The Misery Machine - The Story of Cynthia Hoffman

Starting point is 00:00:00 Cynthia Rose Hoffman was born on October 8, 1999 in Anchorage, Alaska to parents Timothy and Barbara. Also known as Cece, she shared a close bond with her father and was a total daddy's girl. She had four sisters, Samantha, Kimberly, Sydney, and Raya, and three brothers, Timothy Jr., Alex, and Jared. The Hoffman family all lived together in a mobile home in East Anchorage. She was described as a kind-hearted girl and a friend to all. Cynthia graduated from Robert Service High School, home of the Cougars, in 2018. She went on to attend the ACT program, which helps young disabled people prepare for and get good jobs. Cynthia had developmental and learning disabilities, which made some day-to-day activities challenging for her as she operated at about a seventh grade level.

Starting point is 00:00:49 Despite her difficulties, she was well on her way to earning her learner's permit. She earned extra money working at Denny's, but truly enjoyed being her dad's right-hand man in his construction business. In fact, she and her sisters worked with her dad on job sites doing things such as measuring windows and churning concrete. During the first weekend in June of 2019, Cynthia and her father worked on a friend's camper together, after which she made plans with her sister to go to the mall as a reward for a job well done. On June 2nd, she sent a text to her father to let him know that she was on her way to pick up a portion of her pay. However, Cynthia never arrived. Timothy immediately knew something was wrong.

Starting point is 00:01:33 She hadn't replied to any messages or answered any calls for hours. According to the father, In this family, you all have bones. When dad calls, you answer. I don't care if you're in a church and the holy pastor is preaching. I don't care if you're at school taking high school. school diploma test. If dad calls, you answer. But Cynthia wasn't answering, and her being out of contact like this was concerning. Timothy contacted the Anchorage Police Department to report his daughter

Starting point is 00:02:02 missing. But as we see in many missing persons cases, authorities told him that he needed to wait 24 hours before they could take a report. After all, Cynthia was a legal adult at 19 years old. She could go missing if she wanted to. However, Timothy knew something wasn't. right and became frustrated that the police weren't taking her disappearance seriously. They had absolutely no idea just how vulnerable his daughter was. Fed up, the father took matters into his own hands. He contacted the local news stations and then got to searching. I put out search parties.

Starting point is 00:02:39 I drove my motorcycle through woods and on bike paths. I floored it all over town doing speed limits that I shouldn't have been doing, looking for my kid. Soon, members of the community were reaching out to the Hoffman family, offering assistance. Timothy did receive a set of messages, however, that gave him pause. They were from one of Cynthia's closest friends, a girl named Angela. She advised Timothy that Cynthia had asked her to drop her off at Polar Bear Playground at North Russian Jack Springs located in Anchorage.

Starting point is 00:03:12 She had agreed to do so but claimed not to have seen her since 4 p.m. on June 2nd. She was last seen wearing jeans, a hoodie, and tennis shoes. In her messages to Timothy, Angela wrote, quote, Is she okay? I hope she comes home safely. She's my best friend. I'm starting to get worried. I don't trust what she said about that guy.

Starting point is 00:03:34 I love her too. I want the best for her. I want her to come back. She won't answer me. I think she's ignoring everyone. I know she will come home safe, end quote. However, the father found this story. bizarre as Cynthia had never shared these plans with him or her sister.

Starting point is 00:03:52 She was simply supposed to pick up her earnings and head to the mall. And who was this guy that Angela was referencing? By this point, the police had started to take Cynthia's disappearance seriously and Timothy passed along Angela's strange messages to them. However, Angela wasn't actually Angela. The phone number that Timothy had been communicating with was actually linked to another girl, 18-year-old Danali Bremer. Even more strange, Cynthia and Donali actually were close friends and had met in high school.

