WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>This podcast is based on information sourced primarily from police

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<v Speaker 1>and media reports, but certain names and other identifying details

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<v Speaker 1>may have been changed or altered for privacy and security reasons.

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<v Speaker 1>While the events in cases discussed are based on real investigations,

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<v Speaker 1>some aspects may be simplified for time and for narrative purposes.

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<v Speaker 1>Voice actors have been used to read from statements or documents.

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<v Speaker 1>All information presented is intended solely to inform and raise awareness.

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<v Speaker 1>Hosts may discuss theories regarding the cases examined in this podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>but such discussions are not intended to and should not

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<v Speaker 1>be considered by the listener to be legal conclusions. All

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<v Speaker 1>persons discussed are considered innocent until proven guilty in a

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<v Speaker 1>court of law. Listener discretion is advised.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Chief Anna Lally. Welcome to Somebody Knows Something,

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<v Speaker 2>a podcast from the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case Unit.

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<v Speaker 2>In this podcast, we will shed new light on cold

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<v Speaker 2>cases in the city of Elgin by sharing untold details

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<v Speaker 2>and by encouraging anyone with information to come forward. You

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<v Speaker 2>will come along with real cold case detectives as they

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<v Speaker 2>investigate active cold cases in real time and seek justice

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<v Speaker 2>for the victims and closure for their families. We believe

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<v Speaker 2>that the Elgin Police Department and our community can work

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<v Speaker 2>together to bring closure to cold cases because we know

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<v Speaker 2>that in these cases, somebody knows something.

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<v Speaker 3>Hello and welcome to Somebody Knows Something. The Elgin Police

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<v Speaker 3>Department Cold Case Podcast. My name is Detective Andrew Howten,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Detective Chris Hall.

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<v Speaker 4>And I'm Detective Beth's dericker.

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<v Speaker 3>Last episode, Beth, Chris and I traveled to Tennessee to

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<v Speaker 3>meet with some extended family that we identified through our

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<v Speaker 3>family tree research. While we were there, we interviewed members

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<v Speaker 3>of Waiteria's extended family, and most importantly of all, we

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<v Speaker 3>finally collected not one, but two samples of familial DNA

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<v Speaker 3>for this case, and that is a huge step for us.

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<v Speaker 4>We've notified Name us of our updated information, and we

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<v Speaker 4>were waiting additional steps to be in our search for

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<v Speaker 4>potential matches for Riteria's case, but that process could take

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<v Speaker 4>a significant amount of time. So we were wrapping up

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<v Speaker 4>season three in this episode by discussing all of our

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<v Speaker 4>theories and steps taken up to this point. Then we

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<v Speaker 4>will be waiting for new updates and hopefully some resolution

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<v Speaker 4>in this case.

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<v Speaker 5>Listeners will recall that we began this journey back in

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<v Speaker 5>March with our bonus episode titled Still Missing. In that episode,

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<v Speaker 5>we discussed the five long term missing people on our

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<v Speaker 5>caseload at that time. Those people again our Francisco Loyo,

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<v Speaker 5>Darren Wood Manor, Escalante Martinez, Chad Smith, and of course

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<v Speaker 5>Waeteria Jones. Since March, that number has dropped to four

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<v Speaker 5>because Chad Smith was located living in Chicago shortly after

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<v Speaker 5>our episode aired and I was able to meet with

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<v Speaker 5>his mother and reunite her with Chad.

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<v Speaker 4>We encourage listeners to visit our website at Elgincolcases dot

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<v Speaker 4>com to review our missing persons cases, and we were

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<v Speaker 4>asking that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Francisco Loya,

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<v Speaker 4>Darren Wood Maynor, Escalante Martinez or Waititiia Jones please contact

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<v Speaker 4>us because all four of them are still missing.

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<v Speaker 3>Once we dove into our full season with episode one,

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<v Speaker 3>Whiteitia is Missing, we laid out the backstory for her case.

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<v Speaker 3>Whiteria was living in Elgin in September of nineteen eighty

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<v Speaker 3>two at the Douglas Hotel, so when that hotel closed

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<v Speaker 3>honor about October first, she disappeared. Chris and I laid

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<v Speaker 3>out all the theories and options we had for Waitia's

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<v Speaker 3>case in our first episode, so let's revisit them here

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<v Speaker 3>as we wrap up this season for now in our

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<v Speaker 3>final episode that we are calling Still Waiting.

