True Crime with Kimbyr - A Flat Tire. A Missing Girl. A Mysterious Freezer With Horrifying Secrets Inside: Part 1

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

On this gripping episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha unravels the heart breaking case of 23-year-old Denise Huber, who vanished after a concert in Inglewood, California. Her car was found with a flat tire on the side of the freeway. Denise was nowhere in sight. For years, the case remained cold until a chilling tip over 500 miles away cracked it wide open. What really happened that night? Follow True Crime with Kimbyr as Kimbyrleigha explores the haunting mystery, the desperate search, and the shocking truth behind Denise Huber’s disappearance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know how there's that advice online where people say never pull over if your car breaks down at night? Those viral TikToks. Whatever you do, don't pull over at night. If you're alone and it's dark, don't stop. Keep going to a gas station or a lit area. You've seen the horror stories. A woman pulls over on the side of the highway and then she vanishes. Some are never seen again. Others are discovered too late. And it's because, become some sort of modern urban fear that's actually rooted in reality. But what if I told you the long before social media and before dash cameras and find my iPhone,

a woman pulled over on the side of the road in California after one of her tires blew out and she got out to find help and she never made it home. Her car was found, the hazards lights were blinking, her panty hose was on the seat, but she was just nowhere. And for three years, no one could find her. No one knew what happened and why she vanished. But when they finally did find her, it was not investigative methods or volunteer efforts

or even a reward that brought in a major tip. It was purely by chance. And what they found was something that no one was prepared for. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to my channel. And if you've never been here before, I'm Kimberlea. It's nice to finally meet you.

do want to get serious about today's case. The woman that went missing was Denise Annette Huber, and she was the kind of person that people would remember. Even in a crowded room, she stood out, not in a flashy or a dramatic way, but with this soft, effortless glow. She was tall and slender, with shiny brown hair and these ice blue eyes, these kind eyes, and a big genuine laugh. She was the type of person who looked like she would ask you if you were doing okay when she buried even knew you. Denise was born on November 22nd of 1967 in Modesto, California, but her story didn't begin and end in one place. Her parents, Dennis, and Ione had started their life far from the sun-soaked

streets of California. They were both originally from South Dakota, raised in a quiet Midwestern town with strong roots and even stronger values. But like so many young couples in the 1960s, they had dreams of something more. So they packed up everything they had and left everything they knew, behind them in search of opportunity. And for a while, they bounced from place to place. By the time Denise was born, they were living in Modesto, California, a small working class in the Central Valley,

surrounded by almond orchards and sunbake farmland. From the day she was born, her parents thought Denise was the most beautiful baby they had ever seen. She was named after her father, Dennis, and Denise would grow up to create a very special bond with him. When she finally opened her eyes for the first time, Both Dennis and Ione wondered where in the world she got those crystal blue eyes since both of them had brown. Denise was a really good baby, according to her mother, very easy to take care of.

And from a young age, she adored animals, especially their black lab, Sam. This made Denise want to become a vet, but of course I'm sure you know a lot of kids want to become a vet until, of course, they get older and they become interested in a lot more things, which is exactly what happened with Denise. She was very active and involved in everything. And her father, Dennis, had worked a few odd jobs here and there, once for a wine company, and then as the mortgage broker, which is where his career finally took off. Ion was a substitute teacher and she loved kids and welcomed a second child, Jeff, two and a half years after Denise. And by that time, the family had moved again, this time

to San Fernando Valley, closer to Los Angeles. And despite the frequent relocations, Denise's early childhood was nothing short of warm, steady, and deeply loving. Her parents were active in their church, they were hardworking, they were faithful, and they were family first in every sense of the word. Ione especially was the kind of mother who made a home feel safe and loving no matter where it was, whether it was any modest apartment or a temporary rental. Dennis, he traveled a lot, but Ione was the constant in her children's lives. And the Huber home was full of bedtime stories, Sunday dinners, and open arms. And Denise wore her title of oldest child like a badge of honor. She had the classic Big Sister energy. She was nurturing, slightly bobbed.

