The Breakfast Club - Hunting 4 Answers: Lost and Found: Lauren Heath

Episode Date: June 15, 2025

The Black Effect Presents... Hunting 4 Answers! In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: When 16-year-old Lauren Heath disappeared from her quiet North Carolina neighborhood, panic spread fast. As her face appeared on billboards across the South, her family feared the worst. But it wasn’t until nearly two weeks later—hundreds of miles away—that the chilling reality surfaced. In this gripping episode, we speak exclusively with Lauren’s father, Derrick Heath, about the dangers lurking online, the emotional toll of the investigation, and the moment their nightmare turned into a miracle.  This is the story of Lauren Heath. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. Most of all, his wife, Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me. How far would he go to cover up what he'd done? The fact that you lied is absolutely horrific.

And quite frankly, I question how many other women are out there that may bring forward allegations in the future. Listen to Betrayal on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Made for This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being, and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Camp Shane, one of America's longest running

weight loss camps for kids, promised extraordinary results. But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane's facade of happy, transformed children. Nothing about that camp was right. It was really actually like a horror movie. Enter Camp Shame, an eight-part series examining the rise and fall of Camp Shane and the culture that fueled its decades-long success.

You can listen to all episodes of Camp Shame one week early and totally ad-free on iHeart True Crime Plus. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts and subscribe today. Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeart Radio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a true crime podcast. I'm your host, Hunter. And in this episode, we're discussing a case out of Monroe, North Carolina, a small community shaken to its core

when a 16 year old girl vanished without warning. Her disappearance would ignite a desperate search, stretch across multiple states, and expose a chilling truth about the dangers lurking on the internet. We spoke with her father who walked us through the terrifying weeks of the investigation, the emotional reunion with his daughter, and their path towards healing in the aftermath. This is the story of Lauren Heath. October 13th, 2023 began like any other day. But for the Heath family,

it quickly turned into every parent's worst nightmare. I would say, you know, like a month or two prior, you know, my wife, I had noticed, you know, a change in her. She seemed to be a little bit more withdrawn, so to speak, not talking a lot, because she was playing volleyball at her previous high school, and she was a cheerleader. But I remember receiving a phone call from her,

cheerleading head coach there at the camp and saying how much my daughter was so withdrawn from the team, not interacting, you know, with her teammates, not talking, wanting to be by herself. They even asked her that night when she called me, like, hey, do you want me to come get you? If you're not comfortable being there.

She's like, no, I'm gonna stick it out. Cause you know, as parents, we always tell our kids, if you start something, finish it. But it was several conversations that my daughter and I would have, like when I would take her to school, she always would make the comment, like she feels like she's somebody else's friend, but they're not hers, so to speak. Like she's trying too hard and they're not reciprocating what's needing a good, solid friendship. And I say, hey, you know, don't take it personal. You know, just as parents, we tell our kids, you know, it's life as part of growing up, especially being a teenager,

especially being young females that go through a lot of changes and, you know, they pick and choose friends from week to week and be day to day. Bring camera footage showed Lauren leaving her home in Indian Trail, North Carolina. There were no warning signs, no goodbye, just a quiet exit into the unknown. Her father, Derek Heath, recalls noticing changes in Lauren in the weeks prior.

Like many teens, she began struggling. But he now sees the signs they miss. But it's one thing my wife and I, you know, regret doing. It's not, I mean, we heard her daughter, heard our daughter, but we didn't like fully listen. You know, when you're like your kids are crying out constantly. It's easy for us as parents to say, hey, go to school, wear that crown strongly ahead, be strong, be yourself. But when you gotta live in that world, five days a week for seven and a half hours a day,

it's different. And you know, that's my wife and I looking back on that. We wish we would have really delved deeply more into that, you know, while she was expressing about her being withdrawn and everything like that. But I think that was part of it. The friendships weren't as solid as she might've wanted. She would say, telling us things like kids

would say certain things to her that make her feel down or depressed. And she lost her self-esteem, so to speak. So I think that's what led up to her disappearance. I felt like she just wanted to just drop it all and just go away. Despite her challenges, Lauren was excited about her school's upcoming homecoming dance.

