WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:12.800 As has become tradition here on Trace Evidence, we kick 2 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:15.240 off a new year of the podcast by taking a 3 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:19.320 look back and answering all of your questions and curiosities. 4 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:22.839 In today's special Q and A, I'll be answering a 5 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.839 series of questions submitted by listeners over the course of 6 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:28.839 the past few weeks. In addition, at the end of 7 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:32.119 the episode, I'll commit some time to addressing the status 8 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:35.799 of the podcast, future plans, and a few different ways 9 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:39.560 in which you can get directly involved if you're so inclined. 10 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:44.640 This is Trace Evidence twenty twenty four wrap up, Q 11 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:55.799 and A. Welcome to Trace Evidence. I'm your host, Steven Pacheco. 12 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:56.920 Wow. 13 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.880 When I started pulling questions for this episode, surprised by 14 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.000 the sheer number. In the interest of time, if I 15 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.359 saw the same question or a very minor variation of 16 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.640 the same question, I've just blended it together into one 17 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:15.519 to reduce repetition. I obviously can't address every question I 18 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:17.719 was asked, but I tried to grab up all of 19 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:21.079 the pertinent ones or ones that I haven't been asked 20 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:24.359 a lot in the past. In the future, you'll have 21 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:27.719 the opportunity to submit more specific questions on a more 22 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:31.840 regular basis. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. After 23 00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:35.079 I finished answering all of these questions, I'll be dedicating 24 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.680 sometime to a so called state of the podcast address 25 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:41.400 where I'm gonna talk about some new things coming down 26 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:45.359 the pike in twenty twenty five. But without further ado, 27 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:49.040 let's jump right into your questions and kick this thing off. 28 00:01:57.319 --> 00:01:59.920 All right, we'll jump right in with question number one, 29 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.760 And just before doing that, a quick preface. If I 30 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:05.840 mispronounce your name, I apologize. I'm doing the best I 31 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.240 can hear. Some of you sent me pronunciations, others didn't, 32 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:11.759 so it's sort of a roll of the dice. But 33 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:16.199 our first question comes from Margaret. She writes, Hi, Steven, 34 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.759 I've been a huge fan of Trace Evidence for years, 35 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:21.759 and you inspired me to create my own blog, True 36 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:26.360 Crime Musings dot com. Well, congratulations, I was wondering if 37 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.240 you would consider covering the case of release you Rudd. 38 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:31.479 She was an eight year old girl who disappeared from 39 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:35.400 a Washington, DC homeless shelter in twenty fourteen. We have 40 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.520 a basic idea of what happened, but the main suspect 41 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:40.840 took himself out and the case has been at a 42 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.680 standstill ever since. Release's case is on my list for 43 00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:48.360 future potential cases, but that's a list that has over 44 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.319 three thousand cases on it that I haven't touched yet. 45 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:53.960 The simple answer would be to say, yes, at some 46 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:56.240 point in the future, I'd like to cover this case. 47 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.520 The long answer is that it's a little bit more 48 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:02.039 complicated than that. A lot of other podcasts have touched 49 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:04.599 on this case, and when I dig into it, I 50 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.879 often see a lot of the same recycled information, and 51 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:11.080 then really what it's all about is less about analyzing 52 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.520 the facts of the case and more about what is 53 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:16.039 someone's theory of it? What does someone think happened here? 54 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.360 And I think this is one of those cases where 55 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:21.080 I probably wouldn't be able to provide you with a 56 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.520 ton more information than what you already know. 57 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:25.560 Really, where I would. 58 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:27.280 Come into play would be in the second half of 59 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:30.360 the episode, when I do the analysis on theories. So 60 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.360 the only reason I haven't done this case yet is 61 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.800 because almost every time when I've taken a look at 62 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:37.479 it and thought maybe now is the time I want 63 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.400 to do it, somebody drops a podcast episode on it, 64 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:42.639 and then I try and wait a little longer. I 65 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:44.639 don't want to step on other people's toes, and on 66 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.599 the occasions in which I've released an episode about a 67 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:51.000 case around the same time as somebody else, I haven't 68 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:52.879 really liked that. I like to try and spread it 69 