Evelyn and Alex Hernandez
44:28 Share

It's that time of the year. Your vacation is coming up. You can already hear the beach waves, feel the warm breeze, relax, and think about work. You really, really want it all to work out while you're away. Monday.com gives you and the team that peace of mind. When all work is on one platform and everyone's in sync, things just flow wherever you are. Tap the banner to go to Monday.com.

What's something that works so well that it's basically magic? It's summertime, so how about air conditioning? Noise-canceling headphones? Meeting-free Fridays? Well, what about selling with Shopify?

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the "launch your online shop" stage, to the first real-life store stage, all the way to the "did we just hit a million orders" stage, Shopify's there to help you grow. Whether you're selling trained detective t-shirts or advocacy gear, Shopify helps you sell everywhere.

From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered.

What I love about Shopify is no matter how big you grow, Shopify grows with you. And they give you everything you need to take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com slash justice, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash justice now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com slash justice.

Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

Today I'm discussing the murder of 24-year-old Evelyn Hernandez and the disappearance of her 5-year-old son, Alex Hernandez. On May 1st, 2002, Evelyn was very pregnant with her second son, literally just a week away from her due date.

The day Evelyn and Alex went missing was really just like any other. That morning, Evelyn called one of her sisters, then dropped Alex off at preschool, ran a few errands, picked Alex back up, and she ended the night by talking to her other sister about her upcoming baby shower.

Now, it wasn't an easy pregnancy for Evelyn. She had worked as a vocational nurse, at Costco, and at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square, but she eventually suffered complications with her pregnancy and was on disability by the end of it. On top of all of that, when she was about four months pregnant, she discovered that the father of her child, 36-year-old Herman Aguilera, was hiding a huge secret from her. He was actually married.

But it seems like Evelyn was somehow juggling all her responsibilities and holding it together. She was planning for the baby shower, and even had a name picked out for the new baby, Fernando.

But after Evelyn hangs up with her sister, as Evelyn's due date approaches, she stops answering phone calls and stops taking Alex to school. About a week after that phone call with her sister, on May 7th, Evelyn's due date, Herman Aguilera reported her and Alex missing to the police. Then, just a few weeks later in July, Evelyn's partial remains were found in the San Francisco Bay. She'd been murdered.

Her unborn son and Alex have never been found. This is the case of Evelyn and Alex Hernandez. On May 7th, 2002, Herman Aguilera reported the mother of his unborn child, 24-year-old Evelyn Hernandez, along with her 5-year-old son, Alexis Geraldo Hernandez, also known as Alex, missing. He explained that Evelyn was 9 months pregnant, and actually due to give birth that same day.

According to reporting by Jackson Vanderbecken for SFGate, Aguilera said he'd last seen Evelyn and Alex about a week prior on April 30th.

On that day, he says he went to Ikea to shop for Evelyn and buy a bed for Alex. After that, he met Evelyn at San Francisco General Hospital for a prenatal exam, and then took Evelyn home, where he assembled Alex's new bed. After that, he says he picked up Alex from school, drove him home to Evelyn, and then left. Aguilera says he never saw or heard from Alex or Evelyn after that.

So, detectives with the San Francisco Police Department get to work, and they were able to put together a timeline for May 1st pretty quickly. It seems that that morning, Evelyn spoke to her sister, Olivia. They discussed Evelyn not feeling very well and having pain in her stomach, and this seemed to go far beyond just discomfort with pregnancy. Evelyn had complications so severe she was unable to continue working.

And while Alex's school was just a few miles away from their home in San Francisco's Crocker Amazon neighborhood, Evelyn didn't have a car, so she typically used public transportation to take Alex to and from school every day. Detectives did see that Evelyn left her apartment that morning, dropped Alex off at Buena Vista Elementary School, and then took a bus to the bank to make a deposit.

She then bought a new wallet at a Ross store before picking Alex back up from school and going home. At around 6, Evelyn got her mail, including a disability benefits check. About three hours later, around 9, she called her other sister in Richmond to talk about the upcoming baby shower her family planned for her, and specifically about transportation for the party.

