Trace Evidence

Brianna Maitland was a smart, independent seventeen year old woman working two jobs and sharing an apartment with a childhood friend. She had dreams of moving out of rural Vermont and experiencing the exciting life of a big city while pursuing a beautiful future. She had some struggles, but had gotten her life together, acquired her GED and was ready for whatever the world had to throw her way.

Five weeks after the infamous disappearance of Maura Murray, on March 19th, 2004, Brianna would leave her night shift at the Black Lantern Inn and drive off into oblivion, never to be seen nor heard from again. Over the night, several witnesses spot her abandoned car, its headlights shining into the road while its rear bumper was smashed into a vacant farmhouse. There was no sign of Brianna and no one would know she was missing for days.

During the investigation, more questions were raised than answered and even the police themselves come under fire for mistakes made early on in the case. Despite hundreds of volunteers, and police man hours, the mystery of what happened to Brianna Maitland remained unsolved. Then, in 2016, some twelve years after her disappearance, the Vermont State Police revealed that they were in possession of DNA recovered from the car which they believe belongs to the likely abductor and murderer.

Did an old rival murder Brianna to protect herself from an assault charge? Did Brianna’s drug dealing friends decide to eliminate her over a debt? Is there any connection between the fate of Maura Murray and Brianna Maitland? Or does the word of a convicted killer’s sister change all the possibilities? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the mysterious Vanishing of Brianna Maitland and the sordid list of people she once called friends, among whom may be the person responsible for her disappearance.

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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/brianna-maitland

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Twelve year old Garrett Phillips walked the five blocks home from school during the early evening hours of October 24th, 2011. Shortly after arriving at the second floor apartment where he lived with his mother and half-brother, an unknown assailant attacked and strangled him. Though Garrett survived the initial attack, he would pass away two hours later at Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

Almost immediately, police zeroed in on a single suspect: Oral “Nick” Hillary, Garrett’s mother, Tandy Cyrus’ ex-boyfriend. Despite the possibility of other suspects, and no physical evidence tying Hillary to the crime, he would remain the prime suspect for several years until a new, upstart candidate won the position of St. Lawrence County District Attorney and indicted him on charges of second degree murder. The town became split, with many believing Hillary was guilty, and others standing by his side and arguing that one of Tandy’s other ex-boyfriends may have been responsible: Sheriff’s Deputy John Jones.

Fingerprints and DNA evidence were recovered from the scene of the crime, and police theorize that the killer gained entry to the apartment and escaped via a second floor window, dropping twenty feet down to the pavement. Both Jones and Hillary had previously possessed keys to the apartment, and both had difficult breakups with Tandy. After a two week trial, Hillary was acquitted on all charges in 2016 due to a lack of evidence.

All of these years later, and many still believe Hillary is guilty, regardless of being found innocent, while others feel the police railroaded Hillary to cover-up for one of their own. Five years after this monstrous crime, and there have been no answers nor justice found for Garrett Phillips. Did Nick Hillary murder his ex-girlfriends son, blaming him for the breakup? Did John Jones concoct a plan and kill twelve year old Garrett in order to punish Tandy and frame Hillary? Or did a yet unknown suspect commit this disturbing crime and skate away scot free when police focused their investigation elsewhere?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the very disturbing murder of twelve year old Garrett Phillips and the ensuing storm of political manipulation, evidence contamination and an investigation with tunnel vision.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/garrett-phillips

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On August 8th, 2013, twenty-six year old Brandon Lawson got into an argument with his longtime girlfriend, Ladessa Lofton. Frustrated and wanting some time to cool off, he placed a call to his father over three hours away in Crowley, Texas and asked to spend the night. His father tried to talk him out of it, but at 11:54pm, Brandon was already on the move.

Brandon began his drive. Forty miles later, he ran out of gas and called his brother Kyle for help. What transpired in the next thirty minutes is unknown, but when his brother arrived, Brandon was nowhere to be found. After searching for hours, there were no traces of Brandon. The family would later learn that shortly after calling his brother, Brandon made a call to 911. In the call, Brandon is clearly frantic and talking fast.

The interpretation of what he said would become hotly debated amongst the family, police and online investigators. The Coke County Sheriff’s Department was hesitant to treat it as a missing person’s case, and instead approached it from the perspective that Brandon has chosen to run off to avoid a warrant that had been issued for his arrest some eight years earlier. While the family searched exhaustively, believing that Brandon would never abandon his four children, authorities wouldn’t begin their first search until a week later.

A controversy of police disinterest or of a possible cover up begins developing. What happened to Brandon Lawson? Did he choose to flee from his warrant? Did he get lost alongside desolate Highway 277 and never find his way back? Did demons from his past come back to haunt him or did Brandon stumble upon something in the early morning hours for which he was murdered?

UPDATED:  July, 2025 -- Brandon's remains were located and positively identified.  They are being returned to his family now. 