but always fiercely protective of her younger brother, Jeff. The two of them were complete opposites. Denise was social. She was bubbly. She was full of energy. She was the kind of girl who would strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere. Jeff was quieter, more introspective, but their bond only grew over the years. And moving around as much as they did, they became each other's support system and best friend,

the one familiar face in every new neighborhood in every new school. And even from a young age, people were drawn to do. Denise. She had this natural lightness about her and friends would later describe her as the brightest presence in the room. She was outgoing, but never overbearing. She was curious without being nosy. She was sweet, but she was naive. And her smile was called infectious. She loved music, like really, really loved music, the kind of love that led to scribbling lyrics on notebook pages, making mixtapes that she would carefully craft for every different mood. And this was something that the siblings had in common. They would sit around listening to music together. But some of

Denise's other favorite things were going to the beach, playing with frogs, eating pizza, playing sports, flowers, and puppies. The posters on her wall of her bedroom reflected who she was and who she wanted to be. She read books constantly, fiction, nonfiction, poetry. If it had pages, Denise would get lost enough. She would devour books the way that some people now would, I guess binge watch reality TV shows, completely immersed. And as she got older, her blonde hair turned dark into a pretty Auburn color, and she definitely turned heads. But she didn't even date in high school.

She had this modest side to her, and even though she would kind of hide it because she was kind of rebellious on the outside, for instance, she would openly flirt with guys that played on the LA Kings hockey team, even writing some of them letters, and sometimes they'd write back. But Denise was serious about her more. and her belief system. After graduating from Los Angeles Baptist High School in 1985, Denise set off on a journey to find herself. She wasn't 100% sure what she wanted to do, but she did know she wanted to help people. And at the time, her parents were living out in Dallas,

so she enrolled at Richland College in Dallas, Texas to be close to them. But later, she decided to transfer to Covenant College in Tennessee, where she ended up meeting Debbie Deeter, who would become one of her best friends. They even looked to be. alike and many people thought they were sisters, except Debbie was just over five feet tall, and Denise was five foot nine. So she towered over her. Debbie said that that was what gave it away that she wasn't her real sister, but I have a little sister that's 5.11 or so.

She's my real sister, half sister, though, and I'm only about 4.11. So it is possible. But Debbie and Denise were inseparable. They did everything together, studied, shared secrets, went on spring break vacations, and of course, watched hot. or watched the guys playing, which was still one of Denise's favorite sports. But this whole time, Denise was very close to her mom and dad. She would call them every week without fail, and her dad would come up to college to visit

her and they had this really special father-daughter bond, where Denise could tell him anything. She would share her successes, but she would also share her challenges and he would listen, and then she would take her dad's advice because she trusted him so much. Now, after just spending one year in Tennessee, Denise decided to move back in with her parents, who at this point had relocated again. They were living back in California. But this time in Newport Beach. And this place is like a postcard come to life.

Golden sandy beaches, the ocean breeze, a lifestyle that feels like summer will never end. Her parents bought a cute four-bedroom, three-bath, two-story house on Vista Grand right in the upper Newport Bay Area. It wasn't too far from the beach, only about a 15-minute drive. and the beach was like Denise's second home. It didn't take her long to fall in love with the ocean. She tried water skiing once and she was completely hooked. And after that, she spent as much time as possible on the water. She would glide and laugh and just soak up all the sun and she loved it so much.

She even convinced her college bestie Debbie to move to Newport Beach and come live with her. They actually shared Denise's room at her parents' house, which they were completely fine with. And eventually, they decided to enroll at the University of University of California in Irvine in the fall of 1988. But Denise didn't exactly have it easy. College wasn't fully funded by her parents. She worked part-time jobs to cover her expenses. She would balance school and work. But she never complained. She just did it because that's how Denise was. She was quietly resilient. She no longer wanted to be a vet, by the way. She was actually not sure what she wanted to do. But meanwhile, she was making new friends at her waitressing job

at the old spaghetti factory restaurant, where she and Debbie both worked, and they started hanging out with a girl their age named Tammy Brown. And two guys, Robert Calvert and Stephen Horix. But they weren't dating them. They were just really good friends. But Steve did spend a lot of time with Denise alone.

