True Crime with Kimbyr - Two Teenagers, One Monster: When True Evil Lurks The Streets: Part 2

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

In part two of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha traces the desperate search for Amber Dubois as weeks pass with no answers. But when 17-year-old Chelsea King vanishes while jogging in a nearby park, the community is struck with chilling déjà vu. Could these disappearances be connected? As investigators uncover disturbing links, fear spreads across California and parents begin to question just how safe their children really are. Join True Crime with Kimbyr as the tragic puzzle pieces of Amber and Chelsea’s cases start to come together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And sadly, after a while, the volunteers stopped showing up. The once crowded rooms with local residents and beyond ready to find Amber dwindled until no one remained except her own family. By February 13, 2010, the one-year anniversary of Amber's disappearance, the grief and exhaustion were no less intense. To honor her memory and keep the search alive, Carrie organized a walk-a-thon at Escondito High School, the event brought together friends, family members,

and supporters from across the community. Together they walked to raise both awareness and funds to sustain this investigation. And then 12 days later, on February 25th of 2010, the already fragile world that Carrie was living at this point shattered again. Her roommate burst in her bedroom with alarming news. She said, Carrie, there's another girl missing. She's 17. Her name is Chelsea.

Carrie could not believe what she was hearing. The same month, a year from when Amber had vanished, now another girl was gone? How was this even real? But it was true. 17-year-old Chelsea King had disappeared while jogging in Rancho Bernardo Community Park. This was about 20 miles south of Escondido. The eerie similarities between Chelsea's case and Amber's disappearance were terrifying. Even the timing seemed very odd, just days after the anniversary of Amber's disappearance.

As details of Chelsea's case began to emerge, they would actually reignite the investigation into Amber's disappearance and uncover a horrifying connection that no one could have anticipated. But of course, I'd like to backtrack and tell you about Chelsea King. She was born on June 1st of 1992 in Poway, California, to Brent and Kelly King. She was the eldest of two children with a younger brother, Tyler, who adored his big sister. And from the very beginning, Chelsea radiated joy, curiosity, and a love for life. When Chelsea was a young girl, the King family moved from their hometown of Poway, to Naperville, Illinois, where they spent a decade building new memories.

Eventually, they did come back to Poway, a small city just north of San Diego. Chelsea was the kind of girl who seemed to excel at anything she set her mind to. Her favorite color was purple, and she had a sense of style that set her apart. Whether she was pairing vibrant scarves with vintage skirts or sporting bold accessories, Chelsea had a knack for creating effortless looks that mirrored her confidence and her individuality. But beyond her outward style, Chelsea had a deep thirst. for knowledge and adventure. She would read books cover to cover,

hoping to better understand the world around her. Her mind was as sharp as her heart was big, and she loved exploring new ideas and pushing her boundaries. Chelsea was naturally very athletic, but it was her determination and work ethic that set her apart. When she enrolled in Poway High School, she decided to join the cross-country team, a decision that would soon become the cornerstone of her life.

Running wasn't just an activity for Chelsea. It was a way to stay grounded and stay healthy and connect to nature. Most mornings and evenings, she laced up her running shoes and hit the trails at Rancho Bernardo Community Park. It had this serene, picturesque setting, and it was Chelsea's haven, a place where she could challenge herself physically while also finding mental clarity. Now, it's true that sometimes her parents worried about her safety while she was running alone. They would gently question whether it was wise, but Chelsea was confident and self-assured, and she told them she would be careful. She believed that her community was safe, and that she was prepared for anything.

And Chelsea's talents didn't stop on the track. She was also an accomplished French horn player and a member of the San Diego Youth Symphony. Music allowed her to express herself in ways where it could not. Her dedication to excellence carried into the classroom where Chelsea excelled academically. She was known as an overachiever. She balanced a rigorous course load with her many extracurricular activities. And her efforts definitely paid off. She was accepted into several prestigious universities.