After their chat, they said goodnight, and Evelyn hung up. But the next morning, Evelyn didn't take Alex to school, and no one had heard from them since. So at this point, detectives begin to dig deeper into Evelyn's past in hopes of finding any clues to where she may have gone or where Alex may be. They learn that when Evelyn was 14, she immigrated to the United States from El Salvador to live with her mother and her sister. She attended McAteer High School in San Francisco. Now,

Now, in reporting by Ron Harris for the Associated Press in 2002 about her high school closing, he says it was, quote, "...an educational dumping ground where poorly performing students were often assigned." And San Francisco Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman says the school closing was in the best interest of the children, after a long-standing reputation of underperforming.

But Evelyn kept busy and found a community outside of school at a local youth center. A mentor from the center told People magazine, quote, "'At first she was a shy, simple girl, but I could see she was intelligent. She studied hard and was responsible.'"

They say that once Evelyn felt more comfortable, she started showing interest in acting and performed in plays at the center. Eventually, Evelyn graduated from high school and had her son Alex. Now, not much is known about Alex's father, but according to the Charlie Project, he served in the Navy, and it doesn't appear that he played much of a role in Alex's life. While everyone said Evelyn loved being a mom, her friend did tell People Magazine that she was lonely.

Around 1998, Evelyn started dating Herman Aguilera, who was 12 years older than her. He worked as a limo driver and an airline mechanic for United Airlines at the San Francisco International Airport. Then, in late 2001, Evelyn got pregnant with Aguilera's son, who they planned to name Fernando.

But a friend of Evelyn told ABC News that Aguilera didn't really react well to this news, and at this point he was kind of realizing that things with Evelyn were becoming more serious than he wanted them to be. They say that he started acting kind of weird, so concerned and now four months pregnant, Evelyn calls Aguilera's mother, and she tells her that her son is probably not reacting well to this pregnancy because he's already married.

Now, detectives were later able to determine that Aguilera's wife knew about his relationship with Evelyn, but she said she did not know about the pregnancy. As time went on, Evelyn made the decision to end the romantic relationship with Aguilera, but she did agree to allow him to see their son once he was born.

Holly Perra with the San Francisco PD told the San Francisco Chronicle that it was Evelyn's decision to end things, but, quote, "...it caused some friction because he was paying for her apartment and wanted to be able to stay there. But she wanted to get on with her life. She thought she had no future with him."

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by CB Distillery. If you're anything like me, my medicine cabinet was filled with things that just didn't help me. I still couldn't sleep, I was still in pain, and I was still stressed out. So I gave CB Distillery a try, and it has been a real change. And in two non-clinical surveys, 81% of customers experienced more calm.

and 90 said that they slept better with cbd and i'm a part of that 90 i've had trouble sleeping for most of my life and after trying every tea every pill that i could get my hands on cbd distilleries deep sleep gummies have actually worked for me it not only helps me fall asleep but it helps me stay asleep which has been my big problem in the past

So if you struggle with a health concern and haven't found relief, make the change like I did to CB Distillery. And with over 2 million customers and a solid 100% money-back guarantee, CB Distillery is the source to trust. I have a 20% discount to get you started. Visit cbdistillery.com and use code JUSTICE for 20% off. That's cbdistillery.com, code JUSTICE. cbdistillery.com

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Ibotta. Are you planning your dream vacation but dreading the cost? With Ibotta, you get cash back on all your purchases, so you can spend more time making memories and less time dreaming about them. Ibotta is a free app that lets you earn cash back every time you shop. You can also get cash back on all your purchases,

You can earn on hundreds of items you buy every day, from groceries to beauty supplies and even toys. The average Ibotta user earns $256 per year.

That's a plane ticket, a shopping trip, or even a fancy dinner. And they have so many brands, over 2,400. Lowe's, Macy's, Sephora, Best Buy, and more. I've been using Ibotta for a really long time. It's one way that I make every penny stretch. And right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code CRIME when you register.

