True Crime with Kimbyr - Part 1:Teen’s Dream Vacation Turns into a Nightmare | The Case of Rebecca Middleton

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

A dream vacation turned into an unthinkable nightmare. In True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha examines the haunting 1996 murder of 16-year-old Rebecca “Becky” Middleton, a Canadian teen whose Bermuda getaway ended on a dark roadside. With compassion and sharp analysis, True Crime with Kimbyr unpacks Becky’s life, her chilling final night, and the troubling investigative missteps that left lingering doubts. Was justice ever truly served or did the truth slip away in paradise? This emotional deep dive explores a case that still unsettles Becky’s loved ones and true crime followers worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vacations. There's something that so many of us look forward to. We save up. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavatheater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in must be 21 to enter. We dream about beaches or snow or some far-off place that we've only seen on social media, especially around the holidays. When everyone's talking about getting away, it's a time to relax, have fun, spend time in paradise. No one is booking a vacation

and thinking, what if I don't come home? One summer, a 16-year-old girl from a quiet town was dreaming of somewhere far away, warm, and beautiful to visit with her best friend. The perfect summer getaway. She packed her bags, hugged her parents goodbye, and flew off to an exotic island for a vacation of a lifetime. She'd been counting down to it for months. She expected stories that she would tell for the rest of her life. But instead, her name became a warning about what can happen when a dream vacation doesn't

end with a flight home. 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. Now really quickly, on an even more personal note, this has been a really hard week for me and my family. My stepmother, who has been in my life for 30 years, over 30 years actually, since I was 10 years old, married to my father, passed away after a long battle with tuberculosis. And I'm not going to say too much here because I am here to share. other people's stories, but I just wanted to express how hard it is when you lose someone and you're not able to say goodbye. We knew that she was sick, but being over 3,000 miles away from

my family, I couldn't get there on time and this is not the first time that has happened to me. So it's heartbreaking. And if I sound sad or I don't seem like myself today, I just wanted you know I'm doing my best to show up. I've received all the sweetest comments from you. I read them all. And I guess all I was trying to say is please be kind, but I know you will. And I know that you're a lot like me. This is an escape for you. For me coming on here is an escape. It takes my mind off of what's happening.

It heals me. And I've seen comments from many of you that say the same thing, that my videos help you to escape from whatever it is you're going through. And I just want you to know that I am currently going through it. But with that being said, I really do want to get. into this case today. So I'm going to take you back and I'm going to tell you that the first sign that something was wrong wasn't a scream or a phone call. It was a locked front door. But before I take you there, somewhere in Canada, a mother and father were about to get a call that would

shatter their entire world. Those parents were Cindy and Dave Middleton. After pleading with them, they finally allowed their 16-year-old daughter, Becky, to go to Bermuda with a best friend Jasmine who had family there. For Cindy, the moment she knew something was wrong wasn't when Becky left. It wasn't even when her daughter missed a call or forgot to check in. It was when the phone rang in the middle of the night. They were back home a thousand miles away from their daughter and the house was quiet. The trip was supposed to be going fine. And then the phone breaks the silence in the way that a parent dreads. It's not your daughter's voice on the other end. It's an unfamiliar one, giving you very concerning news. At first,

your brain reaches for the easiest explanation. Maybe she got sick. Maybe she twisted her ankle on the beach. Maybe she got into a little trouble and it's a police officer just wanting to talk. But the tone doesn't match those kind of problems. Nobody is rambling. Nobody is softening the news with small talk. They're getting straight to the point. Because there's no good way to say what they needed to say. Something happened. There had been an incident and their daughter was gone. Cindy doesn't collapse right away because shock is cruel like that. It puts you on autopilot. Your mind kind of lags behind trying to catch up and figure out, is this really going on? She takes in just enough to understand that Becky is not coming home from this trip. That whatever happened on that

island wasn't just a sunburn or a misflight. It was something way worse. It was something final. Somewhere between leaving her small town off Lake Ontario and chasing her. this vacation of a lifetime. Her only daughter's life was taken. And as the details start to trickle in where Becky was found, what was done to her, the horror gets even deeper. This wasn't an accident. It was something far more brutal than any mother could even let herself imagine when she's hugging her teenage daughter goodbye. A trip that was supposed to be beaches and freedom and stories for years to come ended with a pair of parents boarding a plane to go identify. their only daughter and a body back. And it all started with what every family really dreams about,

which is a vacation, something that many of you may be planning right now, especially with the holidays right around the corner. But before her parents' world was torn apart, they were excitingly welcoming Rebecca Jane Middleton into this world on June 27th of 1979 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Cindy and Dave had already done the new parent thing twice. They had two boys, four-year-old Matthew and two-year-old Mark, a little pack of energy on their hands. And they were already deep in the world of scraped knees and hand-me-down clothing. And of course, keep her brother out of my room when Becky finally arrived. And she wasn't just another child.

