Unseen - The Family Feud Killer | The Case of Becky Bliefnick | UNSEEN

Episode Date: January 6, 2025

“If he doesn’t get it his way, he may literally lose his mind” On February 23rd, 2023, mom of 3 Becky Bliefnick was found dead, shot 14 times in cold blood, and despite the brutal nature of the attack, there isn’t any DNA evidence left behind. The killer thinks he’s outsmarted everyone, but little do they know that Becky refused to be a silent victim, and has left all the clues investigators need to uncover the truth and bring justice for her and make sure her killer would pay for the murder. Becky’s sister, Sarah, has started a GoFundMe to create a scholarship fund and support Becky’s 3 young children. To donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sf6w9h-becky-bliefnick-memorial-and-support-fund Research & story by Tiffany Loxton Editing by Maxime Desrochers & Matthew Rice Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader Voiceover by William Akana Sources: 48 Hours: The Game Show and the Murder (CBS) Dateline: Ghostrider (Peacock Productions) Killer Relationships: The Price of Love (Faith in Justice Productions/Texas Crew Productions) 2020 Special Bad Romance: Dangerous Game (ABC) Killer Cases: The Bicycle Killer (Law & Crime Productions) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Family Feud hides the most disturbing secret. Pay attention to this contestant, 40-year-old Tim Bleafnick. His response to Steve Harvey's question quickly became the most unsettling in the show's history. What's the biggest mistake you made at your wedding? Said I do. After this episode aired, things take a disturbing turn. As Becky, Tim's wife of 12 years, is found dead in the family home with 14 gunshot wounds. This brutal crime has had the Quincy community on edge.

After her death, police naturally focused their investigation on Tim, the father of the couple's three children. However, Tim denies everything. I did not murder Becky. The idea of murdering someone, let alone the mother of my kids, is not any part of who I am. Cops find no evidence directly linking him to the crime, but Becky's older sister, Sarah, is concerned that her sister's children are living with a murderer. I instantly felt like something was wrong. It's not the same man we used to know. We had seen through social media. My girlfriend told me to stop being an idiot.

The deterioration of his mental state over the course of the divorce. The murder of Becky Bleafnick would remain a mystery if it wasn't for the clues Becky left behind, evidence that would reveal the truth and ultimately help Becky Bleafnick solve her own murder from beyond the grave. On the eastern side of the Mississippi River, about 300 miles from Chicago, Illinois, sits the small town of Quincy. For decades, the hum of daily life went to... un-interrupted, fostering a sense of trust and security among its residents. Among them is 41-year-old Becky Bleafnick, a devoted and hard-working mother of three boys. As a nurse, she gives her all, both at home and in her community. However, on February 23, 23, 23, things take a disturbing turn.

For the worse, it's the end of the school day for the three Bleafnick children, and their mother hasn't shown up to bring them home. Becky's absence is completely out of character. Tim arranges to come and get them, all the while trying to get a hold of Becky. But all of his calls go unanswered. He then quickly messages his ex-wife's father, who is also very concerned, to see if he can go check on her in person. As Bill, Becky's father, arrives at her home, he notices the door is slightly open. The house is eerily silent. He calls out Becky's name, but once again, no answer.

Bill makes his way through the house. There's no sign of her. Now going upstairs, Bill discovers something no father should ever see. Becky is lying on the floor of her bathroom, in a pool of blood. And everyone? Yeah. I'm like, I'm not awake and she's not breathing.

I'm trying to wake her. The feeling of finding your daughter in that situation, I have a kid's my own, and that'd be tough. After the heartbreaking call to police, the authorities rush to the family's home, but already detectives are left with more questions and answers. What they know so far is that Becky's body bears multiple wounds, there's evidence of forced entry through one of her bedroom windows.

There's traces of shredded plastic around her, but frustratingly, no DNA, fingerprints, or murder weapon has been left behind. While investigators are piecing together the story, an already distraught bill is forced to break the devastating news to the rest of the family. We don't know anything, but Becky's dead. Reality is suspended. It's so impossible to process your sister's murder. The officials say a family member found 41-year-old Rebecca Bleafnick dead in a home in the 2,500 block of Kentucky Road.

