WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.279 In March of twenty twenty one, a man was found 2 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.679 shot in the back of the head along a quiet 3 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:16.600 trail in a United States National park. What started as 4 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:20.920 a strange and mysterious killing quickly unraveled into a carefully 5 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:25.719 planned act tied to years of unresolved trauma, digital footprints, 6 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.839 and a cross state trail of evidence. This is the 7 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:33.159 story of how one moment in the woods exposed the 8 00:00:33.159 --> 00:00:37.320 limits of justice and the devastating cost of taking it 9 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:42.719 into one's own hands. This is the tragic and convoluted 10 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:47.880 story of Matthew Dunmyer and Chelsea Perkins. 11 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.359 My name's Ben, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked 12 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:53.439 and Grim, a true crime podcast. 13 00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:02.359 The following podcast and material intended about your audience listener 14 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:40.159 discretion is It's. 15 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:25.519 The last Friday before Christmas Day. 16 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:27.400 So there's not a whole lot of time to make 17 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:30.239 sure you're on the nice list or the naughty list. 18 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:31.480 I need them where you want to land. 19 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.000 At this point, I think it's done. No, it's decided. 20 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:39.000 There is no. It's never too late for redemption. It's 21 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:40.519 never too late for redemption. 22 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:43.159 Well, honestly, this is actually a good time. A year 23 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:46.200 to maybe have a reminder because it's just madness out there. 24 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:49.560 It is. People are driving like crazy, They're being dicks 25 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:52.680 to each other. Yeah, everyone's in a rush and not 26 00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:56.239 looking to where everyone else is walking or living or existing. 27 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.640 It's almost unsafe to be driving. Like, we live in 28 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.719 a fair small town and the other day I got 29 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:04.159 cut off like twice. So it's like, say, if I 30 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:07.159 wasn't fully paying attention or had my mind somewhere else, like, 31 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:08.479 holy shit, there's an accident. 32 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:11.159 Yeah. So I understand everyone has things going on, but 33 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.599 just try and be aware, try and be a little nice. 34 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:15.840 That's what Christmas is about, you know, be nice to 35 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:18.080 those around you, so and try and spread that if 36 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:18.280 you can. 37 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:21.159 If you're on the naughtylist, you're staying on the naughtulist. 38 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:22.199 Oh just kidding. 39 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.360 We literally watched the Muppets a Christmas Carol last night. 40 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.280 Yea Ebenezer Scrooge redeemed himself overnight. 41 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:31.960 Come on now, Yeah that was like, that was really lovely. 42 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:34.120 Yeah, that was a whole moral of the story, you know, 43 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:36.479 redemption and being nice. And here you're just like, no, 44 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:38.439 it's too late, no one can do it. 45 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:41.400 Just kidding. I actually sat through that and put my 46 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:43.960 laptop away and didn't work. It was it was nice. 47 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:46.919 Yeah, we do have a big announcement we got to make, 48 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.280 not just talking about Christmas. We have officially joined up 49 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:53.680 on the iHeartMedia platform. So you might notice a little 50 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:56.439 bit of changes within, like how ads are played or anything, 51 00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:59.919 but generally speaking you shouldn't notice much. It's more so 52 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.080 on the back end. But we're super super excited to, 53 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:03.560 you know, make that change. 54 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:06.639 Yeah, it was a really smooth transition, so I think 55 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:08.759 was it well for me? 56 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:10.520 Yeah, you didn't have to do any of the back 57 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:10.919 end work. 58 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:13.000 I had to listen to you, and you weren't very 59 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:15.800 you weren't really complaining, So I felt like it went pretty. 60 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:20.120 Smooth because I was focused, I was doing things. 61 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.159 Oh, I was moral support, and it seemed from my 62 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:24.319 end to go pretty good. 63 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:27.039 You did pour me and Mimosa to celebrate afterwards, so 64 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:28.759 I appreciate that. Thank you. I did. 65 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:32.479 Yeah, we are like full blown Christmas drinks over here, 66 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:37.199 Mimosa's eggnog with rom. I'm having a hot chocolate eggnog 67 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:37.719 this morning. 68 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.919 I'm just having coffee, but that's also a Christmas drink. 69 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:43.199 That's an everyday, all the time, drink. 70 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:46.639 Yes, but anyway, very excited to be moving over to 71 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:48.039 that new network. 