He would come over to her house, and her mom and dad would ask, is that your boyfriend? She was a no mom. He's just a really good friend. But, of course, it seemed like there was more to their relationship than just a friendship. The most important thing is that Steve made Denise laugh, and she liked his company.

But she wasn't committed to any one person. She was exploring who she was and who she wanted to end up with in the future. The most important thing to her in that moment was college. And she finally completed her degree at UC Irvine in 1990 with a degree in social sciences. By this time, she and her brother, Jeff, were both living back at home, and he was interested in a career. music. He looked the part of a rock star and he had this long, shaggy, straight hair that was about to his shoulders. And the thing is, though, he was really talented. He decided to move out to Covina

and he joined a band and he actually made that his full-time gig. Now, Denise, she was still trying to figure out her next steps. And even though she wasn't settled into a full-time career yet, she had this exciting sense of momentum going on. And by the end of 1990, she was working two parts of time jobs to stay for her own place. By then, she left the old spaghetti factory and she was now working at the cannery, a way more upscale restaurant right on the water, and some patrons would actually park their boats on the dock to dine there. She also took a job at the Broadway department store, which later became Bloomingdale's at the Fashion Island. And even though Denise was really busy, she still made time to hang out with her friends, go to the beach, and of course

dream about her future. There was no doubt that Denise was was on her way, whatever that looked like for the future, she was building it. In early 1990, she was hanging out more and more with Steve, one of the guys she had known as a friend for a while. But it wasn't a whirlwind type of romance. It was steady spending time together on a regular basis.

But it was the kind of friendship and relationship that just felt safe. It was familiar. They went to the beach together and took these long walks. They laughed over eating burgers. And they just shared that easy comfort of two people who had been friends first, but of course, Steve seemed to want way more. But he was willing to take things slow.

So this was where Denise was in her life. She was working, she was saving, she was dating and dreaming. Nothing outrageous, nothing wild. Just a 23-year-old woman doing what so many of us have done in her early 20s, trying to figure it all out piece by piece. She had her whole life ahead of her until one very ordinary night, the kind that we've all had. But that night changed everything. The last day anyone saw Denise Hoover alive started all completely normal. You know that feeling you get when you've got plans and you've been waiting all week to do something really fun and you feel that buzz of excitement.

Well, that was what Denise was feeling on the afternoon of Sunday, June 2nd of 1991. Steve, her not boyfriend, had gotten two free tickets to see the singer Morrissey in concert, which happened to be one of Denise's favorite artist. And if you know, you know, the king of melancholy alternative. rock, the moody voice behind Swadehead and every day is like Sunday. And he was very popular in the 90s. Steve was now working as a bartender at the old spaghetti factory, and because he won the tickets, he hadn't exactly been able to ask for Sunday off, but he was banking on it being a very slow summer night,

so he could get off early and take Denise to the concert. He told her that either way, she was going. Even if he couldn't go, he would have their friend Robb take her. For Denise, this wasn't just a concert, it was a moment. It was a moment. It was something that she was really looking forward to. It would be a little escape from the grind of working two part-time jobs, saving up for her own place.

And she was more than excited that day when she was talking to her friend Tammy. It was around 4 p.m. And she was asking, what should I wear tonight? How should I style my hair for the show? And the girls decided, Denise would wear her brand new pair of black Nine West Brand pumps and her favorite spaghetti strap short black dress, which would look amazing against her tan skin. She'd been spending a lot of time working on her tan at the beach that summer.

The show was at the forum in Englewood. It's an iconic venue in L.A. I just went there and watched Sabrina Carpenter. It's a really fun arena. And Denise was familiar with it because it's exactly where she would go watch ice hockey. It was about an hour away from Newport Beach. Now, she originally planned, like I said, to go with Steve.

But just a couple hours before the show, the crowd at work wasn't dying down. So he called Rob, who was on his way home. and he left him a message, which he played right when he got in, and it said, hey, I got a couple tickets to Morrissey at the forum, but I can't get off work in time tonight. I was planning on taking Denise. I need you to go with her, man. She will drive. And that was the plan. Denise liked to be in control, and she had a fairly new light silver blue 1988 Honda Cord. Steve felt awful. He really did try to get out of work. But at the end of the day, he just couldn't swing it. but he knew Rob would make sure that Denise had a really good time.

