Hi. I've talked before on this podcast about my relationships with hotels. It's
not a great one. We grew up where if we went to a holiday
and express, we were living fancy. And not that there's anything wrong with
a holiday in, but you know, it's a it's not a five star
resort, to say the least. My roommate freshman year of college also told
me one time about how he stayed at a hotel and didn't wear his shoes
or socks and ended up picking up foot herpies. I don't know why that's
a thing, but that's stressful and I've just heard so many other horror stories
that, especially right now during a global pandemic, I'm just not really feeling
like staying at any hotel. I have had good experiences, though. When
I went to San Francisco a couple of years ago, we stayed at this
place. I don't even remember the name of the place, but their color
scheme was purple. And when I called to check in and confirm my reservation,
the guy's like, hello, this is Mission control, and I was
like, yes, Hi, I'd like to speak to the front desk,
and as if I was the fool, he's like, yeah, this is
Mission Control. I'm cabin crew member Mike. How may I help you?
So I knew that we were in for an experience. And when we checked
into our actual room, or as they preferred to call it, our pod,
I realized that we were staying at a five star hotel where the room
was about maybe eight feet wide if we're being generous here, and the bed
was on a second floor loft, but it really wasn't two stories. It
was just kind of up a small little flight of stairs, and he had
about three feet of space up above where the bed was. It was an
experience. If you're in San Francisco, check it out. Look for a
purple hotel. That's all I can remember. So I've had the lowest of
the low hotels, and I've had the highest of the high hotels. But
enough about me. Let's talk about Chris. Now. Chris loves true crime.
It's literally their number one obsession. On weekends, Chris would be glued
to their TV watching hours of forensic files and I survived. Nothing excited Chris
more than a mystery, something that they could spend days researching, and for
a time, it brought them a lot of comfort and intrigue. But that
fascination came with consequences. You see, Chris became really obsessed with the mystery.
Now, it's not a mystery that many people have heard about. In
fact, Chris was one of the few who was gripped to it and became
more involved in it than they asked for. Together, let's look at where
Chris's passion for through crime came from and dive into the mystery that would change
their life forever. Welcome to Deadtime Stories, a podcast where I Skyler Fastenel
take you through a true crime event and the style of an old fashioned radio
program. If you're a fan of our show and you want to support independent
artists, head on over to Patreon dot com slash og Deadtime. We'll be
back with this story after these brief messages. Welcome back to our show.
Let's talk about Chris Green. Chris grew up in the outskirts of Mobile,
Alabama. Their mother ran a small motel that welcomed a steady stream of guests
up through the late nineteen eighties. As a child, Chris would help their
mother run the hotel on weekends, mostly just cleaning rooms after guests left.
Chris one on nine left their key in the dropbox? Can you please try
to have it done by three? What started as normal Saturday chores would turn
into the catalyst of Chris's future obsessions. Hello. A woman lay still on
the bed of the motel room, staring up at the ceiling. Chris's eyes
fixated on her fading skin, before drifting to the prescription bottle in her hand.
Oh, oh my god, Oh my god, mom whom police sooner
arrived on the scene to clean up and to perform an investigation. Unfortunately,
we are seeing this more and more these days. It's just awful. Do
you have a name on record? I do. Her name's Jackie Stafford.
She entered the room for three nights. We'll check to see if we can
find some family to properly identify. Thank you, miss Green. Chris's mother
was adamant about not letting her child anywhere near the motel rooms anymore, but
the damage had already been done. The image of the dead woman was seared
into Chris's mind and would firmly stay there for years to come. The first
few nights were the toughest, but fear soon turned into fascination. Chris was
still young, and their brain was filled with questions about death. How did
she die? Marta Green never had to explain suicide to her child before.
Even though she thought Chris was still too young, Marta knew the discussion had
to happen. Chris, there are a lot of times that grown ups feel
sad. Sometimes grown ups feel like they won't ever be happy again, and
that pressure can sometimes lead a person and their life. Are you sad more?
I am, sweetie. Do you think you'll be happy again? Of
course, of course, and you will too, You will always be happy
again. Over the months and years, the dead body changed Chris's life immensely.
Their newly discovered fascination with the dead brought Chris to the library often.