72 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:51.120 So yeah, so all the all the exciting new things. Hey, 73 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.280 you know, just looking forward to it. But I do 74 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:55.199 think we should get into the case instead of too 75 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.120 much chit chat. You ready for it? 76 00:03:57.240 --> 00:03:59.560 I am. You've told me a tiny bit about this one, 77 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:01.800 so I'm very intrigued to hear about it. 78 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:05.120 Okay, Well, let's let's go and dive into the detail. 79 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:06.680 Let's do it. 80 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.439 It was late in the morning on Tuesday, March ninth, 81 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:12.400 twenty twenty one, when a pair of hikers stepped onto 82 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:16.519 the Tera Vista trail inside Cyahuga Valley National Park. It's 83 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.120 a quiet stretch of woods south of Cleveland that most 84 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:23.199 people visit for its scenery, not really for surprises. The 85 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:26.360 trail winds through thick trees and uneven ground, and it's 86 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:28.879 easy to lose sight of other hikers once you step 87 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:32.519 off the main path. And that's when they saw him, 88 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:35.959 a man lying face down in the leaves, just off 89 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.160 that path and laying perfectly still. 90 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:39.560 Now. 91 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:42.439 At first glance, there was no obvious sign of a struggle, 92 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:45.600 no drag marks in the earth, no disturbed brush, just 93 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:49.639 a body that clearly didn't belong there. Now, park rangers 94 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:53.279 and first responders were called and arrived shortly after. The 95 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:55.680 man's body was already cold to the touch as they 96 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.079 knelt down and felt for a pulse that was not there. 97 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.360 There was little decomposite, which suggested he hadn't been there 98 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:05.759 for long, and the cause of death, well, it was immediate. 99 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:08.879 He had a single gunshot wound to the back of 100 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:12.720 his head. There was no weapon laying nearby, there was 101 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:14.839 no shell casing on the ground, and no sign that 102 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:18.000 he had tried to defend himself. It was just simple 103 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:23.199 and what appeared to be an execution. However, even if 104 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.720 that's what it seemed like, nothing could be ruled out. 105 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:29.959 Accidents happened in strange ways, for example, and suicides, while 106 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:33.279 unlikely in this situation given the placement and nothing found 107 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:37.120 around him, still had to be considered. Homicide was, of 108 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.240 course the most possible, but without a suspect or motive, 109 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.920 or even an identity, it was still just a theory. Now, 110 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:47.879 because the death occurred inside a national park, federal jurisdiction 111 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:52.759 kicked in almost immediately. The FBI joined the investigation. Alongside 112 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:56.839 local authorities and investigators while they began working to identify 113 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.959 the man, and with dental records and missing persons reports, 114 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.480 they soon confirmed his identity as thirty one year old 115 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:07.360 Matthew Dunmyer, a Virginia native who had been living in Ohio. 116 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:11.600 But even with a name, the mystery only continued to deepen. 117 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:14.439 Why was he alone in a remote area of the 118 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:18.279 National Park, Why had someone shot him from behind? And 119 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:21.399 who had been with him before he died? Who had 120 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:25.360 shot him? How? Why? All these questions began to pile up. 121 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.720 Investigators shifted their focus from the crime scene to try 122 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.560 and figure out those questions and of course, his final 123 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.879 known movements. Now they had discovered that Matthew had moved 124 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:38.120 from Virginia to Ohio in an attempt to do a 125 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:40.439 bit of a fresh start on his life. He was 126 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:43.279 living near Hudson, working at a screen printing shop and 127 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:45.759 spending most of his time with coworkers who had become 128 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:49.720 his main social circle. Now to them, Matthew came across 129 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:52.360 as laid back. He was creative and easy to get 130 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:55.920 along with. He played guitar, loved music, and often talked 131 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:59.680 about his kids back home in Virginia. On the evening 132 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:02.879 of Friday, March fifth, Matthew went out with his coworkers 133 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:06.680 to a bar called Teaky Underground. It wasn't unusual for 134 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:08.959 the group to grab drinks after work, and nothing about 135 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.319 the night really seemed off, at least not at first. 