Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Missing at the Holidays 2

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

What if your loved one vanished without a trace? Shaun and John amplify cases of the missing from across the U.S., sharing their stories and ways you can help bring them home.Shaun & John share the disapperances of: Tina Sinclair and her daughter, Bethany SinclairTyler ChristensenDawn Michelle HoltPatrick Carnes and his dog, LuckyMarcus Oubre, and Everlyse CabreraTogether, we can be the voice these families need to find answers.  We'll have links up on social media to let you know how you can help.https://sinspod.co/58sourcesDomestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag! Get ad-free access for only $1 a month or ad-free and bonus episodes for $3 a monthApple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

To listen ad-free, visit Zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show! Many of us are gathering with family this time of year, but unfortunately many families will be facing the holidays with an empty seat at their table. Some families have been waiting for decades for answers. This time of year, we're making it a tradition to highlight several cases that seem like they

need additional coverage in the hopes that someone somewhere can provide the tip that leads authorities to solve these cases. We're keeping the families of these missing people in our thoughts, and we hope they can find peace while missing their loved ones. Hi and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence as well as missing persons and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. In this week's episode, we will be discussing the unsolved disappearances of seven people,

Tina and Bethany Sinclair, Don Michelle Holt, Marcus Obra, Tyler Christensen, Patrick Carnes, and Everly's Cabrera. Their loved ones are desperately searching for answers, and we will share what you can do to help. The first case that I wanted to share with everyone is the story of Tina Sinclair and her daughter, Bethany. Around February 3rd of 2001, Tina, who was 34, and her daughter, Bethany, who was 15, vanished from their home in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, under suspicious circumstances. They lived in a remote riverfront house owned by Tina's boyfriend, Eugene Van Bowman, who was 42 years old at the time. Tina was a home nurse

who had recently completed cosmetology school and was planning to open a hair salon. And she was last seen at work on February 2nd, 2001. Bethany was a sophomore at Keene High School and was last seen that very same day after going out on a date to the movies with her boyfriend. Tina and Bethany's family described them as close and loving. Tina was upbeat and fun, known for her infectious laughter, and she was into hobbies like sewing, crafting, and gardening. Bethany was a typical teenager. She loved music, especially NSYNC, and was an excellent student and rarely missed school.

On February 2, 2001, according to Eugene, Tina's boyfriend, he had a heated argument with Tina that day. He claimed he left the house and when he returned, Tina and Bethany were gone. Eugene said that Tina's car had a flat tire, so he had no idea how she left or where she went. Family members and police records suggest a history of abuse. Tina's mother, Mary, recounted a chilling incident where Eugene allegedly poured kerosene on Tina, threatening to set her on fire. Eugene also, at one point, filed a restraining order against Tina. This was in the year 2000, alleging threats against him that Tina said that she was going

to kill him in his sleep if he threw her out of the house. Bethany's boyfriend reported that he had not seen or heard from her since they went out on that date. But on February 5th, an unknown woman called Bethany's high school and left a voicemail saying Bethany was sick and would not be at school that day. But the caller's identity has never been made public. Eugene did not report Tina and Bethany missing, explaining that it was not unusual for Tina to leave. However, her family found it alarming that Tina had left her car, nearly all of her belongings, and even their pet cat behind. They all agreed that it wasn't unusual for her to leave, but it was unusual for her not to reach out to her family about what was going on.

It was actually Bethany's school that reported her missing after she had missed an entire week of school. And at that point, an extensive investigation into the disappearance started. The home and the surrounding property, including nearby Connecticut River, were thoroughly searched with helicopters, divers, and cadaver dogs. Authorities ruled out the possibility that Tina and Bethany had taken a taxi or a bus or rented a car. And despite these extensive searches and media coverage of the disappearance, no solid leads emerged. Notably, Tina's credit cards remained unused and she never cashed her paycheck. Investigators noted that a significant amount of their clothing was missing from the home, an amount that would have been too much

for them to just carry if they were walking away on foot. Tina and Bethany's family tried every avenue to locate them. They printed flyers, they held vigils, they hired private investigators, and at one point even worked with a psychic. But no solid leads ever materialized. Mary, Tina's mom, told the Boston Globe, it's been pure hell. It's starting to feel like they're probably dead, and I almost think that they are. Now about Tina's boyfriend, Eugene, he had a serious criminal history. In December of 2000, just a couple months before Tina and Bethany disappeared, he was charged with sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl. And he was instructed not to contact the alleged victim or a minor with the initials BS, which local reporters believe meant Bethany Sinclair, Bethany. Family members speculated

