WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:03.120 Wait, the Lucky land Slots. You can get lucky just 2 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:04.080 about anywhere. 3 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:07.799 It's your captain speaking. We've got clear runway and the 4 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:09.759 weather's fine, but we're just gonna circle up here a 5 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:13.039 while and get lucky. No, no, nothing like that. It's 6 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.720 just these cash prizes add up quick, So I suggest 7 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:17.719 you sit back, keep your trade table up right, and 8 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:18.839 start getting lucky. 9 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:22.559 Play for free at Lucky Landslots dot com. Are you 10 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:26.320 feeling lucky? No purchase necessary void. We're prohibited by Law 11 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:30.280 eighteen plus. Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. 12 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:33.039 Hello, it is Ryan, and we could all use an 13 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.399 extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we just to 14 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:38.280 make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, 15 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.039 counting or steps, you know, all the mundane stuff. That 16 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:43.560 is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino. 17 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:47.000 Chumbuck Casino has all your favorite social casino style games 18 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:51.159 you can play for free, anytime anywhere with daily bonuses. 19 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:53.719 That's your brighten your day, Lowe actually a lot, so 20 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:57.119 sign up now at Chumbuck Casino dot com. That's Chumbuck 21 00:00:57.159 --> 00:00:58.039 Casino dot com. 22 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:01.039 Nope, we're not necessary, daid, everyboy lows. You're regative fating. 23 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:14.040 Play Block Talk Radio. 24 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.640 You are now listening to True Murder, The most shocking 25 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.760 killers in true crime history and the authors that have 26 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:37.079 written about them Gasey Bundy, Dahmer, The Nightstalker DTK. Every 27 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:40.799 week another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and 28 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:45.439 infamous killers in true crime history. True Murder with your host, 29 00:01:45.840 --> 00:02:03.200 journalist and author Dan Zufanski. On September twelfth, two thousand 30 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:06.560 and one, Michelle Harris went missing from a small town 31 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:09.840 in upstate New York. She has never been found, and 32 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:14.439 the mystery surrounding her disappearance remains. Four years after she 33 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:18.000 went missing, her wealthy husband Cal Harris was arrested in 34 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:22.240 charge with her murder, with neither a body nor a 35 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:25.439 murder weapon. Cow was shockingly tried and convicted of her murder. 36 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.280 Then new evidence surfaced. His conviction was overturned and a 37 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.960 new trial granted. But once again he was convicted and 38 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:38.800 sentenced at twenty five years to life in prison. That conviction, too, 39 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.719 was overturned on appeal. The saga continued as Caw went 40 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.120 on trial for the third time. This one ended in 41 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.879 a mistrial. By the time Cal went on trial, the 42 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.400 fourth time Michelle had been missing for nearly fifteen years. 43 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:59.159 Defense investigator David M. Beers worked on the Cal Harris 44 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:03.520 case from stuff to finish. His account, Rain of Injustice 45 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.400 walks you through the details and events of the case 46 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:10.280 never before revealed. It provides an inside view of the 47 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:14.840 scandalous case, facts that you will not find elsewhere, including 48 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:20.719 why he considers Cal's story a rain of Injustice. The 49 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:23.800 book that we're featuring this evening is Rain of Injustice, 50 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:28.280 The Cal Harris Story with my special guest journalist, author, 51 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.199 and special investigator, David M. 52 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.360 Beers. Welcome to the program, and thank you very much 53 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:37.000 for agreeing to this interview. David M. 54 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:40.840 Beers. Yeah, well, thanks for having me. I've been looking 55 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:41.759 forward to the interview. 56 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:48.000 Thank you very much. Incredible tale. I had not known 57 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:52.639 of this before. This is an amazing tale, Rain of Injustice. 58 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:56.159 Let's go right as you do in this book. Here 59 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:01.280 to Owego, New York and Cal Harris and the two 60 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:06.840 automobile dealership city owns. And of course it's set in 61 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:10.479 nine to eleven, two thousand and one, So tell us 62 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:15.280 a little bit about Cal Harris, his background. Where Owego, 63 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:18.319 New York is specifically tell us give us a little 64 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:19.879 bit of background, as you do in this book. 65 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:26.040 Okay Owego, New York is in Tioga County, New York, 66 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:29.680 which is in south central New York, just above the 67 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:35.600 Pennsylvania border, right between the cities of Binghamton to the 68 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:41.040 east and Elmira to the west. Allego's just a little village, 69 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:47.560 and Taga County itself is a rather small county population wise, 70 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.120 only about fifty one thousand people. There are no cities, 71 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.879 so the county seat is right in the little village 72 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.759 of Oligo. It's kind of nestled right in along the 73 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:04.000 north side of the Susquehanna River, just west of the 74 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:10.639 village in the town of Tioga, another small township. Cal 75 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:17.759 Harris and his older brother Kevin owned two car dealerships. 