There they would spend hours reading the obituaries and newspapers, carefully remembering the way
that every person died and the small legacies that each one left behind. Chris
had also hoped to find an obituary for the woman found in the family's motel,
Jackie Stafford, but an obituary never came, at least not in the
mobile press register. Chris began amassing stacks of newspapers from the surrounding towns in
their bedroom just hoping to learn a sliver about her life. Marta Green was
not a fan of Chris's newfound obsession. Chris put down the newspaper and eat
your dinner. Yeah, just after I finished reading each a bit, Mom,
No, Chris put it away. Now, God, fine, it's
inappropriate. We should be respecting the dead. I am respecting the mom,
each and every one of them. Despite the fuming tensions between them, Marta
allowed Chris to finish their quest in their room. Even on the one year
anniversary of discovering the body, Chris couldn't stop thinking about Jackie Stafford. They
had a mass a collection of every newspaper from every city in the Gulf Coast
region, and not a single one was for her. After their mother left
for errands, Chris decided to clear things up for themselves. Mobile Police Department,
How may I help you him? I was hoping to find out more
about a suicide that happened last year. The person's name was Jackie Stafford.
We don't give out information on those kinds of cases. I was just wondering
if anyone claimed her body. What did you say? Her name was Jackie
Stafford? On my system it says her body was never formally identified. Were
you looking to do that today? None of this made sense to Chris.
Why did no one claim Jackie's body? Did she have family? And if
not, is that why she was so sad? These questions only seemed to
pile up, and Chris began to accept that they may never get answered.
After this phone call, Chris began to gradually move on from Jackie. In
replacement, Chris became obsessed with Unsolved mysteries. Stacks of Alabama newspapers were replaced
with books about the Zodiac Killer and the Black Dahlia. In nineteen eighty seven,
the widely successful series Unsolved Mysteries premiered on NBC as a means of bringing
unsolved crimes to the public's attention with the hope that they would eventually find answers.
Oh God, not another night of this, Chris. Can't we watch
mcgiver or something? Come on, Mom, they aren't going to show reruns
of this fine, just one episode today on Unsolved Mysteries. Our story takes
us to whisk As, set, a small marshy town on the mid coast
of Maine and Delano. A high schooler is returning home from school. Mom,
I'm home mom. That morning, Ryan's single mother, Gail Delano,
told him that she was going to meet a man named John at a nearby
restaurant, assuming his mother was still out, Ryan didn't think too much of
it. However, afternoon turned into evening and Gail was still nowhere to be
found. Knowing that his mother was going to a restaurant connected to a hotel
run by a family friend, Ryan decided to investigate himself. Is Sarah Johnson's
Hi, mister Peabody, This is Ryan Delanah. Listen, my mom had
a date at your hotel and she hasn't come home yet. Have you seen
her around at all? Not at all. I've been at the front desk
all day and i haven't seen her come in once. The news worried Ryan,
and soon after he contacted the Whiscossette Police to report a missing person.
Police immediately went to the Howard Johnson's hotel, where her car was discovered locked.
You're absolutely sure you never saw miss Delano in here? Positive, I'm
more than happy to give you access to our cameras. Detectives scanned the videos
diligently, but there was no sight of Gail Delanno ever entering the building.
With no procuring evidence, the police decided to wait the evening to see if
Gail would turn up. Instead, the police were met with new information from
hotel management. A busboy from our restaurant discovered a purse. It was in
a bush near the end chance. Police searched the purse to find that all
of Gail's personal belongings were still there. However, Miss Delanno's son noticed something
off about the purse, the secret pocket. It's empty. What do you
mean? Mum had a pocket in the side of her purse she stitched herself.
She used to keep fifty bucks in it for emergencies. This development worried
authorities and the focus of the investigation shifted to who the john was that Gail
was set to meet. Detective. How can I help you son? I
thought you might find this useful. What is it? It's a date book.
She would keep a record of every day she went on as a precaution.
After parsing the book, it was revealed to detectives that Gail Delanno was
a self described lonely heart who often met her dates via newspaper ads. Single,
middle aged mother of two seek single mail with stable career for companionship and
love based on maincoast, but willing to travel. Authorities decided to interview every
single man in Delano's book, including a few men named John Hope. In
the leads seemed lost, as every person in Gail's book had a rock solid
alibi, But then a breakthrough in the case showed itself once authorities learned that
a truck driver named John Scott was staying at the Howard Johnson's the night before
Gail disappeared. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, mister
Scott, of course, did you see this woman during your time in Maine?
I sure did. I forget what her name was started with a J
or G or something. I gave her a rad where I was heading south.
She didn't lack me too much, though she hitched a ad with a
different driver once we got around New Jersey. How was she behaving? She
was silent most of the time. Kept pulling out this bottle of pills and
was reading the label. I couldn't tell what they were. This new information
led investigators to believe that Gail may have disappeared willingly. Her family didn't immediately
buy into this theory. Is there any chance that your mother may have run
away. No, no, she wouldn't do that. She loved me,
she loved her family. And why would she leave her purse behind? I
don't know, Son. How was she in the days before disappearing. She
seemed happy, you know, just her normal self. She made breakfast for
dinner, and we played board games all night. Did she say anything that
may have been off? Son? She kept talking about how much she wished
we both had wigged and we could go wherever we wanted to. On June
twenty first, nineteen eighty six, Gail Delano disappeared without a trace. She
left behind two sons, a beautiful home, and so many unanswered questions.