Yet Chelsea's ambitions weren't solely academic. She dreamed of a career that would combine her love for writing with her passion for the environment. Chelsea's beauty was also undeniable, her flowing, shiny blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She also cared deeply for others, dedicating her time to community service and peer counseling programs at her school. She volunteered for programs that packaged food for families in Africa and helped organize prom events for special education students. Her parents, Brent and Kelly, instilled in her the importance of balancing work with encouraging her

to pursue her passions and give back whenever she could. Her parents described her as someone who never let an opportunity pass her by. She embraced every challenge. And now, just like Amber, Chelsea was gone. It happened on Thursday, February 25, 2010. And for Chelsea King, it was a day like any other. The 17-year-old was committed to her fitness goals, and she loved to run.

So it wasn't unusual for her to head to Rancho Bernardo Community Park for an afternoon jog. It was located just 10 miles from Ascandito. The park was Chelsea's sanctuary, a place where the serene trails and picturesque views offered her peace. Around 2 p.m., Chelsea set off for what should have been a routine run. She promised to return home in time for dinner, but as the hours passed and Chelsea didn't walk through the door, her parents knew that something was wrong. Chelsea was reliable, just like Amber was.

She was hardly ever late to anything, let alone unresponsive, that was entirely out of character. Brent and Kelly immediately called and text her, and then their worry grew with each unanswered attempt. Hoping for an explanation, they started to reach out to Chelsea's friends, but no one had heard from her. They were now desperate for answers, so Brent logged into the AT&T website to check Chelsea's phone location using their family plan,

and his heart sank when he saw that her phone had last pinged in the parking lot of Rancho Bernardo Community Park, the very place that she was supposed to go running. Wasting no time at all, Brent racing. down to the park and when he arrived, he saw Chelsea's 1994 BMW sedan still parked in the parking lot, locked and untouched. He peered inside the window and Brent spotted Chelsea's phone inside the car, along with her iPod and her wallet. He knew at that point that something wasn't right. She would not have gone on a run without these items, so it didn't make sense. Where was she? Brent began running

up and down the park trails, calling out Chelsea's name. He told himself that maybe she had fallen, Maybe she twisted her ankle and she wasn't able to walk back to her car. But Chelsea wasn't there. Back at the parking lot, Chelsea's mom Kelly arrived to join Brent in the search. And together, they contacted the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. By the time two deputies arrived, the Kings were consumed with fear, knowing deep down that Chelsea wouldn't have simply disappeared without a reason. The deputies carefully examined the scene around Chelsea's car,

looking for any signs of a struggle or maybe some discarded items, that might point them to our whereabouts, recognizing they could be dealing with a serious situation and not wanting to waste any time. They actually called in detectives from the homicide division. And as they began piecing together Chelsea's case, they couldn't help but draw comparisons to the haunting disappearance of Amber de Bois.

Both Amber and Chelsea were young, intelligent girls that were 5'5-5 with blue eyes and light complexions. Both had disappeared in broad daylight, and the park where Charleston, where Chelsea went missing was just a few miles from where Amber had been last seen. It was very unsettling. And Amber's mom couldn't ignore these eerie parallels. Lying in bed the night, watching all the news coverage of Chelsea's disappearance, Carrie's mind was racing. Was there a connection? Could there somehow be a serial predator? And as the news of Chelsea's

disappearance spread, the tight-knit community of Poway sprang into action. By the next morning, over 3,000 missing person's flyers have been printed and distributed. Residents took to the streets. They were searching trails, parks, and neighborhoods for any sign of Chelsea. Choosing the photo for Chelsea's flyer was a very emotional task for her parents. And I can't even begin to imagine going through your children's photos with the intention of picking one for a missing person's flyer. It's unreal. But they knew that they had to. And ultimately, they selected an image that was taken just hours before her disappearance, one that captured her as she was, that day, vibrant, smiling, and full of life. Her eyes are what I can't get out of my head. I've only seen a few people with those types of piercing, dark blue eyes with the lighter

