True Crime with Kimbyr - A Dream Vacation Turns Deadly: Ocean City Horror

Episode Date: November 6, 2024

In this episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha dives into the chilling story of a couple's tragic fate in Ocean City, Maryland. What began as a dream vacation quickly spiraled into a nightmare when they crossed paths with an unimaginable evil. Discover the lives they left behind, the eerie events leading to that fateful moment, and the haunting aftermath. This case reminds us of the unexpected dangers lurking even in paradise. Don’t miss this suspenseful tale, only on True Crime with Kimbyr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine waiting the entire year to relax on vacation. You're expecting to enjoy the beautiful weather with your soulmate. You don't expect to cross paths with pure evil and never return home again. That that's exactly what happened to one couple in May of 2002. And this is their story. Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel. And if you've never been here before, my name is Kimberlea. Today's story is a little different than the ones that I'm used to doing.

and that's why I'm going to be telling it to you in a different way as well. I've been spending a lot of my time watching the tailorship business trial, and this particular case came to mind while I was watching that trial. Something I heard made me think about this case, and I really wanted to talk about it. Even if you've heard it before, you might learn something new. This story revolves around a very popular vacation destination. The reason the story is so horrifying to me personally is because I feel like it could happen to anyone. We all desire to have fun, to go on trips with our loved ones, our friends,

and we don't think anything bad is going to happen, but if you've been here for a while, you've probably watched my video on the Rogers family or Christine Lazaro, both of which revolve around a vacation. The location this time is Ocean City, Maryland. I've never been there, but it looks like the perfect, fun-filled resort town with something for everyone. From miles of beautiful beaches to the iconic boardwalk, swimming, sunbathing, to building, and castles on the beach. For many, it's the perfect little getaway party town. The boardwalk is lined with arcades, rides, and shops, and a night it turns into bar hopping. Here you'll find a variety of bars, including the Purple Moose Saloon and the Drunken Crab. These bars are known

for their live music, dancing, and party atmosphere. But if you're looking for something a little more low-key, you can head to the downtown area. Here you'll find bars like the Tap House, the Irish Pub, and the Green Turtle. It's a little slower pace. Pun intended. These bars offer a more relaxed atmosphere with pool tables, darts, and other games plus good food. This area attracts so many people, half a million people during the holiday and summertime. It's about 100 miles from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, so it draws in residents from a lot of different locations that aren't too far away, but it feels like you are. In 2002, four lives will collide in this vacation beach town. Two couples hoping to get

get away from work and spend a fun-filled weekend in the sun. They'll be involved in one of the most horrific situations. But before I tell you how they meet and how they find themselves in Ocean City, I want to go back in time to introduce you to each one. Let's start with Erica Elaine Grace. And those are not two middle names. Grace is her last name. She also had a nickname, Laney. She was born February 3rd in 1978 in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania. Her parents, were Charlotte Gale, who everyone called Cookie, and Gerald Mitchell Grace, who went by Mitch. Erica was the Grace's only child, and they gave her everything. And they could because they were well off. Mitch owned a contracting company and afforded the family a very comfortable lifestyle.

With only one child to doodon, Erica got anything she wanted. She was the pride and joy. But with that pride came pressure, because Mitch always expected excellence from her. She was expected to be an overachiever. She was expected to become something. It was in junior high when Mitch found out that's something for his daughter, basketball. Erica was very athletic from a young age, and she tried many sports, but she excelled at basketball.

Once Mitch saw her potential, he knew that he had to be deeply involved in Erica's basketball career going forward to help mold her into a star athlete. You might say he was obsessed with her success. I can't help but think of Tiger His father, Earl, introduced him to golf at only 18 months old, and then coached him exclusively until he was five and got him a professional coach.