Actually, Denise had told Steve that she didn't even mind going alone, that she was independent like that. But Steve urged her to bring someone just to be safe. Her best friend Tammy was out of town so she couldn't make it. So Rob it was. And Rob was more than happy to spend time with Denise alone. Because just like Steve, he really liked Denise a lot, like more than friends a lot.

And remember, Denise wasn't committed to anyone. So over the last four years, she had spent a lot of time with Rob as well as Steve, going to other concerts together, to the movies together, and just enjoying each other's company. And Rob and Denise both liked Morrissey. Actually, music was how they bonded. Even though they did watch a bunch of movies together, what stood out to them were the soundtracks. They went to see Silence of the Lambs, for example, and there was this very memorable scene that I would know nothing about because I do not like horror movies, but they did. And apparently the killer is dancing to a really strange music and both Rob and Denise were mesmerized by it. And when the movie was over,

they sat in the car and they kind of like recapped all their favorite parts and they agreed that that song was really cool. And they wanted to find out if they could get a copy of it. And Rob was on a mission from that day forward visiting every music store he could find. But he was never able to locate the exact version. Only a really weird version that was like instrumental and it didn't do it justice. He probably was trying to get that song for D'Soo. Denise more than himself, kind of like Steve had probably tried to win these Morrissey tickets for Denise as well. But speaking of being mesmerized, it seemed Denise had more than one guy under her spell, and it was really no surprise because she had it all. But this wasn't a date.

It was just two close friends going to a concert. And the thing was, Rob had already kind of tried to make a move on her a month before this, and he respected that she just was, wanted to stay friends. She wasn't interested in taking it to the next level physically with any guy, actually. Rob said it was due to her religious beliefs, but she wasn't exactly a strict Christian. It was just that she had personal convictions, and he understood that, so he didn't push it. But he would be lying if he said he didn't wish that she was his girlfriend. He actually said that Denise was what he would call a fantasy date. And on that next message that he played on his answering machine that night, it was dead.

Denise. She was leaving Rob a message confirming their outing. She said, I will pick you up around 7.30 from his house in Huntington Beach, which was about a 20-minute drive north of where she lived in Newport. And then they would make the hour drive south through the forum. That evening, Denise got ready for the night. She perfected her makeup and she added a black jacket and a pair of thigh high stockings to her short black fitted dress and high heels. It was the kind of outfit that made you feel just the right amount of pretty and confident without trying way too hard. And before heading out, she stuck her head into her parents' room. They were watching TV.

And she said she loved them both. She was going to the concert and she would be back late. Now, her mother said, don't stay out too late. I don't like it when you stay out late. But she told her mom, I'll be fine. She also told her that Steve was planning to meet up with her and Rob at El Paso Cantina after the concert to hang out for a bit. So what she was saying was,

don't expect me to be home before you go to bed. Don't wait up for me. And then she hopped in her car and, and drove to Rob's. When he saw her, he thought she looked amazing. He wasn't surprised at how beautiful she looked that night. And he got into the passenger seat of her car. And then they drove to the local liquor store

where they bought some vodka, orange juice, and pretzels. They did not want to pay the higher prices at the venue. So they did a little B-Y-O-V, bring your own vodka, and they planned to pre-game in the parking lot before the show. And neither one of them were big drinkers. It wasn't about that, but they wanted to enjoy a buzz while dancing at this live concert.

They got to the venue early, and like a lot of concert goers back then, they just sat in the car, and they had some of that vodka and orange juice, just enough to take the edge off and feel the vibe. And around Showtime, they headed inside, and for the next three hours, they danced, and they sang to their favorite songs.

Now, halfway through the show, Rob slipped away, and he grabbed a 20-ounce beer for both of them to split. And this concert was everything. Morrissey played all of Denise's favorite songs, the crowd was loud and emotional and alive. And it was that kind of electric energy where even strangers would become temporary soulmates.