that this arrest, this charge could have fueled that argument that Tina and Eugene had that the day she disappeared. Shortly after the two of them went missing, Eugene pleaded guilty to the crimes and he was sentenced to two to 15 years. He was paroled about two years later. And based on our research, it appears that he is still alive and is not currently incarcerated and is required to register as a sex offender. In 2014, authorities reexamined the case searching the Connecticut River and Vernon Dam, which was near where Eugene used to work. They used some updated technology trying to find any trace of the two of them. So while police believe that Tina and Bethany likely died under suspicious circumstances, they've never named Eugene as a

suspect, only ever called him a person of interest. The house where they lived was torn down in 2008 and the property was searched again both before and after that demolition, but no evidence was uncovered. Tina's mother, Mary, and her sister, Sharon, have since passed away, but the rest of the family remains determined to find answers. Tina and Bethany are deeply missed by those who knew and loved them. Tina Sinclair, at the time she disappeared, she was 5'2", 120 pounds. She had blonde hair, green eyes. She has a butterfly tattoo on her right ankle, and she would be 58 years old today. Bethany is taller than her mom. She's 5'7", 135 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and she would be 39 years old today. If you have any information about Tina and Bethany,

please contact the New Hampshire State Police at 603-223-3856 or their cold case unit, which is 603-223-8570, or you could call 603-271-1255. Every little detail could help bring justice to Tina and Bethany and closure to their family. So this entire episode, you will hear us urging you to share information about these disappearances and to come forward with any information if you have anything, because you might be the one who has a piece of information that can help these people be found, help bring closure to their family. So our second case is the disappearance of Tyler Christensen. Tyler was born June 2nd, 1999, and he disappeared in 2016 when he was 17 years old, but he would be 25 years old today. The family lived in Muckleteo, Washington, which is about 30 minutes north of Seattle, and he was last seen in the

5300 block of Picnic Point Road in Edmond, Washington. He was a white male, 5'11", 145 pounds. He had brown hair and a buzz cut at the time of his disappearance, and he was wearing a light blue t-shirt and dark blue shorts. He also had a half an inch scar on his left ankle. He was homeschooled and was a member of a religious Baptist family, a big family. He had four sisters, two older sisters, Liz and Emily Joy, and two younger sisters, Rebecca and Rachel. So he was right there in the middle. His parents were named Andrew and

Karen. And from everything I could read about him, he was a really nice, well-loved kid. He loved hiking. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle. He was very hardworking. He was very creative. He was very handy. He apparently made furniture. His sisters absolutely loved him. I watched interviews with Liz, who was doing a lot of speaking for the family, and it was obvious they really miss him. And there was no history of mental illness. It's not clear what might have caused him to go missing. The situation around his disappearance is that he said he was going to go for a jog about a mile to a church youth group meeting at his church, which was about a mile away in the 4700 block of 166th Street in Mokiltea, Washington. And he never arrived, and it seemed

like he never really had planned to go there in the first place. Authorities believe that he left of his own accord and headed south and took a ferry from Kingston, Washington. So that's the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. The last person to see him was someone who picked him up hitchhiking. He was dropped off between Palsobo and Sheldon, Washington, and said he had asked directions to Sheldon, Washington. He said he was going hiking at Olympic National Park. This all happened on the night he disappeared. So he headed south, made it to the ferry on foot, and then got a ride on the Kitsap Peninsula on his way to the Olympic Peninsula. Sheldon is about 80 miles from Mukilteo, and it is very much near the Olympic National Forest. So what he said to that person who gave him a ride that he was going hiking in the Olympic National Forest seems to make sense. Bridge. It contained a pair of sweatpants and a few untouched food items, as well as a couple of