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:55.240 out a bit. So that is the case I absolutely 70 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.800 plan to cover at some point in the future. It's 71 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.439 going to come down to scheduling if I can find 72 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:03.560 new information and something extra to add to it. I 73 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:06.960 really don't like doing cases where I have nothing additional 74 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.199 to tell you, and I'm just giving you information that 75 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:11.520 you probably already know. So if I'm able to dig 76 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:14.400 into that case and find new information or something, maybe 77 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:17.600 an angle that hasn't been looked at, absolutely If not, 78 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.120 it'll probably wait a little longer. But it is a 79 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.120 case that I've been looking at for years and one 80 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:24.000 that I would love to cover at some point in 81 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:28.079 the future. Our next question comes from John the Play, 82 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.680 who asks will you ever make a video about the 83 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.439 disappearance of Jennifer Kessey among others that haven't been talked about. 84 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:39.240 With last week marking eighteen years since Jennifer Kessey disappeared, 85 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:42.279 this was a pretty popular question, and I was asked 86 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:47.319 different variations of it from Kevin, Jesus Angela, and Jim. 87 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:50.639 The short answer is I would really like to cover 88 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:53.959 Jennifer Kesse's case at some point in time, but sort 89 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.040 of in the vein of my previous answer on Releisia Rudd, 90 00:04:57.360 --> 00:04:59.240 this is a case where I feel like it's gotten 91 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:03.519 extens coverage. There was a standalone podcast on it, there's 92 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:08.000 been documentaries made about it, there's been just investigation Discovery 93 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:10.639 TV shows about it. There's been a lot poured into 94 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.639 this case, and for me, when I've watched different things 95 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:15.720 on it and listened to different things on it, it 96 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.519 all kind of comes down to the same basic details 97 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:22.680 that everybody knows, but that can't actually lead you anywhere. 98 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:27.040 It's like the video they have of the suspect. You 99 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:29.160 can watch that all day long, but you can't really 100 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:31.680 make out enough to do anything with it. And even 101 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:33.519 with the new stuff that they've done where they were 102 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:36.399 able to describe what the kind of clothing he was wearing, 103 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.759 it didn't really answer any questions. So for me, whether 104 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:41.920 or not I ever did the Jennifer Kessei case would 105 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:43.920 depend on a couple of different things. One would be 106 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:46.839 new information coming out I don't want to do an 107 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:49.639 episode where I just regurgitate to you what you've already 108 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:53.040 heard other places. In addition to that, I would like 109 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.120 there to be some kind of a lull for lack 110 00:05:56.160 --> 00:05:58.959 of a better term. I know that we're always talking 111 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:01.560 about how cases need to tension, and I agree, but 112 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:05.079 there's sometimes where a lull in that attention is helpful, 113 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:07.680 and at least for me, I like to do a 114 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:10.480 lot of cases when they've kind of dropped into that lull, 115 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:13.120 when everyone's sort of moving on and it's not to 116 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:14.959 say that they have forgotten about it, but it's not 117 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:18.240 getting as much attention as it previously was. Then I 118 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:20.639 can come out with an episode and sometimes that jogs 119 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:22.839 memories or it makes people go back and look at 120 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:25.920 other things. So sorry for rambling here a little bit, 121 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.600 but yeah, I would love to cover Jennifer Kesse's case, 122 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:33.399 but with the volume of information that is available out there, 123 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:37.720 I would not want to fall short and fail to 124 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.519 do it justice. Jennifer Kessey's case is a case that 125 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:44.120 you could absolutely do another standalone podcast on, and you 126 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.319 could probably do ten to twelve hours on it, whether 127 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:49.519 or not I could squeeze all of that down into 128 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:51.560 an hour and forty five minutes to two hours. I 129 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.480 probably could, But would I be doing justice to a 130 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:58.439 case that's already had probably better, more extensive details than 131 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:01.240 I can give. I'm not sure sure, but I'd certainly 132 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.399 take a shot at one point in time. Our next 133 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:08.639 question comes from John Chance, who asks, outside of true crime, 134 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:11.040 what kind of TV shows or movies do you watch? 