WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:03.930 All witnesses, suspects, and persons of interest are considered innocent 2 00:00:04.049 --> 00:00:07.330 until proven guilty in a court of law. Warning, this 3 00:00:07.410 --> 00:00:11.220 episode contains graphic crime scene detail. Please listen with discretion. 4 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:14.220 Welcome to Primetime Crime. I'm your host, Kylie. 5 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:16.920 Let's talk right now on true crime, and then together 6 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:19.500 we're gonna work on warming up some cold cases. 7 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:20.359 Let's go. 8 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:23.940 Hey guys, welcome to this week's episode of Primetime Crime. 9 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:24.640 It's Kylie. 10 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:26.660 We are gonna get into right now on true crime. 11 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:28.980 We have a few things to catch up on over 12 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:34.229 the last week. So Dwayne Keefie D. Davis was officially 13 00:00:34.289 --> 00:00:38.670 convicted of first degree murder. They found him guilty of 14 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:43.759 his role in Tupac Shakur's murder. And the verdict was 15 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:48.259 dropped on August 31st, obviously of 2026, just a couple 16 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:48.899 of days ago. 17 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:51.880 And the jury deliberated for less than three hours. 18 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:56.270 So, I mean, obviously the evidence was there to convict him. 19 00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:01.280 So after 30 years, Tupac was killed in 1996. After 20 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:05.430 30 years, we finally have a little sliver of justice 21 00:01:06.150 --> 00:01:10.829 for Tupac. So his formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for 22 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:14.849 October 13th of 2026. And I will be sure to 23 00:01:15.049 --> 00:01:16.689 keep you guys updated. 24 00:01:16.590 --> 00:01:20.090 On all of that. And he faces a minimum of 25 00:01:20.090 --> 00:01:21.180 40 years in prison. 26 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:25.549 And prosecutors have said that he could face life. 27 00:01:25.469 --> 00:01:27.890 In prison that goes along with this sentence. 28 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:31.599 So I will be sure to keep you guys updated 29 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.079 on this one. We're going to have an official sentencing 30 00:01:34.140 --> 00:01:36.680 in October, so I will be sure to keep you 31 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.939 guys in the loop. Okay, next order of business, we 32 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:44.500 need to talk about the trial against James Elmore Jr. 33 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:50.200 He is... one of the people that was involved in 34 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:53.000 the death of Laura Miller, who is the daughter of 35 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:59.269 Tim Miller. Tim Miller founded Texas EquiSearch following the abduction. 36 00:01:58.829 --> 00:02:00.790 And murder of his own daughter, Laura. 37 00:02:00.810 --> 00:02:04.930 Notoriously, if you look Laura up, you also will see 38 00:02:05.150 --> 00:02:08.909 the quote-unquote Texas Killing Fields murders. There have been a 39 00:02:09.030 --> 00:02:13.949 lot of bodies found in a very similar geographic area 40 00:02:14.229 --> 00:02:20.129 off of the I-45 corridor. in Texas, situated between Houston 41 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:24.530 and Galveston. There have been more than 30 bodies of 42 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:28.199 young women and girls aged 12 to 25 that have 43 00:02:28.219 --> 00:02:32.159 been discovered in this area since the 1970s. Now, it 44 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.389 is suspected that not all of these victims are tied 45 00:02:35.430 --> 00:02:39.270 to a specific killer, but rather there are perpetrators and 46 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:42.930 predators who are targeting women and using that as essentially 47 00:02:42.990 --> 00:02:46.750 their dumping grounds. Now, there have been victims who are 48 00:02:46.789 --> 00:02:50.069 believed to be tied to a man named Clyde. 49 00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:52.349 Hedrick, including Laura Miller. 50 00:02:52.530 --> 00:02:56.909 Now, Clyde Hedrick took his life earlier this year, literally 51 00:02:57.550 --> 00:03:00.389 right before he was probably about to be indicted for 52 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:05.080 Laura's murder. So Laura was only 16 years old when 53 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:09.639 she disappeared. And then 17 months later, her remains were 54 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:13.069 found in a field off Calder Road in League City. 55 00:03:13.669 --> 00:03:17.090 Tim was Laura's father and never gave up hope that 56 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:19.789 he was going to find out what happened to Laura. 57 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:24.409 In his testimony, he recalls how he would always go 58 00:03:24.430 --> 00:03:27.490 to the site that Laura was found, and he felt 59 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:30.569 like she was telling him basically not to give up, 60 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:32.370 to keep searching, to keep hoping. 