She was the daughter they always wanted. And she finally completed the Middleton family. As the youngest of three and the only girl in the house full of boys, from the beginning, her brothers did not even see her as competition. They saw her as someone that they needed to look out for. That big brother instinct kicked in fast. This is that baby's sister that you automatically try to steady when she's learning to walk, the one that you secretly think about punching someone over if they make her cry.

I don't have a big brother, but if you do, I'm sure it's what you love about them, the protective nature they possess. As a big sister, I was like that to all of my siblings. I mentioned that home for the Middleton's was Belleville. That's in Ontario, Canada. And those of us from the U.S., we may not have not. be familiar with small cities and other countries like this one. It's on the shore of Lake Ontario. It's not a giant metropolis, but it isn't a tiny village either. It's the kind of place where you can walk

past historic brick buildings downtown, grab some food at a local pub, and then be at the water in a few minutes. There are trails to walk, there are places to swim in the summer and just enough nightlife that teenagers feel like there's always something going on, even if they swear they're bored half of the time. In Belleville, you grow up with a foot in two worlds. You've got the cozy routines of home, but you also are just to drive away from big city life in Toronto or Ottawa. And I'm sure you've heard of both of those big Canadian cities before, even if you've never ventured further than your own state. But that mix of comfortable but completely cut off is the backdrop of Becky's childhood. And since I always try to paint the most accurate picture of the places I talk about,

I think it's only fair to showcase Belleville, especially in the 80s and 90s. If you're from there, please let me know in the comments. But from what I gathered in my research, Belleville back then wasn't flashy, but it felt like a big small town, just enough city that you had malls, arenas, and of course, traffic lights, but small enough that you recognize spaces at the grocery store and, you know, teachers would run into parents at the Quinta Mall and talk about how their students were doing in class. Going to the Quinta Mall was an event, not just an errand.

The mall had already been around since the 70s, and it was a little. the go-to place to hang out by the 80s and 90s? Who remembers literally walking in malls for fun? I swear those were the days that I kind of miss. And here you would meet friends by the fountain or outside of Sears. And it had the arcade that people still talk about in those nostalgic posts, the dark, noisy cave of flashing screens where you would burn through your allowance on street fighter or a pinball machine. Or what about grabbing fries or a slice of pizza in the food court? And feeling really grown up as you're sitting there with your tray and a pile of napkins with your friends. Growing up there also meant riding bikes and having freedom.

This was before smartphones. You would bike to a friend's place. You would cut through schoolyards, maybe hit a corner store for a five-cent candy or a slushy. Winters consisted of big snow banks lining the streets, wet mittens on the heater, and that ritual of listening to the radio in the morning, praying that they would announce that your school had a snow day so you weren't going. Friday nights were for Blockbuster, you know, video stories, staring at VHS covers of movies that were probably too scary for you and negotiating with your parents if you could watch them or not. Every summer, Becky would go on an adventure, sometimes to camp in Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River.

She would go with friends and she would spend time sailing boats and swimming in the beautiful water or fishing. She even loved to fall asleep outside, looking up at the stars. And when she wasn't having fun, she was putting in work. She had her first job when she was 12 years old, her own paper route. And by 14, she was working at a local gas station. Her goal was to save enough money to go to college. That is what Becky's life was like growing up in Belleville.

And then there is Becky herself. Her family called her Becky, so that's why I am as well. And it fit. It was a great nickname. It was short, friendly, and easy to say. She was a little shy but very social at the same time. She had a really awesome person. awesome personality that she didn't really know how to contain. You know how sometimes people will

take a little while to warm up? Becky was not that person. She was someone who could slide into a new group of friends and somehow five minutes later, everyone's laughing and everyone wanted to know who she was. She had blonde hair, big blue eyes and what people kept describing as a million dollar smile. And that's one of those phrases that gets overused. But in Becky's case, it meant something very specific. She had the kind of smile that made other people smile back before they even realized they were doing it. I've caught myself doing this watching shows and I'll be like, I'm smiling. When you saw Becky, she just made you feel good. I know people want to say they lit up a room. Maybe that's the case, but I think you get the picture. It was the kind of smile that showed up in

every photo because she was either laughing or about to laugh. And she wasn't just pretty. She was smart. She was the kind of teenager who would go from joking around to having a very thoughtful conversation without it feeling forced. People around her noticed that. And she was a good communicator. And most importantly, she was a good listener. And friends felt heard. She had a way of asking you the right questions that made you feel like she really wanted