blue in the middle. They're just striking and they were the same as her mother's. The picture they chose was actually from a photo shoot she agreed to do for a friend's class project. Chelsea agreed to be a model, despite her self-professed awkwardness. Those photos were meant to be part of a simple school assignment, and now they became a vital tool in the desperate effort to bring Chelsea home. Volunteers canvassed neighborhoods taping posters to lamp post and tree trunks, and among the volunteers were Amber Dubois parents, Carrie, and Moe. For them, Chelsea's disappearance hit painfully close to home. With Amber still missing, they understood exactly what the King family was going through, so they offered their support any way that they could. Carrie said she couldn't wait to

jump into action and help this family search. Chelsea's mom, Kelly, went to the media pleading for anyone with information to come forward. I could hardly watch Kelly begging for people to help bring Chelsea home without tearing up. And the detectives that were working on this case, they began gathering witness statements from Rancho-Bernardo Community Park where Chelsea had gone jogging. Several parkgoers described seeing a man acting very suspicious on the trail that day. One female jogger recalled encountering this man who was smoking a cigarette and surrounded by empty beer cans. The man had tried to engage with her in conversation, casually mentioning that he saw

a rattlesnake nearby. And then another witness also spotted the same man walking along one of the trails, shortly after Chelsea was seen running in that same area. As volunteers searched the park, one man and his dog stumbled upon a disturbing discovery. About two miles from where Chelsea's car was parked, they found a pair of underwear and a sock in the center of the path, recognizing the potential significance of the spine, the man alerted an officer. They carefully examined these items, and despite the recent rainfall, the clothing was dry. So this suggested that he had been left behind recently. Further inspection revealed a very small amount of blood on the underwear. Both items were identified as belonging to Chelsea by her parents. Now this discovery of Chelsea's

clothing led the investigators to believe that she had been abducted. The items were then sent to a crime lab for further analysis. In the days following Chelsea's disappearance, the search effort became a large-scale operation. The Bank of America parking lot across from Rancho Bernardo Community Park was converted into a command center where hundreds of volunteers were organized into search teams. The San Diego Police Department, the Border Patrol, and the FBI joined this effort. There were search and rescue teams, canine units, and volunteers combing the park. Helicopters equipped with infrared technology were scanning the area from above, while diverse

plunged into Lake Hodges, searching the murky depths for any sign of Chelsea. The FBI canvassed over 300 homes near the park, interviewing residents and following up on nearly 600 leads. Detectives also did what they did in Amber's case. The investigated registered as offenders in the area and interviewed Chelsea's friends and classmates from her high school. But still, no clear answers emerged. On Saturday, February 27th, searchers found one of Chelsea's running shoes lying next to a bush. This discovery suggested foul play. But detectives were still uncertain whether Chelsea could still be found alive. The next day, another search team discovered her other shoe and

a sports bra abandoned in a ditch near Lake Hodges. It was like breadcrumbs, just lying out there on this trail to a nightmare. But these discarded items raised a troubling possibility. Chelsea's abductor might have been trying to mislead investigators or even destroy evidence by getting rid of it. Or maybe they had been scattering these items. throwing them aside as they carried the teen away. Students at her high school launched a campaign to honor Chelsea and raise awareness. Every day they wore colors that symbolized

Chelsea's personality and her passions. Blue for her striking eyes. Purple for her favorite color. Green for her love for the environment. Blue and purple ribbons were tied to trees and lamp posts around the school that served as a constant reminder of Chelsea's absence. Students wrote messages of hope and support,

decorating the campus, with tree to their missing classmate. Chelsea's family also embraced social media to expand the search. They created a Facebook page that quickly garnered over 24,000 followers offering a platform for updates and tips. They also launched a website, FindChelsea.com.

This was a place for information about the search efforts. They even went on high profile shows like Larry King Live to talk about Chelsea in hopes that more tips would come in that would bring her home. What were the circumstances under which she she left. Where did she go missing, Kelly? Chelsea's an avid runner. That's one of her great loves. And she, after school, got in her car and drove over to this park. It's a lovely area, very peaceful, very picturesque, exactly what Chelsea, you know, the surroundings that Chelsea loved to be in.

