time of death, which was at least six months ago or more. She's not had any children, she's right-handed, and she was likely between 4.10 and 5'7. They also called in Dr. James McGivney, a forensic autontologist to examine the victim's teeth and give her a thorough dental. chart. And after this, the investigators figured it wouldn't be long until she was identified. They start their search by looking through the National Crime Information Center to see if there

were any missing young girls who matched their Jane Doe's description. And to their surprise, there were a ton, 950 to be specific. So from here, they start the tedious task of going through everyone to narrow down their list. And they eventually got it down to 100 girls. Hopefully their Jane Doe would be one of them. So the next thing they do is they get in touch with all of the agencies around the U.S. that are in charge of these 100 missing person cases. And they pretty much send over the information and they tell these agencies to look at the case file and see if this Jane Doe could be yours. And what do you know,

this message happened to land in the lap of now Detective Susan Tremel of the Pasadena Police Department, the woman who was in charge of Regina Walters case. On October 16, 1990, she had gotten to work a little earlier than usual. The last week had been very stressful. Just a few days before this,

A body was found in Harris County and for a while, everyone thought that it could be Regina. But her dental records were compared to the remains and it wasn't a match. Detective Tremel had lost a lot of sleep over Regina's case. And more than anything, she just wanted to give her mom Carolyn the answer she deserved. But then on this day, she walked into work and it was as if her prayers had been answered. Detective Tremel received a teletype from Bond County, Illinois. The message stated that there were similarities between their Jane Doe and Regina Walters. It read the following.

This department is attempting to identify a body of a WF. Your entry was considered a possible match. Could you advise the status of your entry? If active, please send dental records to this department for crosscheck. So Detective Tremel immediately called. agent Shealy to get more details on their Jane Doe. And it's here where she learns that the victim was found inside of a barn and that her hair was cut short. Now when she hears this, she is confident that the Jane Doe is Regina Walters.

Because if you remember, the man that had been calling Regina's parents over and over again said that she was located in a barn and that he cut her hair short. So either this was one big coincidence or it was her. So Detective Tremel immediately sends over Regina's dental records, and now they wait. And for just a second, imagine the anxiety of having to wait for the results. One option leads you to another disappointment with still no answers. And the other leads you to the harsh reality that they had feared all along, that 14-year-old Regina Walters had been murdered.

After receiving Regina's dental records, along with her photo, Agent Shealy in Illinois was also anxious as he awaited for the results. He and Detective Tremel had even spoken on the phone, and from what they could tell, this was a promising lead. He decided to sit in at the dental office where the records were compared, and he listened as Dr. McGivney discussed the similarities between the two sets of teeth. Eventually, he blurts out. So was this Regina's body in the bar?

to which the doctor says, yes, this is Regina Walter's body. And now we're going to take our one and only ad break. Good hair days do more than we give them credit for. When your hair feels healthy, you show up differently. You feel more confident, more relaxed, and you're not constantly checking the mirror. Nutraful supports hair health from within and delivers results over time. So your hair becomes something you enjoy, not something you stress about. Nutraful is the number one dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand,

and it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologists. And Nutraful's hair growth supplements are peer-reviewed, NSF certified for sport, and clinically tested. It's obviously not a one-size-fits-all approach, and Nutraful offers multiple formulas for men and women tailored to different life stages like postpartum or menopause, and lifestyle factors such as a plant-based diet, so you get support for your hair that's actually right for you. And adding Nutraful to your daily routine is easy. You can order online with no prescription needed with automated deliveries and free shipping to keep you on track. Plus, with a Nutraful subscription, you can save up to 20% and get added perks like a free

headspace membership to support your hair health journey. I know Courtney and I both have been using Nutraful shampoo and conditioner for years now, and we've been using their supplements for months. We figured at one point why not try their supplements because we love their shampoo and conditioner so much. And yeah, it's one of those never looking back situations. But you can let your hair become one less thing taking up space. in your head and see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six

months with Nutraful. For a limited time, Nutraful is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you visit Nutraful.com and enter promo code M-I-A. That's Nutraful.com spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L dot com promo code M-I-A. Growing up, my mom was always the best at handling sticky, stressful situations. I mean, I We have so many crazy family memories, so many things that stick out to me, so many trips that we took and just funny moments. I mean, I remember specifically one just crazy time when we had jet skis and we took them out. We had rented them for the day and we took them out on this lake and somehow something got on the engine of the jet ski. Mine stalled. My dad stalled and my mom and sister had to come

rescue us because we floated to shore on the other side of the lake. We've got some hilarious pictures from that day. But it's just one of those memories that I don't want to let die. And aura frames can help keep those moments alive. So basically an aura frame is like a virtual frame that can display photos and videos from anywhere. You can upload to the frame. You can share new photos. You can constantly change the library. And it's really a perfect gift for a family member because you can personalize it at any time. And the aura frame is the perfect Mother's Day gift to capture the chaos that you might have put your own mom through and the memories that came with it. With free unlimited storage, you can add as many photos and videos to your aura frame as you want.