Just go to the App Store or Google Play Store and download the free Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CRIME. That's I-B-O-T-T-A in the Google Play Store or App Store, and use code CRIME. After learning all this information, the police theorized that maybe Evelyn left voluntarily to escape Aguilera and have the baby.

So they started contacting hospitals. They reached out to friends and family both in the U.S. and El Salvador. They reached out to medical examiners in every county in California and two in Nevada, but no one reported seeing anyone that matched Evelyn or Alex's description.

So, after looking into Aguilera, calling medical examiners, calling hospitals, detectives turn their eye to Alex's father. And they do locate him. He was living in Puerto Rico. But after speaking to him, he is not considered a suspect in the case. And as far as we know, that's really the last the public hears about him.

But finally, a few days into the investigation, police get a major break in the case when someone finds Evelyn's wallet, that new wallet that she bought on May 1st.

Now, this person did try to get a hold of Evelyn and return the wallet, but they obviously couldn't get a hold of her and later turned it in to the police. When police realized that the wallet was Evelyn's and speak to the person who found it, they discovered that it was found in a gutter on Linden Avenue. And the reason I'm emphasizing it is because this area was not new to police. It was actually just about two blocks from where Aguilera worked at the limousine company.

And inside the wallet were two $20 bills and her disability check. Now, this tells them a few things. Obviously, the location is cause for concern about Aguilera's possible involvement. And since there was still $40 in the wallet, it didn't really seem that robbery was a plausible explanation for Evelyn or Alex being met with foul play.

Also, it tells them that Evelyn was never able to deposit that check, money she might need if she really did plan to leave Aguilera to have the baby. So of course, detectives go out to the spot where the wallet was found. They searched, they brought dogs, but they didn't find anything.

And we do know that they also searched Evelyn's home. They found her and Alex's passports, but her cell phone was gone, and as far as I could find, it has never been recovered. And this is another case where the police aren't releasing a ton of information, so I can't even tell you if they have her cell phone records. And it really seems that at this point is when police start to change their mind about what they think might have happened to Evelyn. They tell the media, quote,

We're definitely concerned there might be foul play. They have just vanished. At this point, detectives bring Aguilera back in for a voluntary interview, and his story starts to change. Initially, he had said that he and Evelyn didn't really have any problems, but he eventually admitted that there were some, quote, tensions. And that's not the only part of his story that changed.

He told detectives that on the night of May 1st, he did try calling Evelyn several times, but she didn't answer. He told detectives that he did not go to her apartment to check on her, but he later changed his story and said that he did drive to her apartment, but then he thought maybe she was avoiding him, so he went home. He also said that he called the hospital where Evelyn was supposed to give birth, but she wasn't there.

Once police were fairly certain that Evelyn and Alex had been met with foul play, they held their first news conference regarding their disappearances. It had been more than a month since they went missing, and this decision to wait to notify the public has been widely criticized. Holly Perra, again with San Francisco PD, later told the San Francisco Chronicle, "...it's hard to turn back the clock and get what we could have gotten if we had major publicity from the get-go."

But even with this news conference, the case got very little media attention. That is, at least until Evelyn's remains were found. And people began to speculate that her case may have been linked with another similar, but much more high-profile case.

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by June's Journey. June's Journey is a hidden object mystery game, and you step into the role of June Parker and search for hidden clues to uncover the mystery of her sister's murder. Basically, you engage your observation skills to quickly uncover key pieces of information that lead to chapters of mystery, danger, and romance.

Throughout your investigation, you also customize your very own luxurious estate island. You collect scraps of information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character. But my favorite part is chatting and playing with or against other players by joining a detective club and putting my skills to the test in a detective league.

So, there's kind of two times that I find myself playing June's Journey. One is kind of throughout the day when I just need like a little decompression break, I play a few scenes and get back to work. Or more often than not, when I'm laying down for the night, I tend to play then too. For me, it's a nice way to unwind, decompress, and get lost in a mystery. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android.