76 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:24.560 Cal owned Royal Ford on the south side of the 77 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:29.399 highway and his brother Kevin owned and operated Royal Chrysler 78 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:34.839 to the north. But Cal also owned another Royal Chevrolet 79 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.120 dealership up in Courtland, New York, which is about forty 80 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:43.439 five minutes north of Oligo. They've been in business for 81 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:49.720 several years. The Royal Auto Group was started by Cal's 82 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:56.959 father Dwight Harris. He was a pretty popular entrepreneurial business 83 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:02.920 tycoon in Tioga County, darting many business enterprises before going 84 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:07.680 into the automobile business. And then when his sons, after 85 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:12.160 they were educated in college or whatever, he groomed them 86 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:17.600 into the automobile dealership business, and later they took over 87 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:24.079 the day to day operations. So that kind of sets 88 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:28.759 the stage for what Cal was. Cal was born and 89 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.879 raised in a kind of an upper middle class home, 90 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.759 went to high school in vest of New York. He's 91 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:42.240 a very handsome young man, very talented athlete, became a 92 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:46.959 star lacrosse player, and then he went on to college. 93 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:49.920 I believe he played lacrosse in college as well. He 94 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.639 studied business and economics, and then, like I said, he 95 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:56.879 was groomed into the family automobile dealership. He was kind 96 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:01.000 of thrust into the position a little prematurely after his 97 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:04.000 father had a heart attack and he and he found 98 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:09.720 himself supervising people who were his parents' age. So it 99 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:12.199 was a little awkward for him, so he had to 100 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:17.600 he had to learn the ropes rather quickly. His wife, 101 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:22.519 Michelle Uh, she grew up in a kind of a 102 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:26.199 lower middle class neighborhood just just west of Aligo in 103 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:29.319 the little town of Tioga, UH. She was like four 104 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:32.720 years younger than Cal. H. She went to Tiga High 105 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.079 School and then after high school she went to Morrisville 106 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:40.879 UH College in New York UH. And then when she 107 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:44.240 when she finished her education, she went to work for 108 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:49.439 the Royal Auto Group in Oligo. And it was there 109 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.519 that that Cal met Michelle Uh and they hit it 110 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:54.920 off right away. They was like love at first sight. 111 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:00.720 She was gorgeous UH, kind of head turning, attractive, very personable, 112 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:05.839 fun loving, and they hit it off immediately started dating, 113 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:11.360 moved in together, and then within about four years they 114 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.720 got married. I believe it was nineteen ninety and it 115 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:21.279 was from a lakeside ceremony at a lake some lake 116 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:24.759 property that Cal and his father had owned in the 117 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:28.600 town of Spencer, several miles north of Ouigo. And then 118 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:36.320 after they got married, Cal built Michelle a beautiful lakeside home, 119 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:39.720 half million dollars half million dollar home on the lake, 120 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:44.600 and it was in a really remote area. You couldn't 121 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:47.240 even see their house from the road or the road 122 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.279 from the house. And it was two hundred and fifty 123 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:57.360 acres plus of just wilderness area, most of which was 124 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.440 all densely wooded. There were a few open fields in 125 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:04.360 the lake, of course, in a pond. UH. But they, 126 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.480 you know, they spent a considerable amount of time, you know, 127 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:16.120 entertaining family and friends, you know, UH snowmobiling, hay rides, swimming, fishing, hunting, 128 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:23.399 riding ATVs uh and that that was an enjoyable part 129 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:28.000 of their life. And then they uh along the way 130 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:30.360 they had They had four children in a relatively short 131 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.480 period of time. In fact, at the time that this 132 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:39.000 that Michelle disappeared, their oldest child, Taylor, was only seven, 133 