And something that I love is that you can actually preload the aura frame with photos before it ships. And you can keep adding to it from anywhere at any time. Each aura frame also comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag, so it's great if you're giving it as a gift. And actually, ORAFrams run off a top-rated app. In fact, the app reached number one on the app store on Christmas Day, 2025. So make Mother's Day special with Aura Frames. Named number one by Wirecutter, you can save on the gifts Mom's Love by visitingoraFrames.com.

For a limited time, listeners can get $25 off their best-selling Carver Matt Frame with code M-I-A. That's A-U-R-A-Frames.com promo code M-I-A. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout, terms, and conditions apply. This show is brought to you by Better Help. So every single year, I look forward to the holidays. I look forward to Christmas to Thanksgiving, but I'm also a little bit sad that Halloween's over. If you know me, I absolutely love Halloween.

But for a lot of people, Christmas and all the holidays that, you know, surround this time of the year can bring up some seasonal blues. I know that in the past I've definitely felt off around Christmas time at different times of my life. And this time of the year can just be a lot. So it's natural for some people. like myself to sometimes feel sadness or anxiety surrounding it. But adding something new and positive to your life can counteract some of those feelings. And therapy can be a bright spot amid all the stress and change,

something to look forward to, to make you feel grounded, and to give you some of the tools to manage everything going on in life. So I've talked openly about this many, many times here on the show. I am a huge advocate for therapy. Even if you are the happiest you've ever been in your life, I think everybody can benefit from some form of therapy. and if you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule,

and all you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. So, find your bright spot this season with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash MIA today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P-com slash MIA. And now, let's get back to today's story. From here, Agent Shealy calls Susan Tremel in Pasadena to tell her the devastating news. The body found in Illinois was indeed Regina Walters.

Detective Tremel felt a lot of emotions. She was happy that they finally had answers, but she also had a lot of questions. Like, what was Regina doing over 800 miles away in Illinois? who could have taken her there, who would have killed her, and where was her boyfriend, Ricky Jones? Now, we haven't discussed much about Ricky because in the beginning he was thought to have been responsible for Regina's disappearance. Earlier on in the investigation, Detective Tremel learned all that she could about him. He was 18 years old, originally from Indianapolis, but at the time of his disappearance, he was living in Hacinto City, Texas. And like Regina's family, his loved ones hadn't

heard from him since he vanished. Now, like we mentioned earlier, Ricky had gotten in trouble with the law. In 1989, he was arrested for Grand Theft Auto, and he was currently wanted for a probation violation. Detective Tremel spoke with Ricky's sister and was able to get a picture of him and his physical description. He was 5'8 inches tall, 160 pounds, curly brown air, with curly brown hair and blue eyes. His family was also adamant that Ricky wouldn't have hurt anyone, but they couldn't rule him out just yet, not until they had more information. In the meantime, Detective Tremel knew that she had to give the heartbreaking news to Regina's family, that their 14-year-old daughter was found murdered in a barn in Illinois.

So first, she calls her father and asks if they could meet up, but he knew by the sound of her voice that it wasn't good news. So he wanted to hear it right then and there. After a brief pause, Detective Tremel told Mr. Walter, that Regina was dead. She said it was a homicide, but the details of the case were still unclear. Naturally, he had a ton of questions

that Tremel didn't have answers to, but after informing him, she drove down to Carolyn's apartment. Upon arrival, Carolyn invited the detective inside. And once she told her everything, it was a very emotional moment for both of them. For nearly a year, they had worked together almost every day with one common goal to bring Regina back home.

But that would never happen. A few days later, Regina's body would be placed into a steel coffin and sent back to Texas so she could have a proper burial. It was the start of a very long grieving process for her family. But investigators still had a lot of work to do. And by now, they are confident that the man who had been calling the Walter's family was indeed her killer. So the first step they take is looking into the only person of interest at the time,

Regina's boyfriend, Ricky. Now, if you remember from earlier, Regina and Ricky were staying at their friend's house before they went missing. Those friends were named Zelda and Casey, so Detective Tremel tracks them down, and she plays them the recording of the man who kept calling the Walter's family. But his friends are adamant. that that was not Ricky's voice.

The man on the recording seemed older, and his voice was pretty deep. Ricky's wasn't. But the Illinois State Police, the one who found Regina's body, they're still pretty confident that he is their guy. So they conduct their own investigation of Ricky, and they found that his mom was still living in Indianapolis.