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<v Speaker 4>Our first theory for Whetia's case was that something could

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<v Speaker 4>have happened to Waitia at the Douglas Hotel, perhaps she

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<v Speaker 4>never even moved out. So we reviewed records for the hotel,

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<v Speaker 4>including information about renovations at that location, and we visited

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<v Speaker 4>it to see it for ourselves.

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<v Speaker 5>The hotel is just across the street from our current

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<v Speaker 5>police department, and the city of Belgium actually purchased it

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<v Speaker 5>and converted it into apartments. We also disclosed to the

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<v Speaker 5>public that the police did search the hotel in nineteen

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<v Speaker 5>eighty three after Waitia was reported missing, but that searched

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<v Speaker 5>was several months after her disappearance. Nevertheless, at this point,

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<v Speaker 5>we have no evidence to support that Waitia was a

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<v Speaker 5>victim of a crime at the hotel. While it is

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<v Speaker 5>possible that she never left the actual property, it does

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<v Speaker 5>seem like one of our more unlikely theories at this point,

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<v Speaker 5>given the fact that the property has been heavily.

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<v Speaker 3>Renovated, similar to theory one that something happened at the hotel,

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<v Speaker 3>We also had to consider the possibility that Waitia never

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<v Speaker 3>left the city of Elgin. The problem is we had

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<v Speaker 3>very little information about her social life and her social

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<v Speaker 3>circles when we started this investigation. Unfortunately, that hasn't changed much.

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<v Speaker 3>We still don't have a lot of credible information about

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<v Speaker 3>who she socialized with or what she was doing in

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<v Speaker 3>nineteen eighty two leading up to her disappearance. We did, however,

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<v Speaker 3>visit the Elgin Middal Health Center and the cemetery there,

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<v Speaker 3>and we confirmed that she did not re enter the

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<v Speaker 3>facility or any other mental health facility in Illinois as

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<v Speaker 3>a patient. We also confirmed that she's not buried at

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<v Speaker 3>the cemetery on the HC grounds.

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<v Speaker 5>Also, thanks to Beth, we have learned a lot of

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<v Speaker 5>new information about Waiteria's time prior to her disappearance in

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<v Speaker 5>nineteen eighty two. Originally, we thought that Waitia had moved

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<v Speaker 5>to Elgin in that spring of nineteen eighty two, but

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<v Speaker 5>we found out that she had actually been living in

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<v Speaker 5>Elgin since nineteen seventy five. That was a huge piece

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<v Speaker 5>of information. We also learned a lot more about her

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<v Speaker 5>work history, her medical and mental health history, and her

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<v Speaker 5>family background, some of which we shared in this podcast

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<v Speaker 5>and some of which we did not do to privacy concerns.

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<v Speaker 4>The State of Illinois records that we got were really impactful.

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<v Speaker 4>They gave us a lot more information about places she lived,

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<v Speaker 4>places she worked in, family members that she knew. As

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<v Speaker 4>we mentioned in our third episode, we now know the

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<v Speaker 4>way Terriy worked and lived at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Elgin,

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<v Speaker 4>Fox Valley Nursing Home in South Elgin, and the Oaks

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<v Speaker 4>Nursing Home in Aurora, and we discovered that for a

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<v Speaker 4>brief period in nineteen seventy six, she also lived back

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<v Speaker 4>in Tennessee.

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<v Speaker 3>At this point in the investigation, the three of us

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<v Speaker 3>agree that we can't write off any of our theories

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<v Speaker 3>involving Elgin. As Chris said, the likelihood that she is

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<v Speaker 3>somehow concealed that the Douglas Hotel property seems like our

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<v Speaker 3>least likely scenario, but we still can't rule out the

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<v Speaker 3>possibility that she stayed in Elgin or had something happened

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<v Speaker 3>to her here in town. In fact, statistically speaking, we

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<v Speaker 3>reached only learned from a training course that we attended

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<v Speaker 3>that if a person who was reported missing and was murdered,

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<v Speaker 3>their body, on average is located within six miles of

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<v Speaker 3>where they were last seen. In Waiitiia's case, that would

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<v Speaker 3>mean Elgin or the very nearest surrounding area would be

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<v Speaker 3>within that range if she was the victim of a

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<v Speaker 3>violent crime. But Waiteria also had plans, or at least

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<v Speaker 3>reported plans, to go somewhere else, so we have to

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<v Speaker 3>consider that she might have gone somewhere else too.