I'm sure you felt this at concerts and events like this. Everyone was just screaming the same lyrics at the same time and Denise was in her element. She was laughing, she was swaying, and she was singing and having the best time. And that's the part of this sticks with people, how good of a night it was. The last hours of her known life

were filled with music, freedom, and joy. not a clue that this would be her last night on earth, that's for sure. And it is heartbreaking to think of how fast our lives can change. After the show, Denise and Rob went to a payphone and they called Steve, and he was already off work by then, and he planned to mean, like I said, at the El Paso canteen in Long Beach, which was on the way back towards Newport and Rob's house in Huntington. But Steve didn't answer, so they figured, no what, we'll just meet him there, and they left. And they made the 45-minute drive back over there, which definitely took them a little longer,

because of all the concert traffic. So they didn't arrive until after midnight. And that meant they didn't really have that long to hang out because last call was at 1.30 in the morning. But that was okay, because they were just trying to have a quick bite to eat and a beer and wait on Steve. But Steve never showed up. Now, Denise didn't seem that disappointed.

She had been, of course, with Rob and then talking to their mutual friend Ross. They came up and joined their table. Until the restaurant closed, they just talked, hung out, and had beer. And by 2 a.m., they were back in front of Robert's place. But Rob did not jump out that quick. And no, he wasn't leaning in for a kiss, nothing like that. He actually couldn't get his seatbelt off. And I kind of remember that back then Honda Accords,

because that's the kind of car she had. They used to have these really interesting seatbelt systems where instead of latching it yourself, the chest strap, and tell me if you remember this, it was automatic when you open and close the door. It would slide across the roof and belt you in. I'm going to show you what I mean. in a picture if you're watching.

And then, of course, you could strap on a lap belt. But Rob wasn't able to unlatch it. He was determined not to have Denise help him, but a couple minutes later, she reached across his lap and was able to detach it. He remembered looking at the clock at that moment, and it was 205 a.m. And he wished he could stay out longer.

They were having such a great night together. But he had to work the next morning. So he was actually doing what a lot of us do. He was counting the amount of hours he would get if you went to sleep right then and there. He thanked Denise, and then he walked away as she drove into the night or into the quiet and dark early morning. There would be no traffic or little to no traffic at that time,

so she should have only gotten home in about 20 to 25 minutes. Rob could have never imagined that she would never make it home. These were roads they took all of the time. They were familiar to them. Now, a few hours later, this was now Monday, June 3rd, Denise's parents noticed that the house was unusually quiet. They knew Denise was going to be home after they went to bed that night, but they knew she also worked weekdays at the cannery,

and she would be up starting her day like always, but they didn't see her. Dennis knew that his daughter was an adult, but he was still her dad. So he went and knocked on her bedroom door thinking, she might have overslept from a long night. But she didn't answer. So he decided to crack open her door just a little bit, and he peeked inside, and he noticed her bed and she noticed her bed. was still made. Now there wasn't a reason to panic, but he figured if she had come home and then

gone to sleep and then gotten up to go to work, she wouldn't have made her bet because she would be trying to get out of there quickly. So this meant she never came home. But Denise was 23. She was independent. Maybe she spent the night at a friend's house after the concert. He didn't think anything of it. At the time, Dennis was starting a new business venture as an independent real estate broker, so he wasn't at an office that day. He was at home. But Ione was at her office. So Dennis called her and let her know that Denise had not come home. They figured she probably went to Tammy's or another friend's house. However, hours later when Ion got home from work, Denise still wasn't back. Now Ion had already been feeling this really weird feeling in her stomach. Like you know when your heart drops and you

feel like, oh, this is very uneasy. I don't like this feeling. Well, now it was turning into something more. It was like a gut instinct, the one that only mothers can really have, you know? That something's wrong. And she started calling around first to Tammy, but no. Denise wasn't there. She hadn't spoken to her that day, and Tammy was very concerned. She knew Denise had gone to the concert, but she hadn't heard from her since. So she started calling around as well.