Without a clear lead on the case, detectives called Josh Jones, state's attorney of Illinois, and his assistant, Laura Keck, for guidance on the investigation. From the first moment when we walked in and saw Becky's body, it was different. You put yourself in the mind of Becky Bleafnick in the last moments of her life, the fear that she had to be feeling. You can't walk out of that house and not be affected by it. As they continue to analyze the scene, they discover Becky's phone behind the bathroom door. This evidence could be crucial to track her last activity. While Josh and Laura start looking through all the content on Becky's phone, a task both lengthy and meticulous, one thing becomes clear.

Whatever they find, most likely won't be enough by itself to convict, so they have no choice but to delve deeper into Becky's life to learn more. Little did they know, Becky had actually left them vital clues that would ultimately help, solve her own murder. Back in 2013, 10 years before her murder, Becky is a young college student studying bioscience when she meets a charismatic student named Tim. The pair attend a few classes together and share similar interests, like fitness. Before they knew it, they were falling for each other, fast, and things became serious. In the years that follow, they decide to get married in a beautiful ceremony. Once the wedding was over, it was time to consider what might come

next. Becky had always dreamed of becoming a mother, and within one year of their wedding, they became pregnant with their first son. They then settle into a modest home in Quincy, with a couple adding two more children into the mix. Their home, once quiet, transforms into a joyfully chaotic household of five. For a time, their life appears to reflect the quintessential American dream. After a few years of family life and working as a top-performing pharmaceutical sales rep, Becky finds herself supporting a close friend who's caring for a child with serious health issues.

Tragically, the child passes away. But this heartbreaking experience inspires Becky to shift careers and become a nurse. I wrote this speech because I wanted my friends to know how much she and her son have affected me, inspired me to be a nurse, and challenged me to be a better person. This moment becomes a turning point in her life, now realizing she wants to make a difference in others' lives during their toughest moments. However, one person is not on board with Becky's decision. Her husband, Tim, these new long hours mean that he would have to take on more responsibilities at home

with her three sons. Becky was working her butt off, trying to make it work between her nursing schedule and trying to raise her boys. And she was very frustrated because Tim only acted in his own selfish interests. As tension starts growing in their marriage, Tim makes a surprising move.

He signs up for the show Family Feud. For most families, a fun competition show like Family Feud is a chance to bond and share some laughs together. However, there's something strange about this specific episode. Tim decides not to invite Becky on the show with him, Becky tries to brush it off, but can't help it feel rejected by

the man she loves. When Tim's family feud episode finally airs a year later, the whole town of Quincy excitedly comes together to watch it. The episode goes well, with both teams taking turns making the audience laugh, but then, the next question is asked. What's the biggest mistake you made at your wedding? Tim steps up to answer, and despite framing his response as a joke, the audience, and even Steve Harvey's reaction, are quite telling. Said I do. As he laughs it off, Becky can't shake the uncomfortable feeling that this seems to hint at something deeper, an unspoken truth slipping through his humor, exposed in front of their entire community.

It's going to be a lot of hell to pay up your house. As it turns out, Tim really means that answer. One year later, he files for divorce. She was very hurt. She was heartbroken, not so much for herself, but for her family, for her children. A few months into the divorce, Tim moves out of the family home and rents a new place just a couple blocks away so that he can stay close to their children. Becky channels her energy into her nursing career, using it as a foundation to rebuild her life while also prioritizing quality time with the kids. Tim, on the other hand, after his hit appearance on Family Feud, shifts his focus towards self-improvement, entertainment, and public stardom.