And she put her running clothes on, got out of her car, you know, and went on a run. Was this something, Brent, having a young and beautiful daughter growing up in Southern California that you ever feared? I never feared something like this. Did I fear for my daughter? I think every father fears tragedy for his child and tries to try. protect against that, but I never could imagine something like this. Like they asked why they thought their daughter in particular would still be alive. Like what was it about her that made them believe she had a chance to get away from this person?

That seemed really insensitive to me. I think maybe these interviewers don't always know that they're talking to these grieving parents. Are you resigned to your daughter's fate? Not at all. No. Not at all. My daughter is an incredibly strong girl. we're an incredibly strong family. I have not given up hope that my daughter's out there. That she may, as this community. That she may still be alive?

Absolutely. Of course. Until I hear differently, I believe she's alive. Wow. Kelly, tell us as best you can what you think is in your daughter that would make you believe that. She has the spirit, the day she was born, she came out with a spirit that was stronger, I think, than anything, any kind of evil could conquer. It's just who she is.

And something like this, as horrific as it may be, she's a thousand times stronger than this. And hearing her mother talk about how from the day she was born, and she just had that spirit about her was heartbreaking, especially because I know what the outcome will be. But through it all, Brent and Kelly King remained at the center of the search. They refused to let their despair take them over. Kelly spoke to the press regularly,

begging for clues that could bring her daughter home. Brent stayed in constant motion coordinating with search teams and retracing Chelsea's steps. And finally, their efforts turned up a chilling lead. One investigator assigned a crime analyst to compile a detailed report of every incident that had ever occurred in Rancho-Bernardo Community Park over the past two years.

They thought maybe there could be a link if something else had happened in such close proximity in the same area. And among all this data, one report stood out, an attack that happened on December 27th, 2009, in the same area where Chelsea's underwear and sock had been found. That victim was a 22-year-old woman named Candace Monkio. She was a college student at the time that was visiting home,

during winter break. Given the proximity of this attack to the location where Chelsea's belongings were found, detectives actually traveled to Colorado to talk to Candace, hoping that her story might provide them with crucial insights. Candice recounted the terrifying encounter she had just two months earlier. She had been running through Rancho Bernardo Community Park enjoying the familiar trails when a man seemingly out of nowhere slammed into her and then slammed her to the ground. He was pinning her with his weight, and this man ordered her to be quiet. Just like that, in a place that she thought was safe, that should have been safe.

This trail was right near houses. It was a place where people would walk their dogs, walk their children. Candace was screaming, and her screams were echoing through this park as she was fighting against her attacker. When he began to show signs of attempting to violate her, she told him, you're going to have to kill me first. And he had a very chilling response. He basically told her that that could be arranged.

And that sent fear through her. But Candace wasn't just a victim. She was a fighter. She happened to be the daughter of a world kickboxing champion. She had been trained in self-defense from a very young age. Summining every ounce of strength, she dove her right elbow into this man's face, striking him in the nose with enough force to cause him to back up. He grabbed his face and Candace seized that moment to escape and she ran faster than she ever had in her entire life.

I've never realized how valuable self-defense can be. I hear about taking self-defense. I've taken classes in the past, but I'm reminded by stories of survival like this one. It's not about being strong. It's not about, you know, being the biggest or the fastest. It's about knowing where to hit someone and how. Candace's description of this man was vivid and she said that he was between 30 and 35 years old with a square job. brown eyes and dark blonde hair in a crew cut. Although Candace had managed to escape,

the trauma of this attack still lingered with her. Her bravery and her detailed account would actually prove to be invaluable to this investigation. On Sunday, February 28, 2010, just three days after Chelsea went missing, her parents, along with the detective, visited the location in the park where her clothing had been found. And as the detective was guiding them to the area,

his phone started ringing. And on the other end was news that would change the course of this entire investigation. There had been a hit in the CODIS database from the DNA found on Chelsea's underwear. The detective had to be very careful to maintain confidentiality in this moment, so he didn't disclose any information to Brent and Kelly right then. Instead, he just told them that something urgent had come up and he took them home. Thinking about the fact that that call came in in that exact moment, I'm sure her parents had some clue that something big had happened.