136 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:14.800 At some point during the evening, Matthew mentioned that he 137 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:17.360 had plans for the weekend. A woman he knew from 138 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:19.920 Virginia was in town and they were going to go 139 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:24.079 spend time together. Now, not long after that, his phone 140 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.680 lit up with a message. Matthew glanced down, smiled, and 141 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:30.959 told the group that she had arrived, and so he 142 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:35.759 stood up, grabbed his coat, and headed outside. Now, one 143 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:37.839 of his supervisors followed him on his way out to 144 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:40.040 say goodbye and you know, wish him a good weekend 145 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:43.000 sort of thing. So as they talked, the supervisor noticed 146 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.759 a small white car idling in the parking lot and 147 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.920 a woman with dark hair sitting in the driver's seat. 148 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:52.319 Matthew smiled a big grin and shook his supervisor's hand, 149 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.759 then got into the passenger seat of the car as 150 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:58.120 it pulled away. That was the last time anyone at 151 00:07:58.120 --> 00:07:59.959 the bar would ever see Matthew alive. 152 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:03.000 Dun dun, dum Hey yeah. 153 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.319 Now. Surveillance cameras in the area later confirmed them leaving, 154 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.639 and traffic cameras and told data also showed the white 155 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:14.680 smart car moving through Cleveland that evening as well. Around 156 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.800 the same time, the car stopped at a gas station. 157 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:21.079 Footage showed Matthew going inside to buy cigarettes, a canned drink, 158 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:24.680 and a bottle of Aquafina water. From there, the car 159 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:27.399 headed towards an Airbnb on the east side of Cleveland. 160 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.039 Later that night, cameras near a sandwich shop captured Matthew 161 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:35.159 and a woman together casually grabbing food before returning to 162 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:39.840 that airbnb. Cell Phone data placed both of them inside 163 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:45.519 the rental overnight. The next morning, Saturday, March sixth, Matthew 164 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:50.600 sent several text messages to his girlfriend back in Virginia. Now, 165 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:52.960 his girlfriend knew he was meeting this girl as it 166 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.919 seemed like it was a meetup of potentially an old 167 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:59.120 friend or something like that, So she was aware of this. 168 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.039 Oh okay, So here I was assuming this was his 169 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:04.399 girlfriend or a lady he was interested in. 170 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:06.240 Definitely not his girlfriend. 171 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:06.639 Okay. 172 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:09.919 Now, from the tone of the messages back to his girlfriend. 173 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:12.960 It suggested that there was some tension going on with 174 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:16.279 this girl that he was now hanging out with. He 175 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:19.240 said that, you know, they'd met up and somehow he 176 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:22.600 managed to upset her and he admitted, quote pissed this 177 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:27.360 chick off end quote Now. Still, nothing in those messages 178 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.080 suggested he felt unsafe or believed that he could be 179 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.039 in any danger. But at ten twenty nine am, matt 180 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:37.720 sent one final text to his girlfriend and said, Okay, 181 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.799 I'll see you in a little while now. Investigators would 182 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:46.639 later determine that message was sent from inside Coya Huga 183 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.360 Valley National Park, the same place where he was found dead, 184 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:55.320 and of course Matthew never made it home. Now, as 185 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.919 detectives pieced together the timeline, it was obvious Matthew hadn't 186 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:02.919 gone into the woods alone. Somewhere between the bar, the airbnb, 187 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:06.279 and the park, someone else had been with him, and 188 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:09.519 whoever that person was had vanished since without a trace. 189 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:13.679 But for now all investigators had was a car, a 190 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.559 woman in town for the weekend, and a growing sense 191 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:21.879 that this wasn't a spontaneous act. So as investigators continued 192 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:25.360 to work back through Matthew's final hours, new information began 193 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:28.720 to surface from people who had been inside Cyahuga Valley 194 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:32.399 National Park that same morning, and they were well. They 195 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.919 were first hand encounters that placed another person in the 196 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:38.919 woods at the exact same time that Matthew seemed to disappear. 197 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:42.519 Late in the morning on March sixth, a couple walking 198 00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:45.519 along the trails near the Terra Vista Natural Study Area 199 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:49.360 reported hearing a single sharp sound that echoed through the trees. 200 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:53.200 It sounded to them like a gunshot, and the noise 201 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:55.639 was unsettling enough that they turned around and left the 202 00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:59.519 area immediately and did not continue with their plans. 203 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.600 Hey, that's probably pretty smart. Hey, that would be alarming. 