61 00:03:32.949 --> 00:03:34.430 So he did just that. 62 00:03:34.590 --> 00:03:41.099 In 2000, he founded Texas EquiSearch, and to this date, 63 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:45.180 he said during his testimony that the organization has conducted 64 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:49.259 searches in 42 states and 11 countries, They've recovered more 65 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:52.939 than 400 deceased people and they have found many others alive. 66 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:58.129 And he describes this organization as Laura's legacy. And I fully, 67 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:02.030 a thousand percent believe in that. I really love seeing 68 00:04:02.050 --> 00:04:05.490 when people take something tragic and turn it into something 69 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:10.699 as beautiful as possible. And in his case, founding Texas EquiSearch, 70 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.080 it is huge. It is very well known. I talk 71 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.220 about it very often in this podcast. 72 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:18.120 It is one of the best. 73 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:20.720 And if you do have somebody in your life that 74 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.980 goes missing, you want Texas Echo Search in your corner. 75 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:28.480 So how this trial came to be against this James 76 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:33.980 Elmore Jr. guy. So Tim Miller testified that he got 77 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:39.750 information in 2022 because James Elmore contacted Texas Echo Search 78 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:43.100 And he said he wanted to talk about a missing 79 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:46.370 persons case and get something off of his chest. So 80 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:49.769 Tim then said that in the beginnings of this conversation, 81 00:04:49.930 --> 00:04:53.629 he identified Clyde Hedrick and Laura Miller as the subjects 82 00:04:53.730 --> 00:04:57.879 of this conversation. Now, Tim said he was initially skeptical 83 00:04:58.009 --> 00:05:01.399 because there had been so many false leads over the years, 84 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.480 but Clyde Hedrick had been identified as a person of 85 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:07.079 interest and possible suspect. 86 00:05:07.689 --> 00:05:10.060 But then Tim. 87 00:05:09.209 --> 00:05:13.329 Said that James Elmore began directing him to locations and 88 00:05:13.389 --> 00:05:18.509 describing details that Tim knew were not publicly known. James 89 00:05:18.610 --> 00:05:22.970 Elmore identified Clyde Hedrick's former home, which was actually two 90 00:05:23.029 --> 00:05:26.569 houses away from where the Miller family had previously lived. 91 00:05:27.069 --> 00:05:29.860 And he also identified an area that was located near 92 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.459 a cemetery where Laura used to spend some time. Again, 93 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:37.829 not stuff that was publicly known. Tim Miller testified that 94 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:42.120 James Elmore eventually went on to describe being present inside 95 00:05:42.209 --> 00:05:45.500 of Clyde's home on the night that Laura died. According 96 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:48.959 to Tim, James Elmore said that the group of them 97 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.579 had been using drugs and that James Elmore was the 98 00:05:52.620 --> 00:05:55.079 guy who had mixed the drugs, so he mixed cocaine 99 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:59.319 in a syringe. And then Tim Miller testified that James 100 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.300 Elmore then said that Clyde Hedrick asked him to prepare 101 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:07.620 another syringe of this cocaine mixture. And he said that 102 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.759 he mixed up another syringe and then handed it to Clyde. 103 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.620 James Elmore said that he told Clyde not to use it. 104 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.870 But then Tim Miller testified that James Elmore told him 105 00:06:20.110 --> 00:06:24.529 that Clyde Hedrick then injected Laura with this mixture. And 106 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:29.189 then that led to Laura passing away. And then they 107 00:06:29.449 --> 00:06:33.389 covered Laura with a Western-style shirt. And then her remains 108 00:06:33.529 --> 00:06:38.220 were found where I talked about earlier. Now, Tim Miller 109 00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:42.480 did testify that James Elmore described the shirt and then 110 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:44.100 later recognized it in a photograph. 111 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:46.420 There was a shirt found near Laura's body. 112 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:50.709 James Elmore also went into detail to Tim Miller about 113 00:06:50.850 --> 00:06:55.310 the death of Audrey Cook, who James Elmore said that 114 00:06:56.009 --> 00:06:58.870 she was shot in the back with a. 22 caliber weapon. 115 00:06:59.509 --> 00:07:05.129 after she rejected Clyde's sexual advances. And her autopsy did 116 00:07:05.170 --> 00:07:07.040 show that she had been shot in the lower back 117 00:07:07.069 --> 00:07:07.579 with a. 118 00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:08.759 22 caliber round. 