Police suspect Gail may have run away for what reason, we may never know.
If you or someone you know has any information regarding miss Delano's whereabouts,
please contact Main State Police. Her family just wants to know she is safe.
This has been unsolved, mysteries. Have a good night. As the
end credits of the episode rolled, a clear photo of Gail de Lana was
shown on screen. In that moment, Chris's blood went cold. Oh my
god. Chris immediately recognized Gail Delano as the same woman they saw staring at
the motel's ceiling. Her skin had been a different color then, but it
was definitely the same woman. That's horrible, Hoop, that's Jackie. That's
Jackie Stafford. No, no, there's no way. Chris was adamant,
though, and together they called the Main State Police. The original Deadtime stories
will continue after these messages, and now back to our story. The next
morning, in a seeming active deja vu, Marta Green found authorities at her
motel. Once again, your continued cooperation is appreciated, Miss Green. We're
sorry you and your child how to get roped into all of this. Thank
you, officer. Soon thereafter, the truth about Jackie Stafford or Gale Delano
began to surface. Seven. Oh, looks like you're going to jail,
mom, seriously again? Sorry, Mom, might as well call this space
Main Avenue. What do you mean by that? I'm just being funny.
What's wrong, Mom? Nothing, sweetie, I just got lost in my
thoughts. What are you thinking about? Just how great it would be if
you and I had wings and could go wherever we wanted. That's what they
make airplanes for, you know, or cars? You know what I mean?
Smarty pants? Now, roll eyes. Watch where you're going, lady?
What do you want? Where are you headed? New Orleans? Why
can I come with you? Hopping? What's your name? Honey, Jackie?
Nice to meet you, Jackie. I'm John. Thanks for the lift,
John. Can I contribute some gas money? Sure? If you have
it? Any reason? You're leaving the purse behind? It's ugly? All
right? Then? Do you mind if I put on some music? Go
ahead? Hi, welcome to Mobile. Will you be staying with us this
evening? I'd like to stay the weekend. Sure? Are you okay with
the first floor room? That will be fine? All right? I just
need you to write your name in this book. What brings you into town?
I'm a nurse. I just got a new job in Pensacola. Such
a beautiful area. Oh you're so lucky. Yeah. So you'll be in
room one O nine. Check Out is at three. Please enjoy your stay
with us. The disappearance of Gail de Lana was one of the earliest of
unsolved mysteries cases to be solved, but the revelations to come out of it
didn't sit well with Chris. Chris, Honey, what's wrong? It doesn't
make sense? What do you mean everyone is just moving on from Jackie Well,
I mean they finally identified her. And why, mom? Why did
kill herself? What do you mean you told me the grown ups kill themselves
when they're sad. But why was she sad? How could she be sad?
She had so many people who loved her, and we're looking for her.
It doesn't make sense, Chris, None of it makes sense. I
don't know why a mother would leave her kids behind. I don't know why
someone would drive over a thousand miles just to kill themselves. I don't know
what can make someone so sad that they would do something like that. But
we cannot keep searching for those answers, Chris, we can't. This isn't
the type of mystery that has an answer. You just have to live with
the questions and move on. I love your mama, I'm sorry. After
hearing what their mother had to say, Chris found it easier to move on
from the dead woman in their hotel. In the years following, Chris's passion
for true crime lingered, but they focus their time more on the mystery itself
while respecting how people grieve after major loss. Chris became more passionate about criminal
forensics and the way suspects are interrogated. But despite this blossoming passion, Chris
scaled back their efforts in finding the truth, for when truth is discovered,
it often comes with more questions, questions that are best unanswered and unexplored.
Current Events was written by Keelan Brown, narrated, edited and directed by me
Scyla Fastenel, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Voice talent was provided by
Jeanette Zosh, Rainie Blake, Ariel Dale, Marissa Pistone, Sophia Sasny,
Taylor Shirty, and Shatara Irvin. Our gorgeous theme song was written and performed
by Tracy Zales and our cover artwork was created by Catherine Fastenel. As always,
thank you for joining us for another chapter of the original Deadtime Stories.
If you enjoyed today's episode, let us know and boost our egos by leaving
a five star rating and a nice little review on whatever podcasting map you're using.
If you like our show and you want to support us even more,
head on over to patreon dot com. Slash og Deadtime will give you early
access to new episodes, ad free episodes, and a bunch of other goodies.
We will be back in just one week with an episode that'll make you
think twice about everything you ever learned in psychology. At least that's what it
did to me. Until then, stay safe out there, I don't want
you to become the next chapter's topic on the original Deadtime Stories,