He takes up acting classes and participates in community theater productions in Quincy, even landing a spot on the competitive TV. show American Gladiator. Looking to build a broader audience, Tim even turns to social media, leveraging platforms like TikTok to cultivate a more public persona. So at a party, my girlfriend told me to stop being an idiot. Just be yourself. I looked at her and said, you better make up your mind. Meanwhile, the divorce proceedings move forward, and tensions between exes Becky and

Tim start to escalate. At one point, I think he asked for 60% of custody and that Becky would get 40% custody of the And he asked for a lot of other things that were similar to that, that were, in my view, extreme ass in a divorce case. The disagreements and hostility becomes so intense that Becky decides to take legal action, seeking an order of protection against her ex-husband. In the request, she alleges that Tim entered her residence without permission. She also states that he repeatedly falsified their mutual interactions. Although the order of protection is not granted, the judge orders Tim to return a 9-millimeter handgun

that Becky had gifted him back when they were together. However, Tim doesn't seem to remember where it is. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel,

Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your one-office. $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. Back in 2023, as Josh and Laura continue their search, delving deeper into Becky's life, friends and family struggle with organizing her funeral. Her tragic death at only 41 years old is incomprehensible to the community.

Her three young sons and Becky's older sister stand among the mourners. There was fear wrapped up in this funeral because Becky's murderer was still out there. Someone else appears at the funeral, ready to pay their condolences, Becky's ex-husband, Tim. He came to the visitation at the funeral home, stood at her casket, and then he left. He was there about 10 minutes. In a quick appearance and even quicker departure, Tim vanishes from the funeral. This unusual behavior sets off something in Becky's sister, Sarah's mind. Josh and Laura listened to Sarah's concerns about Tim, as she becomes increasingly worried about her ex-brother-in-law.

The prosecutors finally uncover from Becky's phone analysis one of the more concerning text exchanges she had. If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim. With this crucial clue, Josh and Laura know they have to act fast. Still having no concrete evidence tying Tim to any kind of crime scene, they make the risky call to track Tim down and attempt to place him in custody for the safety of the kids. We were worried about if Tim was not in custody because sometimes people, when they're desperate, they don't see any way out. They kill everybody around them, and then they kill themselves. We cannot let that happen. Ensuring the safety of the boys was the highest priority. So we had set up

a surveillance team to follow him to make sure, basically that he dropped the boys off at school. But there was some confusion after Tim took the kids to school. It didn't go exactly as we planned. We lost eyes on his vehicle. He did not return to his home. And then other investigators saw the vehicle that looked like Tim's vehicle go down Kentucky Road. So we went down Kentucky Road, and we saw Tim's vehicle parked behind Becky's house. As the police team approaches the house, Tim runs out of the back and is placed in handcuffs almost immediately. The children are also found safe, and their father is taken to the Adams County Jail to be held, despite the weak case against him. I was pushing Josh that we need to hold him without bond because I didn't want him.

anything to happen to those boys. I didn't want them to be gone from Quincy. You understand your rights in this case? Yes, sure. Not guilty, Ms. Schenck? Yes, right. In Illinois, holding a defendant without bond means that authorities are only given 90 days

to prepare for a trial while the defendant remains in custody. The idea that we're going to do a trial in 90 days was incredibly scary to me. In my career, 17 years in homicide, I never even heard of a murder trial going from investigation, to arrest, to trial as quickly as this one. Josh and Laura know they have to build the best case of their careers. The stakes are higher than ever.

If Tim is found not guilty, the children could be at risk. We were going to be ready come hell or high water. Juries expect a confession. They expect that DNA evidence that says one in 500 million. We're going to have to show them that that's not what we have here. With Tim in custody and the 90-day countdown having already begun, Josh and Laura don't waste any time. they immediately turned to the autopsy report they have just received.

In order to close this case, they need to prove without a doubt that Tim was not only physically at the crime scene, but also had a clear motive. The new report obtained not only illuminates the horrifying final moments of Becky's life, but also reveals a chilling new discovery. She was shot 14 times, and there was one miss, so there were 15 rounds fired. According to the pathologist, none of those 14 bullet wounds were instantly fatal. She didn't die right away. Her death was incredibly traumatic and painful to her, lying on that bathroom floor in the dark, bleeding to death,

paralyzed from the waist down, not able to breathe. Nobody should have to experience that. The autopsy findings offer some new insights. This was a crime of passion. There was someone in Becky's life that harbored a lot of anger and sought vengeance on the night of February 23rd. Josh and Lorris' next step is clear, securing a search warrant to her ex-husband, Tim's house. The objective is also clear, finding the murder weapon. We seized iPads, computers, gaming systems, phones, a lot of electronic evidence.