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<v Speaker 4>Yes, again, though, we had a bit of a problem

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<v Speaker 4>in this case because two different witnesses both told versions

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<v Speaker 4>of wateria A's possible plans. One witness, an employee at

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<v Speaker 4>the hotel, told police in nineteen eighty three the Waiteria

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<v Speaker 4>was at a bus stop and he assumed she was

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<v Speaker 4>going to Aurora, where she had previously lived. However, another witness,

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<v Speaker 4>who was one of her counselors, also told police the

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<v Speaker 4>Wayteria said she was planning to go to the Joliette

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<v Speaker 4>Motor Lodge. So for her case, we had to include

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<v Speaker 4>theories for each of those locations.

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<v Speaker 3>The logistics of travel to those locations opened up a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of doors to us as well, regarding the methods

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<v Speaker 3>of travel. Again, we gathered extensive maps and records for

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<v Speaker 3>regional buses, suburban buses, and trains for this area, and

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<v Speaker 3>we considered each option as it related to both Joliet

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<v Speaker 3>and Aurora. In the end, Aurora is the easiest option

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<v Speaker 3>regarding buses, but because of the delay in this case,

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<v Speaker 3>and because we learned that she also took cabs and

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<v Speaker 3>other transportation as far as Tennessee, she certainly could have

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<v Speaker 3>traveled to Chicago, Joliette, or Aurora, or any combination of

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<v Speaker 3>those cities.

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<v Speaker 5>That's correct, and as we reviewed her options for Joliette,

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<v Speaker 5>we discovered that a hotel called the Joliet Motor Lodge

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<v Speaker 5>never existed, so we had to get created and work

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<v Speaker 5>with the Joliet Area Historical Museum define the correct hotel,

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<v Speaker 5>and we did. With help from that museum, we identified

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<v Speaker 5>that the Joliet Motor Hotel and visited that location. We

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<v Speaker 5>even spoke with a resident who had been living there

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<v Speaker 5>since before way TIA's disappearance. Unfortunately, he did not remember

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<v Speaker 5>her or any other tenants from Elgin, but he also

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<v Speaker 5>gave us another new potential theory to add to our list.

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<v Speaker 4>Yes he did, he told us that the family who

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<v Speaker 4>owned the Juliet Motor Hotel also owned a hotel in Raymondville, Texas,

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<v Speaker 4>and they even arranged for travel for him and some

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<v Speaker 4>other Juliet residents to move there. So we had to

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<v Speaker 4>track down the hotel too, and we are now considering

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<v Speaker 4>that she could have potentially traveled there.

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<v Speaker 3>It's worth noting that Waiterira even had paternal relatives in Texas,

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<v Speaker 3>and so while we are still looking at that as

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<v Speaker 3>an option, we haven't been able to track down any

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<v Speaker 3>records or in the state, and none of the extended

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<v Speaker 3>family there have had any information about her up to

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<v Speaker 3>this point. However, Texas is another option in the mix

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<v Speaker 3>for this case. At this point, Juliette and now Texas

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<v Speaker 3>still remain potential options in Waiteria's investigation.

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<v Speaker 5>Yes, but as we looked into the logistics of travel,

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<v Speaker 5>going to Juliet was much more cumbersome than going to Aurora.

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<v Speaker 5>Whyteria could have simply taken a bus from near the

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<v Speaker 5>Douglas Hotel directly to Lake Street in Aurora, just a

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<v Speaker 5>few blocks from her home, and that would track well

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<v Speaker 5>with the employee's statement that she was at an area

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<v Speaker 5>bus stop. However, Tiria also hadn't lived in Aurora since

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<v Speaker 5>nineteen seventy five, so maybe that isn't exactly likely as

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<v Speaker 5>we originally thought.

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<v Speaker 4>We still traveled there to see her former home, and

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<v Speaker 4>we dove into her relationship with her husband, Wayman Jones,

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<v Speaker 4>who originally reported her missing in nineteen eighty three. We

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<v Speaker 4>also discovered that there was a ledge violence in the

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<v Speaker 4>home when way Tiria did live there, and we uncovered

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<v Speaker 4>some brand new information about Wayman as well. He was

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<v Speaker 4>arrested several times in his life, including for a murder

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<v Speaker 4>in Chicago in nineteen sixty seven. That he was arrested

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<v Speaker 4>several times in his life, including for a murder in

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<v Speaker 4>Chicago in nineteen sixty seven, So Andrew and Chris traveled

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<v Speaker 4>to Chicago to consider that location as well.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, that's right, Beth, Chris and I visited the site

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<v Speaker 3>of Otis Johnson's murder in nineteen sixty seven, a murder

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<v Speaker 3>for which Wayman Jones was charged, but we should add,

