Cold and Missing: Holly White

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages. 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560 Listener discretion is advised. 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,600 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,320 Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. 9 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,160 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 10 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,800 And it will just be me this week. 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,760 I wanted to just give a little note here at the top. 12 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:51,100 So this week's episode and next week's episode are going to be related to each other. 13 00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:54,180 They take place in the same area. 14 00:00:54,180 --> 00:00:59,200 So I just wanted to throw that out there that it's not quite a two-parter, but there is 15 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,040 a connected episode that we will be airing next week. 16 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,360 So next week won't be a cold case. 17 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,680 It'll still be another missing person case. 18 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,480 But I really wanted to bring these cases together. 19 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,120 So let's just get into it. 20 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,200 I just wanted to give a bit of a content warning at the top that there are mentions of suicide 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,440 in today's podcast. 22 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:25,400 If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can dial 988 if you're 23 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,060 in the United States. 24 00:01:27,060 --> 00:01:32,440 Or you can visit 988lifeline.org to speak with somebody. 25 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:37,120 Today we're going to be talking about the missing person case of Holly White. 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:43,360 This takes place in May of 2016 in Taos, New Mexico. 27 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,120 But first, a little bit about Holly. 28 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,960 Holly is 49 years old in 2016. 29 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,840 Those close to Holly say that she was meticulously organized. 30 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,840 She paid attention to the details. 31 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,200 But above all, she was an extremely warm person. 32 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,160 You gravitated towards her and you couldn't help but feel comfortable with her. 33 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:04,980 She was always welcoming. 34 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:08,080 She had a dog named Rosie, who she loved. 35 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,080 Holly was well known in the Taos community. 36 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:16,080 For over 20 years, she worked as the general manager for the Taos Center for the Arts. 37 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,320 But she had recently put in her two weeks notice. 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,560 Holly's husband, Jeff White, had moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is about two 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,840 and a half hours away, to pursue a new job. 40 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,920 He had rented a house there and had been fixing it up, and now Holly was due to join him. 41 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:36,200 Holly was excited to move and to start this new chapter of her life. 42 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:42,540 She already had an interview set up to be an office manager for a dentist there in Albuquerque. 43 00:02:42,540 --> 00:02:47,760 But mostly she was excited to be with her husband again and to live as a couple again. 44 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,480 And now a timeline of events. 45 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,240 Thursday, May 5, 2016. 46 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,200 Holly works one of her final days at the Taos Center for the Arts. 47 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,160 Her official last day would be next Friday, May 13. 48 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,640 Holly spent the day training her replacement as the general manager in the office. 49 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:12,240 That evening, Holly texted with a friend around 9.20 p.m. and also texted with her best friend 50 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,120 Cynthia to meet up the next morning for their daily morning walk. 51 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,680 Holly stays up playing words with friends and chatting using the in-game communication 52 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,080 until about 10.30 p.m. 53 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:29,240 The next day, Friday, May 6, 2016, Holly had made plans to meet with her friend Cynthia 54 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,620 to go on their morning walk together in the Kit Carson Park area. 55 00:03:33,620 --> 00:03:38,940 This is something they had done together almost daily for nearly eight years. 56 00:03:38,940 --> 00:03:42,960 They had a plan to take their morning walk and then meet up again later that day for 57 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,920 Holly's going away party due to her upcoming move to Albuquerque. 58 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,200 When Holly didn't show up to their meeting spot and after not answering phone calls or 59 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,560 text messages, Cynthia decides to head over to her bus front's house. 60 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,120 When Cynthia arrived at the house, she noticed that Holly's car was gone, but no one was 61 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,920 answering the front door and phone calls continued to go unanswered. 62 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,160 So Cynthia let herself in using the spare key that she had been given. 63 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,720 When Cynthia entered the home, Holly's dog Rosie greeted her at the door. 64 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,000 Cynthia noticed that Holly's purse was near the front door. 65 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,520 Holly took her purse everywhere with her. 66 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:23,120 Even when they would meet up for their early morning walks, Holly would have her purse. 67 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,960 Cynthia also found Holly's phone still charging next to the bed. 68 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,060 The phone had a missed alarm on it. 69 00:04:29,060 --> 00:04:33,440 As if Holly had planned to get up for the morning walk, Cynthia makes her way over to 70 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:38,260 the next door neighbor, who was also the realtor that was helping Holly and Jeff sell their 71 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:42,700 towels home since they were making the official move to Albuquerque. 