135 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:12.120 Well? 136 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.360 I don't watch a ton of TV these days, partially 137 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:18.639 because streaming has become so bloated and expensive that I 138 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.920 just don't want to pay for all those different subscriptions. 139 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:26.120 I watch Jeopardy almost daily and IDVR General Hospital, let 140 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.240 it build up for weeks, and then binge the hell 141 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:30.439 out of it a few nights in a row. There 142 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:33.399 aren't really any new shows that I pay much attention to, 143 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.399 unless you count wrestling. I mostly spend my time watching 144 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:42.240 older shows Seinfeld, Frasier, Three's Company. Currently, I'm on my 145 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.560 fourth binge of mind Hunter, and I still consider it 146 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:47.480 a crime that that show isn't coming back for a 147 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:51.279 third season. On the other hand, I'm a huge movie buff, 148 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:53.920 although I admit twenty twenty four was kind of a 149 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.240 lackluster year for new movies. I have a ton of 150 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:02.399 favorites I go back and watch from time to time. Tombstone, Halloween, Zodiac, 151 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:05.360 just to name a few. In all honesty, I spend 152 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:08.319 much of my time on YouTube just watching funny or 153 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:12.800 interesting videos. I love psychological analysis videos where they break 154 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:15.800 down the how and why of someone's behavior or get 155 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.720 deep into brain processes in its biology. I also love 156 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:24.000 history videos, whether it's discussing specifics of the Revolutionary War, 157 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:27.199 one of my favorite periods in time, or where they 158 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:31.480 have experts answering questions like what was medieval life really like? 159 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.000 How accurate is this movie versus that one. I'm kind 160 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.720 of a nerd, but I embrace it and enjoy it. 161 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.960 Next we have a question from Krista Bossoni, who asks, 162 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.600 since you mentioned Evanitz, I was wondering if you would 163 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:48.559 look into another case he is connected to the Root 164 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.559 twenty nine stalker. This is near to me as I 165 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.080 grew up in the area at the time. Can't tell 166 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.320 you the number of times I traveled on Route twenty 167 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:59.320 nine alone and was about the same age as the victims. 168 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:03.200 Gives me a bit of a chill. Well, Christa, yeah, 169 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:06.279 I mentioned Richard Evidence in the most recent update episode 170 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:09.519 when I was discussing the murder of Justin Turner. Apparently 171 00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:12.519 he is being looked at as a potential suspect in 172 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.200 a lot of different cases, and they're working right now 173 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:17.799 to try and narrow things down so they can complete 174 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.799 a full timeline of travel to determine where he was 175 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:25.279 and when in regard to several unsolved cases. According to 176 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.039 some of what I've read, it looks like evidence was 177 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.480 in the area for some of the crimes, and so 178 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:34.759 called insiders say he is very carefully being considered a 179 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:38.720 suspect in the Route twenty nine Stocker case. I'd like 180 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:41.120 to see a little more detail on that. I know 181 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:43.879 some of the cases that are often considered a part 182 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.399 of that group have been solved over the years with 183 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.559 different suspects being involved, So I'm curious to see how 184 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.480 they think evidence fits in and what evidence they have, 185 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:56.200 if any, to link him to these crimes. From everything 186 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.000 I've read about evidence, I wouldn't put anything past him. 187 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:03.519 He seems to have been skilled manipulating victims and covering 188 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.559 his tracks. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest to 189 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:09.320 find out that he was the Route twenty nine stalker, 190 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:12.279 or that he has even more victims under his belt 191 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.840 than law enforcement currently presume. At some point in time, 192 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:19.279 I'd actually like to cover the Route twenty nine Stoker case. 193 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:22.559 I've always found it interesting, and I imagine giving your 194 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:25.960 personal experience traveling that route, I bet you've got a 195 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:29.000 much deeper understanding of it than I ever possibly could. 196 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:31.720 That being said, it's one of the cases I'd like 197 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.240 to dig into this year, along with a few other 198 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:37.559 similar ones from around the country. I've held off on 199 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:40.399 those in the past because I've always struggled to nail 200 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:45.240 down the logistics of writing episodes with so many different victims, 201 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:48.039 But I'm hoping to get into some of those this year, 202 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.480 and the Route twenty nine Stalker could be one of them. 203 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:56.559 Our next question comes from Diego Serra, who writes, I 204 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.519 think that you said that you went to school for psychology. 