Well, it seemed as though Mitch was very much like Earl with Erica. He took pride and work ethic. He said it was in their bloodline. He was a construction foreman at 20 years old, a superintendent at 21, and he started his own construction business at only 22 years old. So we expected Erica to carry the torch and the Grace family name with pride. Roaring Spring is a small town with only about 3,000 residents. When I was researching this area, I read that it was basically made up of a bunch of churches and houses, and that's pretty accurate. As I'm showing it on the map, there are at least three churches within very close proximity in such a small town. There's only one elementary and middle

school, and they're right next to one another. Spring Cove Middle School. That is where Erica got her start on the court with her dad as the coach of her team. Sure, she was only a middle schooler, but Mitch had big plans for little Erica, and I say little, not just because of her age. She was also very tiny, skinny. She was petite. And because she didn't have the height going for her, Mitch began honing in on Erica's skills as a point guard, which are referred to as the heart of the team. However, this position is usually best for an aggressive player, someone who's able to strongly lead the entire team. They're essentially the coach of the court, passing the ball to open players. and pretty much calling all the shots.

The thing is, Erica's personality off the court did not match up to the one that she had to portray on the court. Erica was shy. She could hardly speak unless she knew you. You would see her standing in a corner all by herself. But she knew well enough to know that on the court, she had to play her part, especially with daddy watching.

In real life, Erica was a goody-goody. She was always concerned with not getting in trouble, even making sure to call out to call out other kids who weren't following the rules. This was most likely due to her upbringing. Her mother was very strict, and of course Mitch, with his high expectations, it wasn't just in sports. Erica was expected to excel academically as well, and she did. She was always on the honor roll. Her home life consisted of being molded into pretty much the perfect child. She was pretty. She stood out, she was unique. She had very tight ringlet-like curls, the many girls her age envied,

because this was the time when perms were very popular. Everybody wanted those perfect curls, and they came naturally for Erica, which made her stand out, in addition to her big blue eyes and bright smile, an all-American beauty with brains to match. People that knew Erica's mom, Cookie, described her as the typical trophy wife, a former nurse who now spent her time looking after Erica

and the household. She enjoyed shopping and decorating the home. And Mitch absolutely adored Cookie. They had a bond that was unbreakable. As Erica grew up, she admired the love and devotion her parents had for one another. Not even she could come between them. If they had to choose, they would choose each other over anything or anyone else every time. Erica hoped that one day she would have a relationship like theirs. It was a fairy tale marriage.

Even though there were times when Erica said she felt like a third wheel, and she would express that to her friends. Mitch's dismissal caused a huge rift between him and others and the most. the local basketball community. Erica was a starter on the varsity basketball team going into her freshman year at Central High School. That's something that was unheard of, which made Mitch appear as though he had somehow been able to influence this decision.

But as Mitch fought for his daughter to get even more time on the court, he decided on a couple of things. One was to gather up the best of the best players and form a double AU pickup basketball team. These are amateur competitive traveling teams. And this experience can be a valuable tool in gaining exposure to college coaches, which is what Mitch hoped for. The other decision he made was to move out of Oaring Spring

and build a two-story, 10-room, beautiful tutor-style home in Holidaysville, Pennsylvania. It had a big swimming pool in the backyard, but most importantly, a half-court indoor basketball court. Erica would refer to this home as the mansion, and it would be to most of us. Now, Erica could get private professional coaching and practice even more because the court was inside her house.

That's dedication to his daughter, or maybe living vicariously through her. Every night, Mitch would be on the balcony overlooking the court watching Erica train. And when she wasn't with her coach, he would spend hours passing the ball to her so that she could practice her three-point shots, which was her go-to move. Her high school coach Joseph Hurd said that she had a fierce outside jump shot. Where they were living, just the name, Holidaysburg. It says it all. It's called the best place to live in Pennsylvania.

Another small town. The population has stayed under 6,000 for at least the last decade or so. Holidaysburg is a historic town with a lot of charm. The reason many people want to live here is because the town is so close-knit. But the reason Mitch wanted to live here was probably because it's a small town where his daughter would be a very big fish. Just south, there's a bigger city called Al-Tuna. where the population is much larger, about 50,000 people. So that's where all the businesses are,

the restaurants, the popular hangouts. Speaking of hangouts, what about Erica's social life? Well, she was popular and well-liked growing up, mostly because of being a star athlete. She made some of her closest friends from the teams that she was on. One of those friends was Kristen Heinbaugh. She played on that same competitive team as Erica,

and they got to know each other better than most. Erica wasn't into the things that other kids or age were getting into. You know, parties, boys drinking, no. Erica's main focus was to make her daddy proud and get a full college basketball scholarship. That meant keeping her grades up, so she would stay up all night, very late into the night after practice, to make sure she finished all of her homework.