Starting point is 00:04:23 So why was Donali, who was a mother herself, telling stories to Cynthia's father? This didn't make any sense. On the evening of June 3rd, the Anchorage Police Department was contacted by a woman named Nicole. She shared with them that on the evening of June 2nd, her daughter and a man named Anthony were at her home. Allegedly, her daughter confessed to the woman that Cynthia was dead, that Anthony was responsible. Nicole's daughter, none other than Denali Bremer. Soon the pair took off, and given what she had shared, Nicole was worried about her daughter's safety. Thankfully, the two were located the following day.

Starting point is 00:05:00 It turns out that Anthony was also a pseudonym. In reality, he was 16-year-old Caden McIntosh. In the early evening hours of June 4th, two days after Cynthia had vanished without a trace, the Hoffman family received the knock at their door that they had been dreading. The minute Timothy saw the officers, he said, she's dead, isn't she? Sadly, she was. Cynthia's body was found on the banks of the Agglutna River near Thunderbird Falls. She had been bound with duct tape and shot in the back of her head execution style before being pushed into the river. Even worse, the officers believed that Cynthia had been killed before Timothy even knew that she was missing.

Starting point is 00:05:45 and it's unknown whether or not the gunshot had killed her or if she had drowned. Family and friends in Cynthia's community were understandably shocked. How could anyone do such a thing to such a pure and innocent soul like her? She didn't even have any enemies. Tim and I were talking and he says I know something bad has happened. I know she's dead. She can feel it in his bones. She's such a waste of a life.

Starting point is 00:06:14 I don't. She's a kid. thing I can imagine is she was yelling her daddy's name, and it goes through my head over and over and over again. Thanks to Nicole's call to the police, the web of lies spun by both Denali and Kaden quickly began to unravel. Kaden was arrested in charge with first-degree homicide and tampering with evidence. Two days later, Denali was also arrested. She was initially granted bail, which was revoked after the evidence found on her cell phone was examined. Denali had attempted to wipe her phone, but fortunately for the investigation, what she was

Starting point is 00:06:55 trying to hide was easily recovered by the digital forensics team. Denali had begun an online relationship with a man that she knew as Tyler, who claimed to be a millionaire from Kansas. Really, he was a pervert, and what was recovered from Denali's phone was revolting. Authorities found explicit images of children. Lots of them. Apparently, the two had been trading this type of material back and forth via text message. Tyler requested that Denali essay an 8-year-old and then send him videos.

Starting point is 00:07:27 After, he wanted her to do the same with a 14-year-old. The two traded graphic messages back and forth with Denali stating that she was excited for the pair to partake in these activities together one day. Disturbingly, Denali followed through with all of these requests. but this did not say Tyler's twisted desires. Soon he wanted something even more depraved. He wanted Denali to essay and kill someone for him. In exchange, Tyler claimed he would send her $9 million.

Starting point is 00:08:03 Denali didn't even question him. She recruited Caden McIntosh to help her carry out the deed, and the pair quickly got a plan in motion. Denali chose Cynthia as her victim because the two were already friends, and the closeness between them would make it easier for her to lure Cynthia away. Faced with what investigators found on her cell phone, Denali had no choice but to talk. She told him that she and Caden had picked up Cynthia

Starting point is 00:08:27 and driven her about 20 miles from her home using a car borrowed from then 19-year-old Caleb Layland. In exchange, Denali offered to pay him half of a million dollars. She claimed that the three of them drove around in the lone car smoking weed, something that Cynthia was not known to partaken and was likely pressured to do. After they drove out to a parking lot in Chugiac near the Thunderbird Falls Trail, where the three set out on a hike. But rather than follow the established trail,

Starting point is 00:08:56 the three took a footpath that ran alongside the Eklutna River, where they wouldn't be seen or disturbed. They continued on until they found an isolated clearing, where Denali claimed that they decided to take turns duct-taping each other and taking pictures as a joke. Cynthia's ankles and wrists were bound, and her mouth was taped shut. Soon, she realized this wasn't fun in games, and she began to panic. They removed the duct tape from Cynthia's mouth and hands,