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<v Speaker 3>as we did in a previous episode, his case was

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<v Speaker 3>later dismissed. We also visited Waitia's old neighborhood and Union Station,

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<v Speaker 3>where she could have traveled if she took a bus

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<v Speaker 3>or trained from Elgin, and Chris and I considered the

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<v Speaker 3>fact that she could have been harmed or had something

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<v Speaker 3>happened to her en route to that next destination, regardless

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<v Speaker 3>of where she actually planned to go. We then explained

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<v Speaker 3>further that in order to get to Juliet Wayteria more

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<v Speaker 3>than likely would have had to go to Chicago. Plus,

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<v Speaker 3>if she wanted to go to Tennessee, Chicago again would

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<v Speaker 3>be the most likely candidate for that type of travel.

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<v Speaker 5>In the end, we still don't know to this day,

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<v Speaker 5>we don't know where she planned to go or if

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<v Speaker 5>she actually made it to her final destination Elgin, Aurora, Joliette, Chicago, Tennessee, Texas.

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<v Speaker 5>All these places could be potential locations for her, and

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<v Speaker 5>because her report was delayed by nearly four months, she

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<v Speaker 5>could literally have traveled anywhere if she had the money.

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<v Speaker 3>And we were still looking at all these locations and

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<v Speaker 3>considering them as we continue to work in her case.

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<v Speaker 3>But at this point our final theory is that Waititia

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<v Speaker 3>has died and simply never been identified or potentially never

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<v Speaker 3>been covered. I have to say we also have some

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<v Speaker 3>more statistics we want to share that make that final

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<v Speaker 3>theory possibly be the most plausible. We recently attended Crime

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<v Speaker 3>con in Las Vegas and one of the speakers that

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<v Speaker 3>we met was Tad Dibiassi, who is a former federal

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<v Speaker 3>prosecutor from Washington, DC. In his recent book Nobody Homicide Cases,

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<v Speaker 3>A Practical Guide to Investigating, prosecuting, and winning cases when

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<v Speaker 3>the victim is missing, Tad lays out a ton of

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<v Speaker 3>different statistics and information about nobody homicide cases.

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<v Speaker 4>Tad discusses that in twenty twenty four, for example, of

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<v Speaker 4>the over six hundred thousand missing people in the United States,

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<v Speaker 4>less than one percent of them were never found. In fact,

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<v Speaker 4>ninety nine point eight seven percent of all people who

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<v Speaker 4>went missing were either recovered or returned. So when we

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<v Speaker 4>look at Waiteria's case and consider that she has been

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<v Speaker 4>missing for over forty years, that is a statistical anomaly.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it certainly is. And records also documented that only

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<v Speaker 3>twelve percent of all missing people in twenty fourteen were

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<v Speaker 3>adult females. So again, Waitiria is forty five five year

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<v Speaker 3>old adult female is the statistical nominaly. Again, when we

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<v Speaker 3>consider the fact that she disappeared in nineteen eighty two

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<v Speaker 3>has never been seen since and has never returned. We

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<v Speaker 3>have to at least consider, probably strongly, that she may

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<v Speaker 3>have died.

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<v Speaker 5>That does seem like a plausible explanation, Andrew. While we

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<v Speaker 5>can't say how or when she died or if she

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<v Speaker 5>is in fact dead, it does seem like a higher

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<v Speaker 5>probability at this point. Plus, once we consider that one

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<v Speaker 5>of the options, we also have to consider that maybe

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<v Speaker 5>she's been found but simply not identified.

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<v Speaker 3>And so that's where Namis joined this story. We explain

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<v Speaker 3>that there are literally thousands of unidentified remains around the

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<v Speaker 3>United States and a sense Whyteria had ties or potential

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<v Speaker 3>plans to go to a number of various places. A

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<v Speaker 3>regional approach is the most appropriate way for us to

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<v Speaker 3>work on this case. Probably we had going to that though,

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<v Speaker 3>was that we had no way to compare unidentified people

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<v Speaker 3>to her.

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<v Speaker 4>Then, after months of building a family tree and searching

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<v Speaker 4>around the country, we located relatives who shared mitochondrial DNA

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<v Speaker 4>with Wayteria last episode. We traveled to Tennessee to collect

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<v Speaker 4>that DNA, and now we are prepared to take the

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<v Speaker 4>next steps on this case by working to upload familial

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<v Speaker 4>DNA into databases like CODIS to begin a new search

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<v Speaker 4>for Wateria, but the testing we need to do can

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<v Speaker 4>take a significant amount of time and name US has

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<v Speaker 4>an extensive backlog, so for now we have to wait

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<v Speaker 4>and see where this new technology and new information will

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<v Speaker 4>take us.