She would get annoyed by other classmates that seemed to half-ass their work, because she was a perfectionist. This made her the target of bullies in her high school. One time someone broke into her locker and stole her papers, when she didn't let them copy her homework. That's mean. But Erica remained unfazed and didn't let her bring her down. She kept being kind-hearted, hardworking with integrity. However,

she did date, she had boyfriends, but nothing too serious. Besides, she already had a man by her side all the time. Her dad, Mitch was always with Erica, especially on the court cheering her on, pushing her to be her best. But there was one thing he couldn't coach Erica to. become and he couldn't pay for it either. She couldn't be taller. That was what was stopping her from getting where she wanted to be. Erica only ended up getting a partial basketball scholarship to the University of Mary Washington. I had never even heard of the school. So I was curious why she even applied there and if she applied anywhere else. It just didn't seem like the best place for her to put her name on the map. Division three is the lowest level of competition in the NCAA. Division three

schools tend to have the smallest athletic department and budget. So why there? Maybe because Mitch was hoping that being at a smaller school would help her stand out. Well, it turns out, Erica may have been a star on her small town courts, but when she was playing college ball, she was maybe a little above average and that was it. She was now a very small fish in a big pond, still talented, but not exalted as this outstanding player that she once was as a In the fall of 1995, Erica was also moving out of the house for the very first time and to Virginia, over three and a half hours away from her parents. She wasn't under their watchful eye. So instead of focusing so much on basketball, Erica was enjoying other things that college life had to offer.

The same thing she used to turn down in high school, boys, partying, and drinking. Those were high on her list of things to do besides going to the beach. She loved being tan. She prided herself on being very well put together and looking her best. All that hard work, being the best at everything growing up, left her with another gift, perfectionism. But soon it became a curse. It evolved to become obsessive-compulsive in nature. Every hair had to be in place. Every outfit spotless. This extended to her surroundings as well. Everything had to be organized. They all had their places and they had to be in those places every time she put them back. If not, she would be overwhelmed with anxiety.

So being organized helped her cope with her OCD. A routine for her was to place things in the exact spot every time when she came home. She would have a designated place for, let's say, her purse, for example. She knew it would be there. So she wouldn't have to spend even a second looking for anything because not knowing where something was gave her an enormous amount of anxiety. Perfectionism is probably also why she didn't have a steady boyfriend.

No one seemed good enough for Erica or to bring home to her family. Remember, she had very high standards for a man. Her parents had the ideal marriage. It was a lot of pressure. But as luck would have it, she met someone who she thought would make the cut. He was a handsome guy that she met at a bar one night in Fredericksburg near campus. It was the spring of 1998. Erica was 20 and a junior going into her senior year of college.

Her freshman year, she made All-American Point Guard, and during her first two years, she was ranked as one of the nation's leading three-point shooters in her division. However, by the fall of her junior year, Erica, a history major, decided to quit playing basketball. Instead, she wanted to focus on her studies. Of course, when Erica quit, her parents were very disappointed. And maybe that's an understatement. Her dad had devoted so many years to supporting her. and he still was trying his best to even now. Her goal?

To go to law school. Another goal was to possibly land a date with a handsome guy at the bar. His name was Benjamin Siffret. It wasn't just his looks that Erica liked. It was who he was in all of his accomplishments. He was 20 like her, tan, blue eye, drove a decked-out orange 1972 Chevel with black racing stripes. He was athletic. He excelled in swimming. Yet he felt he wasn't good enough to compete at a higher level,

despite winning numerous awards and accolades. Sound familiar? A perfectionist maybe? So instead of chasing his swimming dreams, he joined the Navy. He was born in Iowa, but his family moved to Texas and he attended Cyprus Fairbanks High School. That's where he was a competitive swimmer. He worked at the YMCA giving swimming lessons. He worked as a lifeguard at one point, a grocery store,

and even at a locksmith. Benjamin, who went by BJ, was born a few months before Erica on October 21, 1977, the son of Elizabeth and Craig. BJ had a younger sister as well, and by his senior year, the discipline of military life appealed to him. He wanted to be a Marine at first, but after his recruiting test, he scored so high