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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/brandon-lawson

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Candace Hiltz was a seventeen year old single mother, a junior at Brigham Young University and a newly accepted student to be at Stanford Law School. She dreamed of becoming a Supreme Court Justice. She had a brilliant level of intelligence, a ferociously protective personality and a great affinity for the law.

All of that was destroyed when she was brutally murdered. Her family sought answers, but ultimately discovered that the men charged with solving her murder may have in fact been involved in it. On August 10th, 2006, a Deputy from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department in Colorado arrived at the Hiltz family home. He questioned Dolores Hiltz in regard to the whereabouts of her son, James. Sometime during the questioning, Dolores’ daughter Candace became angry by his demeanor and told him to leave. The Deputy threatened to arrest Candace, who then threatened to expose him for taking bribes from local drug dealers.

Three days later, the Hiltz family dog went missing. It was later found tied to a tree and had been killed with a hatchet or small ax. Two days later, on August 15th, Dolores left the home to run some errands. She arrived home three hours later and found her granddaughter unsupervised and crying in her crib. There were pools of blood on the floor and drag marks. Dolores made the grisly discovery of Candace’s body. She had been shot multiple times, wrapped in a green comforter and shoved beneath a bed.

The investigation was shoddy from the beginning: The crime scene wasn’t protected and sealed, evidence was left behind and the prime suspect was Candace’s brother, James. After he was apprehended, he was charged with for breaking into a home and stealing some items, but not the murder of his sister. Over the next ten years, no new leads were developed nor evidence discovered. The Hiltz family and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department engaged in a rather public exchange of contradictory statements. Candace’s autopsy showed she had been shot by two to three different weapons and at least two assailants as several shots were projected into her front and back simultaneously.

However, there were several errors and contradictions in the report. Then, out of nowhere, a man who purchased an abandoned storage unit discovered vital pieces of evidence related to the murder which had been stolen from evidence and kept there but the Deputy who ran the entire investigation, the very one who had that altercation with Candace. Theories began to build up accusing the Sheriff’s department of a cover up and even of being complicit in the murder itself. The lead investigator retired amid a torrent of accusations, and just months after, was brought up on charges for his mishandling of evidence as well as tampering with official paperwork.

Was Candace Hiltz murdered in a random act of violence? Did the father of her daughter lash out and take her life? Did her brother James lose control and murder his own sister? Or did the lead investigator play a much more vital role in the very murder he was investigating? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the details of this tragic story and tries to follow all of the twists and turns in the Shocking Murder of Candace Hiltz.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/candace-hiltz

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Twenty year old Andrew Sadek mysteriously vanished six months after becoming a confidential informant for the Richland County Sheriff's Department, in North Dakota. He was last seen on surveillance cameras leaving his dorm room at 2am on May 1st, 2014. While his family approached it as a case of possible abduction and foul play, authorities treated it more as a man fleeing from legal ramifications.

A bitter debate would erupt between Andrew's family and the Sheriff's Department coming to a head when nearly two months later, on June 27th, Andrew's body was recovered from the Red River just across the state line in Minnesota. He had been killed by a small caliber gunshot wound to the head and while Andrew's family believed he was murdered, others have suggested that Andrew may have committed suicide.

Strangely, Andrew was not wearing the same clothing he was last seen in and his backpack was filled with rocks and tied to his body. Was this an attempt by a killer to weigh him down, or did Andrew not want his body to be recovered? Questions abound in this strange case, with several twists and turns. Ultimately, a law would be changed and a wrongful death lawsuit is currently being argued in court.

Was Andrew murdered in a robbery gone wrong? Did someone he informed on find out the truth and kill him for revenge? Or did Andrew become overwhelmed by the intense pressure and choose to end his life? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the details of this tragic story and tries to follow all of the twists and turns in the Unexplained Death of Andrew Sadek.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/andrew-sadek

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Nine year old Jane Beaumont was tasked with looking after her siblings, seven year old Arnna and four year old Grant on a day trip to the beach. The children were in the middle of their summer break, and on January 26th, 1966, while much of the country was celebrating Australia Day, Jim Beaumont had a business meeting so his wife Nancy allowed the children to take the five minute bus ride down to Glenegl beach.

They had gone many times before, and had even visited the previous day. On this day, though, while the rest of the country was enjoying the holiday, it would become a nightmare for the Beaumont family. The children failed to return home on the 12pm bus as their mother had told them, and when they weren’t on the 2pm or 3pm buses, Nancy Beaumont was frantic. When Jim arrived home from work, the two began searching, but when they failed to find any trace of their children, they contacted the police who would launch the largest search effort in Australian history to that time.

Witnesses would come forward to report sighting of the children in the company of an unidentified man in the hours and minutes before they vanished. Over the past fifty-one years, multiple theories have developed and a list of suspects has slowly grown. A psychic visited the country to lend his abilities to the search, but his efforts reaped no additional leads and as the case grew cold police found themselves frustrated and confused as to how three children could simply disappear without a single trace of them ever being located.