205 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:02.279 Have you ever thought of using what you learned to 206 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:06.039 analyze cases or suspects? Well, before we jump the gun 207 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:08.759 and give me too much credit, I attended college long 208 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:11.720 enough to get an associate's degree, a two year degree, 209 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.720 but I couldn't afford to continue on with school. I 210 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:18.519 did major in psychology, and I took every psychology class 211 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:22.840 the school offered, which entailed intro to psych, biological psych, 212 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:27.840 abnormal psych, criminal psych, and forensic psych. I'm fascinated by 213 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:31.159 the mind, how it works and why, and especially as 214 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:37.039 that applies to criminal behavior, particularly those of psycho and sociopaths, narcissists, 215 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:42.360 and others with antisocial personality disorders. Obviously, given my earlier 216 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:46.320 mention of mind Hunter, I'm into behavioral profiling, and I've 217 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.960 read some of the works of John Douglas, as well 218 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.279 as doctor Robert Hares, Without Conscience and The Mask of 219 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:55.519 Sanity by Hervey Cleckley, to name a few. But there's 220 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.799 so many books on these topics today that it's difficult 221 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.120 to keep track. At the same time, I'm not a 222 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:06.600 practicing nor even a fully educated psychologist, and so I 223 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:08.759 don't feel it would be proper for me to apply 224 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:13.720 those skills, at least directly. Sometimes I apply some psychology 225 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:17.279 to suspect analysis for the theories section, since that's the 226 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:20.200 part of the podcast where we veer a little away 227 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.080 from the buy the book matter of fact approach and 228 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:27.279 I do a little more speculating. I've certainly utilized psychology 229 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:31.000 when trying to figure out patterns of behavior, approaches to crimes, 230 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.440 and some analysis of seeing details. I try not to 231 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.879 dig too deep there, though, as it's extremely easy to 232 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:40.360 get lost in all of that and find yourself saying 233 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:44.039 things that you can't prove, or worse, developing a bias 234 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.600 that you can't talk yourself out of because you can't 235 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:50.240 even see it. Lately, I've been taking a long look 236 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:54.559 at geographic profiling, and several folks knowledgeable in that topic 237 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:57.080 have been kind enough to provide me with some pretty 238 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:01.159 intensive reading materials. It's still a develop helping science, but 239 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.759 I'm pretty fascinated by it, and I hope at some 240 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.080 point that I get to try that out in some 241 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:09.279 of the cases where that analysis might lend a hand. 242 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:13.799 Next up, Jay asks, I've been having a tough year 243 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:18.240 managing my relationships whilst focusing on my goals. It feels 244 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.960 like everything has been going sideways for the past few 245 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.559 months since you've had your personal ups and downs this year. 246 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:28.480 What's your best piece of advice on being positive? Thanks 247 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.360 for always being a person I can relate to well, Jay. 248 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:33.240 I'm really glad that you can relate to me, and 249 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:35.840 I try and be pretty open about my struggles, whether 250 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:39.399 they're mental health related or physical health or whatever in between, 251 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:42.200 because I get a lot of comments and messages from 252 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:46.360 people like you who find it helpful. So firstly, I'm 253 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:48.799 really sorry to hear that you're having a difficult year. 254 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.679 I know I'm much that sucks, but try and keep 255 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:55.279 focused on the horizon. There's always a new dawn tomorrow. 256 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:58.720 I'm certainly no expert on best practices, especially when it 257 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.200 comes to staying positive, but I might have a few 258 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:05.240 ideas that can help. Whenever I'm feeling really down, whether 259 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.840 it's about something specific or just general depression settling in, 260 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:12.120 I try to remember times where I felt better or 261 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:16.120 I was happier, and I dramatically increase my physical activity. 