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Quince. I can't believe that we are rolling into fall, but we are, which means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And luckily, Quince offers timeless and high-quality pieces that will not blow your budget.

Like cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and more. All Quince items are priced 50-80% less than similar brands. And they do that by partnering directly with top factories. That way they cut out the cost of the middleman and pass those savings on to us. At this point, I've tried a little bit of everything from Quince.

and I'm still in love with their ten-cell jersey fit and flare dresses. Especially in Arizona, it's really easy to dress them up or dress them down and add some layers if it gets colder.

Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high-quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash justice for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's q-u-i-n-c-e dot com slash justice to get free shipping and 365-day returns. quince.com slash justice

On July 24th, 2002, almost three months after Evelyn Hernandez and her five-year-old son Alex went missing, part of Evelyn's torso and her legs were discovered floating in the San Francisco Bay. She was identified using DNA gathered from her toothbrush. Alex and Evelyn's unborn baby were not found.

According to the autopsy report, there were no signs of amputation or any sharp or blunt force injuries. While her cause of death was ultimately deemed to be undetermined, the police believe she was murdered, and the mayor's office established a $10,000 reward.

After finding Evelyn's partial remains, the police assumed Alex also might be deceased, but Evelyn's family remained hopeful that he might be found, and were obviously pushing for the police to keep looking. At a memorial service for Evelyn, one of her loved ones held up a sign with a photo of Alex, asking, quote, "'Where is Alex? Wasn't this investigation important?'

Detectives who attended the memorial service spoke to the media and answered these questions, saying, quote, We don't know where Alex is. Is this important? Yes, it's extremely important. There's three victims here.

Herman Aguilera's attorney told the media that he was deeply saddened by the news of his close friend's death, and hoped the police department would find the person responsible. The attorney also mentioned that Aguilera had cooperated with police in every possible way. Though, to counter that, Holly Pera from the San Francisco PD says Aguilera refused to speak with detectives after the case was transferred from the Missing Persons Unit to the Homicide Division.

Now, despite all these revelations, the media still didn't really pick up this story. That is, until Lacey Peterson went missing near the end of 2002.

Of course, you might be familiar with the Lacey Peterson case, but if not, here's a quick recap. 27-year-old Lacey Peterson was 8 months pregnant when she went missing on Christmas Eve 2002 from Modesto, California, and the media jumped on her story. It seemed like everyone was talking about Lacey's disappearance, and the possibility of her husband Scott being involved.

Now, although there were some similarities between Lacey and Evelyn's cases, the way the media responded to these cases was very, very different. While pretty much every news outlet was reporting on Lacey's case, there were very few newspaper articles about Evelyn and Alex until Lacey went missing. Even then, Evelyn is often mentioned as kind of an afterthought.

and the San Francisco Chronicle even acknowledged this. They said that before Scott Peterson's arrest, they'd published 32 stories about Lacey since she was reported missing, with four of them being on the front page. In contrast, they only published four articles about Evelyn and Alex, and none of them made it to the front page.

Evelyn's sister Olivia told People, "...the police and journalists ignored my sister because she was poor and from El Salvador." Evelyn's friend further told the San Francisco Chronicle, "...who cares about Evelyn? The first time I heard Lacey's case, I got flashbacks from Evelyn, because it is the same case. That's very hard to see why one gets more attention than the other."

And in Evelyn and Alex's case, the police spoke directly about this issue. According to the police, they found it embarrassing that there wasn't more media coverage. They stated, "...we've pushed and asked for and received as much as we possibly could, but we don't make the decision about what gets covered and what doesn't." So basically, the police say that they tried, but the media just wouldn't cover it.

Then, in April 2003, Lacey Peterson's body was discovered in the San Francisco Bay. Lacey's husband, Scott, was quickly arrested and charged with first-degree murder for Lacey and second-degree murder for their unborn son.