that his recruiter encouraged him to become a Navy SEAL. Out of the 135 members of the amateur SEAL team, only 17 graduated, and BJ was at the top of his class. He was designated as Honor Man. which is very rare. Most times an honor man won't even meet another honor man their entire life at random. But BJ, he finished first out of his whole class

and he was the youngest Navy seal to receive the prestigious honor man title at the time. This training is considered to be the toughest in the world, pushing recruits to their limits both physically and mentally. On average, only 25% of candidates make it through what they refer to as hell week. It's a 16-mile-per-week running regimen, Two miles a day for three days a week, and they have to do an eight-minute 30-second pace.

Week four increases this amount to three miles a day. And that's just running. After graduating from SEAL training, BJ was living in Virginia Beach. Erica was introduced to BJ, and right away, she was smitten. Very impressed with him. But he couldn't have cared less. There was only one thing on his mind, and it didn't include wasting his time on women. He was a SEAL.

Well, Erica wasn't used to being rejected. She really wanted to see him again. She had actually just gone through a breakup. It was really hard on her. There were times where she would just break down to her friends, even putting herself in physical harm because of the split. She didn't do well with rejection at all. It was sadly another aspect of her OCD.

She had a really hard time dealing with abandonment. This may have also stemmed from her dad spending so much time on her. She expected nothing less. nothing less from the men in her life that she called hers. Well, BJ wasn't interested. However, as luck had it, later that year in July, they bumped into each other again. Or maybe Erica planned it. BJ was at a seal party in Virginia Beach, and this time,

she was doing all that she could to impress him, and it worked. They really clicked that night, and they remained in touch. Ultimately, they became officially boyfriend and girlfriend. They were spending every single day together. Erica knew that BJ was the one. Her parents always expected to plan this extravagant wedding when the right guy came around. She was a daddy's girl after all, so Mitch planned on giving her a dream wedding. It was expected to be a large event filled with family and friends that loved Erica the most and would definitely want to be there to witness the matrimony. Erica knew just after a couple weeks of being with BJ, she wanted to introduce him to her parents. The truth was she and BJ maybe caught up in the honeymoon phase. They were already talking about getting married. However, Erica was keeping that very hush-hush.

She didn't want to shock her parents too much with all of these sudden changes. Plus, she was still focusing on graduating from college. Cookie and Mitch were planning a little trip to New Jersey one weekend, and Erica thought this would be the perfect time to get everyone together. So she and BJ met them there. Erica was huge on documenting everything. Her camera was practically glued to her hand like our phones are now. She loved scrapbooking.

had become more than a hobby for her. It was a lifestyle. And as a former scrapworker myself, I know how serious it can be. Anyone that can relate, leave it in the comments. I used to take full-on classes at my nearby scrapbooking store and made very intricate ones and I would give them to family and friends. Erica loved collecting things and scrapbooking was perfect because it was like collecting moments in time. So look at over and over again, reminiscing about the feelings and the things she experienced. She also loved collecting designer handbags and jewelry. Diamonds in particular. Following in her mother's Cookie's footsteps, she is the one that got her interested in all things sparkly from an early age. Cookie had entire glass cabinets with jewelry in them like you would see

at Zales, like a jewelry store. Erica didn't deny it. She was materialistic. She told her friends, I come from a wealthy family. I have rich parents, rich grandparents, and a rich aunt, so I was raised around it. It was normal to her. This trip was no acceptance. when it came to documenting everything. She took tons of photos of her and VJ smiling happily and cuddling with one another. Eventually she made an entire scrapbook dedicated to her new lover boy. Scrapbooking for Erica combined a few of her loves, collecting things, being creative, and traveling.

Erica made it a point to explore. She loved traveling and making these scrapbooks for every place she went to visit. Each one dedicated to a different destination. Just like other things in her life, this helped with anxiety. with anxiety. It was another way to channel her OCD by organizing her photos into books. B.J. and Erica had a great time in New Jersey, but then they had to get back to reality with B.J. and Virginia Beach, and Erica taking classes in Fredericksburg. They would be two and a half hours apart, and it was too hard for them. Luckily, it was the summertime, so Erica relocated

closer to where B.J lived. From there, it was a party every night. Being a seal meant B.J. worked hard, and played even harder. He had a reputation among his friends for out-drinking, outrunning, and outlasting them in anything he did. He was very competitive. One friend said, BJ could go on a two-day bender of drinking and partying and wake up the next morning, run a marathon with the Navy SEALs, and finish first. His tenacity and determination allowed him to excel at most situations. And those who knew him respected and admired him, especially Erica. B.J. was the light of her life. Actually, Her life revolved around BJ and she wanted to keep him happy so that he wouldn't find someone else.