204 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:07.120 Definitely now. Not long after, another pair of hikers entered 205 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:09.679 the same section of the park, and as they made 206 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:12.240 their way along the trail near an old cemetery, they 207 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:16.320 noticed a woman walking alone. She stood out immediately. She 208 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.679 was dressed heavily in black, dark pants, black hoodie, and 209 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:22.759 heavy boots that didn't quite fit the setting of hiking 210 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:25.080 on a nature trail to say the least. Hey, no 211 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.799 one's judging, it's just a little out of the ordinary. 212 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.159 And she didn't look injured or she didn't panic either, 213 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.879 but she didn't really look relaxed. Something else was an 214 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:39.000 air about her to say. When the hiker spoke to her, 215 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.120 she said that she was lost and she was trying 216 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:44.080 to find the cemetery. Her tone was flat and calm, 217 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:48.559 and after a brief exchange, she turned and walked away. Now, 218 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.519 at the time, it didn't feel like much more than 219 00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:53.799 an encounter in the woods with someone dressed all in black. 220 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:56.679 People get lost in the park time to time. It's 221 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:58.720 not out of the ordinary. People look for a cemetery 222 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.559 or other landmarks. But once Matthew's body was discovered days later, 223 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:06.600 those interactions took a much heavier weight because well, she 224 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:10.120 had been seen near the exact area where Matthew's body 225 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:13.200 would later be found, and witnesses could place her within 226 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:15.080 a narrow window of time. 227 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:20.360 And she wasn't like very calm or did have an 228 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:21.480 odd demeanor about her. 229 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:25.039 Yeah, exactly, So you have this window of a gunshot 230 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:28.559 was heard, a body is found. When you find someone 231 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:30.639 that just is a little bit out of place, and 232 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.559 all those things fall into place, that's when suspicions start 233 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:36.639 to get raised. Now, at this point in the investigation, 234 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:40.080 detectives still didn't know who she was. They didn't have 235 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:42.159 a name, they didn't know where she came from really, 236 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:45.600 or where she went afterwards. The first break in the case, though, 237 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.639 came from Matthew's workplace. His coworkers at the screen printing 238 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:52.879 shop in Hudson, Ohio told investigators about the night that 239 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:57.000 he disappeared. That on March fifth, Matthew had gone out 240 00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:00.360 with them to the local bar, the Teaky Underground, when 241 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.080 they mentioned, you know, the meeting of the woman in 242 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.720 the parking lot from out of town for the weekend, 243 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:07.320 and when it came time to leave, supervisor walked him 244 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:10.320 outside and said goodbye, and the details of him climbing 245 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:13.000 in the small white car parked outside the bar came 246 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.240 to light. It had been an out of state car 247 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:18.480 because it had the plates from another state and the 248 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.639 person behind the wheel appeared to be a woman with 249 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:24.080 dark hair. Surveillance footage from the nearby cameras backed up 250 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:27.559 that account, and from there investigators began tracing the vehicle's 251 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:31.879 movements using traffic cameras, toll readers, and license plate recognition systems. 252 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.759 The white smart car appeared again at a gas station, 253 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.799 then later moving through Cleveland neighborhoods the trail didn't stop 254 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:42.360 at city limits, though records show the same car had 255 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:46.279 traveled from Ohio to Virginia on March fifth, just hours 256 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.879 before Matthew was seen alive. Toll data confirmed a very 257 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:55.440 deliberate multi state drive that aligned precisely with his final moments. 258 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:59.720 Now after his death, the following morning, the vehicle left 259 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:04.320 Ohio again, crossing into Michigan before eventually returning to Virginia. 260 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:08.200 What had initially looked like an isolated killing on a 261 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:12.519 hiking trail was now clearly part of a larger, planned sequence. 262 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:17.519 Someone had driven hundreds of miles to reach Matthew, to 263 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:20.440 stay overnight with him, and then left the state within 264 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:26.080 hours of his death. The case was no longer confined 265 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:30.360 to this national park. It had crossed state lines, involved 266 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:36.759 federal land, and pointed to planning rather than chance. Investigators 267 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:39.919 soon identified the owner of that white smart car, and 268 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:42.080 it was a man by the name of John Perkins. 