And the reason I mention this is because after Scott's arrest, the cases became even more intertwined. It was reported by the Modesto Bee that during the legal proceedings, Scott's defense attorneys argued that they should have access to the police files on Evelyn and Alex's case. They said it might point to the actual perpetrators of Lacey Peterson's murder. They argued that both women might have been killed by a satanic cult.

But the police absolutely opposed this. They said that sharing that file would not help solve Lacey's case. They further argued that the files containing information only known to Evelyn's killer and disclosing it might prevent the killer from ever being held accountable.

They maintained that there was just no information in the files connecting Evelyn and Lacey, and eventually these requests were denied by the Superior Court. They said that it was highly speculative to believe Evelyn's file would have any information about Lacey.

On May 2nd, 2003, just over a year after Evelyn and Alex went missing, their family held a news conference seeking the public's help in solving the case. A friend of Evelyn's stated, quote, "'We're not going to stop until we know what happened. We want to pressure police to keep investigating.'"

And here we get a little more information about Herman Aguilera. Evelyn's sister Raina described Aguilera as very unlikable. She also said that he had a second girlfriend. Raina also described that the couple had frequent arguments right before Evelyn went missing. Now, Raina did not accuse him of killing Evelyn, but she did request that the police continue their investigation into him.

Now, at this point, the police say that there are no suspects and there are no leads, but they do believe that Alex probably faced the same fate as his mom. They emphasized, quote, "...at this point, it's going to take people to come forward and remember something."

In 2020, in a small California mountain town, five women disappeared. I found out what happened to all of them, except one. A woman known as Dia, whose estate is worth millions of dollars. I'm Lucy Sheriff. Over the past four years, I've spoken with Dia's family and friends, and I've discovered that

Everyone has a different version of events. Hear the story on Where's Dear? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series Back in Crime.

If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.

In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.

In addition to this press conference, Evelyn's family and friends gathered near where Evelyn's body was found. They burned incense, sang songs, and tossed bouquets of flowers into the bay. Then, a few months later, in July 2003, police gave an update to People magazine, stating, "...we're watching the boyfriend. We don't have enough credible evidence to charge him with anything."

And unfortunately, as these things sometimes go, the updates get further and further apart. In May 2004, Evelyn's family held another press conference.

And forgive me for getting emotional. I always say that if I stop getting emotional, I should quit true crime. So this press conference was held outside of Alex's school, Buena Vista Elementary. And they did this on purpose to bring attention to the fact that Evelyn's murder and Alex's disappearance were still unsolved.

A close friend of Evelyn expressed, quote, We don't know what happened to Alex. He could be in another country. Or maybe he died the same as Evelyn. I think it took a long time for everybody to follow the case, so it's more difficult.

The police also told the media that they wanted to speak to Aguilera as a person of interest, but as far as my team could find, that hasn't happened, or if it has, that information has not been released to the public.

Despite the lack of media attention, it does seem like people in this area care. About two years later, in September 2006, the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice offered a $100,000 reward in Evelyn and Alex's case. But unfortunately, that is pretty much where the case is today.

As of this recording, Evelyn's murder remains unsolved, and her five-year-old son Alex and her unborn child Fernando are still missing.

Which brings me right to our call to action. Authorities are holding out hope that someone will come forward in this case. That maybe someone saw something they just can't remember, and seeing Evelyn or Alex's photo might spark that memory. That maybe while going through old photos or old video, someone can spot the pair.

I know that might sound very optimistic, but stranger things have happened in true crime. And in my mind, there's no reason not to hold out that same hope that Evelyn's family does. If they can endure all of this and remain hopeful, I think we can too. So please share Evelyn and Alex's story. So please share this story. We can't go back and create that media attention that they needed early on.

As a reminder, Evelyn and Alex Hernandez were last heard from around 9pm on May 1st, 2002 in San Francisco, California. Evelyn's partial remains were found on July 24th, 2002 in the San Francisco Bay.

Emelyn was 24 years old when she was murdered and had brown hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, five-year-old Alexis, or Alex as he was more commonly known, was four feet tall, weighed 45 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department Cold Case Unit.

at 415-553-1450. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. This episode contains writing and research assistance by Haley Gray. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It helps us, and more importantly, it helps more people find these cases in need of justice.