The DNA analysis of Chelsea's underwear had revealed two DNA profiles, one that belonged to her and one that belonged to her attacker. When this profile was put into CODIS, it returned a match within 72 hours, John Albert Gardner, the third. John was 30 years old at the time, and he was a registered S offender with a violent past. In 2000, he had been convicted of violating a 13th, 13-year-old girl and he served five years in prison. Despite the fact that he was deemed a high risk

of re-offending, Gardner had been released into the community with minimal restrictions. Why is this the same story so many times over in cases like this? But why am I not surprised, but still shocked? With John Gardner's name now at the center of this investigation, detectives begin to piece together his movements and connections to both Chelsea and Candace's cases. Because remember, Chelsea's missing and her belongings were found in that park, and Candace was the one that escaped from an attack in that park. The DNA match was undeniable. He was tied to Chelsea's disappearance, but this also meant she could be dead. Because if this was the same man that attacked Candace, remember what he told her, that her murder could be arranged so that he could have his way with her.

In 1979, John Albert Gardner III was born in Culver City, California, which is weird, because it's not too far from the studio that I'm recording this video in. John's early life was riddled with instability and troubling behavior. His parents' divorce led to frequent moves across Southern California, uprooting any chance of stability during his formative years. He was diagnosed with ADD, and he was prescribed medication to help manage his condition, but deeper emotional and behavioral issues were lurking beneath the surface. Despite some of his struggles, John did graduate high school with a 3.2 GPA,

and was noted to have an IQ of 113. But these achievements did not negate a darker reality, one filled with unresolved trauma, neglect, and growing warning signs of violent tendencies. John's mom, Kathy Osborne, described a deeply challenging childhood for her son. By the age of six, he was already displaying alarming behaviors, including setting fires,

and desperate to get him help, Kathy moved John through a variety of educational settings, from public and private schools to special education, education programs. When John was 10 years old, Kathy admitted him to UCLA's Children's Mental Hospital for a 60-day stay. Doctors there reported that John suffered from low self-esteem, abandonment issues, and a lack of control over his behavior. They noted his confusion about the world around him and his inability to regulate his emotions. Despite Kathy's best efforts to help him, John's troubling behavior continued into adolescence and even adulthood. Stories like this about a parent,

to figure out what's happening to their child really scare me? Because what options do you have? It seems like this mother was exhausting all the resources that she could think of, or even had available at that time. But then as an adult, John's troubling behaviors became even more pronounced. On MySpace, John had a profile with a fake name

and a fake birthday. He would post explicit content on their sexually explicit content and even listed his hometown as the Playboy Mansion. Cheesy, I know, but these are glimpses into his online persona that revealed a man that was preoccupied with sexual fantasies and very distorted outlooks on women. John had various jobs, including working as a lifeguard at Lake Arrowhead Resort and later at the Big Five Sporting Goods store in San Diego, but his employment history did little to mask the darkness that was brewing within him. In March of 2000, when John was 20 years old, his actions crossed a line that

revealed his predatory nature. While living back at his mother's house in Rancho Bernardo, John struck up a conversation with a 13-year-old neighbor of his at the bus stop. The girl was feeling vulnerable after being bullied at school, and she accepted a ride home from John. He took her back to his mom's house. They sat down to watch a movie, and I'm thinking, he is 20, and she is 13. But the situation quickly turned violent. Without warning, John attacked the teenager, attempting to pull her pants down. When she resisted, he punched her in the head. He choked her and covered her mouth to silence her screams. The little girl later told authorities that John had suffocated her to the point of vomiting. But miraculously, the teenager managed to escape. She convinced John to stop.

And after this attack, he hugged her. He apologized. And he claimed that he didn't know what had come over him. That night, the girl confided in her mother, and she reported the attack to the police. John was arrested, but initially he pleaded not guilty. He claimed that the girl's injuries were inflicted by her boyfriend, not him. He accused her of fabricating this entire story so that her mom didn't find out she was having intercourse with her boyfriend. So she was blaming it all on John. But even though he denied all this,

the evidence was mounting against him, and he pled guilty to sexual violation and false imprisonment. Before he was sentenced, John underwent a forensic psychiatric evaluation, and the findings were shocking. The doctor described John as exhibiting significant predatory traits, warning that he posed an ongoing threat to young girls and was unlikely to respond to treatment.