to know your answer, not that she was sitting around waiting to talk about herself again after you finished. That's part of what made her kind of the life of the party without being, you know, the mean girl type, let's just say. Becky didn't need to put anyone down to stand out. Her energy made her stand out. She was someone who could find something to talk about with pretty much anyone, older relatives, little kids, strangers at the park. And growing up the youngest, she naturally fell into the role of keeping people together, getting them together. And by the time Becky was 13, her parents had actually gotten divorced. But she saw her dad on a regular basis, and the two of them were still

very close. Becky and her brothers lived with their mother, and her brothers were moving deeper into their own lives, but Becky was a thread that still pulled everyone to the table. Imagine her in the kitchen, talking about her day while her mom cooked, or flopping in a chair at the end of the night to tell a story that takes forever because she has to do all the voices and the side comments. Like so many teenagers in small towns, Becky's imagination was already pushing beyond the familiar streets that she grew up on. And by the time 1996 rolled around, Becky was 16. And that is the age where life starts to feel like a countdown. Countdown to finishing high school.

A countdown to more freedom, to being 18. A countdown to anything that feels like real life compared to homework and curfews. And for Becky and her best friend Jasmine Means, who everyone called Jazzy, that something more was very specific. Turquoise water, pastel houses, and the Caribbean adjacent island of Bermuda. And why there of all places? Well, it is beautiful, but it was because Jasmine's dad, Rick, had a construction company that was a building homes and businesses there, and he moved out there about 10 years earlier and

got remarried. Jasmine vacationed there every summer, and all Becky would hear about is what she was missing out on. I've never been. But in 1996, Bermuda was still more quiet, upscale kind of escape than a party island. The tourism had already kind of dipped down from the 80s. when it was really in its peak. So it wasn't wall-to-wall crowds,

it was more older couples, honeymooners and small families and people on cruises. Many of them were people that had been there before and had been coming for years. The island is known for being absolutely gorgeous, but very pricey, which is one reason why the visitor numbers had started to kind of dip down after the 80s. But apparently it's known for tall palm trees and hibiscus.

It's gorgeous pink sand, turquoise water, pastel homes with bright white roofs and the shallow coral reefs that make the water near the shore look kind of a milky blue color and glowing. And when I say pink sand, I'm not talking about neon bubble gum pink here. It's more like a blush or a rose gold tint mixed into the pale sand. And the color actually comes from these tiny red and pink marine organisms that break down and mix with the sand. But for two teenage girls sitting in Bellevue, this might as well been a portal to another universe.

an island, palm trees, pubs with live music beaches that didn't look like the lake that they saw all the time, but instead like photos and travel brochures, they spent the school year doing what every teenager does when there's a big event on the horizon that they want to be a part of. They obsessed over it. As the school year came to a close, while other kids were thinking about summer jobs or local plans, Becky and Jasmine were counting down the days to Bermuda. They were ready for their first real summer away from home. no parents following them from store to store, no checking back in every few hours. Finally, in April,

they wrote a note to Becky's mom and stepdad. It said, quote, I have a little problem. My dad wants me to bring a friend with me on vacation, and I want a friend to come with me to keep me company. My problem is my vacation is in Bermuda. Now talk to me. I'll supply answers. Love always, Becky and Jazzy. See, they had tried this before a year ago. go, and the answer was no. Becky's stepdad was the most reluctant. They'd actually never met Rick in person. They knew him from Becky's father, but they were more familiar with Jasmine's mom, Cheryl. The girls had been inseparable since elementary school. And you can probably imagine the conversations between Cindy and Becky and all those months. I'm sure that Cindy as a mom was

nervous from day one. The distance was a big deal to her. It was over a thousand miles away. But not only that, you can't just get in a car and drive there. You can't just get in a car and drive there. You have to fly about three hours across the ocean. Cindy, like many moms, just worried. What if Becky got sick? You know, when she gets sick at school, Cindy's only 10 minutes away. And if something happened at, let's say, a friend's house, she could be there in her car before anyone even finished a cup of coffee.

But Bermuda, with an ocean between them and unfamiliar people and places, there's a very specific fear that comes with parenting teenagers. And I know this very well now. minus 14. But you have to let them go in order for them to grow. But every instinct in your entire body wants to hold on. Cindy had to weigh all of that. She trusted Jasmine's dad Rick and his wife Lynn. They weren't strangers. Rick and Becky's father, Dave, were lifelong friends. They grew up together. They played sports in Belleville. They knew him well enough to trust him. And Cindy knew there would be plenty of things for the girls to do. They wouldn't be bored and sitting home and watching TV.

Bermuda would be a lot of fun for them. She didn't want to be the only thing standing between her daughter and this huge opportunity. So she did what so many parents do in that position. She let the rational thoughts talk louder than her fears. She looked at her daughter, bright, clever, fun, and so excited, she could barely contain it. And she said yes. You can go. It also felt more comfortable that Jasmine's father actually lived there.