262 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:18.720 Don't get me wrong, you don't have to hit the 263 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:21.679 gym or anything, although that can help, but just getting 264 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:23.720 out of the house and into the fresh air could 265 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:27.480 make a major difference, whether I go downtown to walk around, 266 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:30.720 or take a nice drive and blast music, or even 267 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:34.240 get some yard work done. The sun has an amazing 268 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:37.639 ability to help increase mood, probably because of all that 269 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.360 vitamin D, but it does really help also when I'm 270 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:43.759 out there doing whatever in my yard. I get to 271 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:46.559 listen to some of my favorite podcasts or audio books, 272 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:48.039 and that makes a big difference. 273 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:49.120 Now. 274 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.759 I don't know if this would work for everyone, but 275 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:55.240 I found that when I'm really struggling, sometimes the best 276 00:14:55.240 --> 00:14:57.480 way to pull myself out of the dark is to 277 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.759 help someone else. It could be simple like sending a 278 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:03.639 little gift to a friend or taking someone out to lunch. 279 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:07.759 It could be more hands on writing for someone making 280 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:10.759 something for them, but it doesn't always have to involve 281 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.799 money or creativity. Sometimes lending just your time means the 282 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:18.799 world to someone else. Find a friend who has a 283 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.759 hobby or a family member and get involved with it, 284 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:23.039 even if it's just. 285 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:23.799 For that day. 286 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:26.919 Got someone in your life who's always asking you to 287 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.279 do something and you never want to do it. Give 288 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:31.639 it a shot, even if you don't enjoy it, you 289 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.480 might put a smile on their face. To me, and 290 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:38.320 again this is my own personal experience, sometimes the easiest 291 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:40.399 way for me to feel good is to go out 292 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.600 of my way to help someone else feel good, whether 293 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:47.960 that's hanging out, doing something together, or even just listening. 294 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:51.720 It's really hard to help yourself to shine a light 295 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:54.320 on the dark inside of your own head. And your 296 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.559 own heart. But it's really easy to help someone else, 297 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.279 and oftentimes you'll be helping yourself at the same time, 298 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:05.080 whether you realize it or not. Next up is a 299 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:08.399 question from Katerry, who's been a listener and supporter of 300 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:12.320 the show since almost the very beginning. Ka Terry writes, Hey, Stephen, 301 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.960 what John or Jane Doe case would you like to 302 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:18.919 see solved? Also, on a personal note, what perspective have 303 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.879 you gained this year? Thanks for the question, Ka Terry. 304 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.039 There's a lot of different doughcases that grab my attention. 305 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:28.200 I've covered a few, but one I've really found myself 306 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.120 pulled into over the past year has been the Albuquerque 307 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:34.159 Jane Doe. She was founded at a Super eight motel 308 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.840 in June of nineteen ninety one, and they think she 309 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:40.000 might have been from California and could potentially have been 310 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:43.840 known as Becca. There's a lot of curious details about 311 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:47.360 the scene, including a photo that shows this unknown woman 312 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.559 and a man who hotel staff identified as the guy 313 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:54.159 who rented out the room. The photo was apparently taken 314 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.799 within days or possibly hours of the unknown woman's death. 315 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:00.799 It was thought that the man in the photo was 316 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.400 named Eduardo it took years to track him down, and 317 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:07.799 by the time police found him, Eduardo had passed away. 318 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.079 Police were surprised, however, when his family was shown the 319 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.519 photo and they noted that the man in that photo 320 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:20.119 was not Eduardo. It's a really weird, sad, and wild case, 321 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:23.359 and I'd love to see it solved. At the same time, 322 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.039 I may end up covering it this year, but there's 323 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:28.920 a lot to dig into. Usually when I do Jane 324 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:31.960 or John Doe cases, I'm really trying to find everything 325 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.559 that I can because there's so few details. But the 326 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:38.359 Albuquerque Jane Doe has a lot of dedicated researchers looking 327 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:41.599 into it, so there's a great wealth of information, even 328 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:45.039 though it doesn't provide all the answers. In regard to 329 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:48.680 the second half of your question, what perspective I've gained 330 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:52.039 this year? Something I've been kind of dealing with is 331 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:55.880 that sometimes it's okay to take a breath. I'm really 332 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.119 hard on myself. I push myself hard, and a lot 333 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:01.319 of time that leads me to burn out or just 334 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:04.640 to feel absolutely terrible, and it's not good for me 335 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:08.000 