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.840 and the youngest four, Tanner, was only eighteen months old. 134 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:47.279 So you can see how closely they were in age 135 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:52.080 at the time. So that kind of lays the groundwork 136 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.279 for a little bit of history on on Cal and 137 00:09:55.559 --> 00:10:00.879 Michelle and how they met and started living together and 138 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:04.679 then got married. And I guess I should also add that, 139 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:09.799 you know, trouble started brewing in the marriage uh at 140 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:13.080 some point in time, and it only got worse when 141 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:18.919 Michelle discovered that Cal was having an affair. But on 142 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:22.480 mandown'st to Cal, she Michelle was having an affair as well, 143 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:28.240 and she had started seeing and dating a man and 144 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:32.440 uh for like six months. Uh and onbeknownst to to 145 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:37.559 Cal at the time, and she started going on weekend 146 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:44.200 rendezvous with him in the Poconots. They were using pin 147 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.240 number calling cards to call each other the other to 148 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:53.639 keep their relationship secret. And then at some point her 149 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:57.320 this boyfriend, uh, you know, he fell head over heels 150 00:10:57.360 --> 00:10:59.480 for Michelle and he packed his bags. He was from 151 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:03.600 philadel Yeah, he packed his bags, left his girlfriend, his family, 152 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:06.679 his job, and moved up to New York and found 153 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:10.200 an apartment in a job to be near Michelle, with 154 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:18.840 expectations of getting married, even though that wasn't He didn't 155 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:23.320 have this Michelle did not have the same expectations. So anyway, 156 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:25.639 that kind of sets the stage a little background. 157 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:31.840 Ah, what was the living arrangement and what was the 158 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:35.240 in terms of the divorce that they you know, that 159 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:39.039 was imminent, what was where was the state of proceedings 160 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:42.200 at that point? Tell us the living conditions and where 161 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:46.600 they were at. He knew about she had a job 162 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:50.440 as well at this waitress newly new job at this 163 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:53.440 as a waitress at this place called Lefties, and also 164 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.759 talk about the breast implant implants that she had recently 165 00:11:58.200 --> 00:11:58.879 gotten as well. 166 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:06.600 Yeah, we're trying to think that. I think it was 167 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:12.039 January of two thousand and one that Michelle filed for divorce. 168 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:16.240 Cal did not take it well. There were a lot 169 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:23.200 of heated arguments which got rather nasty at times, according 170 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:27.480 to you know, some witnesses who overheard those arguments, but 171 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:31.399 none of the witnesses that had ever noticed anything physical. 172 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:35.360 It was all you know, verbal altercations. In fact, one 173 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:40.200 of their adult babysitters, you know, described some of the 174 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:42.919 arguments and said that, you know, Michelle could hold her 175 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.480 own and she could be as verbally abusive to Cal 176 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.200 as he was to her, and other people you know 177 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:56.039 said similar things. But at some point in time, actually 178 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:59.519 I think it was early March or April two thousand 179 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:03.200 and one, Shell decided to take a job as a 180 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:09.360 waitress at a somewhat lower class bar restaurant down in Waverley, 181 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:14.279 New York, which is probably a twenty minute drive for 182 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:21.679 her to get to work, and she was telling family 183 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:25.519 and friends that the reason she took the job was 184 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:30.159 because Cal had cut her off financially, which which turned 185 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:33.879 out to be not true. You know, the records later 186 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.840 indicated that Cal was paying her like four hundred dollars 187 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:41.600 a week, plus he was still giving her a dealership 188 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:47.039 car to use free free gas anytime she needed at 189 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:52.639 the dealership. And we later we later learned that the 190 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.000 real reason she took the job wasn't because she needed 191 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:58.559 the money. It was because she didn't want to go home. 192 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.639 She didn't want to be home and argue with Cal, 193 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.600 so she wanted to distance herself from him, plus had 194 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:08.960 more time to socialize with her new boyfriend. 