She called Steve first. He hadn't heard from Denise since the night before. And then Tammy eventually got a hold of Rob, who said Denise had dropped him off 2 a.m. and then drove off like normal. He hadn't heard from her either. So at this point, that sense of dread was really setting in. It's not that she didn't call. It's that no one had heard from her. Not a friend, not a coworker, not even her parents. And her mom already started calling hospitals, jails, everywhere. Denise wasn't the type to just go dark. She always checked in. She called if she was running late. That's who she was. So Tammy decided she couldn't just sit around waiting. So she called her

boyfriend, and they agreed to meet at his office, which was in Huntington Beach, which was in the same area where Rob lived. So Tammy drove the route down Pacific Coast Highway looking for any signs of her best friend. She didn't see any. And she wasn't even sure what she was looking for. Was she looking for Denise's car, Denise herself walking down the road? She wasn't sure, but she just wanted to retrace the route that Denise might have taken home. There was only a couple ways to get there, and both were familiar, practically like muscle memory. Meanwhile, Ione got in touch with Jeff, who was playing a game that night,

and she asked him if he had heard from his sister, but he hadn't. And he told her, don't worry. She's going to show up. She's probably just with a friend. But which friend? It did not comfort them at all. And time was ticking by without any calls from Denise. And by 9.30 p.m., Tammy was leaving her boyfriend's office.

And this time, when she drove back to Newport, she decided to try the freeway. Now, it wasn't the way that Denise normally went, but she thought, maybe she did that night to save time and because she may have wanted to avoid cops if she was going a little faster to get home quicker. The friends were aware that more cops waited along everyday roads than up on the freeway. So Tammy retraced that path. And just as she was coming to where you would get off towards Denise's house, that's when she saw it. Denise's car. Her light silverish blue car, her Honda Civic, it was pulled over on the shoulder of the southbound 73 3 freeway right before the Newport Beach exit.

The hazards lights were still dimly blinking, and that's when Tammy's stomach dropped. She'd been going way too fast at the time to stop before she had time to realize that's Denise's car. She couldn't slow down to park near it or behind it, so she got off the exit. And then she raced to the nearest pay phone to call Denise's house. When Ione answered, she yelled, I found her car. And Tammy explained to Denise's parents where it was, and Ione and Dennis said they would meet her there. Tammy then circled back to where the Honda was and she pulled up right behind the car. She quickly got out and she walked towards it and she saw that the back tire was completely shredded.

And she was scared. She didn't know what to think. Where was her friend? She tried to look inside a window on the passenger side, but it was really hard to see in the dark. So she decided to get back in her car and she left. And the hubris watched as Tammy drove away. They just happened to be pulling up right as she drove off. Ione and Dennis wasted no time. They ran to Denise's car. Ione went to the passenger side and the window was open just a crack and she reached for the handle and she pulled open the passenger's door and Dennis opened the driver's side. Both of them were unlocked. And the first thing Ione noticed where Denise's black thigh-high stockings bunched up on the passenger seat. Now Denise had a habit of taking off her stockings before going on a longer drive because she just wanted

to be more comfortable. I know how itchy they can be, especially when you're sitting in a car for hours. Other than that, the car was empty. No keys, no purse, no Denise, just a pair of panting hose. And it's here in this small stretch of empty highway that everything starts to shift. A young woman dressed for a concert disappears between Huntington and Newport Beach. A flat tire, no cell phones, used to be used at that time. No signs of a struggle, though. just silence, except for the steady rush of the freeway traffic, to jolt her parents out of their thoughts, because they had a lot of thoughts in that moment. The tire had definitely blown out. You could see the skid marks on the road, and it looked like Denise had swerved, and that she regained control over

the car and pulled over, and then maybe looked for a call box. Now, you may have never noticed a call box on the freeway before, and that's because, of course, we now use cell phones. But back then, it was a common way to call emergency services if you broke down on the freeway. There were call boxes every mile or so. And Denise's car was sitting between two call boxes that night. So had she made a call? Had she gotten help? Was she safe somewhere?