used emergency foil blankets. And there was a ferry ticket receipt confirming that he had indeed taken the ferry over to the peninsula on April 19th, the night he went missing. The High Steel Bridge is one of the largest and highest suspension bridges over a ravine in the country. It's about 420 feet above the southern part of the Skokomish River. And there have been numerous deaths at that bridge in the past. It's a well-known area where people get tempted to hike down to the river area, but it's not safe. And currently, all of the trails are closed. But at the time, the trails were not closed. So one of the theories that people have put forth is that he tried to hike down and might have fallen into the water. And it's a fast-moving river three or four times a year people attempt to hike those trails, even though they're closed now, from down from that suspension bridge and end up slipping and falling and often dying. So unfortunately and tragically,

his older sister, Emily Joy, died by suicide on June 4th, 2018, two years after his disappearance and two days after his 19th birthday. She was only 21 years old. And there have been no updates in a long while on the Find Tyler website. The page hasn't had any updates since 2021, but of course his family has never given up hope that he'll come home. There has been some work to age progress his photo, and we will share that, but the family has no idea why he would choose to run away. There was no history of mental illness, and the case remains unsolved. If you have any information about Tyler, his whereabouts, or what might have happened to him, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff at 425-407-3970. The next story that I wanted to share is about the disappearance of Dawn Michelle Holt. On April 25th, 1996, 20-year-old Dawn Michelle Holt was last seen at the Howard Johnson's

motel in Waldorf, Maryland. She had been staying with her sister in Florida, but returned to Maryland to visit her estranged husband and their two young children. That day, she contacted her husband to arrange a meeting for her to visit with the kids, but she never arrived and has not been heard from since. Dawn's mother reported her missing on June 12, 1996, approximately eight weeks after her disappearance. At the time she went missing, Dawn was five foot four. She weighed 110 pounds and had blonde hair and hazel eyes. She has a scar above her left eye, a small tattoo of a bird on her left wrist, and a heart tattoo

with the name Sam on her right shoulder. Her navel is pierced and she had previously fractured her collarbone. She was last seen wearing a large red winter jacket and white sneakers size eight and a half. According to her family, Dawn had occasionally dropped out of sight before, but never for that long. Authorities suspect foul play in her disappearance, but her former husband is not a suspect. Despite ongoing investigations and tireless and passionate work by the Light the Way Missing Persons Advocacy Project, Dawn's case remains unsolved. The Maryland State Police continue to seek information that could lead to answers. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack Duty Officer at 301-392-1200 or

the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit at 410-290-0050, and all callers can remain anonymous. Dawn's family continues to seek closure and justice. A Facebook page, Justice for Dawn Michelle Holt, has been established to raise awareness and gather information. We hope that by sharing this information and Dawn's photos, we can help bring her home and provide her family with the answers they have been seeking for nearly 30 years. The next case we wanted to highlight is the disappearance of Patrick Francis Carnes, whose nickname was Pat. He was an 86-year-old World War II veteran who had served in the Navy in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between 1942

and 1946, and who at the time lived in Reno, Nevada. He was born on January 30, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, and had a dog named Lucky. Lucky is a brown Akita mixed breed dog who was slightly overweight then, weighing between 80 and 100 pounds, and Patrick never went anywhere without him. Pat was proud, active, adventurous, and especially considering his age. He was retired and widowed, but very, very independent. He was 165 pounds, 5'11", fit, and excellent health, and he didn't have any signs of cognitive decline. In early April of 2011, when Pat was 86 and Lucky was 8, the two embarked on a road trip coming from Toledo, Ohio, where he had visited family. He was there looking at retirement communities and considering moving there to be closer to his family.

They took the trip in Pat's 2005 Subaru Forester and planned it such that he'd get back to Reno on April 14th. On April 13th, they were heading home after driving nearly 1,800 miles together. He made it all the way into Nevada, and around 9 p.m., he was stopped near Wells, Nevada, by a highway patrol officer for failing to move over for a stopped truck. He told the officer he was planning to stop in Elko to get some sleep and that was only about 50 miles further than Wells on Interstate 80 and that road at that time of night is very heavily traveled by long-haul truckers. In fact, he told the officer that he was following a particular truck saying saying, I'm following this truck. He'll get me there. The officer said that Pat sounded clear, polite, and coherent, and just gave him a verbal warning reminding him to move over for stopped vehicles. That entire exchange with the officer was caught with audio on the