Now, interestingly enough, I-70 runs right through Indianapolis. So was it possible that Ricky and Regina were driving to his mom's house, they spotted the abandoned barn, and he pulled over and killed her. Now, if that is what happened, Ricky would likely be hiding out at his mom's house. So in early 1991, they all took a trip to Indianapolis to speak with his family. But unfortunately, it would quickly lead to a little. a dead end. Ricky's mom told Agent Shealy that she and Ricky's father divorced in 1977,

and afterwards her husband took the children and left Indiana. So she hadn't even had contact with Ricky since he was three years old. Now, his aunt had stayed in touch with him over the years, but she hadn't heard anything from him since he disappeared. As for what she thought might have happened to him, she gave Agent Shealy three likely scenarios. Ricky was either dead, in jail, or had escaped to Mexico to live with her brother's relatives. But investigators checked the jails. They also looked into the Mexico lead, but they came up with nothing. There was also nothing in Ricky's past that proved he was a violent person. In fact, he was described by everyone as pretty shy, and it was soon becoming clear that Ricky Jones was probably

not their suspect. And sadly from here, the case went cold. No one had any answers as to what happened to Ricky and Regina, which was heartbreaking because their families couldn't properly grieve until they had some answers. So in June of 1991, Carolyn Walters wrote a letter to the Illinois State Police. It read, quote, Dear Sir, in September of 1990, the police in Illinois found the remains of Regina K. Walters. She disappeared on February 3, 1990 from Pasadena, Texas. She was only 14 years old at the time, and my only daughter. At this, time, the police have not brought justice to the person who has done this to my child. Even though we did not live in Illinois, this case should still be kept open.

No child's death should be given up. It could happen again. At that time, the police in Illinois asked us to keep this out of the media. We have done that and more. Just because you haven't heard from us doesn't mean we don't care. We are trying to give you time to find Regina's killer. But please don't give up. What if it was one of your children? You couldn't rest knowing that someone out there took someone you love. And don't ever think we didn't love Regina because she was very much loved. So please don't quit looking for the killer of Regina K. Walters.

S. Walters. End quote. Now, eventually, the FBI would take a look into this case. And after going over everything, they were pretty confident Ricky was not their son. suspect. Agent Mark Young was a trained behavioral expert, and he believed the suspect was an older man who traveled a lot. It was also clear that the killer had well-developed sexual fetishes, which didn't seem to match up with Ricky Jones. Agent Mark Young was also informed about the phone calls Regina's family received after her disappearance. And once he heard that the killer

mentioned a barn, alarm bells started going off in his head. Agent Young's colleagues had worked a case in Houston the year prior, involving a sadistic truck driver named Robert Ben Rhodes. He remembered that after Robert was arrested, they went into his apartment and found all of these pictures of young women. And one of the pictures was of a girl inside of a barn. So naturally, he runs to the FBI office in Houston to get a look at these pictures. They open up the evidence fault for him, and there she is. A young girl with short, choppy hair inside of an old wooden barn. Now we will be posting these pictures on our Instagram and Patreon, so make sure you go and look because they are truly heartbreaking. The girl is wearing this long-sleeved black dress and black

high heels. Her outfit stands out because she looks nice, but she's standing in the middle of an abandoned barn. So it's clear someone dressed her up and brought her there. Now in these pictures, the girl has the most terrified look on her face. She stands there, legs staggered, with her hands out in front of her like she's trying to protect herself. In another one of the pictures, she has one hand over her mouth and the other is out in front of her, like she's trying to create some distance between her and the man taking the picture. Now, we know that the man on the other end of the camera is Robert Rhodes, because the pictures were found in his apartment.

But the main question now is who is this girl? Based on the pictures alone, the agents can't definitively say that it's Regina. So they contact Detective Susan Tremel, the one who had been in charge of her case from the very beginning. And as soon as she sees the pictures, her heart drops. To her, this looks just like Regina, but at the same time, it's kind of hard to tell because of the haircut.

So she decides to call the people who knew Regina the most, her parents. The following day, everyone in the investigation met up at the FBI office in Houston, including Agent Shealy from the Illinois State Police. And once Regina's parents arrived, they all gathered in a conference room. Soon enough, the pictures were pulled out and placed in front of them on the table. And within seconds, they knew for a fact that this was their daughter. The agents from Illinois also confirmed that that was indeed the barn, where the body was found. So not only were they looking at pictures of their daughter, but it was clear that.

that these photos captured her very last moments on Earth. Regina's parents were devastated, even more so at the fact that their daughter's last moments were spent in absolute terror. It was clear just by the look on her face. Now the FBI didn't even show them all of the pictures. Robert Rhodes had several pictures of Regina. The first set showed her shackled inside the cab of his semi-truck. Her wrists were handcuffed and extended above her head by a chain that was anchored to the air vents.

Her ankles were also restrained and anchored to the floor. A metal choke chain was around her neck. Her long dark hair had been cut short and uneven, and in every photo she looked so defeated. Other photos showed Regina's pubic hair had been shaved. Then, in some others, it appeared to have grown back a little, so it was obvious that Regina had been held captive by Robert Rhodes for an extended period of time. Other pictures showed evidence of sexual torture.