119 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.980 So the details that James Elmore was giving to Tim 120 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:16.860 Miller very much did match up with law enforcement's evidence 121 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:21.839 and information that they had. James Elmore also provided other 122 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:26.120 information about another missing woman in a trip to Louisiana, 123 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:30.339 which was supported by an interview with that woman's son. 124 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:31.879 So investigators do. 125 00:07:31.779 --> 00:07:35.930 Believe that Clyde Hedrick killed Laura, Audrey Cook, and the 126 00:07:36.050 --> 00:07:39.709 other woman, and the detective testified that the authorities were 127 00:07:39.769 --> 00:07:44.680 preparing to seek indictments against Clyde Hedrick in the four killings. Now, 128 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:48.199 like I said, he took his own life, so unfortunately 129 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:52.060 that cannot happen. But they were able to bring manslaughter 130 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:56.110 charges up against James Elmore Jr., and the trial started Monday, 131 00:07:56.230 --> 00:07:58.949 and I am recording this on Wednesday, and the jury 132 00:07:59.009 --> 00:08:02.829 has found him guilty of manslaughter connected to the deaths 133 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:06.399 of Laura Miller and Audrey Cook. So that was the 134 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:09.980 quickest turnaround for a trial and a verdict I've ever seen. 135 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.220 I think it's great. I am so glad it did 136 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:14.939 not take them long. I'm glad that Tim Miller got 137 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.560 up there and told them everything. And also, let's cheer 138 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:22.470 on Tim Miller for doing what he did in this 139 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:29.009 case because he single-handedly started communicating with a man who 140 00:08:29.029 --> 00:08:33.710 had information possibly about his daughter's murder. He even would 141 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:37.309 go out to the area where Laura's remains were found 142 00:08:37.470 --> 00:08:42.100 with James Elmore Jr. And they would talk about things. 143 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:46.120 And he would give him all this information. James Elmore Jr. 144 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:50.539 would talk to Tim about what happened. And he single-handedly, 145 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:54.919 in my opinion, helped crack his own daughter's case. And 146 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:58.730 I think if there's anything that I'm not surprised about 147 00:08:58.990 --> 00:09:01.450 is that Tim Miller is the one who solved his 148 00:09:01.590 --> 00:09:04.629 own daughter's murder. I know law enforcement had their hand 149 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:07.549 in things, and I know all of that, but I 150 00:09:07.629 --> 00:09:10.690 truly do believe that if he hadn't done what he 151 00:09:10.730 --> 00:09:15.850 did in basically talking to James Elmore... that we might 152 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:18.490 not be in this position now. And I think that 153 00:09:18.549 --> 00:09:22.710 that is amazing. And I think that Laura always coming 154 00:09:22.750 --> 00:09:24.820 through and telling him, don't give up, don't give up, 155 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:28.070 don't give up, led to this moment. And I do 156 00:09:28.110 --> 00:09:30.750 think that there is going to be more to come 157 00:09:30.909 --> 00:09:32.610 on this. So I'm going to be sure to keep 158 00:09:32.649 --> 00:09:36.320 you guys updated. But I grew up knowing the name 159 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:40.379 Laura Miller, having lived outside of the Houston area my 160 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:44.179 whole life. I have always known Laura's case and I 161 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:47.879 am so glad to live in a world now in 162 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:51.370 2026 where I'm able to tell you that there has 163 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:54.309 at least been some movement in her case and hopefully 164 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:57.549 some of the other victims as well will also get 165 00:09:57.610 --> 00:10:01.840 their justice. So in other terror person's news from one 166 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:05.820 criminal to the next, Singer, and I use that term 167 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:11.200 very lightly, David, D4VD, as he goes by on whatever 168 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:15.460 platform he was viral on, David Anthony Burke, who is 169 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:19.299 set to face death murder charges for the murder of 170 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:25.299 Celeste Rivas Hernandez. His lawyers have withdrawn from his case, 171 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:28.500 and he is now going to be represented by a 172 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:33.009 public defender. And I think that this is great news. 173 00:10:33.149 --> 00:10:35.690 I think karma is slowly going to work its way 174 00:10:35.710 --> 00:10:41.720 to David. This man allegedly... is horrific, absolutely horrific. I 175 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:46.990 read the affidavit. I am disgusted, utterly disgusted by everything 176 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:50.289 that this man allegedly did. And I just can't wait 177 00:10:50.330 --> 00:10:52.789 for this one to play out in the court system. 