officer's dash cam, and nothing at all seemed amiss with Pat or the officer or the incident. So Pat drove off into the night and was never seen again. Sometime between 9pm and 6am that next day, both Pat and Lucky just disappeared. There's no evidence he ever stopped to rest, no records of a hotel stay in Elko, no sightings of his car on the side of the road in the area, nothing. Pat's car was discovered just before 6 a.m. the following day, abandoned near Interstate 80, exit 205 by the Pumpernickel Valley exit, well past Elko. Neither Pat nor Lucky were anywhere to be found. The car was about 150 miles past where he was stopped by the highway patrol. The car was high-centered on some sagebrush,

meaning that he somehow drove his car onto the sagebrush so the wheels no longer touched the ground, so he couldn't drive it away, and it was facing the interstate, leading the police to think that there might have been an accident. All of Karn's personal belongings, including his checkbook, were inside the vehicle. The car had plenty of gas and seemed otherwise perfectly operable. There were no indications of a struggle, and there was a single set of footprints leading away from the scene. The car also was found on the eastbound side of the road, and Pat would have been traveling west to get home, so they thought he might have turned around for some reason. That exit on the highway is only four hours from Reno, so it didn't make a lot of sense

that he would have realized that he had passed Elko and turned around. That way he would have had to backtrack 85 miles just to get to Elko. He had a limp in one leg, so his family feared he wouldn't make it far in the desert, even though it's not very hot at that time of year in that area. He also typically used cash and had no credit cards, making him almost impossible to track. In a weird coincidence, this exact same exit off Interstate 80 was the location where another person named Judith Casita's vehicle was discovered after she disappeared in 2006. There's no evidence the cases are related in any way, but it's a really weird coincidence. Authorities launched a search for Pat, but he and Lucky weren't found. Several theories have been put

forward, such as the typical wandered-into-the-desert theory, possible foul play, of which there's no evidence, maybe a medical episode causing him to lose control of the car, and possibly after he turned around at exit 205 to go back to Elko, Or maybe he lost track of how far he'd come? Pat was wearing a tan jacket, a blue plaid shirt, tan or beige pants, tan canvas shoes, and a Toledo Mud Hen baseball hat. He has gray hair, blue eyes, and wears glasses, and he would be 99 years old today. The podcast Where Are They covered this case in great detail, and to hear a more in-depth description, we really recommend that you listen to that episode. We'll share that link in the show notes. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's

Office at 775-623-6419. This next case is a story of a recent disappearance and another case that I learned about because of the incredible work of Light the Way. 37-year-old Marcus Oubre was last seen on video at a Walmart near the Louisiana State University LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, around 9.30 p.m. on August 23rd, 2023. So almost a year and a half ago now. That evening, Marcus reportedly told others he was going away for a few days before leaving in his white 2006 Honda Accord with Louisiana license plates.

Later that night at approximately 11 p.m., his vehicle was discovered crashed and abandoned near Louisiana Highway 3213 and the Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. John the Baptist Parish. Authorities believe Marcus was driving at the time of his accident, but he was not at the scene when officers arrived. His family officially reported him missing on August 27, 2023. Despite investigations by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office, his whereabouts remain unknown. The mother of Marcus's teenage daughter, Siobhan, gave an interview to the Sipping on Some Crime podcast in March of 2024.

We'll have a link to that in our show notes. During the interview, Siobhan told host Aaron Reid that while Marcus's car was found, his wallet, his keys, and his phone have not been recovered. Police have also not made the images or the video from the Walmart public at this time. So even though there is video images of his last known moments, the police have not released that to the public. Efforts to locate Marcus have been extensive. Lamar advertising of Baton Rouge donated billboard space across the city to raise awareness about his disappearance. These billboards highlight his case in hopes of generating new leads. Marcus's daughter, Shania, described him as a deeply religious man who always carried his Bible and was known for his generosity and dedication to his family. She shared how he consistently made efforts to spend time with her, driving eight hours each year to visit her on her birthday and also during the

summer. He is everything to his family. Siobhan shared that Shania was extremely close to her dad and the two of them enjoyed baking and dancing together. We will share a video that 15-year-old Shania made this summer on the one-year anniversary of her father's disappearance. Marcus is described as an African-American male, 5'7", weighing 200 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes. He is missing an upper right molar or premolar. His family continues to search for answers and is urging anyone with information about his disappearance to come forward. If you have any details that could help, please contact the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's