There was even one where a large metal ring had been pierced through her clitoris, and the ring was attached to a long silver chain that ran to her nipples, and her chest appeared to be severely bruised. Another set of photographs showed Regina sitting outside next to a fallen tree. She's wearing a blue floral sweater, blue jeans, and a pair of boots. It was obvious to investigators that the boots didn't belong to Regina. They weren't her size. Other pictures showed her in various states of undress.

There was one where she was wearing a matching black bra and panty set. There were some of her taking a shower and others of her lying on the sleeper in thigh-high stockings. She also had her nails painted red, and in some of the pictures she was wearing red lipstick. It was clear that Robert Rhodes was using her like she was some sort of torture doll. He dressed her up, painted her nails, cut her hair, and then took pictures of her, sometimes out in the middle of the day. And when he wasn't doing that, he was torturing and raping her. But with all of this evidence, the FBI now knew what they had feared all along.

Robert Ben Rhodes wasn't just a sadistic rapist. He was a killer. And now the question was, how many other victims were there? And if he murdered Regina, then he probably murdered. ordered her boyfriend, Ricky Jones, as well. Now, this next part is kind of infuriating, but back in April of 1990, when the FBI raided Roberts' apartment, they found more than just pictures.

Interestingly enough, they also found a green spiral notebook with Regina's full name, Regina K. Walters, along with her parents' home address and their phone numbers. which is exactly how Robert Rhodes was able to call and harass them for all those months. Now, why the FBI wouldn't immediately follow up on Regina's well-being after finding all of this, I have no idea. To me, it seems like they could have easily just called up her parents since they had the number in the notebook and just said, hey, we found your daughter's information inside of a serial rapist's apartment, and we're just making

sure she's okay. Then they would have known that she was missing and it would have saved them a lot of time and resources. But sadly, for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Now, inside of this notebook, investigators also found a secret code of sorts. It read, exit 99 service road, Fun and Hide, E204, Trees, Water, W-301 Water Tank, W-2-210, Shock. And on the very last page of the notebook, there was a childlike drawing of a gun and knife that was dripping with blood. Above the drawn handgun was the word blood, and on top of the page there was a message that read, Ricky's a dead man. Now, by this point, everyone had already figured out that Ricky had indeed been murdered by Robert, but now they just needed to find him. So they start by looking

into Robert's trucking history. According to Robert's co-workers, he was always somewhat of a mystery. They said he was a wine connoisseur, who liked to read classic literature. They also noted that Robert always had a pair of handcuffs dangling from the interior of his truck, and everyone called him whips and chains over the CB radio. Now, by this point, the trucking company he worked for had been sold, but they still had all of his records dating back to January of 1989. So Agent Young flipped through them, specifically looking at March of 1990, right around the time Regina and Ricky went missing. And interestingly enough, Robert had fueled up his truck at a truck stop on March 16, 1990 in Oklahoma City. The same day, a mysterious phone call had been placed to Regina's father about her

being dead inside of a barn. And later on, that call had been successfully traced to a payphone in the same city. So we now know that Robert used his work trips to kidnap and torture women across the U.S. And his semi-truck was used as his own little torture chamber. Now, luckily, the FBI had his trucking logs, so they were able to see each and every movement he made. And he made. But even then, finding Ricky Jones would not be easy. I mean, think about it. Regina was kidnapped in Texas, and her body was found 800 miles away in Illinois. So Ricky Jones could quite literally be anywhere in the U.S. But while investigators are looking into his disappearance, they have a new problem on their hands. In early 1992, Robert Rhodes was just months away from being

eligible for parole. Keep in mind, he's only in prison at the time for kidnapping Lisa Pennell. And although he was sentenced to six years, Robert had been the perfect inmate. He didn't cause any trouble. He got along with everyone. And he had been on his best behavior. So there was a possibility he could be out on parole in just a few months. So the officials in Texas and Illinois are scrambling, gathering everything they have to get their murder charge. And believe it or not, there was a lot of back and forth on whether or not they even had enough to charge him with Regina's murder. But luckily, on February 6, 1992, they finally got a warrant for his arrest.

Agent Shealy of the Illinois State Police flew to Arizona himself, and for the first time he came face to face with Robert Ben Rhodes. After he was brought into an interview room, Shealy handed him a picture of 14-year-old Regina Walters. Robert looked at the photo for a moment and then said, what else? Is there more? Shealy was shocked. This is a 14-year-old girl he brutally murdered, and there wasn't an ounce of remorse. It soon became clear that Robert wasn't going to say a word about what happened to Regina and Ricky. Shealy informed him that he would soon be extradited back to Illinois on murder charges. But Robert didn't seem to care.

In fact, shortly after looking at the photo, he asked the guard to take him back to his cell. Robert Rhodes craved control over every aspect of his life. Even in prison, he was controlling that interview. So from here, Agent Shealy knew that if he wasn't going to talk, then they had to talk to the person closest to him, his ex-wife, Debra. After the arrest of her husband back in April of 1990, her life had been turned upside down. Almost immediately, news and radio stations all over Houston covered the story of the Houston trucker arrested for kidnapping.