195 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:10.279 Uh. 196 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.240 And then somewhere along the line, I'm not sure the 197 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:19.360 exact timeframe, but but after she'd already had four children, 198 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:24.279 she she went out and had a breasting plant augmentation 199 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:30.600 job done. And according to some witnesses I talked to, 200 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:33.200 you know, she went from a from an A cup 201 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.399 to a C cup And then they used to make 202 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:40.159 fun of her a little bit in conversation. But probably 203 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:43.879 the most bizarre thing about that was that after she 204 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:46.600 did that, it became kind of the talk of the 205 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:52.120 town and U she was actually flaunting it and uh 206 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:55.720 uh And at times she would she would flash her 207 00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:00.279 breasts in front of other men, even in public, uh, 208 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:04.960 at the dealerships or in a bar and Uh. In fact, 209 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.000 one one witness I talked to UH had actually seen 210 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:12.080 her do it in front of a guy at at 211 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:15.159 a bar down in Waverley. After after she got out 212 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.039 of work and went to this bar. She you know, 213 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.559 she flashed her chest and he remembered scolding her for that, 214 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:25.840 telling her that she was just encouraging these creeps. But 215 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.919 that didn't stop her. Uh. And in fact, it went 216 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:31.840 as far as you know, some of these men that 217 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.279 she had flashed her breast to it also asked her 218 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:39.759 if they could feel what they were like because they 219 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.679 never felt implants before, and she let him do it. 220 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:44.200 Uh. 221 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:48.360 And I just thought that was pretty bizarre. But Michelle 222 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.519 was just very trusting, and I think she saw all 223 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:55.639 of this as just a fun, loving way of getting attention, 224 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:00.399 and I don't think she realized that she was making 225 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:06.320 herself vulnerable to what these guys might have had in mind. 226 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:12.759 Now, tell us who Barb Thayer is and her role 227 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:16.399 in the story so far, not to get. 228 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:23.480 Anything away, Bob, Yeah, Barb Fair was Calum Michelle's adult babysitter. 229 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:29.759 Barb Fair was probably in her early mid fifties, a 230 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:33.919 sweet little lady who gray hair. I met her and 231 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:37.759 interviewed her early in the investigation, and that's when I 232 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.000 learned about the arguments that she'd overheard and how they. 233 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:42.159 Got Judy was born. 234 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:42.639 Hello. 235 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.679 Then Judy discovered chumbacasino dot com. 236 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:47.240 It's my little escape. 237 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:49.679 Now Judy is the life of the party. Oh baby, 238 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.360 mama is bringing home the bacon. WHOA, Take it. 239 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:52.960 Easy, Judy. 240 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.639 The Chumba life is for everybody. So go to chumpacasino 241 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.480 dot com and play over one hundred casinos tying games 242 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:02.960 joined today and playing for free for your chance to 243 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:08.920 redeem some serious prices. Jump a casino dot com comitted 244 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:10.319 turn the condition. 245 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:16.000 To nasty and vulgar at times, and she she'd worked 246 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:20.440 for Calum Michelle for for several years, babysitting and doing 247 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:25.880 a house cleaning, laundry, that type of thing. And uh, 248 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:32.359 it was Barb there who who first discovered Michelle's van 249 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:37.240 at the end of the Harris driveway on the morning 250 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:42.240 that she was reported missing. Backing up just a little 251 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:48.079 bit the night before, cal had come home from work 252 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:52.960 around six point thirty from his office in Courtland. He 253 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:57.559 usually works in Courtland on Tuesdays, and he'd called Barb 254 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.000 ahead a time around five point thirty, said, I'm wrapped 255 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.599 up here. I'll be home in about an hour, and 256 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:07.319 he was, and as soon as he got home, she left, 257 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:10.240 and Cal, you know, played with the kids for a while, 258 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:12.000 but it was a school night, so we put in 259 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:15.119 the bed about eight o'clock, and then he worked in 260 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:17.480 his office for a while and then went to bed 261 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:22.400 himself around ten ten thirty. And then when he got 262 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:24.960 up in the morning, he showered and got dressed for work, 263 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:29.599 and he went downstairs, assuming that Michelle would be there, 264 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:32.640 you know, getting the kids up and ready for school, 265 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:36.400 because prior to that you had mentioned what the living 266 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:41.759 arrangements were. They were still living in the same marital 267 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:46.200 home while the divorce was pending. But Michelle was sleeping 268 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:50.519 in the family room downstairs and Cal was sleeping in 269 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:55.759 