178 00:10:52.929 --> 00:10:54.889 I am going to be staying on top of it. 179 00:10:55.029 --> 00:10:57.070 But as of right now, he is going to be 180 00:10:57.409 --> 00:11:01.970 being represented by a public defender. And I personally love 181 00:11:02.149 --> 00:11:06.899 this for him. Okay, we are getting into the I 182 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:10.320 am starting the recording of this on Wednesday. So as 183 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:15.779 of right now, there is no verdict. The jury cannot agree. 184 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:18.500 They have been sent back multiple times. But I do 185 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:23.179 want to talk about this situation that happened yesterday after court. 186 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:30.039 This woman allegedly was filming the jurors. And she obviously 187 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:34.139 was called on it. She actually got arrested and was 188 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:36.950 in court this morning on it. She said it wasn't 189 00:11:36.990 --> 00:11:39.830 her intention to record the juror. She was trying to 190 00:11:39.929 --> 00:11:43.789 catch a glimpse of Lindsay and record her. But initially 191 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:48.929 it was reported as juror intimidation, which is obviously not okay. 192 00:11:49.850 --> 00:11:54.649 And it has turned into a whole thing. So she 193 00:11:54.730 --> 00:11:57.289 was in court this morning. She was arraigned. 194 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:00.480 And this woman is 56 years old. She is a 195 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:03.940 retired nurse. She has pled not guilty and has been 196 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:08.019 ordered to stay away from the courthouse. Prosecutors have been 197 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:11.799 asked that she be held on a $ 50, 000 cash bond, 198 00:12:11.970 --> 00:12:15.230 but the judge did deny the request. She has agreed 199 00:12:15.269 --> 00:12:17.529 to stay away from the courthouse and not to have 200 00:12:17.629 --> 00:12:21.370 any contact with anybody associated with the case. And she 201 00:12:21.649 --> 00:12:25.679 is going to appear in court on October 15th. I'll 202 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:28.549 keep you guys updated on this one. There has been 203 00:12:28.570 --> 00:12:33.529 so much going on surrounding the Clancy trial. And we're 204 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:36.250 going to stop right there for now because I would 205 00:12:36.289 --> 00:12:39.500 imagine tomorrow is going to bring a little bit more 206 00:12:39.529 --> 00:12:42.559 of something that I can actually talk about because right 207 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.539 now we have a jury that has not been able 208 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:49.899 to come to a unanimous decision, and they are obviously 209 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:55.490 very tired. I think that they are going to declare 210 00:12:55.509 --> 00:12:56.710 a mistrial. 211 00:12:56.830 --> 00:12:58.070 I think the jury is hung. 212 00:12:58.529 --> 00:12:59.990 I don't think they're going to be able to come 213 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:04.100 to a unanimous decision, and that is my prediction. Well, guys, 214 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:07.700 we are on Thursday, and we still don't have a verdict. 215 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:11.429 So there was an issue today in court. The jury 216 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:16.429 continued their deliberations, and then they sent another note to 217 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:22.019 the court, And basically, it ended up going into sidebar 218 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:27.149 where the defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, was visibly upset. And 219 00:13:27.269 --> 00:13:30.070 he and the judge kind of went back and forth. 220 00:13:30.370 --> 00:13:34.669 And then they ended up bringing Lindsey Clancy as well 221 00:13:34.710 --> 00:13:38.110 to the sidebar. And each of the deliberating jurors was 222 00:13:38.190 --> 00:13:41.259 brought out individually. And one by one, the jurors were 223 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:44.019 sworn in and they were questioned by the judge at 224 00:13:44.059 --> 00:13:48.740 the sidebar. while the attorneys and Lindsay looked on. Now, 225 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:51.970 it's not exactly clear what the judge was asking each 226 00:13:52.070 --> 00:13:55.710 individual juror, but they were responding by either shaking their 227 00:13:55.769 --> 00:13:58.490 heads or answering yes before they went back to the 228 00:13:58.509 --> 00:14:02.529 jury room. Then eventually, after all the jurors had been questioned, 229 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:05.779 the entire jury was brought back into the courtroom. And 230 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:08.860 the judge reminded them that they are required to follow 231 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:12.399 the