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Episode 92: What Happened to Mary Day?
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Dark Oak
01:40 100th Episode Celebration and Giveaway
07:10 What Happened to Mary Day?
01:00:30 The Branch of Hope
Mary Louise Day, born in 1968 in Little Falls, New York, grew up in a turbulent household with her sisters Kathy and Sherrie, marked by instability, foster care, and abuse. After her parents’ divorce, her mother Charlotte married William Houle, a military man whose relocations added to the family’s isolation. By 1980, living in Seaside, California, 13-year-old Mary faced severe abuse from William. In July 1981, following a violent incident where William beat her—allegedly over a sick dog—Mary vanished. Her mother claimed she ran away, and the family never reported her missing, silencing any mention of her.
Nine years later, in 1992, Sherrie, haunted by her sister’s disappearance, filed a missing person’s report. The case went cold until 2002, when Seaside police reopened it. Investigations revealed William and Charlotte had cashed Mary’s Social Security checks after her disappearance, suggesting foul play. In 2003, a search of their former home uncovered a child's shoe and soil indicating decomposition, backed by cadaver dogs, but no body was found. Interviews with Charlotte and William were chilling—William admitted to beating Mary and hinted at a “demon” killing her, yet lacked sufficient evidence for arrest.
Then, in November 2003, a woman claiming to be Mary surfaced in Phoenix, Arizona, during a traffic stop. “Phoenix Mary” matched Charlotte’s DNA, closing the case, but inconsistencies—like her accent, vague memories, and sudden ID acquisition—raised doubts. She lived with Sherrie briefly, but tensions and her erratic behavior fueled skepticism, especially from Kathy, who doubted her identity over forgotten childhood details. In 2008, cadaver dogs again hit on a former Houle residence, yet no remains were found.
By 2017, as Phoenix Mary battled cancer, new Police Chief Judy Veloz re-examined the case. Further DNA tests confirmed Charles Day as her father, and a photo from the 1980s, verified by facial recognition, supported her identity. Her memory gaps were attributed to trauma and alcoholism. She died in 2017, leaving unresolved questions: Was she truly Mary? If so, where was she for 22 years? If not, who was she, and what happened to the real Mary? The cadaver dog hits remain unexplained, deepening the mystery of this dark, perplexing case.
Sources:
48 Hours Inverview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KheUErGCFJA
Voll, C. (2022, October 3). Mary Louise Day resurfaced after over 20 years - CrimeBeat - Medium. Medium. https://medium.com/crimebeat/mary-louise-day-resurfaced-after-over-20-years-fbb1f7cd2e2f
Sengupta, S. (2025, January 21). 5 harrowing details about the murder of Mary Day on Investigation Discovery, explored. Soapcentral. https://www.soapcentral.com/shows/5-harrowing-details-murder-mary-day-investigation-discovery-explored
Join The Dark Oak Discussion:
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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep
View all episodes
By Just Us Gals Productions
4.6
5555 ratings
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Dark Oak
01:40 100th Episode Celebration and Giveaway
07:10 What Happened to Mary Day?
01:00:30 The Branch of Hope
Mary Louise Day, born in 1968 in Little Falls, New York, grew up in a turbulent household with her sisters Kathy and Sherrie, marked by instability, foster care, and abuse. After her parents’ divorce, her mother Charlotte married William Houle, a military man whose relocations added to the family’s isolation. By 1980, living in Seaside, California, 13-year-old Mary faced severe abuse from William. In July 1981, following a violent incident where William beat her—allegedly over a sick dog—Mary vanished. Her mother claimed she ran away, and the family never reported her missing, silencing any mention of her.
Nine years later, in 1992, Sherrie, haunted by her sister’s disappearance, filed a missing person’s report. The case went cold until 2002, when Seaside police reopened it. Investigations revealed William and Charlotte had cashed Mary’s Social Security checks after her disappearance, suggesting foul play. In 2003, a search of their former home uncovered a child's shoe and soil indicating decomposition, backed by cadaver dogs, but no body was found. Interviews with Charlotte and William were chilling—William admitted to beating Mary and hinted at a “demon” killing her, yet lacked sufficient evidence for arrest.
Then, in November 2003, a woman claiming to be Mary surfaced in Phoenix, Arizona, during a traffic stop. “Phoenix Mary” matched Charlotte’s DNA, closing the case, but inconsistencies—like her accent, vague memories, and sudden ID acquisition—raised doubts. She lived with Sherrie briefly, but tensions and her erratic behavior fueled skepticism, especially from Kathy, who doubted her identity over forgotten childhood details. In 2008, cadaver dogs again hit on a former Houle residence, yet no remains were found.
By 2017, as Phoenix Mary battled cancer, new Police Chief Judy Veloz re-examined the case. Further DNA tests confirmed Charles Day as her father, and a photo from the 1980s, verified by facial recognition, supported her identity. Her memory gaps were attributed to trauma and alcoholism. She died in 2017, leaving unresolved questions: Was she truly Mary? If so, where was she for 22 years? If not, who was she, and what happened to the real Mary? The cadaver dog hits remain unexplained, deepening the mystery of this dark, perplexing case.
Sources:
48 Hours Inverview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KheUErGCFJA
Voll, C. (2022, October 3). Mary Louise Day resurfaced after over 20 years - CrimeBeat - Medium. Medium. https://medium.com/crimebeat/mary-louise-day-resurfaced-after-over-20-years-fbb1f7cd2e2f
Sengupta, S. (2025, January 21). 5 harrowing details about the murder of Mary Day on Investigation Discovery, explored. Soapcentral. https://www.soapcentral.com/shows/5-harrowing-details-murder-mary-day-investigation-discovery-explored
Join The Dark Oak Discussion:
Patreon
The Dark Oak Podcast Website
TikTok
Youtube
This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep
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