the bedroom upstairs. So during that period of time, you know, 270 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:58.880 when Michelle came home from work, she would sleep in 271 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:01.160 the family room, but then she would get up and 272 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:05.480 take care of her mother responsibilities regarding the children, getting 273 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:08.920 them ready for school. But when Cale went down the 274 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:13.480 stairs that morning on the morning of the twelve, she 275 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:17.240 wasn't there, and and he peeked out in the garage 276 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:21.720 and her van was not there, so at that time 277 00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:24.519 he knew she had a boyfriend and she He just 278 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.720 assumed that she was still with him and running late. 279 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:33.759 But because he wanted to stay on schedule and get 280 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:35.960 to work on time and get the kids to school 281 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:39.720 on time, he needed some help, so he called Barb Thayer. 282 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.240 She wasn't scheduled to come over till later, but anyway, 283 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.240 he called Barb Theayre like at seven in the morning 284 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:52.359 and explained that Michelle hadn't come home. So Fayer agreed 285 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:55.240 to come over and give them a hand. So a 286 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:59.839 few minutes later, she leaves her house, comes over, and 287 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:02.799 when she arrives at the end of the Harris driveway, 288 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.759 which I mentioned earlier you can't see from the house 289 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:11.079 because it's the driveways like a quarter quarter mile long. Anyway, 290 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.119 she stops. Michelle's van parked right in the nose of 291 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:19.000 the driveway, so she stops, gets out, looks through Michelle's van. 292 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:23.559 The door was on lock, the key was in the ignition, 293 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:28.400 so she opens up the driver's door, looks around, and 294 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:31.200 then she goes in the back, lifts up the tailgate, 295 00:20:31.400 --> 00:20:35.359 looks around. No sign of Michelle, so she gets back 296 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:38.759 in the car and drives into the house, walks in 297 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:46.359 and she's Cal. He's dressed ready for work, and she said, 298 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:50.240 you know, is Michelle Cal? She says, as Michelle home 299 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:53.480 and tell says, no, I told you she didn't come home. 300 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:55.559 He says, well, I just saw her van out the 301 00:20:55.640 --> 00:21:00.279 end of the driveway. So they both start speculating as 302 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.599 to what might have happened. You know, did she uh 303 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:08.119 stop there and and and park the car and go 304 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:12.440 out with somebody else, or did she just uh wander 305 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:17.440 off that They really didn't know, so anyway, finally Cal says, well, 306 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:19.640 we better go get it. You better go get her van. 307 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:23.160 So he drives Barbed Player out to the end of 308 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:26.680 the driveway. They both looked through the van again, and 309 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:31.119 then Barbedlayer drives Michelle's van back into the house and 310 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:34.920 parks it in the garage where she normally would And 311 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:39.880 then they're they're looking through the van to look for 312 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:41.920 the kids book bags and that type of thing to 313 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:44.799 get him ready for school. And you know, Cal makes 314 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:47.440 the comment of how messy the van looked, and he 315 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:50.720 said that, you know, we better get this down to 316 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.480 the dealership where I can get it serviced, which is overdue, 317 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:56.160 and and and and clean it out. It's a mess. 318 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:00.799 At the time, barbed their I thought that was a 319 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:06.440 little unusual under the circumstances, right, But but they didn't 320 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.480 do that. They didn't do that. 321 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:08.039 Uh. 322 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:12.920 Cal took the three oldest kids uh in his truck 323 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.759 and and took him to a weego and got him 324 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.799 to school, and then he went to work at the dealership. 325 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:23.000 They're only a couple of minutes apart. Uh and and 326 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:27.799 Barb Thayer stayed where the youngest went at home. And 327 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:32.119 then so in the meantime, Barb Fair gets a telephone 328 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:39.720 call from Michelle's best friend, Nicky Nicky Verdict looking for Michelle. Well, Uh, 329 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:46.240 barb Fair explains the whole story and and and Nicky 330 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.200 said that, well, she's supposed to have an appointment with 331 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:51.160 their attorney today. I better call him. So she did. 332 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:57.319 And then Uh the attorney calls the state police and 333 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:00.319 and and sets up a conference call between himself and 334 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:04.680 Nicky Burdick and the state police. And they explained the situation, 335 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:08.880 and the attorney requested that they start a missing person case, 336 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.039 