We did find a gun safe, empty in his bedroom, did not have a firearm in it, which I thought was interesting. And then they found 54 shell casings that had been fired from a gun. Every time a gun fires a bullet, it leaves marks on the shell casing, kind of like a fingerprint. If you're able to find shell casings, you can determine if they're fired from the same gun. The discovery of bullet casings offer a glimmer of hope. But unfortunately, if they come back as a match to the crime scene, they are still not enough to convince a jury that Tim was behind it, as they are still without the murder weapon. While the casings are sent to the lab for analysis, Josh and Laura have only 10 days left before court. And so the peer turns to the Quincy community with a call for help,

searching for any possible surveillance footage. We started to look back and try to find surveillance video of the area around Becky's house. They start canvassing the neighborhood and are able to locate a neighbor's security camera in the perimeter. Josh and Laura quickly get their hands on the footage, and then a breakthrough. They spot silhouettes of an individual near her property on multiple nights, seemingly prowling around the home. There was someone walking back and forth in the driveway at a time when somebody shouldn't be in that driveway. The footage is extremely hard to make out. It's too blurry to identify specific characteristics about the individual lurking around Becky's property.

And more importantly, it isn't from the night of Becky's murder, but rather the days leading up to it. It could simply be seen as someone at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It seemed like someone was casing Becky's house. We watched that video multiple times to try to see if we could figure anything. out and honestly, all you could tell is that it was a person. Now armed with specific time stamps, Josh and Laura expand their search. Just a few blocks from Tim's house, they uncover more footage, this time, showing a man on a bike. In another security camera, they discover the same person on a bike, but this time, near her house,

close to the hour of the murder. Around the time of the murder, there's a person riding a bike in February at 1 o'clock in the morning in Quincy. February and Quincy is cold, and at 1 o'clock in the morning, we're not a bike riding community at 1 o'clock in the morning. So that was strange. Every time you see a person at the Hyman residence, you see a person riding a bike down the road just a few minutes before you see a person on that Hyman video. The trial is now in a few days, and Josh and Laura will have to face Tim in court, with still nothing but circumstantial evidence. As they walk into the courtroom, Josh immediately recognizes the presiding judge, Robert Adrian.

Judge Adrian had previously overturned a sexual assault conviction in a shocking twist, just a year earlier, declaring that defendant not guilty, citing the man's lack of proper criminal history, despite a jury's guilty verdict. Yes, I didn't believe her. And if they would have looked at the evidence in the case, then they would have seen that he was not guilty. The decision had sparked public outrage, and Josh's subtle involvement on social media, liking a post that criticized Adrian's ruling, did not go unnoticed. The judge had publicly reprimanded Josh for what he perceived as insulting behavior, accusing him of fostering bias. This fallout ultimately led to Judge Adrian removing Josh from another case, leaving tensions between the two palpable as they now faced each other in court once more.

Now, with Judge Adrian overseeing Becky's trial, Josh knew this wouldn't be an easy battle. Day one of the trial for Becky Bleafnick's murder, despite the odds stacked against them, Josh and Laura remained focused on the evidence they do have. First, the bullet shells found in Tim's basement, which forensic experts carefully analyzed and sent for review, with the results coming back as a match to the ones from the crime scene. Only the defendant had the matching shell casings in its basement. Shell casings in the basement were fired by the exact same gun. The only thing we know is these shell casings match these shell casings, but we don't

know where they came from. Josh and Laura are ready for this, bringing forward a key detail the defense missed back in 2021 when a judge reviewed Becky's request for a protection order and asked him to return the gun she had given him. They reveal that Tim, to this day, has never given the gun back. I have not seen that gun in three years. I didn't have it. They bring to the stand the police secretary who had spoken with Tim about the firearm. Did he go on to say why he was calling the police because he had a gun that he needed to return to recession? He did. He said that. he did not want to give it to that crazy .