mentally or physically. There's a lot I want to do 336 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:10.920 and a lot I'd like to accomplish, but it's all 337 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:14.400 worth nothing if I'm carrying so much frustration, anger, and 338 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:18.359 unhappiness with me. I hope in twenty twenty five to 339 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:21.000 give myself a little more grace and to transform my 340 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:27.240 frustrating work sessions into more fulfilling and productive ones. Next up, 341 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.160 Robert b asks what are your thoughts on the use 342 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:33.319 of genetic genealogy and how it's being used to solve 343 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:36.440 so many cases. I don't think it would be stretching 344 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:40.319 a truth to say that genetic genealogy has revolutionized both 345 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:44.240 cold case and dow case investigations. We've seen a ton 346 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:46.960 of cases solved in the last few years through this method, 347 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:52.519 and others have pointed towards new and sometimes previously unknown suspects. Personally, 348 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.400 I find genetic genealogy really interesting and I'd love to 349 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.240 get involved with it somehow. I'm not sure where i'd 350 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:01.799 go for what I could do. But if there's one 351 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:04.799 thing I'm really good at, it's researching and finding old 352 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:08.000 family information. I do it every week when I work 353 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.119 on a case. That being said, I've been saying this 354 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:13.480 for years. In one of these days it's going to 355 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.279 come true. But I think that as this approach to 356 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:21.000 solving cases becomes more popular and more organizations and labs 357 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.279 get involved, it's going to become more competitive, and we 358 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:27.160 may see that what was once too costly for a 359 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:31.519 small police department to deploy may become a regular technique. 360 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:34.839 At the same time, I think there will be legal 361 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:38.400 challenges going forward. There hasn't been at least that I've 362 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:41.920 seen a major precedent or standard set, and it's still 363 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:44.759 a little bit of the wild West. But as access 364 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:48.039 to DNA becomes more vast and easier to utilize, there 365 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:51.640 will come questions about how far your personal rights extend. 366 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:55.400 My fingerprints are my fingerprints. You're not finding them at 367 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:57.759 a crime scene unless I put them there or they 368 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:01.559 were planted. You're not matching them unless I have them 369 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.920 on the record, or you manage to track me down 370 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:07.279 and get a warrant for my fingerprints. However, if you 371 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:09.480 have my DNA and you go into one of those 372 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:12.319 databases and you connect to an ancestor and work your 373 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:15.119 way down to my uncle, do I have any rights 374 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:15.920 in that regard? 375 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:16.720 Right now? 376 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:19.680 It seems the court says no, you share DNA with 377 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.720 this person, and they allowed their DNA to be searched. 378 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:25.359 I'm all on board with that, but I think at 379 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:28.240 some point we're gonna see a case that really challenges 380 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:31.759 just how much of your genetic data is yours versus 381 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:36.759 the person who uploads their own personal genetic profile. Technology 382 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:40.960 moves really fast, so fast that oftentimes the courts are 383 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.960 ruling on things that happened years ago and everything so 384 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:47.400 far behind. I'm not a legal scholar, nor am I 385 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:50.200 well versed enough to make a cogent argument one way 386 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:52.400 or the other. But it just feels like this is 387 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.599 going to be a hot button topic, especially as it 388 00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:59.960 begins getting utilized more and more. Twenty twenty five could 389 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.079 end up being a really interesting year when it comes 390 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:10.039 to genetic genealogy. Our next questions come from Patreon supporter Sanade, 391 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.759 who asks of what percentage of cases you cover or 392 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:17.039 don't cover regarding missing people? Do you believe are people 393 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:19.559 who simply chose to walk away from their lives and 394 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:24.680 start fresh. Also, any chance you'd look into Ireland's Vanishing Triangle. 395 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:29.440 Ireland as a country is smaller than South Carolina or Indiana, 396 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:33.480 yet many women went missing. I grew up within the triangle. 397 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:35.960 My dad used to drive behind me when I drove 398 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.079 to work and when I returned. I used to think 399 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:42.119 the idea that some people leave and start over was 400 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.000 just an excuse used by law enforcement when they couldn't 401 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.680