Starting point is 00:09:24 but she began to scream that she was going to call the police and tell them that they had kidnapped her and essayed her. Now, it should be noted that even though this was something that Tyler had requested as part of the $9 million deal with Denali, there was no evidence found that suggested that an essay had occurred. Denali then produced a 9mm handgun and pointed it at Cynthia. During this time, Caden claimed to have blacked out. But according to Caden, while being blacked out, he took the gun from Denali,

Starting point is 00:09:56 shot Cynthia in the back of her head, and then pushed her body into the river. All the while, Denali was documenting the entire attack on Snapchat and sending pictures and videos of the incident to Tyler. Denali tried to distance herself from the situation, but the evidence on her phone did not lie. She didn't have to pull the trigger. She was the one who supplied the loaded firearm,

Starting point is 00:10:19 and even though she claimed to be afraid of him, she was the one that recruited Caden. Denali also made the following post to Snapchat after killing her best friend. Quote, I just want to thank everyone that's been there for me my whole life in these past few years and everything. I effed up. I know I did.

Starting point is 00:10:37 If I could take back what I've done, I can't. I'm sorry, everybody. buddy, my family, my friends. I guess you'll hear for me when you hear for me, but I won't be back for a long time. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it, end quote. After the pair pushed Cynthia into her watery grave, they concocted the polar bear playground story that they planned to share with her father Timothy. They then headed to the Fairview Lions Park in Anchorage where they disposed of Cynthia's purse, clothing, and ID by burning them. Allegedly, they even attempted to burn the gun. Later, Donali, I'm sure after more than likely not receiving the $9 million she was promised,

Starting point is 00:11:17 texted Tyler and wrote, quote, I wish I never made a deal with you in the first place. We can meet, but once I see a cop, I'm telling him or her that I made you rape people and kill Cici, end quote. But of course, investigators already had all of Denali's phone history. So this attempt to cover her tracks was completely pointless. But just as Angela was an Angela and Anthony was an Anthony, Tyler wasn't who he claimed to be either. Tyler was actually 21-year-old Darren Mitchell-Shill Miller

Starting point is 00:11:46 of Rooster Church Road in New Salisbury, Indiana. He lived with an older relative in a rural, single-story brick home. He wasn't a millionaire. He was a catfish. I'm pretty sure in 2023, you all know what a catfish is, but if you're somehow new to the term, I'll let you know right now it's not a fish, but it's certainly a bottom dweller.

Starting point is 00:12:06 Cat fishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona on social media, usually targeting a specific person. The practice may be used for financial gain to compromise or upset an individual or for fantasy fulfillment. In Darren's case, he'd engaged in an online romance with Denali for months under the guise of Tyler, even sending her photographs and claiming to be the man in the picture, except it was not him at all.

Starting point is 00:12:35 This wasn't even the first time that Darren had engaged in catfishing behavior. Those who knew him claimed that he was kind of creepy and had a history of sending explicit messages to young girls via fake social media accounts. To many, he claimed that his name was Darnell and that he was a high school student. In fact, Darren was one of those weirdos who kept making tons of social media accounts on the same platform. In fact, I found 15 on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Kit combined, and I'm sure there are many more. As Darren got older, he started messaging people, asking them for pictures of their children while they were being changed or bathed. He also had a thing for dirty diapers and would request pictures of them as well. He recently attempted this on a local woman, Cheyenne Arnold, after catfishing her through a dating website.

Starting point is 00:13:26 Darren had previously been involved in a CP investigation after a California woman that Darren had contacted claimed that he requested images of infants and dirty diapers. The case was ultimately closed with no action taken. On June 9, 2019, police quickly tracked Darren down to his home in Indiana. Presented with the damning phone evidence, Darren confessed to everything, and even further admitted that he and Denali discussed killing yet another person after Cynthia. Investigators subpoenaed Verizon for Darren's phone records, and all of the footage of the children that Denali had violated was located.

