Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - The Tragic Story of Andrew Bagby, His Toxic Relationship, and Baby Zachary’s Fate PART4 #31

Episode Date: December 30, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #truecrimefiles #andrewsstory #toxiclove #tragicfamily #babyzachary  Part 4 follows the unfolding legal proceedings and the efforts to bring justice in Andrew Bagby’s case. It highlights the emotional toll on his family, the ongoing fight to protect Baby Zachary, and the community’s response to the tragic events surrounding this toxic relationship.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, truecrime, toxicrelationship, andrewsstory, tragiccase, babyzachary, realhorrorstories, trueevent, murdertrial, heartbreakingstory, crimeandjustice, familyimpact, childprotection, realcases, shockingtragedy

The discovery of Andrew's body in a Pennsylvania state park shook everyone who knew him. For his family, his friends, and even casual acquaintances, it didn't make sense. He wasn't the type of person who went looking for trouble. He wasn't reckless, he wasn't involved in shady business, and he certainly wasn't the kind of guy to cross paths with people who might want him dead. And yet, there he was, gone, his life ended violently by gunfire. The police knew they had to act fast. Cases like this don't get solved by sitting around.

They started, as investigators usually do, by talking to the people closest to Andrew. They needed to piece together the last few days of his life, to figure out who had seen him, who had spoken to him, and who might have had a reason to hurt him. The first person to step forward was Clark, Andrew's close friend and colleague. and Clark didn't hold back. He laid everything out for the detectives, the tense breakup, Shirley's obsessive behavior, her sudden appearance at Andrew's home, and the promise Andrew had made to see her one last time. Clark explained how he had begged Andrew not to meet with her privately because he was worried she might do something drastic.

He described Shirley's erratic behavior in detail, how she called constantly, how she even reached out to Andrew's parents, and how manipulative she had become. This was exactly the kind of information detectives needed. It gave them a direction. Shirley wasn't just some random ex-girlfriend in another state, she had motive, opportunity, and according to Clark, a disturbing history of obsessive and controlling behavior. So the police contacted her.

When they first reached Shirley, she acted shocked. She played the role of the grieving partner convincingly enough, expressing surprise and sorrow when she heard about Andrew's death. She told them she had been sick in bed on November 5th, the very day Andrew was killed. On the surface, it sounded like an alibi, but detectives weren't buying it. Something about her tone didn't sit right. They dug deeper. And soon, Shirley's name popped up in a database that listed firearm owners.

She was a registered gun owner. That fact alone sent up red flags, especially since Andrew's autopsy and the preliminary ballistic report revealed that he had been shot five times with a .22 caliber weapon. The detectives decided to test her. They called her again and asked her to bring in her firearm for ballistic testing. At first, she seemed agreeable. She acted cooperative, like she had nothing to hide. But when it came time to actually hand over the gun, her story started to change.

Suddenly, she couldn't find it. She made excuses, stumbled through explanations, pretended like maybe she had misplaced it. To the investigators, it was obvious what was happening. She wasn't about to hand over the weapon because she knew what the results would show, that her gun had fired the bullets that killed Andrew. Meanwhile, the autopsy was painting a grim picture.

Andrew had been shot five times, once in the face, once in the chest, once in the back of the head, and even in the gluteal area. The shots were brutal, intentional, and personal. This wasn't some random act of violence, this was rage, the kind of rage only someone close to him could carry. Everything pointed towards Shirley. But in 2001, police work didn't have the speed it does today. Cell phone records, for example, took days to process. There was no instant digital tracking like we have now. That delay gave Shirley the window she needed. On November 12th, just a week after Andrew's murder, Shirley quietly slipped out of the United States and returned to Canada. At that time, there was no arrest warrant out for her, no legal block preventing her from leaving. She was

free to cross the border, and she took full advantage of it. Back in Pennsylvania, Andrew's family was reeling. They had to plan his funeral, to go through the motions of arranging a burial, all while grappling with the reality that someone had stolen their son's life. Friends and loved ones spoke about him, about his gentle nature, his generosity, his incredible personality. Everyone agreed, Andrew was the last person who deserved this. The loss also struck a chord with Kurt, an old friend from Andrew's high school days.

They had once spent hours together making videos, recording little projects just for fun. Kurt felt compelled to honor his friend's memory in a bigger way. He began planning a documentary about Andrew's life. His idea was simple at first, interview the people who loved Andrew, gather their stories, and create a tribute that showed the world who he had been. Then, the phone records finally came in. The results were damning. They showed that Shirley's phone had traveled from Iowa to Pennsylvania right around the time of Andrew's murder, and then back again.

Her supposed, sick-in-bed alibi was blown to pieces. There was no doubt now, she had been in Pennsylvania when Andrew was killed. With that evidence, U.S. authorities issued an international arrest warrant. They contacted their counterparts in Canada, specifically the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, to alert them that surely was a dangerous suspect. From that point forward, Canadian officials kept close tabs on her. And on December 12, 2001, just over a month after Andrews' murder, they arrested her. The process of extradition began immediately.

But here's where things took a frustrating turn. The Canadian judge handling her case didn't see Shirley as a threat. Despite the serious charges hanging over her in Pennsylvania, he allowed her to post bail. The amount was set at $75,000, along with conditions, she had to surrender her passports, stay within the area, report weekly to the police, and avoid any contact with Andrew's family. Most people would assume that someone accused of such a violent act would be held without bail. But the legal system often surprises, and in this case, it tilted in Shirley's favor. With the help of her psychiatrist, whom she had started seeing after Andrew's death, Shirley managed

to pay the bail and walked free. But the story didn't end there, because just when everyone thought it couldn't get more complicated, it did. Not long after her release, Shirley dropped another bombshell, she was pregnant. The news hit Andrews family like a tidal wave. She claimed the baby she was carrying was Andrews, conceived about two months earlier. For his grieving parents and friends, this was devastating. They wanted nothing more than to see Shirley locked away for what she had done.

But now, inside her, was a piece of Andrew, a child who would carry his blood, his name, his legacy. It was almost too much to process. Kurt, the friend working on the documentary, realized the project had to change. It wasn't enough to just create a memorial for Andrew. Now, there was a child who would grow up without ever knowing his father. So Kurt decided to make the film something more personal, more intimate. He shaped it into a letter, a letter from Andrew to his unborn son.

The idea was that one day, when the boy was old enough, he could watch the documentary and know who his father had been, not through second-hand rumors, but through the voices of everyone who loved him. When it was revealed that the baby was a boy, and that surely planned to name him Zachary Andrew Turner, the title of the documentary became clear, Dear Zachary, a letter to a son about his father. For Andrew's parents, the situation was almost unbearable. They despised the woman who had taken their son's life, yet they longed for the child who was about to be born.

The pregnancy was a cruel twist of fate, tying them forever to the person they wished most to be rid of. But in their hearts, they knew they had to stay close. If Zachary really was Andrew's son, then he was their grandson. And they weren't going to abandon him. So they made a decision that speaks volumes about the kind of people they were. They left behind their own lives and moved to be closer to Shirley, simply so they could be near the baby when he arrived. In July of 2002, Zachary was born. Andrew's parents were right there, ready to step in, to hold him, to love him.

But almost immediately, another battle began, the fight for custody. They feared, with good reason, that Zachary wasn't safe in his mother's hands. And they were right to be afraid. To be continued.