The doctor went so far to contact John's probation officer directly, stating that John was not suffering from a psychotic disorder, but was instead a bad person. Doesn't sound very scientific or something a doctor would say. But I guess this was to say, there's no fixing this man. He was evil. He had an above-average intelligence and a dangerous fixation on young girls. The recommendation from this doctor was clear, John to receive the maximum sentence allowable under the law. Despite this damning evaluation, a second psychiatrist had a different

opinion, a more lenient view on John. And I was thinking what doctor would do this, but I guess if the price is right. Judge also took into account character letters from John's friends, including one former girlfriend who dated him for about a year and half. She described him as safe and protective, stating he was the one person who made her feel completely safe in this world. Someone else said, I know in my heart that John Gardner is a rare and good breed. Another person wrote that they believe that John would become a great man,

husband, and father one day. These conflicting evaluations led John to receiving a mere six-year sentence, of which he served only five years, And when he was released, John was fitted with a GPS ankle monitor and labeled a low-risk offender. However, when his probation ended in 2008, the monitor was removed, leaving John unsupervised and roaming the streets as he pleased. The removal of John's GPS monitor marked a critical failure in the justice system. The clear warnings from mental health professionals were just ignored, allowing him to reenter society with little to no oversight. And for two years, this man blinded.

blended into his San Diego community, all while having those same predatory tendencies hidden. By 2010, the devastating consequences of this oversight became clear when John Albert Gardner the third re-emerged as the prime suspect in Chelsea King's disappearance. John Gardner was a white male. He was six feet tall and weighed approximately 230 pounds. His physical description matched the one of the man who had attacked Candace in the park just two months. earlier. As detectives started piecing together John's movements and his current address, they began to do surveillance on several properties that were linked to him, hoping to find signs that Chelsea might still be alive. Undercover officers were posted outside of these locations,

monitoring any activity. And on February 28th of 2010, investigators made a critical breakthrough when they located John at Hernandez Hideaway. This was a bar on the north side of Rancho-Bernardo community park. The same park where Chelsea went missing and Candace was attacked. Officers moved in quickly and they arrested him on the spot. Now his appearance alone immediately raised suspicions. He was drunk. His pants were wet and muddy, as if he had just been waiting through the shallow waters of nearby Lake Hodges. I mean this was steps away from this bar, but the bar was on the opposite side of where all Chelsea's evidence was found. After he was arrested, the detective searched all the properties that were linked to him. But they found no evidence that Chelsea had ever been to these

locations. It's like they kept getting so close to putting things together and then they kept having to take steps backward. At the police station, detectives begin their interrogation. John initially denied any involvement in Chelsea's disappearance, claiming he had never met her and only knew about the case from what he saw in the news. When detectives questioned him about his wet and muddy pants, he kind of gave them a very bizarre explanation. He claimed he had slipped in the mud while walking, and then he rinsed himself off by jumping into the lake. His behavior during this interrogation definitely stood out.

He would cry, yell, and then also panic. He told the investigators how much he hated law enforcement. He said that he was treated very poorly when he was in prison. And I was thinking, did he think it was going to be a luxury resort? Because last time I checked, you don't have that many rights in prison, and you shouldn't. The detectives presented John with a photo of Chelsea,

and his reaction was telling. He would glance at it briefly and then quickly look away, avoiding looking at those photos. This, coupled with his really weird demeanor, suggested that he was guilty. These investigators had a lot of experience with predators like him, and they were hoping to provoke a reaction, so they left him alone in that room with Chelsea's photo.

They were watching from a video monitor, And at first, he just appeared calm. But then everything shifted. He was saying something under his breath. He was calling Chelsea a bitch and questioning, why are you doing this to my life? If that's not weird, I don't know what is. But then he would just flip the photo over

so he didn't have to look at it. I could not believe what I was hearing when I was reading this. That's actually very unhinged.