72 00:04:42,700 --> 00:04:46,160 Cynthia asked the neighbor if they have any idea where Holly might be. 73 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:47,640 They did not. 74 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,520 Neither Cynthia or the next door neighbor had a phone number for Jeff, so they each 75 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,440 called around to some folks who worked at the Taos Art Center to get his number and 76 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:56,440 call him. 77 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:01,440 When Holly's husband is reached in Albuquerque, he has no idea where Holly is at either and 78 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,680 asks that Cynthia call the police. 79 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,480 He immediately leaves and makes the two and a half hour drive to Taos to help look for 80 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:08,480 his wife. 81 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:13,600 He had already planned to come back to Taos that day to join Holly at her going away party. 82 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,920 As Cynthia is waiting in the driveway for police to come, a member of the Taos Art Center 83 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,760 calls Cynthia to let her know that Holly's car had been found. 84 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,800 It was parked at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. 85 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,320 The keys were still in the vehicle, inside the cup holder. 86 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,620 Cynthia immediately heads there and talks with a roadside vendor that said the car was 87 00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:36,380 already there when she arrived at 6.15 a.m. 88 00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:40,560 On the police side of things, the case is immediately handed off to the state police 89 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,240 and they launch a search of the gorge. 90 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:48,640 Police also make note that there is some dried grass on the floor in front of the passenger 91 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:50,760 seat of Holly's vehicle. 92 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,080 Holly was known to keep her vehicle very tidy, so the presence of the grass was odd to those 93 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:56,960 that knew her. 94 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:02,000 So just a little bit of background around the gorge bridge. 95 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,120 This is a beautiful space. 96 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,520 If you just type this place into Google Maps and just take in the street view, it's really 97 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,040 a breathtaking sight. 98 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,760 It's a gorgeous area. 99 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:18,000 Over the years, people have used this bridge to die by suicide. 100 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,800 So as soon as Holly's car is found here, police begin to believe that this is what happened. 101 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:28,400 But her family and friends are adamant that she would not do that and that if she did, 102 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,240 she would have left a note. 103 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:36,520 Even more, Cynthia tells police that May 6th, this is that day that Holly goes missing, 104 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,360 is Cynthia's birthday. 105 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:42,280 There is no way that her bus run would ruin the day like that. 106 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:46,760 That evening, instead of having the goodbye party Holly's friends, family, and co-workers 107 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:51,800 organize a search party and pass out flyers for Holly, they search the area around the 108 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:56,360 bridge and neither Holly's friends or the state police are able to find any evidence 109 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:57,680 of her. 110 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,800 That weekend, Saturday, May 7th and Sunday, May 8th, police spend the weekend searching 111 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,200 along the Gorge Bridge area for Holly. 112 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:09,960 They bring out the ground search and rescue team, cadaver dogs, and a helicopter to assist 113 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:11,280 in their search. 114 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,280 Police also bring in a scent dog who's only able to track the scent of Holly near her 115 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,080 vehicle nowhere else on the bridge or in the parking lot. 116 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:24,480 After the weekend search, no sign of Holly is found and police suspended the search indefinitely. 117 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:29,000 Police say that typically when someone jumps from the bridge, that they are usually found 118 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:35,080 by area rafters and usually later in the summer when the water levels have gone down. 119 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,360 Holly's friends and family spend the weekend putting flyers around Tows to bring awareness 120 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,320 about Holly's missing person status. 121 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,680 On Wednesday, May 11th, Holly has been missing for five days now. 122 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,800 Police hold a press conference and tell the public that at this time there is no evidence 123 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:52,360 of foul play. 124 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:57,080 A state police spokesperson says, quote, it is possible that she jumped and just didn't 125 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,440 tell anyone how she was feeling, end quote. 126 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:05,560 But those closest to Holly do not believe that she was thinking of taking her own life. 127 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,560 Cynthia points out that she would have never left her dog alone and without a plan to be 128 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:14,040 cared for and she had not mentioned any thoughts of hurting herself. 129 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:19,680 A group of kayakers who had already had a trip planned for this day also aid in their 130 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,120 efforts to help find Holly. 131 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:26,560 One of the rafters' mothers was friends with Holly and she asked him to keep an eye 132 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:27,560 out. 133 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,400 The rafters tell police that they had found a woman's shoe floating among debris in 134 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,300 the river, a black mesh sketcher's shoe. 135 00:08:35,300 --> 00:08:39,380 Police say that the size of the shoe was a match for Holly, but her family and friends 136 00:08:39,380 --> 00:08:42,040 are unsure if the shoe was hers. 137 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,160 She owned another set of the sketcher's shoes, but they were in a different color. 