Welcome to the secret after show. The door is open, the AC is back on because it is hot again in Arizona. But let's talk about Evelyn and Alex. Now, I think I already harped on the fact that there was no media coverage and just how much that potentially affected this case. You know, to see police even say that is, uh...

I think it's helpful. You know what I mean? I think it's really helpful to have police come out and be like, we tried. Why won't the media cover this? And then it's really the media that has to answer for that. And, you know, I think what I want to say about that, I just want to say, you guys have the power to change this. And it sounds silly, right? But you can change this with your listens, with your shares. I mean,

Major media isn't the only way to get the word out anymore, and the more traction cases like Evelyn and Alex's gain through independent content creation like podcasting, the more likely one of the larger networks will pick it up and share it with their audience. While you don't get to choose the cases that they feature that I feature...

I think we know that they definitely pick cases based on what they think people will watch, listen to, read, whatever. I mean, like Josh Hallmark said last week in the call to action, I think we just need to spend more time with these cases, to share them, talk about them, comment on them. It's all a huge ripple effect, and...

I think we know, again, media pressure moves mountains. So please, please take a second and share this case. Okay, now I do have some like questions about this case that obviously you guys can't answer. But, you know, again, I talked about so little media coverage. The police really haven't released a lot of information on this case.

So one of my questions was, I was wondering what time Alex got out of school, because I think that might change kind of the timeline for the day that they went missing, right? That last day. I'm wondering because he was in preschool and I know that most kids in preschool who are five or whatever have like a half day. They usually don't have a full day at school, at least here in Arizona from the kids I know.

But yeah, I feel like that could change things. And also, like, did the police verify with the school that that's who picked him up? And I know...

And also, like for smaller kids in preschool and kindergarten, it's not usually, again, at least here in Arizona, it's not usually a situation where you go into a long pickup line and the kids just come to your car. I know that when I was picking up kids from, you know, preschool and kindergarten, you had to physically go into the class and, you know, see them. So I just wonder if anybody saw him that day and also what the timeline was.

It could be nothing. I just think it's interesting that that information isn't out there. And I have to hope that the police have that information and it's just us left wondering.

Another really small, again, I'm sure this wouldn't make a difference, but something that I was left wondering was if the police checked with the office that issued Evelyn's disability check to see if maybe, you know, she lost her wallet before she was killed and that, you know, possibly she asked for a new check to be issued. You know, admittedly, I think the chances are pretty slim, unfortunately. But again, just something I was left wondering. Just another unanswered question.

And before I move on from Evelyn and Alex's case to talk about all sorts of things, let's give me a long one. Get ready, strapping, get a snack, whatever you got to do. I have another statement and I just want to say like,

When you find things or see things on the side of the road, like a cell phone or a wallet, turn it in. Turn it in. I feel like, and gosh, I don't have obviously all the information in front of me. I have not been tracking this, but I feel like we've talked about a few cases that have been kind of interesting.

you know, furthered, if you will, by people turning in things like wallets and cell phones. So again, I just implore you, like, you know, in an effort to help all these cases, and it could be nothing, you know, I'm sure like 90% of the time, it's probably just nothing. But

But if you see something like a cell phone, a wallet, a random piece of clothing, whatever it might be, like, it's better safe than sorry. Just call the police. Call, you know, obviously the non-emergency line. We don't need to be clocking up 911 or whatever. But if you think it could be important or belong to someone, it's just worth turning in. It could be the difference between a case sitting cold and a case getting solved.

All right, on to what's going on with me, what I'm reading, what I'm watching, what's happening, I guess, as this segment is just like what's going on with Sarah. Um...

So I will say that in terms of what I'm reading, Laura Norton's book, Lay Them to Rest, has finally come out. Please go check it out. Laura does amazing work in this space. She's helping identify people. She's working closely with police, closely with these families. So if you're just like into supporting people who do good work in this business, go check it out. Her book is really cool. Like you learn so much. The family was happy with it. It's something that I am proud to promote.