Erica had a problem thinking that she was never good enough, most likely from her upbringing. So even though she wasn't a party girl, she would be because she wanted to be by BJ's side, sometimes pulling all-nighters seven days a week, running on little to no sleep. Even though having a serious relationship wasn't on BJ's list, when him and Erica got together, everything seemed way more exciting. She needed advice, so she turned to the first man in her life that she ever loved, her father. He would know what to do. She called him letting him know that BJ was the one, the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

He told her to essentially slow down, that being in love is very different than knowing someone enough to like being with them. He suggested moving in together first to really get to know each other before leaping into such a serious commitment. But Erica said she was against that. She didn't believe in living with someone unless she was married. But being inseparable was really hard. BJ had to continue to relocate when he had different assignments. When you're a seal, you have confidential assignments. That meant that BJ couldn't tell Erica what he was doing or where he was doing it.

With the next move looming over them, BJ apparently dared Erica to marry him one night. Like, I dare you to go to Vegas and marry me, that sort of proposal. They had only been dating for three weeks. And in the rush of excitement, Erica said yes. Within no time at all, they were jet-setting to the Silver Bell Wedding Chapel for their quick nuptials. Officially husband and wife, Erica Grace became Erica Sifrit. They couldn't have been more in love or excited.

Being his wife was thrilling. He was everything she dreamed of in more. She brought him with her back home to Hollidaysburg soon after this, but they didn't tell her parents they were married. However, she did run into her high school friend, Christ. who used to play basketball with her, and she wouldn't stop beaming from ear to ear about her new man, bragging about being married on a dare,

after only knowing him for three weeks, and Kristen was surprised. Sometimes you don't end up with the type of person that your friends imagined you would be dating when you were in high school. She was used to seeing Erica with the more nerdy, down-to-earth type, but taste changes and so do people.

It's been a while since high school. Kristen, of course, congratulated Erica, and Erica just kept flashing her wedding band in her face. She was shocked she wasn't invited to the wedding, and that's when Erica admitted that they had eloped. It just seemed really out of character for her. But you know what? I heard a quote once it said, You've changed, and it said,

how far back do you want me to go? Change is hard for those who knew us when we didn't even know ourselves, and we are all ever evolving. With one year left in school, Erica tried to busy herself while BJ was off, on assignment after assignment, but it was hard. They were lovesick, BJ was homesick.

His dreams of being a Navy SEAL began to slide to the back burner, kind of how Erica's dreams had with her. But they both pressed on. From North Carolina, BJ was then sent to Arkansas in early 2000, and it was a lot for the newlyweds, especially because Erica had experienced BJ partying with his fellow SEALs, and she was scared that he would be unfaithful when they were apart.

They couldn't keep their hands off one another when they were together. So she began to get really anxious about what BJ was doing on his own. No pun intended there, or was it? Any chance she got, Erica would meet up with BJ. This was very much against the rules, and they got caught. This was not good for BJ. He was cited for insubordination the first of many times. The fact that Eric and BJ couldn't be a part was interfering with being a seal,

especially when he had to move to Alaska, even though it was temporary. BJ had to depart for a three-week cold weather training, and Erica had to take on the role of a single spouse. This time, it was different. But he had to go. He was only one of six men that were in the Naval Special Warfare Group Detachment in Kodiak, Alaska. They were forbidden to even let anyone know where they were.