Among the most popular police theories was that the children had been abducted. What happened to the Beaumont children? Were they abducted by a stranger, or perhaps someone they knew? Were they swept out to sea, never to be found? Is it possible they chose to run away, or did something yet unpredicted happen?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the most infamous child disappearance in the history of Australia and tries to sort through the myths, misinformation and fifty-one years worth of speculation and grief.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/beaumont-children

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Twenty-Four year old Kyle Fleischmann took his mother, sister and best friend to a Dane Cook comedy show in Charlotte, NC. In the early morning hours of November 9th, 2007, he vanished into the darkness of the city. Several witnesses see Kyle that night, and Kyle himself places several short phone calls to his father, sister, best friend and roommate but leaves no messages.

A surveillance camera captures him walking down the street, away from the Buckhead Saloon where he had spent the past few hours. An hour later, a cab driver claims to see Kyle wandering down North Davidson Street, toward Cordelia Park, in a bad part of Charlotte known to be inhabited by drug dealers and members of the violent MS-13 gang.

The next morning, Kyle is reported missing and over the past ten years, no answers nor signs of Kyle have been found. Tracking dogs follow his scent to a then undeveloped construction site, leading many to believe that Kyle was murdered and buried where apartment complexes now stand. Did Kyle simply choose to walk away? Was he struck by a hit and run driver and disposed of or did Kyle fall victim to a brutal act of violence and wind up buried somewhere in the city of Charlotte?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he explores this bizarre disappearance and tries to sort through the myths and misconceptions about one of the most baffling vanishings in the history of North Carolina.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/kyle-fleischmann

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On August 2nd, 2006, thirty-two year old Robert Wone kissed his wife goodbye for the last time, and went to work for the day. He would spent his evening at a Continuing Law Education course, and then wanted to meet his overnight staff at Radio Free Asia where he’d recently begun working.

Rather than taking the train home that night with his wife, as was his normal routine, he had made arrangements to stay with his friend, Joseph Price, in his Townhouse in Washington DC. Shortly after his arrival at Price’s home, everything becomes a puzzling tale of confusion and contradictions.

Robert Wone is stabbed to death sometime between his 10:32 arrival and the 11:49 call to 911. Emergency Medical Technicians are disturbed by the scene they find, and the behavior of Joseph Price, his domestic partner Victor Zeborsky and their sometimes lover and roommate Dylan Ward. The bloody knife found in the room doesn’t match the stab wounds, drafted emails on Wone’s blackberry don’t make sense and the story of a home invader isn’t supported by the evidence.

In an event where details are copious and evidence points one way, the witnesses statements contradict the conclusions of police. While the three men believe Robert was murdered by a stranger, Police are convinced they know more than they are saying. Accusations of sexual assault and sadomasochistic domination cloud an already blurry vision of the evening. Who murdered Robert Wone, and for what reason?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he investigates this strange case of murder and searches for the answers.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/robert-wone

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On the morning of February 14th, 2000, Asha Degree's parents awoke to find their nine year old daughter missing. Extensive investigation showed that Asha had packed her backpack, and left the home between the hours of 2:30am and 4:00am.

Several passing motorists spotted Asha on the side of rural Highway 18, just a mile from her house, shortly after 4am. In the days of searching following her disappearance, Police discovered several personal items and candy wrappers, but no sign of Asha.

Eighteen months later, Asha's backpack was found buried and double wrapped in garbage bags some 26 miles north of the last place she was seen. For seventeen years, the mystery of Asha Degree has haunted her family, and the suburb of Shelby, North Carolina.

Did Asha choose to run away, never to return? Did she fall victim to foul play during her travels? Was she lured out of her home by a friend who later betrayed her? Did a passing driver hit Asha and choose to dispose of her body? Join host Steven Pacheco as he explores this baffling case, and studies the unanswerable question: Where is Asha Degree?

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/asha-degree

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Nineteen year old newlywed Arlis Perry got into a spat with her husband while on a walk. She decided to go on alone to Stanford Memorial Church to calm down and pray. She would never come back. At 5:45am a security guard would find her body inside the church, murdered with an ice pick and posed in a lewd and sacrilegious position.

Her murder would become the subject of theories about the occult and satanism. Some would link her death to the Son of Sam, the Zodiac Killer and a satanic organization known as the Process Church of the Final Judgment. Despite these theories, the true identity of the man who murdered Arlis was unknown.

Witnesses would come forward to describe a man with sandy hair seen entering the church that night, a man whose description matches that of a man seen arguing with Arlis at her job the day before she was murdered. Join host Steven Pacheco as he explores this case, and studies the unanswerable question: Who murdered and posed Arlis Perry?

UPDATE:As of June 26th, 2018, the Murder of Arlis Perry has been solved.  Security Guard Steve Blake Crawford, who initially reported discovering her body in 1974 committed suicide while Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputies arrived to execute a search warrant after DNA successfully linked him to the murder.  A segment has been added to the end of this episode discussion to the new information.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/arlis-perry

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