I will also say that this isn't exactly true crime related. I mean, you could argue, I guess, with the conservatorship, right? But I pre-ordered Britney Spears' book, and I am very interested in reading that. I am so glad she's getting her own story out there. I know that there's a lot of feelings about Miss Spears or whatever, but...

As a longtime Stan, as a original Brittany Stan, I'm going to read that book. And I think, you know, even the idea of her being exploited is so applicable to so many things in true crime. And I'm not going to go on a big rant. I know, shock. I know. But, um...

Yeah, I'm interested to read it. And I might talk about it here. So get ready, get ready. If you don't like it, you can, I don't know, turn it off. Please don't. Please keep listening to the show. But again, I think that there could be lessons learned. The people around her really did seem to allegedly take advantage of her. So I'm really interested to see how all this turns out.

Okay, on to more stuff that's happening with me. I recently went on Kendall Rae's channel. If you guys don't know Kendall Rae, she is a YouTuber, now podcaster, all-around great person that cares in true crime. I first worked with her in 2018 on Alyssa's case, and she...

I mean, to this day, one of the biggest recommendations or, you know, when people say, I found you, they say, I found you through Kendall Ray. That is one of the biggest referrals I get to this day. Kendall also literally created hashtag justice for Alyssa. So she has been huge in this movement. She's been a big supporter of mine for a long time and I trust her. So she invited me back to come on her main channel, which she like,

It's cool. She's never really done that format before, so I'm so thankful. And we talk about a lot, you know what I mean? And this will be probably one of, if not the last interview I do before putting out my own content about Alyssa. It's just, it's hard, I'm being totally honest with you. Even right now, talking about it, I don't know how to...

tell this story yet. And it's like when I first started working for Alyssa.

When I first started telling her story, I felt really like all over the place. I always like criticized myself. I was like, I didn't tell it right. I left out this part or left out that part. I didn't ask this question, whatever it might've been. And that's how I feel talking about the trial now. You know, of course, over time I got better at telling Alyssa's story because my God, I told it, you know, a hundred plus times or whatever on podcasts and YouTube and the news and TikToks and all that. Um,

So now I'm in this new place of where, one, it's still extremely uncomfortable for me to talk about myself. But I do think that there's value in my story and I'm trying my best to tell it. But two, I just, yeah, I haven't told it that much. But go over there. I think it's a good interview. You know, we talk about a lot. And as a little preview, I will say...

There were some crazy situations during trial that I've never talked about. You know, specifically, I had kind of alluded to it, but the targeted attacks against me by the defense. And I talk about some of the worst, right? Like one was, I had to read this, and I'm sure I'll like read it on the podcast, but I had to read this legal document that was basically like,

the defense's points for why Alyssa didn't love me enough to stay, which is just one of the fucking worst horrendous things that a family member can read. On top of that, um,

Another really insane thing that happened was Mr. Thomas Heimer came back in the picture, you guys, and it was the worst. I am not exaggerating when I say it was the worst. I got a letter from him one day in the mail, and, you know, there was a lot in that letter, but the gist of it was, I have information about Alyssa, but I will only tell you this.

And of course, my dad's lawyers jumped all over that and made all sorts of crazy accusations about me being possibly involved, maybe like knowing information. And it was just insane. And Thomas Hymer proceeded to continue to call me every day as well. And of course, like I turn the letter right over. Like I say in the interview, like this stuff's like hot potato to me. Like I don't want it. Like, of course, I read it. Right. And then immediately I'm like, hi, I got this letter. Like, please take it. I don't want it.

it. And then I didn't respond. Hymer continues to call me, you know, every day, multiple times a day. And they go to the state and I'm like, can I block his number? Like, this is awful. And they're like, no, you know, we need to like have a record of when he's calling, blah, blah, blah. He did eventually, they did eventually let me block his number. But yeah, that was awful. And to be accused of like,

I mean, I was accused of everything under the sun, of being involved with Thomas Hymer, of being an agent of the police in the state. And even somebody called or left a tip, whatever, and said, Alyssa Turney is alive and well in some other state and her sister Sarah knows. Right.