Starting point is 00:14:03 Darren was taken into custody in Indiana and federal charges related to the explicit images that he received from Denali, and he was later extradited to Alaska. Darren Schillmiller, Denali Bremer, Caden McIntosh, Caleb Layland, and two unnamed minors were soon indicted by a grand jury in the death of Cynthia Hoffman. They were all charged with first-degree homicide, conspiracy to commit first-degree homicide, and second-degree homicide. Even though he was 16 years old, Caden was charged as an adult. In addition to the homicide charges, he also faced four counts of tampering with evidence. The two minors admitted to being present during the planning stages of Cynthia's killing, and were also offered a cut of the $9 million. Caleb was also charged with SA, an essay of a minor,

Starting point is 00:14:53 with regard to an incident that involved one of the minor suspects. Darren and Denali faced even more charges related to conspiracy to commit homicide. and additional counts related to the solicitation, production, and distribution of CP. All six of the suspects entered pleas of not guilty. I were waiting for a long time, and I'm ready. What's it like? It's going to be a bunch of rounds from now until it's over, but I won't miss one. I didn't see them walk in, but I have to hold back my emotions to show no emotions, to support my family.

Starting point is 00:15:36 At this time, I do not care about his. I'm out for one thing, and one thing only, and that's justice. That's to make them rot and gel, where all them people can send them to hell. I'm going for the full 99 years. But I ain't going to stop coming until everybody hears my cry. It won't be emotional one. It'll be one that the Lord will be on the good Lord will be on. Lord the good Lord will be on my side, and it's already nationwide.

Starting point is 00:16:12 I'm sure there's a lot of people on my side. In that case, the judge has to hear it. I think they all ought to pry, even the teenagers. To make a decision they made, to make the plot they plotted, to plan out with my daughter's death, that's not being a teenager, that's being an adult. Denali, who was a mother herself, addressed the court. She said, quote, I know I did something wrong,

Starting point is 00:16:41 and I know I could have probably done something different if I was able to, and I don't want my daughter knowing that her mom grew up to be a killer because I don't see myself as one, end quote. The fact that she had a little girl and was carrying on with Darren Schillmiller made things even more disturbing than they already were.

Starting point is 00:16:58 Her older sisters, Rebecca and Brenna, later spoke to the media and blamed Donali's actions on their troubled upbringing. She was the third of five sisters that had been removed from their mother's home at one point during their lives. The family's dysfunction hit a peak when their mother's boyfriend killed their baby sister, Gabrielle, who was only two months old. Denali was later adopted out, but her sisters were worried that the trauma had already caused too much damage already. Their trials have all been postponed for various reasons, from the pandemic, to the mountains of evidence that the investigators must sift through, which included 56 gigabytes of digital material

Starting point is 00:17:33 and over 100,000 pages of evidence in cell phone records. On February 15th, 2023, Donali Bremer pled guilty to first-degree homicide. The charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree homicide, solicitation of first-degree homicide, tampering with physical evidence, and two charges of second-degree homicide were dismissed as part of her plea deal.

Starting point is 00:17:56 It is unclear what happened to her charges relating to the material found on her phone. Sentencing is scheduled to begin August 22nd in front of Judge Andrew Peterson in Anchorage. It's anticipated to last three days. Now, Judge Peterson may sentence Denali to a term of imprisonment of no less than 30 years and no more than 99 years.

Starting point is 00:18:21 Trial dates have yet to be set for Darren Schillmiller, Caleb Layland, and Caden McIntosh. They were scheduled to appear in court on March 15, but there hasn't been any additional information regarding their statuses or the two minors who are also charged. As always, we'll be on the lookout for updates as they become available. Cynthia's funeral was held on June 13, 2019 at the Faith Christian Community in Anchorage. Her body was escorted from the Cremation Society of Alaska to the church by her father

Starting point is 00:18:53 and a procession of motorcycles that stretched as far as the eye could see. We're here to just show support to the family, let them know that we care. We're not happy with what's happened that this young life has been taken from us. This is a life that should have been protected. One kid or one parent to ask a kid what you're doing, where you're going, who you're with. Let me look at your phone. If we help one kid, we've accomplished everything. The town of Anchorage is pissed off at what's happening.

Starting point is 00:19:52 know there's no parent. I had to bury the child. The child should always out with parent.

The Misery Machine - The Story of Cynthia Hoffman

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