But somehow, Erica, I don't know, she knew. Maybe he sent her a secret special message, because guess what? He was only gone one day, and she flew out to El Alaska and met him at his doorstep and of course he let her stay in his room and now this is a risk for many reasons but one of the biggest ones was because BJ was a field medic in order to achieve this position he had to take a 36 week long program plus continuing sessions every year he also did work as an EMT in NYC and he worked in an emergency room in Manhattan he gained a lot of medical training he

knew how to manage casualties in combat situations this meant BJ was in charge of medical devices and prescription drugs. One's like morphine, for example. Erica couldn't fly under the radar for long. They got caught. And it was a severe disregard of his role. He was swiftly reprimanded, but allowed to stay in the military. Well, not for long.

By August 18, BJ decided to take his Cheval for a spin right through the base and out the gate speeding over 50 miles an hour. There were Marines that were manning that gate, and they were shocked because they could have been hit or even killed. This was beyond not being brotherly, it put people's lives in danger. When he got back, he was put in the military jail, which is known as the brig. Well, his mom, Elizabeth, she got the news and she could not hold it together. She had so many hopes and dreams for her son, and now he seemed to be just throwing it away

for some girl he hardly knew. But to be fair, many parents want to control their children, even when they become adults. And as kids, you don't always know what path you want to go down. So you hold tight to the ones your parents carved for you, only to sometimes realize it's not the one for you. And then it's too late. Elizabeth flew out to be by her son's side with a lawyer in tow. And after all that, he still acted out of line the same month after being released. He just walked off base.

His staff sergeant was like, where are you going? And he basically told him F you, and he left anyway. This was against military law. You can't just leave whenever you want. When other officers tried to stop him, he told him. them to F off as well. He had a total disregard of what was once his dream. Ultimately, his military career ended when he was court-martialed. By October 2000, he was dishonorably discharged, and then sentenced to three months in military prison. Wow. Now he and Erica would have to be

away from each other for an even longer period of time. Erica was distraught. She of course went to her parents and told them everything. They were certainly shocked when they found out that BJ was Erica's husband. It's not what they expected from her, their nearly perfect daughter, but they understood she was an adult. She could choose who she wanted to be with, and they wanted to be supportive. It was a lot to take in. She had worked so hard to graduate at the top of her class, and after all of BJ's hard work, he had nothing to show for it. However, he and Erica were determined to live on their own terms. Erica finished college. She graduated Commod with a degree in history. After BJ was released, Erica's father wanted the couple to have a restart.

He understood both of their challenges and he always wanted to be that supportive dad. He decided to gift them with a three-week trip to South America to Chile, a getaway, where they could regroup, bond, grow together as a couple, but most importantly, come up with a plan. I almost said, must be nice, but you know that's a no-no for me. I've taken that out of my vocabulary, don't say it, it's out of my mind. Yes, it is nice, that Eric his dad could afford to do this for them. And they did some soul searching together, along with a lot of memory making,

and it inspired them to come up with a business idea. Opening a scrapbook supply store together, they would have their own business, something they could build with one another, be proud of. They also opened up an eBay store where they would sell things. That was gaining a lot of traction back then. And they brought these ideas to Mitch. He agreed to finance the scratch

for the young couple. They just had to find the perfect location. They looked in many different cities, but ultimately they decided to open their store in Altoona, Pennsylvania, very close to where Erica's family was. Reason one, well, like I said, be close to home. But two, because they went around,

and in all the other cities, there was already scrapbooking supply stores, but there wasn't one in Altoona. This meant they could kind of corner the market, so to speak. Be this one-stop shop for all of your memory-making needs, it would be called Memory Lane. but they spelled it like Erica's middle name, E-L-L-A-L-A-I-N-E. Erica had a lot of experience.

She knew what people were looking for. Mitch was able to land a contract for a space at this shopping plaza right here on the screen. Now it has a big lot, says the main store, but here is where they opened their business right at the end, where it looks like this vape store sits. It opened in April of 2001. Erica and BJ moved into an apartment above a large garage in Altoona, where Mitch's company used to store their tools and equipment for contracting work. This was perfect.

It was close to the scrapbook store, and it was close to her parents, and they could live rent-free, until they were able to get a place of their own. That way, they didn't have to worry about finances, and they could focus on building their business, and it was a success. It wasn't long before the store was bringing in over six figures a year, and that was good for a new business. And Erica and BJ, they were investing in merchandise and flipping it on eBay. I'm sure most of you know how it works, but back then that was a big deal.