instructions that were given. And then he reread the 232 00:14:12.460 --> 00:14:18.179 instruction about reasonable doubt. Kevin Reddington objected to the way 233 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:21.720 that the issue was handled and revealed that he was 234 00:14:21.779 --> 00:14:25.529 concerned and that this concern involved a specific juror that 235 00:14:25.590 --> 00:14:28.710 is refusing to listen to the law on reasonable doubt 236 00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:31.669 and is not following the instructions. So it does seem 237 00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:34.740 that there is one holdout. And that person seems to 238 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:37.700 not be following things the way that they are supposed to. 239 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:39.440 So Kevin wanted to remove the. 240 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:43.870 Juror and have them replaced by one of the alternates. 241 00:14:44.350 --> 00:14:47.470 But the judge declined to remove the juror because this 242 00:14:47.529 --> 00:14:52.169 has obviously been a long bout of deliberations and there 243 00:14:52.250 --> 00:14:55.750 is just so much going on. So the jury has 244 00:14:55.870 --> 00:14:58.720 left for the evening and they will return tomorrow to 245 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:04.110 continue their investigation said deliberations. I don't know where this 246 00:15:04.210 --> 00:15:07.740 is going. I can't believe that we are still here. 247 00:15:07.750 --> 00:15:10.899 And it does seem that there is just this one 248 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:13.840 person that is a holdout. Now, whether it's a holdout 249 00:15:13.940 --> 00:15:19.179 for actual reason or there is a misunderstanding in the instruction, 250 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.679 I am not really sure on that, but it seems 251 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:25.730 like it is ongoing. So there's so much going on. 252 00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:29.070 I'm overwhelmed and I will try to keep you guys updated. 253 00:15:29.149 --> 00:15:31.629 But I have talked entirely too long on this right 254 00:15:31.649 --> 00:15:33.289 now on True Crime. So we are going to go 255 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:36.529 ahead and get into today's episode. Okay, guys, we are 256 00:15:36.610 --> 00:15:39.950 jumping in to a brand new unsolved case today. In 257 00:15:39.970 --> 00:15:42.860 this week's episode, I'm going to be sharing about the 258 00:15:42.889 --> 00:15:48.070 suspicious death of 17-year-old Danny Violet out of Willard, Ohio 259 00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:52.570 in 1998. Now, this case originally didn't get much media 260 00:15:52.629 --> 00:15:55.289 attention when it happened, and I do think over the 261 00:15:55.350 --> 00:15:59.309 years more has definitely come out. And there have been 262 00:15:59.330 --> 00:16:03.000 a number of podcasts that have covered it, including Culpable, 263 00:16:03.129 --> 00:16:06.500 who did a long-form series on Danny's story back in 264 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:12.250 2025 in cooperation with Danny's family. It was a huge 265 00:16:12.309 --> 00:16:14.610 source that I used for this episode to fill in 266 00:16:14.649 --> 00:16:17.450 the gaps because honestly, there wasn't a whole lot out 267 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:21.429 there about Danny's death. I will be sure to link 268 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:24.179 the podcast in the show notes, but it is season four. 269 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.240 So I highly suggest you guys go and check it 270 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:31.350 out because it really does go into deep detail. But 271 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:35.509 there still are so many unanswered questions to this day 272 00:16:35.669 --> 00:16:39.620 about what exactly happened to Danny. So that is why 273 00:16:39.649 --> 00:16:42.539 we are here to tell Danny's story and bring a 274 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:45.559 little more attention to a case that deserves our attention. 275 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:47.440 Let's go ahead and get into it. 276 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:53.090 Daniel Danny Violet was born on February 23rd of 1981 277 00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:57.389 in San Diego, California, to his parents, Daniel and Jane Violet. 278 00:16:57.850 --> 00:17:00.940 He had two brothers, Drew and Ross, and a sister 279 00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:04.869 named Caroline. Danny was the oldest child of his siblings 280 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:08.220 and was always very protective over them, but Danny was 281 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:12.200 incredibly close with his youngest brother, Drew. Although they did 282 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:15.779 have a five-year age gap, they were incredibly, incredibly close. 283 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:19.160 But to this day, Drew is the driving force behind 284 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:22.730 Danny's story and working to get justice for his brother. 285 00:17:23.750 --> 00:17:26.049 Prior to moving to Willard, Ohio in 1991, Danny and 286 00:17:26.089 --> 00:17:31.779 his family moved lived in Washington, Japan, and Long Beach, California. 