269 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:45.639 He was a man living in Virginia, but records quickly 270 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.879 showed he hadn't been in Ohio that weekend, and it 271 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.879 was obvious he was not the person seen driving. So 272 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:53.960 the next step was to figure out who had been 273 00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:57.799 behind the wheel. Now John did have a wife, and 274 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.360 her name was Chelsea Perkins. As agents began pulling records 275 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:08.000 on her name, things started surfacing. Travel data showed she 276 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:11.399 had driven from Virginia to Ohio on March fifth, twenty 277 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.399 twenty one, arriving just hours before Matthew had left the 278 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:19.720 bar with her. The timeline fit way too cleanly to ignore. 279 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:24.320 Clearly she was the one driving that car. Now, the 280 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:27.720 Airbnb Matthew stayed in that night wasn't booked under his name, 281 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:30.080 nor was it a fake name or even a third party. 282 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:34.639 It had been reserved under Chelsea Perkins's name, confirming that 283 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:37.519 she was in fact there. Also, she used her own 284 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:38.159 credit card. 285 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.600 Hmm, okay, so she's really not hiding that she was 286 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:42.159 there at all. 287 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:46.840 No, definitely not. The address placed her and Matthew together overnight, 288 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:49.879 less than twenty four hours before his death, and surveillance 289 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:52.480 footage from the area, and of course you know it 290 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:56.360 all showed them together. It was very obvious investigators now 291 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:59.519 had something they didn't have before, a full identity tied 292 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:03.159 to the vehicle, the lodging, and the timeline. Now Chelsea 293 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:06.559 wasn't this mysterious woman anymore. She was a confirmed part 294 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:09.960 of Matthew's final days, and at this point, while she 295 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:13.440 wasn't under arrest, In fact, she didn't even know that 296 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:15.960 she was at the center of an expanding federal investigation. 297 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:20.240 But behind the scenes, agents began quietly building their profile 298 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:23.320 and started digging into her background deeper, and what they 299 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:27.120 found was not at all what they expected. As it 300 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:30.320 turns out, Chelsea Perkins was a former US Coast Guard 301 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:33.960 service member. She was also married, as we know, and 302 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:38.000 she also had children. Now after leaving the military, Chelsea 303 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:42.240 Perkins had built a public online persona alongside her private 304 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:44.799 life as a wife and mother. She was active on 305 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.879 social media and earned an income through online adult content platforms, 306 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:53.639 including one such as OnlyFans, operating under a different name. Now, 307 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:56.840 to investigators, this wasn't evidence of wrongdoing by any means, 308 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:00.759 but it did explain her extensive digital footprint and why 309 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.960 her online activity would later become part of this investigation. 310 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:07.799 So there was nothing about her that suggested a history 311 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.960 of violence or criminal behavior. There's no prior arrests, no 312 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:16.440 obvious red flags. A mother, a wife, an adult content creator. 313 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:19.640 That's about it. And as agents shifted their focus to 314 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:23.519 Chelsea Perkins, it began securing court authorization to examine the 315 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:26.599 digital trail surrounding her movements. They got a hold of 316 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:29.279 her phone provider and looked through all the information, which 317 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:34.319 included app data and location data. Now through this they 318 00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:38.400 began reconstructing her movements digitally. GPS data placed her in 319 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:40.799 Cleveland on the evening of March fifth, lining up with 320 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:44.400 surveillance footage and toll records and everything else. Cell Phone 321 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:49.119 tower pings confirmed she stayed overnight near the airbnb, which 322 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:52.599 by morning of March sixth, both her phone and Matthews 323 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:57.000 were then moving in sync. Her social media added more 324 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:00.480 to this. Still, in the days before the trip, Chelsea 325 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:04.720 had posted an interesting and perhaps cryptic message that read 326 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.039 quote dead men tell no tales end quote. Now on 327 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:13.920 its own, that might mean nothing, but paired with everything else, 328 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:16.480 it lands a little bit differently, almost as if there's 329 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:17.960 a bit of a hidden meaning behind it. 330 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.400 Potentially it sure does well. And also, this is twenty 331 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:24.680 twenty one. It's like, I don't know it. They're just 332 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.359 they're able to find so much information, right like, so 333 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.319 this is honestly surprising me that if she would be 334 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:34.559 the killer, because she just isn't hiding a single thing, but. 335 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.319 It's potential that she's not trying to hide I guess. 