You would go out, you would find something on sale, and then you would upsell it on eBay auctions. The more rare an item was, the more it would sell for. And Erica stumbled upon the Golden Goose. Hooters' apparel. Now, before you laugh, because I definitely wanted to myself, I was a Hooters girl when I turned 18, and it was a fond pastime of mine. Make fun of me, that's fine. And it's true.

The shirts that Hooters waitresses wear, are not for purchase. And there were many that were considered rare. So of course, they ended up being one of the best sellers on Erica and BJ's eBay store. Erica actually liked collecting them herself. I mean, why not? She's already going out of her way to get them. And I remember being offered money for mine from time to time. Of course, I would decline. However, when I traveled, I would bring along my Fort Lauderdale tank tops. And then when I went to other stores, I would trade them with other Hooters girls. It was so much fun. It was like trading baseball cards. so I could see the appeal right away. And I don't see this being mentioned where I've heard the story before. That is where the Hooters' obsession came into play for Erica, buying and trading tanks and shirts for her eBay store. And they were really thriving at this point.

They had a successful scrapbooking store, which was one of Erica's biggest loves of her life besides her husband. They could work together as a couple so they didn't have to be apart from one another. And they got to travel all over the country to visit different Hooter stores so they could get these coveted shirts to sell in their eBay store, and then flip them for even more cash than they invested. And all of this helped fuel even more business opportunities for them. But I told you the story was about two couples coming together in a vacation town.

That other couple has not been introduced to you yet. And that's where I'm about to go. Back in time again, this time to Iowa, on September 8th, 1969, almost a decade before Erica and BJ were born. Joshua Edward Ford came into this world, his parents, Doris, Doris and Alvin Ford had already two children, Melissa and Mark. Initially, they were living in Cedar Rapids until Josh graduated from Kennedy High School in 1989 and the family relocated to Boston where my dad is from. It was quite a culture shock for the family, but they were close-knit. They shared a deep love for one another and an appreciation for their new city. Though transplants to this

new place, it didn't take long for Josh and his siblings to feel like true Bostonians. Throughout their life, Josh and his brother were immersed in martial arts. and fitness because their dad opened a karate gym once they were established in Boston. They would be at this gym multiple times a week practicing with their dad. It was a big part of their life. Mark was also very significant and he influenced his brother to be as successful as possible. When Alvin opened his karate gym, he designed the logo himself. He was so proud of it. It was a red dragon with a yin-yang character.

Alvin was so proud that he actually had it tattooed on his body. and then when his son Mark and then Josh got old enough, they also got their dad's logo tattooed on their arms. This was very significant to them. Josh was devoted to showing how proud he was about his father's karate studio, and he also wore a ring with a dragon carved into it. This was a token that commemorated both the karate studio

that Josh loved and his tattoo. He never removed this ring. It reminded him of what a significant part it played in his life. Every time Josh glanced at that ring, he was reminded all the memories he had made with his father. Boston was the perfect place for Josh to grow up. He was really into sports. And Boston has a very vibrant sports culture.

Josh and his brother definitely enjoyed sports like everyone else, but a bit to the extreme, which is normal from where they were from in Boston. The brothers loved going to games. From the local teams to the major teams, they were passionate about sports, and that's how they bonded together. Josh would attend as many games as possible to show. his support for his beloved Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots. And the brothers would constantly be talking about the games, the scores, the players, everything.

Growing up, Josh had a long-time girlfriend then he met back in high school, and eventually the two got married in the early 90s. And six years after graduating, Josh's wife gave birth to a baby boy that they named Zachary in 1994. Josh's son was his world. It was like he was born to be this little boy's father. His world revolved around raising his son, dedicating time to teach him. teaching him, loving him, and being there for him as much as he could, which proved to be harder

once Josh decided that him and his wife were going to get a divorce. However, unlike some couples who despise their exes, this wasn't how Josh and his ex-wife operated. Just because it didn't work out between them didn't mean that they didn't have love and respect for one another. They continued to be in each other's lives for their son, who was able to see both of them any time he wanted. They had a very healthy co-parenting relationship. They were still a family as far as far as.

as being loving towards one another was concerned and making sure they were the best parents to their son. Josh was determined to stay a significant part of his son's life. Zach grew up admiring his father immensely. They had a very close bond. Josh was charismatic. He was loud. He was the life of the party and people were drawn to him. And the more they got to know him, the more they loved him.