287 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:35.299 Since Danny's father was in the military, they bounced around 288 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:38.140 and moved around a lot. But once he retired, they 289 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:42.200 finally settled down for good in Willard, Ohio, at a 290 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:46.069 house that was located on West Tiffin Street. Danny was 291 00:17:46.069 --> 00:17:49.029 17 years old and a student at Willard High School 292 00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:52.150 and the Pioneer Career and Technology Center, where. 293 00:17:52.029 --> 00:17:53.869 He was a junior in the welding program. 294 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:58.430 Now, the Pioneer Career and Technology Center is described as 295 00:17:58.539 --> 00:18:03.160 Ohio's fifth largest public vocational school serving high school juniors 296 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.400 and seniors, as well as adult learners across the region. 297 00:18:07.099 --> 00:18:12.769 It offers hands-on career technical education, specialized professional certifications, and 298 00:18:12.789 --> 00:18:17.710 a modern lab design to build high-demand workforce skills. So 299 00:18:17.829 --> 00:18:20.910 Danny was learning welding, which honestly, I do think there 300 00:18:20.950 --> 00:18:23.990 should be more programs offered like this to high school students. 301 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:27.619 They are great programs and great skills to learn and 302 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:31.599 can translate to a wonderful career. And these are the 303 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:35.210 type of jobs that are very in demand and they 304 00:18:35.329 --> 00:18:38.970 are great careers for people. So Danny was a wrestler 305 00:18:39.130 --> 00:18:43.289 and he lettered in wrestling in 1997 and was voted 306 00:18:43.329 --> 00:18:47.559 the most improved wrestler. He also loved soccer, basketball, swimming 307 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.420 and football. In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, rollerblading, 308 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.140 video games, and hunting. Danny attended church at the First 309 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:58.640 Assembly of God in Willard. Danny was well-liked by his 310 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:02.279 family and friends. He was described as adventurous, daring, and 311 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:06.299 competitive with a wry sense of humor. He was loyal 312 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.349 to his friends and would do anything for them. So 313 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:12.650 like I said, Danny was very well-liked, very popular, and 314 00:19:12.710 --> 00:19:17.210 he had a very laid-back type of personality. which would 315 00:19:17.369 --> 00:19:20.569 often cause him to butt heads with his dad, Daniel, 316 00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:25.690 who was very military-like style and regimented. So they would 317 00:19:25.710 --> 00:19:29.470 butt heads. They would occasionally get into arguments. And as 318 00:19:29.690 --> 00:19:33.980 a normal teenager, Danny just kind of began to rebel. 319 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:38.000 Danny began to use recreational drugs, and he would drink, 320 00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:40.940 and sometimes he would throw parties when his parents weren't home. 321 00:19:41.609 --> 00:19:45.019 Oftentimes when he would get into disagreements with his dad, 322 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:48.170 he would leave home to cool off and often spend 323 00:19:48.190 --> 00:19:51.039 the next couple of days at a friend's house, but 324 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:55.200 he would always return home. Danny's brother, Drew, said that 325 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:58.079 Danny did get into a lot of trouble and he 326 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:01.900 wasn't really the best student, but he really wanted to wrestle, 327 00:20:02.029 --> 00:20:05.230 so he knew that if he wanted to be involved 328 00:20:05.269 --> 00:20:07.829 in wrestling, that he needed to try and keep his 329 00:20:07.869 --> 00:20:11.349 grades up. One of the last conversations that Daniel had 330 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:13.890 with his son was about how he needed to pick 331 00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:18.259 up his grades in order to keep wrestling. Jane, Danny's mom, 332 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:21.519 told a story about how once Danny had gotten in 333 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:25.660 trouble for shoplifting cigarettes. And this is a story that 334 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:29.329 she told on the Culpable podcast. She discusses how the 335 00:20:29.390 --> 00:20:33.049 judge made Danny write a paper about why he was 336 00:20:33.089 --> 00:20:36.500 getting in trouble. And in that paper, she said that 337 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:39.160 he wrote about having a good set of friends and 338 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:41.720 then having a bad set of friends and that he 339 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.960 could be very easily influenced. So when he was around 340 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.359 the good set of friends, he was making good choices 341 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:50.369 and good decisions. And when he was around the bad 342 00:20:50.390 --> 00:20:53.849 set of friends, he was making bad choices and bad decisions, 343 00:20:54.289 --> 00:20:57.890 which I do think for any normal teenager, this is 344 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:01.009 not out of the ordinary. This is very normal behavior. 