They weren't just going there on vacation to a place they were not familiar. with. They were locals. They knew people. And that added another sense of security. And Cindy talked to Rick for hours about the plan, where the girls would be staying, who they would be with. And Rick explained, his wife Lynn would be there, as well as their children, including their older son Jordan and Cheryl's son Reese, as well as their new baby, Micah. And that felt better. Because this little hometown of Belleville had recently been rocked by the really devastating news of a local 18-year-old named Mark Fike. He was murdered on spring break while visiting Florida. He was only there for one more day.

He was about to return home and was gunned down at a beachside payphone. He was on the phone with his mother and all of a sudden a gun was pushed into his back. A gang of five guys surrounded him and told him to hang up now and hand over his wallet. When Mark hesitated to hand over the very little money he had on him, the man raised the gun and shot him. He died in his best friend's arms, bleeding from a head wound. It turned out the perpetrator was a 17-year-old guy named John Rainey. He had escaped from a juvenile detention center.

And this killing was so senseless. And all of Belleville was talking about it for months. And Florida wasn't even as far away as Bermuda, but Becky assured her family that she was just a phone call away. And if you don't know, Bermuda is a more conservative area. They say that there's more churches there per capita than like anywhere in the world. It's a religious community. It's known for being really safe, a place where, you know, tourists don't get pickpocketed, and there's no violent crime. And in the weeks leading up to the trip, you can imagine Becky's room.

It was an explosion of clothing and bathing suits laid out all over her bed, magazines with folded corners on pages that showed beaches and vacation outfits. She talked to Jasmine every single day about everything, what they were going to go do on the island, what music they were going to listen to, what kind of fun things they were going to get into, and where they would cite. see. They weren't planning anything wild in their minds. They were picturing tanning on the beach, dancing to music, into a place where no one knew them, and maybe meeting some Q-boys too. They wanted freedom and fun, nothing dangerous or risky. And that's part of being 16, loving where you're from, but secretly believing that your real life is waiting somewhere else, where cool people are and more interesting things exist. But many people know, there's really no place like home right? To her parents and brothers, it was more bittersweet. They were excited for her,

but there's this tiny feeling of heartbreak in watching your youngest child step through the airport security and wave goodbye and disappear in line knowing that they're about to take a big step away from home. It was also a birthday present for Becky. She was about to turn 17 on the 27th of June while on the trip. And I didn't tell you this, but they were going to be there for six weeks. So over a She said goodbye to her dad a week before this, and he said, be careful, I love you. She let him know, don't worry about it. I'll be back and I'll bring you a gift. He gave her some birthday spending money and a new camera to document everything.

Now, truth be told, her father couldn't wait until Becky returned because she was also moving in with her dad when she came back. She had lived with her mom since the divorce, and after discussing things, Becky thought it was only fair to spend a few years before college with her dad. Her mother had just sewn her a custom dress to wear. Becky had picked out the colorful pattern. It had reds, blues, oranges, and greens paired with a straw hat with a sunflower, her favorite flower. That's what she wore to the airport, excited for her exotic getaway. It fit the theme, and it was a perfect day. And that dress was pretty special, not only because her mother made it, but because Becky didn't usually wear dresses.

She was more of the oversized sweatshirt kind of girl. So this is who Becky was in this moment. A 16-year-old girl from a lakeside Canadian town with two protective older brothers and parents that adored her. Social, funny. A girl who was just starting to collect the kind of stories that she would tell for the rest of her life. She thought this trip would be another one. And on June 19th, Becky said goodbye to her mom and went to stay with Jasmine at a friend's house that was much closer to the Toronto airport. They didn't want to miss their flight. Cindy said, I'll miss you, baby, and hugged her tightly. And Becky said, I'll miss all of you too.

Whenever I look at the moon, I'll think of you. And then the next day, they were off. They were so excited, even stepping into the airport. That alone was an experience. They posed for photos and a photo booth together, and you could hardly tell them apart. They could pass as sisters, both with their blue eyes and their blonde hair. Jasmine's was just a little darker. When Becky boarded that plane on June 20th of 1996 with Jasmine by her side,

she wasn't just a headline. She was someone's baby, someone's friend, a sister. A teenager on the verge of everything she thought was ahead of her. She even wrote a postcard to her dad mid-flight. It read, we're having a great time already. Talk to you later, Alligator. When the plane finally touched down, Bermuda was everything that they'd imagine and more. Rick met them at the airport, and he didn't hesitate to be their tour guide.