And they actually went out and like, you know, gave a test to some poor woman who was obviously not Alyssa. And just, you guys, it was, and again, I'm so bad at telling this story because it's, I'm still processing it. Like, let's be honest, it's only been a few months and that's just not how healing works. I just don't, you don't just like get over it. But yeah, it was absolutely horrendous and horrible.

You know, I explained a little on the podcast or on her YouTube channel, but, you know, all those attacks against me, trying to get the media taken down, saying I was working with the police, saying I was working with the state, saying I was working with Thomas Hymer, saying that possibly I knew Alyssa was alive and well, um,

The defense was attacking me, and the state knew that. And when I would ask for more clarity about what was going on with the trial, I was told, well, they're attacking you so hard right now. We really don't want to face accusations that we're working together, that this is somehow inappropriate, blah, blah, blah. So we're going to keep you in the dark. And I will say to this day,

I don't know if that was really what was going on or if they were really trying to just deflect because they weren't focusing on Alyssa's case. I don't know. I don't know. Hopefully I will get more insight into that with some documents I'm trying to request and all that. But yeah, it was awful. And I talk all about it on Kendall's channel if you want to go see. You know, again, it's

by no means everything that happened during the trial, but it is the most in-depth interview I've given so far. So if you're interested and again, just want to support cool people, go over and check out the video on Kendall Ray's channel. And you guys, I told you this was going to be a long one. I got more to talk about. Um, I don't want to get emotional. The day this episode comes out is also the day that the last episode of Disappearances comes out. Uh,

We did 100 episodes of that podcast, and I am so, so proud of the work that everyone did over there. You know, obviously, working with Spotify and Parcast and, you know, the show Disappearances is so different than Voices for Justice. You know, over there, I have a full team. There's producers and, you know, a ton of researchers and a ton of writers and editors and people who do social media and people who oversee the audio and everything.

Just a massive team of people that worked together and made that show happen. And, you know, obviously I was the host, but they, I mean, I just can't thank them enough. I learned so much doing that show. I think I learned how to be a better storyteller. I learned more about research and

It really helped, I think, elevate all my content. And that feels really conceited to say. But you know what I mean? Like working with a professional setup like that for the first time ever really was really, really cool. And I'm really proud of what we did over there.

I think that we created something unique, something special, and overall something that I think really helps people. I think it helps reach a new audience. It helps, you know, just get these cases on the map more. So go check out the last episode of Disappearances. I do get a little emotional. I know we are so surprised by that. But yeah, go check it out. I loved making Disappearances. And thank you to everyone who listened and to everyone who was involved.

On to our segment of hope. And of course, if you have been looking at true crime news this week, you know that the Natalie Holloway case has been closed. And this is actually a case, I'm getting emotional, this is actually a case I covered on disappearances. They meant a lot to me. You know, there's so much pain and suffering in that case. That poor family, Beth Holloway,

I mean, my heart just goes out to her. And the reason that, you know, this is in the segment of hope that Natalie's case is here is because, like I said, it's been closed, you know, and I know that people have mixed feelings about this.

Your hand, your Han, you know, he doesn't deserve the respect of me going up and looking how to specifically pronounce his name. Um, Vander Sloot, he, uh, you know, got a plea deal. He describes how he supposedly killed Natalie. And there's been a lot of controversy around that. A lot of people think that he's lying, but what I'll say is that Beth Holloway is satisfied with the answers and,

And that's why it makes the segment of hope that so many years later, she can finally walk away with some peace. You know, at least from her statements, that's what it seems like. So I encourage you, if you do want to say anything about this case online, you know, maybe make sure to send some love her way. She's been through a hell of a lot. She is so brave and so strong and definitely somebody who,

somebody that needs some love right now. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.