She had a nail appointment scheduled and was looking forward to the event, hardly the actions of someone planning to leave. That's what made her disappearance all the more alarming. This wasn't like Lauren. Her behavior didn't match someone who wanted to just disappear. As hours turned into days, panic settled in. The seconds dragged like hours, and the longer she was gone, the worse the fear became.

But the Heath family wasn't alone. The Monroe community rallied together. Candlelight vigils were held, flyers blanketed neighborhoods. Billboards appeared in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. Lauren's face became impossible to miss. But despite the overwhelming support,

the silence was deafening. Lauren's parents spoke out to her in every public message. Come home, we love you. There's no obstacle too big to bring you back. Still, one thing was unmistakable. The police response in those critical early days was dismissive. Like many cases involving missing black girls, Lauren's disappearance didn't trigger the kind of urgency it deserved.

Lauren's disappearance didn't trigger the kind of urgency it deserved. Initially, when she went missing on the 13th, of course, we made a police report. And the police were so nonchalant about it. It was just like, oh, here we go again, another missing child. So, you know, we write it down. And he was kind of nonchalant about it, you know was kind of, notched a lot about it, what kind of got out of my skin, my wife and I, and he just kind of took it and just left. And like, hey, we really need to hear something, you know, about this case. Like, so that was on a Friday.

We, my wife and I had to literally go down to the police station first thing, Monday morning, and help get a detective assigned to the case. So two whole days had gone by with nothing. And I even called the dispatch to see about follow-up because it was asking me about her cell phone, what cell service did we use and everything like that. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast, Betrayal.

Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone, most of all, his wife Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me. Caroline's husband was living another life behind the scenes. He betrayed his oath to his family and to his community. She said you left bruises, pulled her hair, that type of thing. No.

How far would Joel go to cover up what he'd done? You're unable to keep track of all your lies, and quite frankly, I question how many other women may bring forward allegations in the future. This season of betrayal investigates one officer's decades of deception. Lies that left those closest to him questioning everything they thought they knew. Listen to Betrayal on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Her father told us plainly, if it weren't for the community stepping up, there's no telling where the case would stand.

The community response was awesome. You know, my neighbors in my neighborhood went out looking, my neighbor across the street. She was awesome because she said she knew this house where a lot of teenagers would go and just hang out and just drink, blah, blah, blah. She went there. So the community response was awesome. Those first two days, she went missing. Up until the time my wife and I had to go to the police station.

And luckily it worked out. The chief of police, I used to coach his son in football. So when he saw me, he told his detective like, hey, anything he wants, you make sure he gets it. So it pays to know people. Like I tell people, don't burn your bridges because you never know you might need somebody. So once I got to him, it was a lot better. The detective was very responsive to us about, you know, any type of leaves or anything. We had people down the street, this lady, she has a big farm down the street, she even

offered, like her ATV to like go out and look, you know, out, you know, in the community or whatever. So the community response was awesome. You know, we made flyers, people would come by and get flyers and put them up for us. There's this little biker house down the street. They had cameras, but they might have thought she might have, you know, left from. They let us go down and look at their cameras, but it was overwhelming the response that we received from the community. Even with tips pouring in, time kept slipping away. No breakthroughs, no confirmed sightings, no real leads.

Just a growing sense that Lauren might be getting further and further away. Then, nearly two weeks later, hope arrived. In Kirkwood, Missouri, police officers investigating a suspicious vehicle parked outside a Lowe's made a discovery that would bring this nightmare to a shocking turning point. Inside the car was a 30-year-old convicted sex offender, and in the passenger seat 16 year old Lauren Heath. Authorities learned that the man had been communicating with Lauren through an anonymous messaging app. He exploited her emotional vulnerability, manipulated

her with false promises and drove all the way from Oklahoma to North Carolina to pick her up. She was carrying her birth certificate and had even memorized her mother's phone number, details that ultimately helped police confirm her identity and notify her parents. Having those conversations with your child or children about social media, because like I said, it's a beast. It's like I said, it's a gift and a curse. And you know, you have these apps that have been created where it looks like one thing, but it's something else where they lure children.

I know it's one app. I know the FBI was showing us, it looks like a calculator, but behind it, it's a way that these predators talk to children. Wow. Yeah, so it was the particular app, I don't think they even have it anymore, it's called Whisper, that was the main culprit in this case.