For the final subject of day one, Josh and Laura introduced the evidence regarding the shredded plastic found near Becky's body. Investigators revealed that the plastic originated from an Aldi grocery bag. And then in the defendant's house, we found stacks of Aldi bags. He'd fired through an Aldi bag either in an attempt to muffle the sound or to catch his shell casings. Everybody in town has Aldi bags that they're hoarding. They could have came from Becky's house.

As day one of the trial comes to a close, Josh and Lor are left uncertain about how the jury has received the evidence so far. Both the defense and prosecution teams had good arguments, and Tim seems confident. However, for tomorrow, what the jury doesn't know yet is that the duo had recently uncovered a new piece of evidence that could turn the trial in their favor. And with that, the second day begins with the surveillance footage,

presenting the person seen on the bike. On the video, you see the defendant riding a bike down the street, and when we looked at that bike, we noticed that the bike didn't have any reflectors on the wheels. And we were able to determine that because we had another detective riding a different bike down the street at the same time. And on that video, you could just see the wheels light up from the reflectors. You cannot say with any degree of certainty who that person is on any of those videos. All you see is a bike without reflectors.

Building on the scene already set by the mysterious ghost rider, Josh and Laura present a key finding. A bicycle found close to Tim's house. They were attempting to prove that Tim was on that bike at Becky's house, the night of the murder, and then discarded it further away. However, the results unfortunately came back inconclusive. Despite efforts to extract valuable evidence from the bike, no definitive DNA links were found. So was Tim really on that bike?

And was it even his? Once again, Josh and Laura are prepared. We were able to download information off his phone, And we found that Mr. Bleafnick had a what I'll call burner or fake Facebook account with the name John Smith. Through further investigation, they had discovered that Tim purchased a bike of the exact same model found near his house. This revelation further connects Tim to the crime scene and strengthens their case against him. Following their gut, they show the jury some interesting timings between the home surveillance footage and Tim's digital footprint. The computer activity revealed that for several nights right before the unknown figure was captured at Becky's house,

Tim's devices were deactivated. Interestingly, Tim's devices came back online shortly after the figure disappeared. Even more damning, the night Becky had her new boyfriend stay over, Tim made shocking internet searches. He was looking for things like how to make a homemade silencer, how to wash gunshot powder residue off your hands. Twenty Police Department response time, how to pry open a door with a crowbar,

multiple things that exactly matched our crime scene. With the trial soon coming to a close, Josh and Laura know their final day in court will be crucial. Despite the information they collected, they're still missing Tim's DNA at the crime scene and the actual murder weapon, two of the most needed pieces of evidence for a guilty verdict. The final nail in the coffin will need to come from Becky Bleafnick

and her own investigation against Tim. On the third day of the trial, Josh and Laura shift the jury's attention to the case Becky have been quietly building against Tim's father, Ray Bleafnick. Becky didn't want their three children to be around the defendant's father. father unsupervised. The final part of the divorce, the final hearing was scheduled about a week after she was found

murder. We don't know what the final result was going to be, but we do know that Becky had witnesses subpoenaed and she was going to argue that Ray shouldn't be around her kids, and that was one of the issues in the divorce. They showed the jury text messages Becky had sent about him. I'm wanting to never have my children around him alone ever again. Tim told me if I outed his dad that he, Ray, would probably have to move and then he would get himself.

Information was going to come out that he didn't want to come out, and he started to feel like he was losing control. It is revealed that on the day Becky was murdered, Tim had brought a children's basketball hoop to his father's house, almost like he knew, before anyone else, that they would suddenly be spending more time with him. He's doing that because he knows Becky's not going to be a problem anymore. Becky didn't want those boys around Ray.

And in Tim's mind, that problem was solved because Becky was dead. I really don't buy that. Because the boys weren't restricted from seeing ready to begin with. All of those allegations were in pleadings that her attorneys had filed, and at that point were already a matter of public record. They perceived to show even more text messages from Becky, where she showcased his increasingly troubling behavior, including clear moments of jealousy, control, and threats.