But if so, why hadn't she let anybody know? All her parents knew was that she was gone. So when they got home, they called the local Costa Mesa Police Department, and they reported Denise missing. But unlike some stories that you've probably heard where families are told, oh, you need to wait 24 or even 48 hours, Chief David Snowden took this case seriously from the start. He understood the urgency and sent officers out to the location of the car, and this was around 1 a.m. when they arrived. Because the car was a clue, this is why the urgency

was there. If it would just been, hey, my daughter just left and all over things are here, they wouldn't have taken it as seriously, but seeing a car that had a tire like that, that is why they brought in helicopters to scan the stretch of freeway, and they brought in canines that were dispatched to the scene as well. But let's talk about this location for a second. That part of Highway 73 at the time, it wasn't rural, but it also wasn't well-traveled. It was kind of a forgotten stretch. It was quiet. It wasn't completely isolated, but not exactly somewhere you would expect a lot of foot traffic at 2 a.m. either. Denise's car, though, it would have been visible. The hazard lights were still flashing, so anyone driving by would have seen it. And that part was what was so frustrating.

Someone had to have passed her. But if they did, they didn't stop. Or if they did stop, did they hurt Denise? Or had she walked somewhere along the road or maybe down a slope that was a few yards away from her car? Because there was this break in a chain link fence that led down a steep gravel ramp. And at the bottom, there was a city street with a gas station, restaurant, a hotel, even a pay phone. I told you. There was also the roadside emergency call boxes located just a few hundred feet away from her car.

She'd already passed it though. So the next one would have been a pretty far walk. So did she double back? Well, when investigators checked the phone records, it had never been used. If Denise had made it down that hill, there were places she would get help. But the thing is, they couldn't prove if she ever did.

This is where the trail starts to disintegrate starts to disintegrate. Not because it wasn't there, but because it just ended. The canines actually picked up Denise's scent roughly 75 yards. It's about 225 feet following along the shoulder of the freeway. And then there was just nothing. The trail just stopped completely. That was the first major red flag in this case. Dogs don't usually lose scent like that unless something interrupts it, like a person getting into another vehicle, which would be a first major red flag in this case. raised the question. Did Denise get into someone's car? And if she did, was it because she trusted them and knew them? Or was it because she didn't have a choice? Maybe they offered her assistance

and at the time, this was before, like I said, before cell phones were common. If your car broke down, you either had to walk or you had to wait. Denise was practical, so she would have tried to get help, maybe even accepted a ride from someone who seemed safe. Meanwhile, the forensic team went to Denise's car and there were no signs of anything being wrong, meaning there wasn't blood, there wasn't a broken window. And aside from the panios, nothing was out of place. It was like she stepped out of her car and simply disappeared into the night.

Denise's parents waited up all night long, and Jeff even canceled his show so we could drive home to be with his parents. And they were actually really scared when they heard those police helicopters above them because they knew what or actually who they were actually who they were. they were looking for. It was their daughter. And that was the moment that this became too real for them. How could this happen? Investigators canvass the area. They went to gas stations. They talked to

clerks. They went to rush-arm employees, hotel staff, anyone who might have seen something. But no one remembered a girl in a black dress. No one remembered any woman asking for help that early morning. And that part really hurts. Not just because it leads nowhere, but because she was so close. If she could have made it down that hill, she would be a few feet away from safety, from people, from light, from a working phone. So they took as many pictures as they could of her car the way it was before it was towed away. And by that time, its battery had died from the hazards being on so long. But she also did that. She put on her hazards to alert other drivers that she was in trouble.

And once the car was towed to the crime scene lab, they took a closer look at that tire. They wanted to know, was it truly blown out? or could someone have tampered with it? After a really careful inspection, it was determined that it had been low on air and because of the heat of the road, it did cause it to blow out. And it almost disintegrated. It didn't appear to have been messed with at all,

not in a sinister way at least, and not in a way where someone was trying to take it off and put a spare on because the spare was still inside Denise's trunk. So here's what's also really strange to the police at this time. Denise was not the only woman that went missing. that same night. A mom of two, Deborah Brittingham O'Leary, dropped her daughters off at her strange husband's house on Monday evening, and then she wasn't heard of. And on the next day, Tuesday, June 4th, Deborah's father, Kenneth found her Plymouth Voyager abandoned just 15 minutes away from where

Denise's car was found. But it turned out to be good news for Deborah's family. Because on the next night on Wednesday, she called home, and she told him she left on her own volition and that she was safe. But the same couldn't be said for Denise. In the days that followed, officers began talking to everyone who knew Denise. Her parents gave the full picture of who she was, a dependable, outgoing 23-year-old who always told them where she was going and where she was. She was someone who wouldn't just go off the grid, not for a night, not for even an hour. Not unless something stopped her. She was 5'9, about 130 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a black dress, a black jacket, black shoes, and a heart necklace and a dolphin ring.