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<v Speaker 3>Well as we conclude season three. At least for now,

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<v Speaker 3>we unfortunately are not ending it like we did season one.

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<v Speaker 3>We don't have a big reveal, and as many of

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<v Speaker 3>our cold cases, we still don't have a final answer

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<v Speaker 3>in this case. Spending months on a case without a

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<v Speaker 3>final answer or a solution is something that can be

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<v Speaker 3>very frustrating, not only for the family but also to

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<v Speaker 3>us as investigators on these cases. However, even though we

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<v Speaker 3>haven't found Wateria, we have gathered new records about her.

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<v Speaker 3>We've interviewed new people, we've identified new sites and visited them,

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<v Speaker 3>and we now have DNA that we can review for

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<v Speaker 3>her case in the future. We've also remembered Whiteria Jones

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<v Speaker 3>and told her story to the public to honor her

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<v Speaker 3>memory and hopefully continue to move our case forward. There

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<v Speaker 3>are so many cases like Waiteria's that just don't get

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<v Speaker 3>the media attention that they deserve, and we are working

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<v Speaker 3>to try to change that.

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<v Speaker 5>We've also brought Wateria's case up to current twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 5>six standards, and that really is the goal in all

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<v Speaker 5>of our cold cases, even if we don't solve the

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<v Speaker 5>case when we work it, want to leave it as

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<v Speaker 5>up to date as possible for the next group of

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<v Speaker 5>protectives that come along. That way, they can start with

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<v Speaker 5>more solid footing. Witnesses who might be dead and gone

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<v Speaker 5>in years to come will have been interviewed and recorded

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<v Speaker 5>and memorialized. Records that could be lost will have been

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<v Speaker 5>collected and reviewed organized as well. In physical evidence like

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<v Speaker 5>DNA will have been collected before it's too late to

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<v Speaker 5>get a standard. Our ultimate goal is that an officer

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<v Speaker 5>are here in Elginen twy thirty six or two forty

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<v Speaker 5>six won't be looking at a case file from nineteen

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<v Speaker 5>seventy six or nineteen eighty three and they have to

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<v Speaker 5>start from scratch there. No, they'll be looking at a

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<v Speaker 5>forty or fifty year old case that has been updated

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<v Speaker 5>to twenty twenty six and beyond, and maybe, just maybe

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<v Speaker 5>they can push the ball a few more yards forward

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<v Speaker 5>the goal line in some of these cases.

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<v Speaker 4>Exactly, we have nearly fifty total homicide and missing person

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<v Speaker 4>cases still in our caseload, and as we sit here

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<v Speaker 4>in twenty twenty six, it is very likely that we

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<v Speaker 4>will not solve every single case that we touch. But

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<v Speaker 4>the whole point of this podcast, in this cold case unit,

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<v Speaker 4>is to make that attempt and document it for future

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<v Speaker 4>investigators and for the families, because the victims and the

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<v Speaker 4>families in every single one of these cases truly deserve

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<v Speaker 4>that and they are still waiting.

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<v Speaker 5>We want to thank WRMN fourteen ten for another successful

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<v Speaker 5>season of this podcast. Dennis and Matt, thank you for

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<v Speaker 5>all your technical help and for meeting us within moment's

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<v Speaker 5>notice to record make edits as we went through this season.

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<v Speaker 5>We truly appreciate all your hard work and help on

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<v Speaker 5>this project. Our partnership with you guys has been something

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<v Speaker 5>truly great.

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<v Speaker 3>We also want to thank the staff from the Joliet

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<v Speaker 3>Motor Hotel, the Gailboard and Library, the Eltin History Museum,

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<v Speaker 3>the Joliette Area History Museum, the Fox Valley Trolley Museum,

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<v Speaker 3>the Pullman Library, the Illinois Railway Museum and Pace for

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<v Speaker 3>all the help they provide on this case. When it

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<v Speaker 3>comes to cold cases, historical societies, museums and libraries are

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<v Speaker 3>critical partners, so thank you for the emails, the calls,

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<v Speaker 3>and the records you helped us gather. They helped give

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<v Speaker 3>us a glimpse into the past for Wateria's case, and

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<v Speaker 3>we plan to continue using those types of resources to

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<v Speaker 3>gather more records about her case as we wait for

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<v Speaker 3>DNA results. My curious case is still not over.