138 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:51,200 Her family and friends believe that the shoe could be hers, but her husband thinks that 139 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:57,120 if it is her, then whoever took her had parked the car at the gorge as a decoy and then threw 140 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,540 the shoe over to throw police off. 141 00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:06,080 The next day, Thursday, May 12th, police conduct another search of the Rio Grande, covering 142 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,100 16 miles and with a dive team. 143 00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:12,720 No trace of Holly is found during this search. 144 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,560 On Wednesday, May 18th, Holly has been missing for 12 days. 145 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:20,920 Her husband, Jeff, sits down with local media. 146 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,600 She tells them that he had last talked on the phone with her Thursday night, the night 147 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,560 before she went missing. 148 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:31,160 He says, quote, We were making plans to go to the party. 149 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,240 We were just laughing and joking, just like always. 150 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:39,420 My take on this, really, is she got taken. 151 00:09:39,420 --> 00:09:45,520 Somebody came to the door probably early Friday morning, woke her up, she knew him, and she 152 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:47,720 kind of answered the door. 153 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,280 I don't know any other scenario because she isn't the type of person to leave without 154 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,280 a note. 155 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:58,080 Everything was here, her belongings, her cell phone, her charge cards, her license. 156 00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:59,080 End quote. 157 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:04,240 Jeff confirms to the local paper that he was a suspect at first, but remains firm that 158 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,240 he was in their new house in Albuquerque when Holly went missing. 159 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,760 Jeff was renting the new home from his new boss, who lived next door, and confirms that 160 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,000 Jeff was at work the next morning. 161 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,440 The whole experience has been upending for Jeff. 162 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,720 He says, quote, I couldn't even think on Friday. 163 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,920 I didn't even really eat until Sunday when a buddy came over. 164 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:26,520 I was just shocked. 165 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:27,800 Now I'm confused. 166 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:29,840 I don't know what really went on. 167 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,040 I know damn well she didn't jump. 168 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:33,200 She didn't leave me. 169 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,160 There would have been a note. 170 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,020 She's not a cold person. 171 00:10:37,020 --> 00:10:38,680 She wouldn't leave her dog. 172 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:41,000 I don't know why she would just leave on her own. 173 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:42,500 She just wouldn't. 174 00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:43,620 End quote. 175 00:10:43,620 --> 00:10:47,720 Her family and friends remain steadfast in their belief that she wouldn't jump off of 176 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:48,800 the bridge. 177 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,240 And if she would, she would have left a note. 178 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,840 They all believe, along with Jeff, that someone took Holly against her will Thursday night 179 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,760 or Friday morning and parked the car at the gorge as a decoy. 180 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,080 However, police say at this time that most likely she jumped off the bridge and they 181 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,640 do not suspect foul play. 182 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,840 Jeff is also critical of the police. 183 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,280 He says, quote, they are just so slow. 184 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,760 We are just moving at a snail's pace. 185 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,160 He also tells the local media that he had to consider every scenario since the police 186 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,240 won't, such as if Holly had been having an affair. 187 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,360 Jeff doesn't think she was, but wanted police to test the bedsheets to make sure there was 188 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:27,200 no unknown DNA. 189 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,520 Jeff said, quote, a neighbor came and said how sorry he was. 190 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,920 And he told me there was a black Toyota Solera with Colorado plates. 191 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:36,920 End quote. 192 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:40,880 The car was seen at Holly and Jeff's home the day before she vanished. 193 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,960 Jeff also learned that on the day that Holly disappeared, there were two men seen leaving 194 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,960 the gorge that police have yet to talk to. 195 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:52,440 Jeff says, quote, if she is down in the gorge, she didn't go by herself. 196 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,040 She was pushed or something. 197 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:55,720 End quote. 198 00:11:55,720 --> 00:12:01,080 In July of 2016, so it's been two months since Holly went missing, and there is still 199 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,200 no sign of what happened to her. 200 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:08,480 Around the community of Taos, however, tragic death by suicide continues to happen both 201 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:10,520 on and off the bridge. 202 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:15,280 The community implores that more be done at the bridge to stop people from jumping, and 203 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:20,320 mental health professionals in Taos urge those in powers to put more money towards mental 204 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:24,360 health before someone even has to think of driving to the bridge. 205 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:30,120 As of 2024, they have installed crisis hotline phones, but no other preventative measures 206 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:32,760 such as netting have been put in place. 207 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:40,400 In August of 2016, police send Holly's computer and cell phone off to be forensically analyzed. 