And when everyone found out it was Robert Rhodes, Deborah faced a lot of scrutiny. She said she would go to work and people would whisper and make jokes. She tried her best to shield her children from the news, but even they eventually found out after hearing it on the radio. Now, she officially divorced Robert in May of 1991, and since then she had made her mother. moved several times trying to escape the negative stigma that constantly surrounded her. But in spring of 1992, investigators were knocking on her door once again. Now, up until this point, she had just assumed her ex-husband was a rapist.

And even then, there was a part of her that believed Robert was innocent. You see, he had a way with words and was incredibly manipulative. And during his incarceration in Arizona, he would send Deborah letters professing his innocence. One of them read, Debra, I hope you know now how I feel about you, us and the family that is ours. It's been the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. I love you. I love you.

I love you. Yesterday, tomorrow, and forever. I guess now I should get to what I'm doing here. And all I can tell you is that I'm not guilty of anything. That's the bottom line. Whether it's in this letter, in one brief sentence or face-to-face, it's as simple as that. I did not do it. Any of it.

Ever. You can listen to the news again. You can hold your head up and walk proud. I am not dirt and never have been. You are not dirt and you never have been and never will be. Never ever. My little angel, there is so much more that I want to say and so much more that I want to know from you

that I could just keep writing and writing. But I must find a place to stop so that this can be without editing it, and that's what I have done. I love you and miss you more than you will ever know. And I hope and pray that you'll write me again and again and never stop loving me as I love you. Please do write again.

All my love forever. Bob. So as you can see, Robert had a way with words. He was incredibly manipulative. But now investigators are filling Deborah in on everything, and she's shocked. Of course, there were a ton of red flags throughout their relationship, but she could have never known what he was truly capable of. And now she knows that not only was her husband a rapist,

but now they're telling her that he's likely a serial killer. So the FBI explains to her that serial killers often keep trophies of their victims. And they want her to think about any unusual gifts that Robert had given her after his work trips. And interestingly enough, one immediately pops into her head. Deborah tells them that back in 1988, Robert had gotten back from a long work trip and gifted her a Black Hills gold ring. And she said she always felt a little uneasy about the ring because Robert was known to be very meticulous about buying things.

Apparently he kept receipts for everything. But for whatever reason, Deborah could never track down where he bought it, how much it cost, or where the receipt was. It also didn't come in a ring box like rings normally do. So she always had her suspicions about where it came from. And after hearing this, the investigators are confident that it likely came from one of his murder victims, which made Deborah sick to her stomach. Now from here, she would walk investigators through her and Robert's relationship.

She told them about how he pressured her into swinging, the strange sex toys he liked to use, the sexual assaults. She even brought up stories about how before they dated, Robert said he discovered his sexual fetishes through prostitutes. Given that he was paying for sex, they usually did whatever he wanted. One of the fetishes he boasted about was his fascination with golden showers, which is peeing on someone. Now, one story that really stuck out to them was this time where Deborah went on a work trip with him. She said they stopped at a truck plaza, and Robert ended up letting these two teenagers hitch a ride. Deborah said she didn't mind helping them out, but things got weird when Robert asked if they could stop at a hotel and I'll have a foursome together.

Deborah obviously refused, and that was the last time she ever went on a work trip. Now, as investigators are hearing all of this, it's clear that Deborah is probably, the only person on earth that could get to him. So they urge her to write him more letters. Hopefully in doing so, he will open up to her about his past and they could find more victims. So she writes to him. The first letter read, quote, Dear Bob, we belong together. I'm lost without you and I would do anything in the world for you because I need you. You are the only man for me. Deborah said it made her sick to even write these letters.

She didn't mean anything she said, but she was doing what she could to help the investigation. Eventually, she even went to visit him in prison. She and investigators were hoping that he would open up, but unfortunately, he wouldn't. During their sit-down conversation, Robert refused to talk to her about the charges against him. And the whole time, he just kept going on and on and on about how he was innocent. which was really disappointing for Deborah. She'd tried her best to get through to him, but it didn't work. Now, this is where Deborah's part of the story ends,

so we won't talk about her from here on out. But I do think it's important to mention that she really turned her life around after divorcing Robert. She would go on to remarry, and she even volunteered at women's shelters to help rape survivors and victims of domestic violence. So she really turned this horrible part of her life into something beautiful. Now, by March of 1992, Robert Rhodes was finally indicted in Bond County,

Illinois for the murder of Regina Walters. And Agent Shealy was tasked with picking him up. Robert was escorted out of the prison in an orange jumpsuit with handcuffs and chains shackled to his wrists and ankles, much like he would do to his victims. On the plane trip to Illinois, Agent Shealy couldn't help but notice that Robert seemed like an average, pleasant guy. They chatted here and there, and Robert even admitted that he was excited for a change of scenery. But as soon as they touched down in Illinois, a hint of anxiety settled in, Robert started asking for his attorney. He wanted to make a phone call. It seemed to be really hitting him that he was about to go on trial for murder.