which they did. They launched it within an hour, which 337 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:16.799 is in itself, it's pretty unusual. You know, most people 338 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.359 are told, you know, you got to wait twenty four hours. Well, 339 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:22.599 they didn't wait twenty four hours. They felt something was 340 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:26.880 wrong and they started their investigation right away. So less 341 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:30.400 than an hour later, you know, two state police investigators 342 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:34.559 are walking into Cal's office at his dealership to ask 343 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:38.319 him some questions about about Michelle and what he could 344 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:42.400 tell him, and he he cooperated with him fully talked 345 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:45.079 to them for a length of time, and then he 346 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:50.240 escorted them out to his house, showed him where Michelle's 347 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:54.160 van was parked, and then it took him into the 348 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:57.640 house and they looked through the van and then they uh, 349 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:03.039 I need to get back to work, uh, And he 350 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:05.359 left them there to do their thing, and in which 351 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:08.359 they did, and they towed Michelle's van back into the 352 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.759 state police barracks so they could take a closer look, uh. 353 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:14.680 And then they went back uh and interviewed Cal some 354 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:18.519 more so that that kind of gives you a rough 355 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:22.119 synopsis of of what what took place and and how 356 00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:25.480 was how it was determined that uh, Michelle was missing. 357 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:33.960 Now you talk about uh Stan Draisen, the divorce divorce lawyer, 358 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:36.759 and so he reached out to state police. 359 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:40.599 You said, now, who did he need to No, no, no, no, 360 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:48.200 not stanras Stan Draisen was Cal's attorney. Uh, Michelle Michelle's 361 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:52.640 attorney was Robert Miller, right part from yes he so 362 00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:55.359 so just yeah, just so we can clarify that. Yeah, 363 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:57.799 Robert Miller had an office down in Waverley, and she 364 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:01.160 had she had retained him, uh to work on the divorce. 365 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:05.440 So he was the one that was called when it 366 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:07.839 was discovered that Michelle was missing, and he was the 367 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:09.119 one that called the state police. 368 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:15.680 Now how did state police proceed with this with her disappearance? 369 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:20.960 Like I said, they proceeded rather quickly, less than an hour. 370 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:24.359 The investigators were at Cal's office and then up to 371 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:27.160 his house and then he left them up there to 372 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:30.759 do whatever they felt they needed to do. He actually 373 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:35.680 gave them a written consent to search his house and 374 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:41.839 his surrounding property, his truck, Michelle's van, whatever they needed. 375 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:50.240 He even turned over phone records, business records, home computer. 376 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.079 There was a call on the answering machine that he 377 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:59.720 saved for them, thinking it might be helpful, and so 378 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:04.640 he was very cooperative. But after he went back to 379 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.839 work that day, they stayed there. The State police stayed 380 00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:12.119 there and were looking through the house and around the property, 381 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:18.359 and then they started calling in for help to do 382 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:23.680 more thorough search. They called the New York State Forest Rangers, 383 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:28.359 they called for the helicopter, they called for divers, they 384 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:33.680 called for cadaver dogs. So there was a whole contingent 385 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:38.920 of search efforts put in place to try to find Michelle. 386 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:44.640 But it didn't all happen that first day. They were 387 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:51.160 actually there from I'm going to say late morning until 388 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:56.240 dinner time looking for Michelle, maybe six hours, and they 389 00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:59.359 didn't find anything at all. So they packed up and left, 390 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:04.440 and then Cal found out that they were done, so 391 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:08.039 he picked up, picked up the kids, and he'd originally 392 00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:09.960 take him to dinner, but then he took him home 393 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:13.400 and the state police were gone, so he remained at 394 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:17.559 home that evening and a couple of family members showed 395 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:22.640 up to offer their support. And but the next day 396 00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:29.279 the police were back then and they started putting together 397 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:33.640 this this massive search detail, bringing in all those entities 398 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:38.559 that I just just mentioned, and then they spent the 399 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:45.359 next uh It eventually led to them getting a search warrant. Originally, 400 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:48.880 they were working under the written consent that Cal had 401 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:54.079