It's almost like the dark web, so to speak, behind these apps, because these predators have ways of getting to children, whether it be online. I know in speaking with people, I know a police officer showed me down the street how they would change their voice online to sound like a child. And if you think you're playing with another 12 year old,

it comes out you're somebody 40 or 50 years old. They use this, you know, this voice altering, like headset. And that's like, so I would tell my kids, you know, you have to be careful, you know, who you're online with, unless you're just your close friends from school or somebody you know personally, don't talk to them. The moment the call came in,

Lauren's parents dropped to their knees. Relief overwhelmed them. They didn't even put on the proper shoes before rushing to the airport to catch the first flight to Missouri. When they were reunited with their daughter, it felt, Mr. Heath said, like holding a newborn for the second time. And though Joy filled the reunion, the trauma lingered and the road to healing would be next. The first, I would say, she came on October 25th.

I would say probably until maybe four or five months after that, it was still a struggle trying to get her to focus and open up. Of course we did immediately get her into therapy where she's still in now. That has helped out tremendously. I will say she's come a long way since then. She's in a new high school, she's cheering,

she loves it, she's making new friends. So I believe this new high school has done her leaps and bounds of getting her self-esteem back, making new friends, because like I said, her previous high school for whatever reason just was not the place for her. Lauren came home on October 25th, 2023. But in the days and months that followed, her family would face a new set of challenges. Therapy became a part of the healing process.

A new high school brought a fresh start. But emotionally, her father described it as life-altering. Quote, It changes you as a person, he said. We used to beat ourselves up, but we know we're good parents. One thing they are absolutely certain of, Lauren was not to blame.

She was coerced and groomed by a sick individual, Mr. Heath said. She's the victim, and she needs to know this isn't her fault. According to investigators, predators like this prey on children expressing vulnerability online. They scan for keywords, emotional distress, and then pose as saviors, only to lead their

victims into unimaginable danger. In fact, I just spoke to the federal prosecutor yesterday because with him having federal charges and also state charges, with him crossing state lines with our daughter, there's so much they have to get worked out for as the charges and get what to plea to for him. So it's kind of like in a holding pattern. He's what I do know, he would never see the light of day. Thankfully, Lauren's story ends with a reunion with her family.

But for far too many other families, that call never comes and that moment of relief never arrives. My wife and I, you know, talk about it all the time. Like we were truly blessed to get our daughter back. But I know when I look at, I'm still part of Black and Missing and all these Missing Children sites, always repost and share every kid that comes across my timeline because I know exactly how those parents feel. So I can only imagine if your child's been missing

for months or years, what type of mental state those parents are in. The best advice I can give parents with children that are missing is to stay relentless and get closure to your situation. Because I told my wife, I said, regardless of what, what happens with our daughter, I just want to know that I never quit.

To parents, like I said, there's, there's no handbook to this, to being a parent. You can be the best parent in the world. If something tragic like this does happen, you can't ever doubt yourself as a parent. If you'd have told me this would have happened to my family, I was like, you're crazy. That would never happen to my daughter.

But like I said, nobody's immune to this, nobody. Biggest thing for me as a father is to be more of a listener to her rather than try to tell her how to feel, you know, because she has the right to feel the way she wants to, like anybody else, regardless of them being your children. So I think that's the biggest thing for me is to really let her be herself and her feelings and try to work it out through her through her lens and not mine. As we close out this episode, don't forget to hit the follow button to stay updated on this case and others like it. Subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube to watch the visuals to this episode and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you enjoyed this story, leave us a five star rating. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode. Until next time.

Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast, Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. Most of all, his wife, Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me.

How far would he go to cover up what he'd done? The fact that you lied is absolutely horrific. And quite frankly, I question how many other women are out there that may bring forward allegations in the future. Listen to Betrayal on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Made for This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being, and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say,

Hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Camp Shane, one of America's longest running weight loss camps for kids, promised extraordinary results. But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane's facade of happy, transformed children.

Nothing about that camp was right. It was really actually like a horror movie. Enter Camp Shame, an eight-part series examining the rise and fall of Camp Shane and the culture that fueled its decades-long success. You can listen to all episodes of Camp Shame one week early and totally ad-free on iHeart True Crime Plus. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts and subscribe today.