Now, clearly for this trial, the prosecution knew they had to cross every T and dot every eye. And although they had a strong case, they needed all the help they could get. And luckily for them, on top of all of the evidence they already had, they also found an eyewitness. In March of 1990, Robert Rhodes made a delivery to a foreman. on a loading dock. Now, this man signed a bill of lading, confirming he got the shipment. So the DA John Knight went to speak with this guy.

And interestingly enough, he said that he remembers that night and that Robert Rhodes wasn't alone. The man said that a young girl was with him. And he specifically remembered the girl because at first he thought it was a boy because of her short choppy haircut. It also stuck out to him because most trucking companies don't allow passengers.

And when this guy got a look at the girl, he said he felt like something wasn't right. The look on her face just gave him a bad feeling. But then, on the other hand, he said that Robert Rhodes was completely calm and collected. You'd think if this girl was in danger, he would at least show signs of being nervous or paranoid, but he wasn't. So the guy just figured it was none of his business. Now, after hearing this story, the FBI showed him a picture of Regina. And he immediately broke down crying. It was her.

She was the girl at the loading dock with Robert Rhodes in March of 1990. And he told investigators that he would never forget the fear that was in her eyes. And now that the prosecution had an eyewitness, they were going to pursue the death penalty. Robert's public defender was named John Rikowsky, and he was known for being extremely aggressive in the courtroom. But after reviewing Robert's case, they knew they had to dig deep to find some kind of loophole, so they started digging into his past. His attorney figured that it was possible that Robert suffered from sexual abuse as a child. But interestingly enough, Robert was very reluctant to talk about his childhood. Now, we know that his dad was a child molester, but Robert

wouldn't open up about whether or not he himself was molested. And because of that, his His defense didn't really have much to work with. The evidence against Robert was overwhelming. I mean, they had trucking logs that put him in the same locations as the mysterious phone calls made to Regina's parents. And his team knew that as soon as the jury saw those pictures of 14-year-old Regina, looking terrified inside of that barn, they would surely sentence him to death. So on September 11, 1992, Robert Rhodes took a plea deal.

He would plead guilty to the murder of Regina Walters in exchange for a life sentence. Agent Shealy would later say that they couldn't help. but feel angry that Robert avoided the death penalty. He knew this man was a monster who left many victims in his wake. Now Regina's family wasn't able to make it to this trial to read their victim impact statements. So Agent Shealy got the pleasure of confronting him. As Robert was being escorted out, he told him, I want to thank you for the pleasure it's given me to send you to prison for the rest of your life. Robert quickly grew angry and responded, Fuck you. To which Shealy said, no roads. Where you're going, you're the one that's going to get

fucked. And from here, Robert Rhodes was taken to the Pontiac Correctional Center in Pontiac, Illinois, to serve out his life sentence. However, the story does not end there. Even after Robert's conviction, investigators still knew there were likely many other victims out there, like Ricky Jones, Regina's boyfriend, who seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. His family still didn't have any closure, and neither did many other families. In 2003, 11 whole years after Robert was convicted of Regina's murder, a Texas ranger named Brooks Long started looking into the disappearance of a newlywed couple named Douglas Ziskowski and Patricia Candice Walsh, better known as Candy. Now, the couple was originally from Seattle, Washington, but in November of 1989,

they started hitchhiking to Georgia so they could attend a religious workshop. According to their friends and family, they went to the workshop with no issues. But it was on the way back home where something horrible happened. The last time anyone ever heard from them, they were hitching a ride from a trucker near El Paso, and then they vanished and were never heard from again. After not hearing from Candy and Douglas for a few weeks, Their families reported them missing.

But it wouldn't be until over a year later in January of 1990 when Douglas's skeletal remains were found in Crockett County, Texas. Now at the time, investigators didn't know it was Douglas. To them, he was just John Doe. But in 1992, after comparing dental records, he was finally identified as 28-year-old Douglas Siskowski. But even with his identification, investigators had no idea what happened to him. He was found with multiple gunshots to the head.

They knew that the gun used in the murder was a Jennings J-22 semi-automatic handgun, which is pretty rare. But the ammunition used was even more rare. The bullet casing found around his body had this distinctive T etched into it. But again, that's all they had. There were no witnesses and no suspects. But in 2003, Texas Ranger Brooks Long decided to look into the cold case. Apparently, the investigators who worked the case before him

looked into Robert Rhodes as being a potential suspect, but they ruled him out because of that unique ammunition. During the search of Robert's truck and apartment, They didn't find any ammo that had that distinctive tea on it, so he was ruled out. But Brooks looks into it again, and he found that the ammo had actually been mislabeled. He even calls the investigators in Arizona and asks them to look at the evidence again. And sure enough, when they open up the box of ammo that was inside of Robert's truck, the bullets had that signature tea. Now, interestingly enough, Douglas had also been found naked, just like Regina Walters.