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<v Speaker 4>We also want to thank our administration, Chief Lally and

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<v Speaker 4>all of our coworkers who helped us in this investigation.

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<v Speaker 4>With this project, I also want to thank Chief Lelly

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<v Speaker 4>for having confidence in me as she moves me into

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<v Speaker 4>the cold case unit. I'm truly honored to be a

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<v Speaker 4>part of this unit and the work that we were

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<v Speaker 4>doing every day. Andrew, Chris and I recently attended the

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<v Speaker 4>International Homicide Investigators Cold Case Conference. We learned that according

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<v Speaker 4>to National Institute of Justice, only seven percent of policed

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<v Speaker 4>agencies nationwide have a dedicated cold case unit. Seven But

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<v Speaker 4>with Chief Lally's foresight, we are one of those agencies

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<v Speaker 4>who are working to lead the charge on the issue.

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<v Speaker 4>We firmly believe that a full time dedicated cold case

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<v Speaker 4>unit is the best way to review, investigate, and solve

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<v Speaker 4>these cases, and we plan to continue our work doing

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<v Speaker 4>just that. In fact, we're hosting a cold case symposium

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<v Speaker 4>for area law enforcement professionals this fall well, with the

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<v Speaker 4>goal of building even better cooperation in our area on

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<v Speaker 4>cases like Wateria.

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<v Speaker 5>We would also like to thank all the people we

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<v Speaker 5>spoke with, the people that met with us, and those

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<v Speaker 5>who provided tips this season. We truly appreciate the emails, calls,

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<v Speaker 5>and conversations that this podcast has helped generate, and a

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<v Speaker 5>very special thank you goes out to the extended family

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<v Speaker 5>or Wateria that we met with during this season. We

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<v Speaker 5>are forever grateful to those family members who didn't know

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<v Speaker 5>us and didn't know Whyteria, but they still met with

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<v Speaker 5>U anyways to provide the DNA that we truly needed

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<v Speaker 5>for this case. Their involvement in this season and in

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<v Speaker 5>this investigation has been the biggest step we've taken in

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<v Speaker 5>this case in over forty years. Truly thank you.

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<v Speaker 3>Lastly, we want to thank everyone who listens to and

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<v Speaker 3>shares this podcast. You help us tell these stories and

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<v Speaker 3>provide us with new information that could one day bring

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<v Speaker 3>closure to this case or another case. So thank you

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<v Speaker 3>for taking your time out of your day to listen

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<v Speaker 3>to and share it. The more people who listen and share.

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<v Speaker 3>The more people we can reach with these stories, and

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<v Speaker 3>the more tips we can generate in all of our cases.

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<v Speaker 4>When we have updates over the summer on any of

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<v Speaker 4>our cases, including why Tiria Is, we will certainly let

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<v Speaker 4>our listeners know, and just because this season is over

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<v Speaker 4>doesn't mean that why Tiria's investigation is. Hopefully we will

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<v Speaker 4>have more information in the coming months on her case,

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<v Speaker 4>and we are still working several other cases with hopes

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<v Speaker 4>of new leads and potentially resolutions in those cases as.

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<v Speaker 3>Well as for season four, Beth, Chris and I will

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<v Speaker 3>be combing our case files to select the case or

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<v Speaker 3>maybe a few cases to bring into the limelight either

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<v Speaker 3>later this year or in early twenty twenty seven. We

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<v Speaker 3>will keep our dedicated listeners up to date on our

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<v Speaker 3>upcoming season and on any updates we have on any

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<v Speaker 3>of our active cases. We continue to believe that this

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<v Speaker 3>venue provides us with new and innovative ways to tell

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<v Speaker 3>victim stories, and we know that our listeners will provide

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<v Speaker 3>us with new tips and information that will help solve

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<v Speaker 3>another case. Because we know that in all of our

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<v Speaker 3>cold cases, somebody knows something.

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<v Speaker 2>If you or anyone you know has information about this

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<v Speaker 2>case or any other cold case in Elgin, Please contact

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<v Speaker 2>the Elgin Police Department Cold Case email at cold Case

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<v Speaker 2>tips at elginil dot gov or the cold case tip

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<v Speaker 2>line at eight four seven two eight nine cold. You

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<v Speaker 2>can also review cold case information on the Elgin Police

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<v Speaker 2>Department's cold case page at www dot elgincoldcases dot com,

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<v Speaker 2>where every cold case, homicide, and missingperson's case is listed

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<v Speaker 2>with photographs and information about each case.