Office at 225-389-5000 or the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office tips line at 985-359-TIPS. His family remains desperate for answers, hoping to uncover the truth about what happened to Marcus. You can help by sharing his missing posters and pictures, and especially if you have any connection to the Louisiana and the Baton Rouge area locally. The last case we wanted to highlight is the disappearance of Everlyce Cabrera. Everlyce Cabrera was born on January 26, 2004, to her parents named Marlena Olivas and Ernesto Cabrera. They came under scrutiny from the Clark County Department of Family Services, DFS, after Everlyce's brother tested positive for drugs at birth. As a result, Everlise and her younger brother were placed in the care of foster parents V. and Manuel Carrascal, who lived in the 6500 block of Diamond Point Court in North Las Vegas.

Everlise was last seen on June 10, 2006, by her foster parents. They say that they checked on her at 1 a.m. and she was asleep in her bed, but the next time they checked at 8 a.m., she was just gone. They thought that it was possible that she stood on a chair, unlocked the front door of their home, and wandered out. But if you're wondering how a two-year-old moved a chair to a door, climbed onto it, unlocked the door, and escaped into the night, you aren't alone. The police and everyone else in the community had that same question. It's also worth noting that they didn't report her disappearance to the police until noon,

four hours after they realized she was missing. Everly's parents had last seen her on May 15th, and when they saw her, they noticed that she had a burn on her hand. They asked her foster mother for an explanation, but the Karaskals gave them no sufficient answer. Alarmingly, a previous foster child of the Karaskals had also previously sustained second and third degree burns and was taken to an emergency room eight hours later where he had to spend the night in the hospital. V claimed that time that he had been burned by hot soup. Although she and her husband were not accused of abusing the child, he was removed from their home. That wasn't the only incident with this foster couple. They failed to complete the required training, and for some reason demanded the removal of several children that were placed in their care, which raised questions about their commitment to fostering. But despite all of that,

their foster home license was renewed just two months before Everlees' disappearance. One of the detectives on the case at the time, Detective Stephen Weiss, described an extensive search that included community volunteers. Everlees' biological parents joined the search as well, handing out flyers and frantically trying to find her. Police searched the surrounding area and the desert but found nothing, and no one had seen her. He also noted that the foster parents suddenly stopped cooperating with the police and said, the last time that the foster family spoke to police was the day of her disappearance. In September of 2006, her parents filed a lawsuit against the Karaskals and the Clark

County Department of Family Services, alleging negligence in protecting Everlease. It really served to highlight the problems with the Foster system, including the seemingly non-existent vetting of the Karaskals as foster parents. The Karaskals eventually settled for $300,000, the maximum payout, under the foster family's insurance policy. The settlement didn't do anything to provide answers, it just helped protect the foster parents from any further civil litigation. They later relocated, and recent news articles relate that they haven't been able to be tracked down for comment. Everly's Cabrera remains missing. At the time of her disappearance, she was two years old, stood two feet six inches tall,

weighed 25 pounds, and had black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing pink shorts, a pink shirt, and no shoes. Today, Everly's would be 20 years old. We will be sharing an age-progressed photo to help the public recognize her as she might look now. Her case underscores the crucial need for accountability in foster care systems and the relentless pursuit of justice for all these vulnerable children. Anyone with information is urged to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at 702-633-9111. I want to add that John and I are sending love to all the families who are coping with loss this year, including the families of cases we've covered. Samari Norris-Johnson, Jay Smith, Jamie Sheldon, Dr. Gwen Amsrala, Michaela Reiner, Leslie Palacio, Mary Orkey Tamayo Cruz, Nara and her children, and so many more. We appreciate all the new connections we built in 2024 and want to say thank you to our podcast colleagues who are passionate about justice for families and keeping those names out there and

supporting these families in their darkest times. And to all of our listeners who make the show possible and help families in their quest for answers and justice, thank you for all you do. John and I will be taking a break next week, but we will be bringing you Already Gone's episode on the disappearance of Ronald Tammen from Miami University in Ohio. We so appreciate Nina Instead for allowing us to share Ronald's story with all of you. This is one of Nina's greatest episodes yet, and I know you all will enjoy it. So be sure to listen to that next week. So as we say, what happens here happens

everywhere. Thanks as always for listening, and we wish you the best in 2025. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by

your hosts, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.