208 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:45,020 Police are pretty tight lipped about what was found on her devices, but do say, quote, 209 00:12:45,020 --> 00:12:47,600 she had many friends she spoke with online. 210 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:48,600 End quote. 211 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,740 Police also confirm that it was both in-state and out-of-state people that Holly had been 212 00:12:52,740 --> 00:12:54,280 talking with. 213 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:59,200 Police also tell the media that they had checked and confirmed that she did not fly out on 214 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:04,080 any international flights the day she went missing and are following up with domestic 215 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,880 flights for any potential clues. 216 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:12,840 It's unclear exactly why, but on August 26th of 2016, so it's been over three months 217 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:18,440 since Holly disappeared, Holly's case is moved from the Uniform Bureau to the State's 218 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:20,880 Police Criminal Investigation Bureau. 219 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:25,400 But police remain firm that she is still considered missing at this time and no foul play has 220 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:27,680 been uncovered in her case. 221 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:33,700 On September 5th, 2016, a private investigator, Elaine Graves, is hired by Holly's father 222 00:13:33,700 --> 00:13:35,500 to help solve the case. 223 00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:41,680 She hires two kayakers to search the Rio Grande in an area known as the Taos Box. 224 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:44,320 Nothing is found during the search. 225 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:50,000 On September 8th, it's now been four months since Holly vanished, State Police Lieutenant 226 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:55,600 Edwards Martinez tells local media that police have ruled out the possibility that she jumped 227 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:57,020 from the bridge. 228 00:13:57,020 --> 00:14:01,320 They also have ruled out that she simply got up and walked away from her life. 229 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,800 Lieutenant Martinez says, quote, We met with the criminal investigations lieutenant and 230 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,800 sergeant and we went over the whole case and discussed it. 231 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,680 Suicide seemed unlikely for a couple of reasons. 232 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,820 We found in her computer that she had plans for her future. 233 00:14:15,820 --> 00:14:19,680 She was looking for a job in Albuquerque and she was trying to sell her house and planning 234 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:21,480 to move out of Taos. 235 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,180 Also she didn't take any identification. 236 00:14:24,180 --> 00:14:29,120 She didn't take any money, her bank accounts have no activity on them, or her credit cards. 237 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,880 We ran her social security card through the system to see if the numbers were used to 238 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,000 find employment elsewhere and none of that panned out. 239 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:37,400 End quote. 240 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:41,560 Police are confident to rule out death by suicide since other people have jumped from 241 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:46,640 the bridge since Holly went missing and all of their bodies have been able to be recovered 242 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,040 from the river. 243 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,100 In fact, police are confident that Holly did not jump. 244 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:57,420 In January of 2017, Holly has been missing for eight months and there are simply no leads 245 00:14:57,420 --> 00:14:59,680 in her case. 246 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:04,160 Jeff is asked by the private investigator to take a polygraph test. 247 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:09,440 He passes the test and hopes that police and the private investigator will at least believe 248 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:14,680 him now when he says that he wasn't involved and move on to other theories. 249 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,720 Also in Jeff's defense, he did ask to be polygraphed to be cleared. 250 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:23,280 He wanted to be officially ruled out so everyone could focus on other things in the case. 251 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:28,240 Jeff maintains that he believes that Holly answered the door to someone she thought she 252 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:33,320 knew or since she was such a kind person to help someone in need. 253 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:40,040 On May 5th, 2017, at the one year mark of Holly being missing, her family and the PI 254 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:46,040 run a full page ad in the Taos newspaper asking for more information and offering a $5,000 255 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:47,040 reward. 256 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:52,760 The ad lists out some new details in the case and also outlines the great lengths that they 257 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,320 have gone to try to uncover leads. 258 00:15:55,320 --> 00:16:00,720 The private investigator has called psychics and also has had an animal communicator come 259 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:05,760 in to work with Holly's dog to help the dog process any trauma that she may have had the 260 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,800 night that Holly disappeared. 261 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:13,160 They also say that a vehicle matching the description of the car seen the morning before 262 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:19,720 Holly vanished was found abandoned near the New Mexico Colorado state line shortly after 263 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,360 Holly disappeared. 264 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:25,960 They asked if anybody knows anything more about this car or more about Holly to please 265 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:27,320 call them. 266 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:31,080 And then the case really drops out of the media. 267 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:38,280 There was a story ran in May of 2023 to mark the seven years of Holly's disappearance. 268 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:43,440 The private investigator that was hired by the family back in 2016 is still working the 269 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:48,720 case and she says that the case is not cold, that she still occasionally gets a lead in 270 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:52,920 the case that she follows up on, just none of them have led to Holly. 271 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,760 She is interested in interviewing multiple people of interest in the case, mainly from 272 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,920 people that Holly talked to online. 