The roads were so much smaller and a lot cleaner than the ones in Canada. They went sightseeing all around from the most beautiful parts to areas to avoid, like a place called Court Street. Rick explained, it was dangerous. It was known for gangs and drugs. Both Becky and Jasmine assured Rick they wouldn't venture to say, that part of town. He warned them about many things, including motorcycles and mopeds. Don't do it. They're not safe. They were for rent everywhere on the island, so it's natural that people would

think they're so accessible. Why not? Rick told them the roads were way too winding and there were blind spots and people were speeding and there was a lot of bad lighting. There were plenty of accidents and even deaths of other tourists because of motorcycle crashes. What they were allowed to do was obviously call Rick for a ride, take the buses or call a taxi. And there were plenty of pay phones on the streets. So now they were familiar with the areas to visit where to go and where not to go. They were ready to enjoy their summer. One of the places they wanted to visit first was St. George's. Now, I think it's important to know at least a basic understanding of this island. It's a total of 21 square miles, and it's only about a mile and a half at the widest point. It takes only about an hour

for someone to drive from one side of the island to the other. So that means it's a great place to explore with ample transportation for tourists. St. George's is pretty much at the northern tip. Things that you would find there are beautiful resorts, gorgeous beaches, historical forts like Fort Victoria, hiking paths, a golf course, and even a ferry you can take to other parts of the island. And of course there were all kinds of restaurants, you've got nightclubs, with the most popular one being the white horse restaurant that featured the light nightclub. It was the most popular place to party, and in Bermuda, the drinking age was 18. But that didn't stop underage drinking, especially with tourists.

It was very easy to get alcoholic drinks. It wasn't common to even show your license or ID back in 1996, or you could always find someone of age to buy you a drink. For the first few days, the girls enjoyed everything from sunbathing to walking down the streets and sightseeing to spending time taking pictures together. When a week had passed, and it was finally Becky's 17th birthday, Thursday, June 27th, she got a surprise when Lynn and Rick got a cake for her to celebrate. They wanted her to still feel like she was at home, like they cared that this was a special

day. And after singing happy birthday and opening a few gifts, Becky sat down to write a letter to her mom and stepdad. She said, a couple days ago, she tried to look for the moon, but she couldn't find it. But this time, on her way home, she did. And she thought about them. She also wrote her dad. She said, the sand here isn't as dark as it is in Canada, and the water is very beautiful. She set aside these letters with the intention of sending them as soon as she got the next chance. At the same time, her mother, Cindy, was also writing to her. She was reminiscing about an incident that happened when Becky and Jasmine initially got to the airport. Jasmine had kind of misplaced Becky's

purse that she was holding on for her. So Becky had to call home telling her mom she lost it. So jokingly, Cindy wrote, Jasmine, don't lose Becky. She sent that letter off with no idea that it would actually happen just days later before that letter could even reach her daughter. By this time, Becky and Jasmine had been hanging out with some of their new things. friends on a regular basis, a couple cute boys that they met after their arrival. Jonathan Cassidy, whose dad was a local police officer and Russell McCann, who was visiting from the UK with his other friend Ben Turtle. So three guys and the two girls, they had been exploring the area together with Jonathan being the expert since he was a local. Their favorite

spot ended up being the white horse. They had made it a routine to go there for drinks and then walk a few blocks back to Jonathan's to hang out until it got late enough that they were too tired to even keep their eyes open and they would call Rick to come home. Becky and Jasmine hadn't known these boys before the trip. They just kept bumping into them again and again on the island and they just clicked. Becky definitely had a thing for Jonathan and Jasmine liked Russell. And as teens do, they would flirt, they would hold hands, they would even kiss, that sort of thing. They'd even play truth or dare and spend the bottle for fun back at Jonathan's with other people their age from the island. Regular teenage stuff. But both girls were virgins. They were interested

in the more innocent fun with boys at the stage, and the guys they met seemed on the same page. Makeout session, slow dancing, those things you could check off their list. But going all the way, not that. It was Russell's birthday on July 2nd. So we invited the girls to meet up with him and his friends at a hot spot on a different part of the island, on a private island off of where they were. This was called Hawkins Island. Now this was one of those places where you needed to take a ferry or a boat to get to, and it was about a 30-minute drive from St. George's, where Jonathan lived, to Hamilton to catch that ferry. And then it was about a 45-minute boat ride to Hawkins. This private island, you would rent out areas to have a party. There was like music festivals that would happen

there, private events. And in Russell's case, they were going to a luxury retreat that included a venue for special events and the plan eat great food dance to good music have fun now that night rick and lynn gave the girls a ride to st george's because it was drizzling a bit they dropped them off around seven o'clock p.m the girls waited for the boys to arrive but the rain got worse so they took cover in a store for a little while and i say this every time you could probably guess they don't have cell phones it was 1996 so they just had to kind of rely on the guys to keep their plans and meet up with them But they weren't really worried because if these guys didn't, if they bailed on them or ghosted them, there was a ton of other things to do on the island, especially that close to the 4th of July weekend.