By now, they had tracked down both the men in her life. They called in Robert Calvert first, and then Steve would follow. Rob explained the whole night to them, pre-drinks in the car, the beers at the concert, the late night meal afterwards, and her dropping them off at 2 a.m. But they wondered, who is this Rob guy? Why was she with him instead of Steve? They thought, okay, wait a minute, wait a minute. Is this a love triangle kind of thing?

But Rob assured them that wasn't it. It wasn't like that at all. He did admit, though, that he thought the world of Denise, and that at the concert, he did put his arm around her waist, but it was innocent. They were just dancing together, and that was all. He even took a polygraph and he passed. So then they spoke to Steve.

Same story. He won tickets. He told Rob to take Denise because he was busy at work. But they wonder, why didn't he ever make it to the El Paso Cantina to meet up with them? His excuse? He thought about it when he got home, and he realized he really needed to save money, so he just decided against going.

He had an alibi for the time between 2 a.m. and the next morning when Denise's car was found. Besides, her parents did not think that Rob or Steve had anything to do with this. There were no obvious suspects, no enemies, no one with a motive. Nothing in Denise's life oriented towards danger. She wasn't being stalked.

She wasn't involved in anything risky. She was just a young woman heading home from a concert and apparently got a flat tire. And that's what made it so much harder because nothing made sense. But the Hubert family wasn't going to just wait around. They were on the ground distributing flyers, organizing search efforts,

and appearing on TV and the radio to beg the public for help. News outlets picked up the story fast. Her picture, her smile. It was broadcasted all across Southern California. The Hubert home became a command post. Everyone that knew them, even people that didn't know them, they just wanted to help. They printed hundreds and hundreds of flyers. They plastered them

everywhere. Faxing, I don't know if you remember faxing, but it was still really big back then. So many of Denise's friends faxed copies of the flyer to people that they knew in other states. Because Denise was on a major freeway before she vanished. If someone picked her up, she could be anywhere. So it didn't hurt to reach beyond their city. And it wasn't long before people responded. The tips were rolling in, but none of them led anywhere. Some people thought they saw, Denise's car, others thought they saw someone matching her description. A few people say they remembered a car being pulled over that night. But each one of these leads never checked out. They just fizzled. And still, the police didn't give up. They did something a little unconventional, though.

They took a patrol car and they sat it up on the freeway exactly where her car had been. And then what they did is they had a cop sit there and take pictures with his camera of every single car and every single license plate that passed by. And then they sent letters to each one of those vehicle owners home asking, did you drive by the scene on June 3rd? If they had seen anything, heard anything, notice anything. But no one had. Well, someone had, but they hadn't thought to speak up yet, and we will get there. But for now, this was all they were doing. It was before social media. It was before the internet. There were no crime tubers or crime talkers reporting live from the scene and spreading the word.

It was all done by word of mouth, TV and radio, and the family truly relied in reporters to keep Denise's name out there. They created buttons to wear in their clothing because most people used to still go out. No one was buying groceries online, y'all. I mean, I'm sure you know. I'm saying it again and again.

But it was so much different than it is now. They started a bumper sticker campaign where people were putting like a banner, like a small little banner with their picture on it and a phone number to call on the back of their car. Even the police put them on their cruisers. The Hubert family had quickly become like family to the police.

They were just such nice people. It was really hard not to feel bad for them and to relate to them because a lot of these officers had children. But by June 13th, it had been 10 agonizing days since Denise disappeared, and her friends and family still believe with everything in them that she was alive. Steve parked his car at the same spot where Denise's Honda had been and he plastered his car with her missing person's flyers. person's flyers so that people who took that route would see them and maybe it would jog their memory

reporters went out there and even talk to steve they asked how are you holding up and he told them every day that goes by it's getting worse and worse but i still believe that she's alive i think she's being held against her will