But in his case, it didn't seem like the killer took his clothes for any sexual reason. It was likely so he would be harder to identify. So Brooks Long is making all of these connections, and by now he's sure that Robert Rhodes is Douglas' killer. But now he just needs to find out what happened to his 23-year-old wife, Candy, which again wasn't going to be easy. Brooke starts his search by looking into any Jane Does around the U.S. that were red-headed in their mid-20s, likely found naked, and who were shot in the head with a Jennings J-22 semi-automatic handgun. And believe it or not, it wouldn't be long until he got a hit.

13 years earlier in October of 1990, Deer Hunters and Millard County, Utah stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a young woman. She was found shot in the head four times in an isolated area near Interstate 15. Her body was in a cross-like position and a red hair had been braided and draped over her shoulder.

And because she was found all the way up in Utah. Her remains were kept in an evidence fault and her case eventually went cold. But here was Brooks Long 13 years later and he was pretty sure that it was candy. Soon enough, her dental records were sent over and finally, the Millard County Jane Doe was identified. It was a match to Candy Walsh. Upon further investigation, the shell casings at the location of the body matched the same gun that had been used to kill her husband Douglas. Brooks was also able to look into Robert Rhodes' trucking log, and he had been in El Paso at the same time as Douglas and Candy. Even further, after

leaving El Paso, Robert ended up in Utah, and based on his movements and where the bodies were located, a clear picture started to emerge. After picking up the couple in El Paso, Robert immediately kills off Douglas. In the end, the main person he wanted was Candy, and her husband was just in the way. So he He shoots Douglas, dumps his body in Texas, and then he has access to Candy for the next few days as he drives his truck out west. Based on the evidence, Candy was held captive in his truck for seven days, where she would face unimaginable rape and torture. And then she faced the same fate as his other victims. Once he was finished with her, he took her out to a desolate location in Utah and shot her, leaving her body out in the woods to rot.

Now, the evidence that Brooks had here was good, but it wasn't necessarily damning. As for physical evidence, the only thing tying Robert to these murders was that unique ammunition. So Brooks starts looking into the other evidence that was found in Robert's truck after his 1990 arrest. And surprisingly, they had found a white towel with an unknown female's DNA on it. Now back then, they didn't have the DNA testing like they do today, so he immediately calls and asks for it to be tested. And what do you know, it was a match to Candy Walsh. Millard County Sheriff Ed Phillips drove to Pontiac, Illinois with his team of investigators

to extradite Robert back to Utah for Candy's murder. And of course, Robert refuses to talk. But that didn't matter. They had everything they needed for a conviction. Now interestingly enough, they would end up moving the trial to Texas so that Candy and Douglas' cases could be tried at the same time. And once again, Robert Rhodes was facing the death penalty. Robert sat in a Texas jail as he awaited a trial.

But then surprisingly, in March of 2012, two weeks before the trial was set to start, he decided to plead guilty to the two counts of capital murder. Again, he knew that he did it, and that if the case was brought to a jury, they would likely sentence him to death. So in exchange for his plea, the prosecutors in the case decided to not seek the death penalty, and he was given two more life sentences. So in the eyes of the law, Robert Rhodes has murdered three people, Regina Walters, Douglas Ziskowski, and Candy Walsh. And although we know he will never see the light of day outside of those prison walls, There's still something so unsettling about all of it. Like the fact that Ricky Jones's case still has so many unanswered questions.

By looking at what happened to Douglas and Candy, it's pretty obvious that he met that same fate. Robert likely offered to give him and Regina a ride. They accepted it, not knowing that the man in front of them was a monster, and then soon after they started on their journey to wherever they thought they were going. Robert killed Ricky and then disposed of him.

Not to mention, investigators found that green spiral notebook in Robert's apartment that read, quote, Ricky is a dead man. Texas Ranger Brooks Long thought about Ricky a lot. So just like he did with Douglas and Candy's cases, he decided to start searching for unidentified human remains throughout the U.S., that matched Ricky's description. It wasn't an easy search, but unbelievably, he found him.

Investigators in Mississippi actually found his body back in 1991, just one year after he and Regina went missing. But for nearly two decades, he was unidentified, but he wouldn't be for long. After Brooks Long reached out to him, they were able to obtain Ricky's dental records, and a DNA sample from his biological mother, and it was a match. Now, sadly, Ricky's remains were not in the best condition, so they weren't able to find a cause of death. And because of that, there wasn't enough evidence to charge Robert Rhodes with his murder,

which is just so infuriating because anyone that hears this case knows exactly who is killer is. And it just makes you think how many other people are out there? How many Jane and John Does are sitting in an evidence vault unidentified? Who also came face to face with Robert Rose. How many of Robert's victims are still out there in a desolate area undiscovered? How many families are thinking that their loved one ran away? When really they were murdered by this monster. admitted that the FBI's behavioral science unit has linked Robert to approximately 45 unsolved homicides in the United States.