The guys finally found them around 7.30, but they told them because it was raining, they didn't think it was a very good idea to go all the way to Hawkins Island. So instead, they did what they usually did. They went over to the White Horse. But that night, they were celebrating Russell's birthday, so it wasn't an ordinary night. To say they were. went a little harder with the alcohol was kind of an understatement. The girls were not exactly limiting themselves, and it didn't really help that they decided to start playing drinking games. There's a picture of Becky and Jonathan posing together, smiling, having fun. Jasmine and Russell did the same. And if you're watching, this truly shows just how similar these two girls looked.

This is a picture of Becky and Jonathan, and this is a picture of Jasmine and Russell. They're even wearing similar outfits. Both girls had on white shirts with a collar. Becky had a white tank top underneath hers and a gold necklace. I mean, they weren't even dressed in anything skimpy. If anything, these outfits were more conservative. Long-sleeved button downs. Just to paint a picture for anyone that's not watching, just to understand what they looked like that night. Like two pretty sisters or twins having fun on a double date. I mean, there was Ben as well, and there were plenty of other people around. The locals were nice. the other tourists had even gotten to know them over the past week,

and as the white horse was starting to close, they were even offered a ride by a few people they had met while they were all hanging out. But the girls declined because they really wanted to spend a little more time with the guys. So they went back to Jonathan's house. With how much fun they were having, they weren't exactly watching the clock.

It was after midnight, and they were still out. Jasmine knew that her dad had already gone, to bed because he had to get up really early for a work event the next day. Her stepmom explicitly said, don't call him. They were supposed to get a taxi. And he wouldn't necessarily know when they got home. It was easy. They would call the taxi when they were ready to leave and quietly get into Jasmine's house and go to bed. But this was the latest that they had been out all summer long. They were safe, not too far from Jasmine's, and with people that they were. trusted. But it was getting later and later. And at one point, finally, after Russell and Jasmine

were done hooking up in one of the rooms, they knocked on Jonathan's bedroom door where he had disappeared with Becky earlier that night. Jasmine said to Becky, it's time to go. Jasmine used Jonathan's phone to call a taxi company at 108 a.m. And they said good night to the boys, who were already pretty much passed out due to how much they drank that night. The girls were still pretty drunk as well. They estimated that they both had at least five beers and a few shots plus at least one Pinaclotta. That's a lot. But this was over the course of several hours, so by the time they were leaving, most of it has worn off. Jasmine described them as not drunk, but just feeling it. I was thinking maybe that's like a little more than buzzed, since we're not

able to ask Becky herself. We'll never know how she felt. But it is safe to say that neither girl was completely sober. Jasmine was about 5'8 with Becky a couple inches shorter. They both were athletic and neither one was used to drinking. After Jasmine called for the taxi, she and Russell headed out to wait for it and Becky was still getting her stuff together to meet them outside. One cab started coming around the corner, so Jasmine was prepared to run back inside, call Becky out, but the cab just kept going. That was annoying, so she waited. She knew it usually took about 20 minutes or so. But after yet another cab completely passed them after 1.30 in the morning, she had had it. She marched back inside Jonathan's house and called the cab company again.

And at 1.45 a.m., she was not happy. She actually yelled at the dispatcher. She was asking, why are the cabs not stopping to get us? They explained, we sent someone out, but no one was there when the cab came by. Could they have missed it? I don't know. But the cab company promised another. would be there soon. Russell at this point went to bed because by this time, it was really late.

Jonathan went out with the two girls and he waited for them to get their ride. But still nothing. Jasmine was even more frustrated and anxious. It was way past the time she was supposed to be home. She didn't want to get in trouble and she realized she hadn't even told her dad where they ended up going. Her parents still thought they were going to Hawkins Island. For all they knew, they had gone through with that initial plan. but instead they were with boys in the middle of the night. Jasmine tried one more time, even more upset than she had been the last time she called the cab company. It was now 2.16 in the morning. Jonathan was getting sleepy.