336 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:38.519 Yeah, there you go. 337 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:42.400 Now, while digital evidence was painting a very troubling picture, 338 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.880 investigators still needed something solid, something physical that could stand 339 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:50.960 on its own in court. They needed real evidence. They 340 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.519 needed something to say that she was in fact there, 341 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:56.680 that she in fact killed him, because as of right now, 342 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.920 she was with him prior to she left after one 343 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.079 could have been seen in the park. We don't know. 344 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:06.240 There's all this surrounding it, but there's nothing tying her 345 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:09.519 to the exact crime scene and the exact crime Yeah, 346 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:10.240 that's true. 347 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:12.279 Maybe she didn't even have anything to hide per. 348 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:17.720 Se, So it is just circumstantially yeah, point, it really is. Well, 349 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:21.079 the evidence that they needed came from the autopsy and 350 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.440 the crime scene itself, or at least some did. If 351 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:27.440 you recall, Matthew had been killed with a single gunshot 352 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:30.119 wound to the back of the head, and the trajectory 353 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.640 told investigators a lot that the bullet entered from behind 354 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:37.559 at close range, traveling in a straight path. Now, there 355 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:40.839 were no defensive wounds, no injury, suggesting a fight or 356 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:45.440 sudden confrontation. Whatever happened out there, it was over quickly, 357 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.519 like he was with someone he knew or trusted. Yes, 358 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:53.200 again still circumstantial. But near Matthew's body, investigators found a 359 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:58.880 partially full Aquafina water bottle, and forensic testing would turn 360 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:01.960 it into one of the most important pieces of evidence 361 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:06.160 in this case because DNA analysis revealed two profiles on 362 00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:11.680 the bottle, Matthew's and Chelsea's. Oh and Matthew is seen 363 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.240 on surveillance purchasing an Aquafina water bottle with her. 364 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:18.720 There you go. That's like a smoking gun and a half, 365 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:19.079 is it? 366 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:19.400 Though? 367 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:21.920 Kind of I feel like. 368 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.359 Now here's the thing. Sure they could have shared the 369 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:26.279 water bottle an hour before. 370 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:29.039 Oh shit, I guess still. 371 00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:30.440 Doesn't pin her down at the scene. 372 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.599 True, because she was with him when he bought that, 373 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.480 but that doesn't necessarily mean that she didn't just have 374 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.720 a drink when they bought it, and he later took 375 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:41.920 it on a hike. Okay, I see where you're going. 376 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:44.880 So these are important pieces of evidence for sure, but 377 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.279 there's still not quite the smoking gun they're looking for now. 378 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.880 Her DNA was also found under Matthew's fingernails and on 379 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.000 hair recovered from his body. The evidence showed that the 380 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:58.880 two had been close in physical contact shortly before his death, 381 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:02.839 but still did not by itself prove a crime, but 382 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:05.599 it firmly established that Matthew had not been alone in 383 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:10.039 the woods. Now they had digital records placing Chelsea at 384 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:14.200 the scene, they really do, but pulling the trigger murdering 385 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:17.359 someone is a different story. They had witnesses who saw 386 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.599 her in the woods immediately after a gunshot DNA tying 387 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:24.279 her there. But now, up until this point in the investigation, 388 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:27.799 it had focused almost entirely in what happened that day 389 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:32.079 in March, and rightfully so. But as agents continued digging 390 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:35.720 into Chelsea's background, they uncovered a piece of history that 391 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:39.160 reframed the case in a way no one saw coming. 392 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:45.200 And in March of twenty seventeen, Chelsea herself had walked 393 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:48.240 into a police station in Virginia Beach and made a 394 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:53.839 very serious accusation. She reported that Matthew Dunmyer, the murder 395 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:58.119 victim and someone she had known for years, had actually 396 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:02.759 sexually assaulted and raped her. Now, the details of that 397 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:08.799 report were never publicly released, but police did investigate. Matthew 398 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:12.680 admitted that he had been together sexually with her, but 399 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:17.079 he claimed the encounter was consensual, and ultimately charges were 400 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:19.960 not filed citing insufficient evidence. 401 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:22.759