Now clearly there isn't enough evidence to bring these cases to trial or else they would have. But based on the evidence that was found, they either match Robert's signatures or they fit into his timeline as a truck driver. Brooks Long stated, I don't think there's any doubt that there's other victims and other crimes that can be linked to Robert Ben Rhodes. I think that science and the ability to link potential suspects through DNA are somewhat limited in this case because of his MO and what he would do with these victims. But as other agencies become aware of Robert Ben Rhodes, hopefully some of this information will get back to the right investigator or officer or even family member that might be able to listen and say, Hey, why don't you look at this guy? In another heartbreaking part of this story is that some of his victims will probably never get the justice they deserve.

Robert was known to specifically choose people who wouldn't have a big investigation into their disappearance. Agent Shealy told the show World's Most Evil Killers, quote, I think that Robert Ben Rhodes prayed on people that, I think we coined the term later, as disposable. He looked at people that had some checkered history. people that he believed wouldn't immediately be missed. And so I think he systematically profiled his victims, if you will, and I think he was very good at it.

And unfortunately, there's a lot of those folks out there. And Rhodes knew that. He had an endless supply of people that he could pray on, and he did. Now something else that's important to mention are those photographs found in Robert's apartment. Some of the pictures were incredibly sinister, but others were of random women in passing. There were pictures of pretty girls just walking past him, some driving in the car next to him, but others were unidentified women inside of his truck.

And the overwhelming question is if they're still alive. There was one woman in particular whose photo was found in the same role of film as Regina's. So law enforcement actually posted this photo in hopes of finding the woman and making sure she's okay. And interestingly enough, in 2015, a woman named Pat Milliken was browsing Facebook when she came across a picture of herself. It was taken back in 1985 when she was just 18 years old. She was traveling to go see her brother in Winnipeg when a flat-nose semi-truck pulled up next to her and offered her a ride. Pat said she was exhausted after a long day of traveling, so she took him up on the offer. But right as she stepped into the cab, he snapped a picture of her, which caught her a little off

guard. When she asked why he took her picture, he said, quote, well, I'm going to take your picture. If you rip me off, I can tell the cops that you stole from me, which back then made sense. Now, the man introduced himself as Robert. He even gave her a beer and talked about the problems he was having with his wife. Then at some point during the drive, he pointed to a sign hanging in his truck that read, Cash, Grass, or Ass. No one rides for free. Now, Pat didn't have any money, nor did she smoke pot.

So she figured there was only one other option. She admitted that the two did have consensual sex in the sleeper. of his truck, and afterwards he took her to Winnipeg without any problems. She did recall that before the two had sex, Robert laid down a white towel so the sheets wouldn't get dirty, which was something he was known to do. In fact, that's how Candy Walsh was identified. Her DNA was on one of those white towels. But it's interesting to think, What about Pat made him spare her her life? Did he choose who lived or died based on their willingness to have sex with him?

And when he didn't want to, is that when he chose to torture, rape, and kill them? We don't know. But after Pat saw her picture on Facebook, she realized that she could have easily met the same fate as Regina, Douglas, Candy, Ricky, and everyone else that was murdered by Robert Roe. Now today, Robert is serving out his life without parole sentence at the Minard Correctional Facility in Chester, Illinois. If you look at an updated picture of him in jail, he looks like a true villain. And he is. Although he is nearing 80 years old, Robert has never spoken about how many victims he has or where their bodies could be.

And from the looks of it, he will be taking those answers to the great. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you again for tuning into this week's episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I have some incredibly dark stories that we're going to be getting into as we come into the holidays. And we are just excited that you guys are out there listening and that our family online has grown so much. I mean, seriously, we started this show in our apartment and it's taken us to places we could never imagine that we'd ever be at. So thank you all so much. But I want to give a shout out to our new. patrons Heather Webb Caitlin Hall Matt B Kate Walkerden Nicole Lavery Courtney West Miller Emily Bainard Reggie Henderson Jesse Saja Alamedine Margaret Allen sheffons Tiffany Desmond Ruth Gomez Doc Holliday Aubrey Garcia Keith Rachel Mould Christy Ruiz Jennifer Browne Anna Ruiz and so many more guys I am trying to get through our patrons from literally I think yeah this is in October still so you guys are just blowing our minds If you're wondering what Patreon is, just head to patreon.com and search Murder in America.

We post every single episode on there early and ad free. That's for $5 a month. If you give us $10 a month, donate to the show, you get two full-length bonus episodes of Murder in America posted every other week. And for $20 a month, you get four full-length bonus episodes of the show every single month. So if you love what we do and you want to support us, just head to Patreon. And also follow us on Instagram at Mour. murder in America to see photos from all the cases that we cover here on the show. But yeah, Courtney and I just want to say we love you guys so much. Thank you so much for listening.

And we'll see you next week on the next episode. Have a nice weekend, everybody.