He was exhausted. He told the girls he would need to call it a night and he went to bed, closed his door. They proceeded to the end of his driveway to wait for yet another cab. The fact that Jonathan went upstairs and got into bed, it might seem kind of cold. But you know what? They're all young. This was just a casual vacation fling. It had been long enough, and again, this is a safe area. He probably figured they would be picked up in a matter of minutes. Third time's a charm, right? But the girls waited and waited. Minutes went by. Cabs did too. They tried frantically to get them to stop, but they didn't. And the girls couldn't understand why.

and they were desperate to get back home. There is this psychological phenomenon. It's usually in gambling, and it's called escalation of commitment. It's a tendency to stay with a certain course of action, even though all evidence around you is that it's not working. And this is to avoid admitting failure. Or in Jasmine's case, that they maybe had done something wrong, didn't go home earlier, tell her dad where she was going,

you might start to go into the desperation phase, which includes more risky decisions. I don't know if you've ever tried bidding on things on eBay, but when you first start out, you might tell yourself, I'm only going to spend $50, but you're not winning. So you say, okay, fine, I'm willing to go to 55,

and soon you're willing to like sell your mother's fine China to win. Maybe Jasmine didn't want to admit that they didn't do all they could sooner and failed to get home on time. So she was willing to change course. Maybe they should walk home, The rain had stopped, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad, but it was really dark outside, and it was far.

And this wasn't even the time of Google Maps or Apple. They wouldn't be able to know where to turn. They would be blindly trying to get back to Jasmine's dad's house, so that was a no. Before they could really think of another plan, they saw a headlight of a motorcycle coming towards them. It was now after 3 o'clock in the morning. A young man stopped right in front of them, flashed them a big friendly, smile and asked, can you spare a cigarette? Neither of the girls smoked. So they politely explained

they had none. The guy asked the girls why they were out so late. What were they doing there? Do they need a ride home? And they said, no, we're fine. Do you need me to call you a taxi? He said. And they're like, no. We already called one. At that point, the young man introduced himself as Dean. He's a local making his way home from training to be a security guard, he told them. He was also a dad. He had a little boy. The girls were not really paying too much attention. They were just trying to be nice. And as Dean turned to get back on his bike, another motorcycle came around the corner with its headlight flashing right towards them. It too got closer and came right up to the three of them. The bike was kind of old and beat up looking. It was

partially falling apart. The seat had the inner cushion kind of sticking out. And there were actually two guys riding on it. One of them seemed to know Dean. He said what's up to him. They proceeded to park the bike and get off and start to have small talk. It was as if this was a normal occurrence, seeing someone you knew at 3 a.m. in the middle of the street. And maybe it was their normal. They weren't from around this side of town. They were just passing through. They were from where locals referred to as the back of town, the place where tourists rarely see. Down a steep hill, near the only garbage dump on the island. It's called Deepdale Road, situated kind of in the middle of the island, inland, not near the water, only a few blocks from Court Street, the place

that Jasmine's dad had warned them not to go. Becky and Jasmine couldn't have known that, though. They didn't know these guys. They had helmets on too, so they couldn't really make out any of their features. All they knew is that they had dark skin and they were males. After the guys had been talking to to Dean for a couple minutes, they introduced themselves to the girls. The driver of the other bike was 21-year-old Kirk Mundy, and the guy on the back was 17-year-old Justice Smith. He struck up a conversation with Becky, asking her where she was from, she explained she was on vacation, and just celebrated her 17th birthday, showing off the gold necklace she was wearing. It was a gift from Jasmine. After a few more minutes of chatting, Kirk turned to the girls and asked, do you need a ride?

Jasmine immediately said no. And she looked at that bike that the guys had been driving. It was broken down. They were complete strangers. It didn't seem safe. Plus, another one of the girls had helmets and that was required to ride on a motorcycle. And unless Dean gave one of them a ride, there were already two people on the other bike. So she politely declined. But Jasmine was actually considering it. These guys were really close to their age, it seemed, and it was really late. No cabs had come and the boys had gone to bed. But you would think the best idea would be to wake Jonathan up. He lived in this really nice big house. They were literally feet away from his front door. I'm sure if they asked him, he would let them stay the night or call Jasmine's dad. Since at that point, I would consider this more of an emergency situation. Rick was actually still awake.

He was in bed, but he couldn't fully fall asleep unless the girls were home. So about 1 o'clock in the morning, he had realized they hadn't come in yet. But he wasn't that concerned. He had dozed off a number of times. At this point, he was probably sleeping. But the girls were only 20 minutes away. He lived in Flats Village, and Jasmine finally looked at Becky for reassurance and accepted a ride from Dean. They decided it would be best if Becky actually rode between Kirk and Justice because she was a little smaller than Jasmine.

And Jasmine was already closer to Dean. bike, so she figured, I'll just get on here. They also had a plan in case they got pulled over. Kirk said, follow my lead. He'll tell the cops that they had accidentally left their helmets behind in a hurry to leave a nearby music festival. And it really wasn't that far to Jasmine's dad's. It was just across the causeway over the water. They gave the guys Jasmine's dad's address in Flats Village, and they set off. But not before Jasmine gave Dean some rules. She told him, please don't go too fast, knowing that her father said no motorcycles. And the roads were still wet and slippery from the rain.