He was always trying to make people laugh and smile. And he would always lend a hand to those in need, even strangers. He did a lot for others. But he didn't have the desire to get too close to anyone in particular when it came to romantic relationships, especially after his divorce. He would date here and there, but he just wasn't interested in settling down. However, he was interested in getting to know new people and exploring different relationships. He just wouldn't stay with one woman too long.

Commitmentphobic, I guess, at the time. But that would change. It was 1999. Zachary was five years old. Josh was working as a mortgage broker, and he was invited to a friend's friend. Christmas party in Boston, and that's where he met Martha Marjean Crutchley, whom everyone called Jeannie. She was a beautiful blonde with bright blue eyes and a big smile. The two connected right away. One thing that was different about Jeannie was her age. She wasn't like the girls that Josh

was used to dating, considering she was 19 years and one week older than Josh. Or in September 1st, 1950 in Alexandria, Virginia. Josh was 30 and Jeannie was 49 at the time, but it didn't deter them them from getting to know one another, and it's a good thing, because they started to date and Josh's friends and family could see right away, even his son, Zach, that he had never been happier. They connected like they were soulmates. They didn't connect like this with anyone they had met before. Jeannie was also so great with Josh's son. Zach liked her a lot.

He saw how happy she made his father. Jeannie was one of the nicest people. She was generous, kind, and perfect for his dad. And that's a big deal for a single parent. They hope their children like their partner and vice versa, because it's usually a deal breaker if your partner doesn't like your kid or your kid doesn't like your partner. Children can be the best judge of a character sometimes. It's like they have an ability to see past people's superficial charm and BS, the things that adults can sometimes overlook. But Jeannie was perfect for Josh.

She was an intelligent, hardworking insurance executive who had been in the business for a very long time, and she was a very serious. about her job and Josh was too. They made a great match. They were self-described workaholics, but they also liked to kick back and have some fun. They were serious about one another and their future. So when Josh was offered a promotion that required him to move to Virginia, they didn't hesitate to take the opportunity.

In April 2001, they moved to Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Zach was sad because his dad was going to be over seven hours away, and he was excited that his father would be close to such a historically significant part significant part of the country. He could not wait to explore with him. Josh made it a point to spend the summers and holidays with his son. The summer of 2001 was so much fun. They went sightseeing. They went to baseball games. Zach was so happy. They had a blast. And Josh made sure he gave him a lot of attention because he knew that they would be apart after the summer. But before the summer was over, tragedy struck the Ford family. Josh's older brother Mark

called with some very concerning news. Mark's 23-year-old daughter Kelly Ford, was missing. Sadly, Kelly had been battling substance abuse. She was living in Project Cope, a residential program providing substance abuse rehabilitation services to women. Kelly was a mom to a four-year-old little girl named Summer. So despite her difficulties, she was determined to improve so that she could be part of her daughter's life. She worked hard to overcome her addiction. Her disappearance was heartbreaking for the entire family, especially her uncle Josh. They were very close. was last seen at 1.30 p.m. on August 15, 2001. She had just passed a drug test and she was on her

way to a job interview. But apparently at 8.15 p.m. that evening, her mother, Debbie, received a phone call from Cope that Kelly had not returned from her job interview. Debbie was told it wasn't uncommon for people in recovery to run away, but she knew her daughter would never do that. Even on her worst days, substance abuse or not. And Debbie was worried. She was confused. She had no idea what could have happened to her daughter. She even hoped and prayed that Kelly would be found and that maybe she just had a relapse. She was praying for that

because at least it meant her daughter was alive. And that's really sad, but I can understand how a mother would feel. Well, the search was on. And of course, the entire family was on edge, keeping up with every little detail in the case. There was nothing for weeks. No one could locate Kelly. This is Josh's niece.

It took a toll on every other. And two months later, they got even more devastating news. Two men were playing Frisbee on Cape Cod, and they noticed something in the sand. It looked like a bone. They quickly jump up, they called the police, and a forensic pathologist came out there to observe. It was determined to be the body of a young woman. It looked as though this was a makeshift grave on the top of a small dune.