There was no question now that the fun, happy-go-lucky public persona of Tim Bleafnick was nothing like who he revealed himself to be behind closed doors. If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim. I'm putting this in writing that I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me. He has screamed in my face. He shoved me in front of the kids and has thrown things across the room. I truly believe Tim has serious mental health problems and he is becoming more vengeful and unpredictable. A heavy silence fell on the courtroom as the remainder of Becky's text messages were read aloud.

Her friends, who were present in the room, sat frozen as they realized the weight of the words they had once overlooked. That's a lot of girl talk. I've never seen any pictures of her with bruises, of marks, any allegations of him beating on her. Nothing. Tim disregarded Becky's desperate messages, trying to make it seem like she was the problem in their relationship. She wasn't the one that was emotionally abused. She told people I had an affair, which is untrue. She tried to tell people that I was an alcoholic, which is untrue.

She was telling people these things because she was angry about the divorce. After a grueling trial, it was time for the verdict. Everyone in the courtroom could fuel the tension. The evidence they had painstakingly gathered, surveillance footage, text messages, forensic analysis, had painted a clear, compelling picture. But despite their efforts, there was still uncertainty about how the jury would interpret it all. Josh and Laura had no idea if they had done enough to convince not only the jury, but also Judge Adrian of Tim's guilt, beyond a reasonable doubt.

He had everything to lose, if that's him, and nothing to gain. I wholeheartedly do not believe he had anything to do with the death of Becky. I did not murder Becky. The idea of murdering someone, let alone the mother of my kids, is not any part of who I am. As everyone waited anxiously, the jury finally returned to the courtroom to announce their decision. As a verdict is read aloud, the courtroom releases a collective breath. So the jury comes back in. I looked at Becky's family, and they're all just holding themselves, holding hands.

Would the clerk read the verdicts, please? We, the jury. Find the defendant. Timothy Blefnick. Guilty of first degree murders. For Becky Bleafnick's friends and family, justice has finally been served. It was relief. It was relief.

Tim Bleafnick is sentenced to life in prison without parole, ensuring he will never pose a threat to anyone ever again. I remember hearing guilty. And I remember looking over at Becky's father, Bill Postal, and he's just crying. I think he was holding it together for as long as he could. He called my dad to set him up to find her. That alone shows how cool he really is. It was a sense of relief that they had found him guilty,

but it was also a sense of these three little boys have not lost both parents. It's not a celebration. Outside the courthouse, Becky's family stands with quiet determination as they address. the media. In Becky's memory, they share their plans to establish a fund to support her children and ensure their future. We would like to thank Josh Jones, Laura Keck, who have all worked so tirelessly in pursuit of the truth. Such love and support does help restore our faith, that the world does, in fact, have more good than evil. And as they go forward with a certain truth, their father murdered their mother, we ask that you keep Becky's three incredible boys

in your prayers. Even in her final days, Becky fought tirelessly to protect herself and her children, and her courage ensured the truth could not be buried, no matter what. Following Becky's trial, there's also a pivotal moment for the local justice system, in a rare move after ongoing public pressure and months after Becky's verdict. Judge Adrian is removed from the bench, marking a significant shift in accountability and a step toward restoring public trust. Josh Jones, whose relentless fight for Becky's justice had earned widespread.

respect, is later appointed to fill Adrian's seat as judge. From this new position, Josh vows to bring fairness and integrity to every case that crosses his courtroom. At the same time, Laura Keck is chosen to replace Josh as the Adams County Assistant State's attorney. Becky's case leaves a lasting impact on the community of Quincy, serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of speaking up and protecting those at risk. Her courage in documenting her struggles, combined with the tireless efforts of those who sought justice in her name, guarantee that her story would never be forgotten. For Becky's loved ones, the verdict was not an ending, but a beginning, a commitment to ensure that no voice, like Becky's, would ever go and heard again. Standing up for

what's right and supporting one another creates a ripple effect that brings people together and empowers us all to make a difference.