She also didn't want to lose Becky, so she told Dean to make sure he stayed really close to Kirk's bike. But they soon found out that wouldn't be possible. Those same rules must not have been understood by Kirk. Or maybe they were just disregarded. Because he took off speeding away with Becky, holding onto him tightly with Justice's chest pushing up against her back. The tires riding low with the weight of three people on top. Jasmine tried a number of times to lean her head to the left or to the right so that she could see beyond Dean and see the taillight of the other motorcycle, but she lost sight of it within just a few

seconds of it setting off. She wasn't worried at first. Both of the girls had keys to Jasmine's dad's house, so if Becky got there first, she wouldn't even have to wait. She could go right inside. that's what Jasmine expected would happen, that Becky would arrive a few minutes before her. She'd unlock the door, make her way inside, and quietly wait for her best friend. But about 20 minutes later, when Jasmine pulled up with Dean, her street was quiet, and so was the house. Dean waited as she made her way to the door. She reached for the handle, and when it was locked, fear ran through her. because that meant Becky didn't make it back yet.

She wouldn't have locked the door behind her knowing Jasmine was right there coming up next. There's just no way. Something wasn't right. She should have been back way before Jasmine at the speed that Kirk was going. Jasmine quickly went inside, didn't see Becky. So she ran back out and she told Dean she was worried. He told her it would be fine. But after a few more minutes passed, even he was concerned.

And Jasmine could tell. She was like, I thought you knew these guys. Are they dangerous? Are they going to do something to my friend? It was almost as though his answer was yes. He said, they could. And that did not sit well with Jasmine. She felt responsible for her friend's safety.

And she was angry at this guy that she didn't even know because she was like, why would you let my friend get on a bike with guys that you think would do something to her? And his answer was pretty much, I was trying. trying to give you signals that it wasn't a good idea. But either Jasmine didn't pick up on any of them or maybe Dean really hadn't. But he even suggested they retraced their path. But it was close to four in the morning. So Jasmine refused. She was terrified that Becky was in trouble. She knew that she had to tell her dad. So she told Dean to leave and she ran inside screaming for Rick. He's jolted awake. with no clue what's going on, Jasmine screamed, I lost Becky.

And now you can see the irony of that letter that Cindy wrote to her daughter, joking to Jasmine, don't lose Becky, but she had. And Rick was confused. He's like, what do you mean? What do you mean you lost her? What's going on? And instead of telling her dad the truth that they were just on the back of a guy's motorcycle, she lied.

Not wanting to get in trouble, she said, there wasn't enough room for all of them in the same car. so they went with separate friends and Jasmine got home but Becky on the other hand wasn't so at this point Rick is not thinking anything bad he's thinking that possibly Becky and the other friends are just kind of as they say dilly-dallying right like maybe they pulled over and they were just talking or hanging out not realizing it was concerning to Jasmine who had already made it home because this was all a lie That's not what really happened. So her and her dad jump in his car, and they're driving back towards St. George's. And what was Erie is that as they were on the causeway, they saw an ambulance trying to pass them, so they had to pull to the side.

And Jasmine said, what she was thinking out loud. She said, that's probably for her. She meant for Becky. And her dad was like, what? Why would you say that? It's not for her? Don't even say that. Don't say that.

this father was getting more frantic. Because I think about the way that he felt in that moment knowing that he was actually responsible for another person's child. He had promised Cindy that these girls would be safe. He allowed them to be out late. And it was his wife that told them not to call because he needed sleep that night. All of these things were going through his mind. But of course, the last thing he was thinking about was anything fatal.

He thought they would find Becky and it would. just be a matter of minutes since they were almost to St. George's now. But they looked everywhere. And Jasmine still had not told her dad the truth, that they got a ride from strangers on motorcycles. They got back home, about an hour and a half later, and he had no choice but to call the police. He explained the situation. 17-year-old girl visiting on vacation to the island doesn't know her way around, was last seen in St. George's, went out looking for her, and she's nowhere to be found. Well, they really did not take this very seriously. A girl on vacation?

And they had a rule. You cannot report someone missing until they have disappeared for more than 24 hours. That doesn't apply anymore. Definitely not in most places here in the U.S. I'm not sure elsewhere. But back then, it did. So they felt helpless. It was close to 6 o'clock in the morning.

By now, everyone in the house is awake. They're trying to figure out what to do next. And at 7 a.m., the phone runs. It's the local police. An officer informs Rick that he needs to come down to St. George's police station. And of course, he wants to know why. What's going on? They wouldn't give him any information. And I think your mind goes to the simplest explanation. She got in trouble. She's sitting in the drunk tank. She was underage, consuming alcohol. She got caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing. And he's going to go bail her out. But it was much worse.

Thank you.