345 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:06.049 Teenagers are very, very easily influenced, and they could be 346 00:21:06.109 --> 00:21:08.789 influenced in a good way or influenced in a bad way. 347 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:13.410 During Danny's sophomore year, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 348 00:21:13.569 --> 00:21:16.740 after he had an episode at school, and he had 349 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:21.259 to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. He was prescribed 350 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:25.529 lithium along with Seroquel. And the medicines did seem to 351 00:21:25.569 --> 00:21:29.730 help Danny at times, but Danny was also using recreational 352 00:21:29.750 --> 00:21:34.329 drugs and drinking alcohol, which obviously wasn't great because of 353 00:21:34.529 --> 00:21:38.890 the prescription meds that he was taking. So we're now 354 00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:41.430 going to get into the timeline leading up to Danny 355 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:47.329 going missing. So the night is Friday, October 23rd of 1998. 356 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:50.140 And after school, Danny decided to hang out with some 357 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.859 of his friends, and he never came home after school. 358 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:55.200 He just went straight to hang out with his friends. 359 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.160 But he typically would let his parents know what his 360 00:21:58.259 --> 00:22:02.519 plans were. But this time, he didn't do that. That night, 361 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:06.279 it is reported that Danny and his friends did LSD together. 362 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:11.539 Danny had an adverse reaction to the LSD and reacted 363 00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:15.319 after being exposed to a strobe light and had a 364 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:19.680 seizure as a result. Danny didn't return home until the 365 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:24.990 afternoon the next day, Saturday around 1 p.m. So Jane 366 00:22:25.690 --> 00:22:28.630 saw Danny come into the house and was really worried 367 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:31.250 about Danny because he seemed pretty out of it and 368 00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:34.630 he wasn't acting like himself. She sat him down in 369 00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:37.650 the kitchen and tried to get him to eat some cereal. 370 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:40.720 And then she went and let her husband Daniel know 371 00:22:40.779 --> 00:22:42.740 that there was something going on with Danny. 372 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:44.440 When she went to go get Daniel. 373 00:22:45.029 --> 00:22:47.950 Danny got up and left the home once again, saying 374 00:22:47.970 --> 00:22:50.769 goodbye to his younger brother, Ross, who was outside at 375 00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:53.730 the time. That would be the last time that Ross 376 00:22:53.769 --> 00:22:57.539 would see his brother. So Jane and Daniel would spend 377 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.480 the rest of the day searching for Danny. Typically, they 378 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:04.539 wouldn't be overly concerned, but Jane just got a feeling 379 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:07.039 that something was not right with Danny. 380 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:08.859 They searched all of. 381 00:23:08.849 --> 00:23:11.910 The common hangout spots and contacted all of his friends 382 00:23:11.970 --> 00:23:14.630 to see if they had seen Danny, but they hadn't. 383 00:23:15.410 --> 00:23:18.480 They knew that this was very unusual for him just 384 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.539 to run off, and since he didn't look well when 385 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:25.269 Jane saw him in the kitchen, they were worried. Jane 386 00:23:25.289 --> 00:23:29.690 and Daniel reported him missing on Sunday, October 25th. Danny 387 00:23:29.730 --> 00:23:34.079 was last seen wearing a gray Michigan University t-shirt, jeans, 388 00:23:34.170 --> 00:23:37.519 and a pair of black Nikes. The family held out 389 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:40.519 hope that Danny would be found and that he was okay. 390 00:23:41.109 --> 00:23:43.309 In the next days, there would be some people that 391 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:47.250 came forward with sightings of Danny. One tip came in 392 00:23:47.269 --> 00:23:50.890 that said that they saw Danny on the 24th, and 393 00:23:50.950 --> 00:23:53.670 they said they saw Danny crossing the tracks to Willard's 394 00:23:53.849 --> 00:23:57.130 east side. Another witness said they saw him at the 395 00:23:57.309 --> 00:24:01.250 YMCA on the east side on that same day. Another 396 00:24:01.309 --> 00:24:04.369 witness said they saw Danny at a grocery store, Meisler's 397 00:24:04.410 --> 00:24:08.430 grocery store, that was located at 20 Woodland Avenue at 398 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:11.849 7 p.m. that night, and he wasn't wearing any shoes. 399 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:15.380 When Danny was at this grocery store, he was looking 400 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:18.160 for certain friends to meet up with to attend a 401 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.539