273 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:05,440 The PI says, quote, there are always hopeful leads where a hunter or rafter will find something 274 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,000 suspicious like maybe bones. 275 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,560 So we'll have the bones tested to see if they're animal or human. 276 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:16,380 We have actually found both, but unfortunately, none have led to Holly. 277 00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:20,200 We found clothes in different areas we've checked on, no Holly. 278 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:25,080 We've had lots of sightings that we've looked into, local and also in other states, and 279 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:29,020 they've all ended up not being Holly, end quote. 280 00:17:29,020 --> 00:17:33,640 The PI still doesn't believe that Holly jumped from the bridge and police have dismissed 281 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:34,640 this as a theory. 282 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,140 But she says, quote, there have been three to four jumpers a year on that bridge since 283 00:17:39,140 --> 00:17:42,080 Holly disappeared in 2016. 284 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,880 For each of those persons, you've had the sheriff's department, sometimes the state police, 285 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:52,760 divers, rafters, drones, helicopters, people on foot recovering those bodies three to four 286 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,160 years since 2016. 287 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,920 So that's how many times people have been down there. 288 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,800 A lot of times in the same area to recover these bodies. 289 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:06,760 It just seems like Holly's body or something would have been seen, end quote. 290 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:11,420 But that is really the last update that I could find on Holly White. 291 00:18:11,420 --> 00:18:17,520 So if you know anything about the disappearance of Holly White in May of 2016, please call 292 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:24,360 private investigator Elaine Graves at 575-613-3415. 293 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:30,260 And the sources for the timeline today come from the Taos News and the Santa Fe, New Mexico. 294 00:18:30,260 --> 00:18:33,760 So that is the missing person case of Holly White. 295 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,900 Like I mentioned at the top of the show, this is a two parter. 296 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:40,240 So just to lay a little bit of groundwork for next week. 297 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:46,800 Next week's case will also take place near this bridge, the Taos River Gorge Bridge. 298 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:52,920 I actually found this case researching next week's case. 299 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:58,360 And I knew that I needed to start here for both of these stories to make sense with each 300 00:18:58,360 --> 00:18:59,360 other. 301 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,540 So I needed to start with Holly's missing person case. 302 00:19:02,540 --> 00:19:04,720 And I was really shocked by this. 303 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:11,420 I think it's really important to remember when you maul this case over, is that both 304 00:19:11,420 --> 00:19:17,520 police and Holly's friends and families have said she didn't jump. 305 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,000 She didn't jump off of that bridge. 306 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,640 She didn't die by suicide. 307 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:28,120 So that makes me think that, you know, her car was parked there as a decoy. 308 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:34,880 This bridge, as I kind of mentioned in the timeline, is unfortunately a little bit notorious 309 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,200 for people jumping off of it. 310 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,520 Not unlike the Golden Gate Bridge also has that same kind of history. 311 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:52,600 So someone kind of using that to their advantage to park a car there to throw police off of 312 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,560 their trail, that part does kind of make sense. 313 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:02,040 And you know, there are just like a couple of things about the car that stood out to 314 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,000 her family and friends and also investigators. 315 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:11,920 The mention of the grass on the floorboards in front of the passenger seat, people thought 316 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:17,980 was really interesting, especially because we kind of know Holly's movement the day before 317 00:20:17,980 --> 00:20:19,700 she disappeared. 318 00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:23,800 So that Thursday, Fridays when she was reported missing. 319 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:30,480 So we kind of know her movements and nowhere in there does anybody talk about getting in 320 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:35,760 her car and sitting in the passenger seat where maybe they would track grass in. 321 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:42,520 I would be curious to know if anybody had sat in her car that week at all. 322 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:46,420 And if they had, you know, was there grass there? 323 00:20:46,420 --> 00:20:51,520 Usually if a car is very neat, like you'll kind of notice if there's dirt on one floorboard. 324 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,220 So that was something that stood out to family and friends. 325 00:20:54,220 --> 00:21:01,080 And then also, I just thought the detail of the keys being in the cup holder, not necessarily 326 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,120 in the ignition was interesting. 327 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:08,600 I don't really have any like big speculative things on what that might mean. 328 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:13,640 But to me, it's just like, you know, when you drive a car, you park it, you go to get 329 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:18,120 out of it, you kind of naturally turn it off and pull the keys out of the ignition. 330 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:22,520 So it almost seems like you know, an afterthought that somebody said, oh, and then put them 331 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,560 in the cup holder. 332 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:29,280 You could argue that maybe Holly would do that if she didn't plan on coming back to 333 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:30,720 the car at all. 334 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:35,880 But as her family and friends have said from the beginning, and as police later also said, 335 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,840 they do not believe she jumped off of that bridge. 336 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:45,300 I was reading in all of these articles, and it mentions that the Taos search and rescue 337 00:21:45,300 --> 00:21:52,920 team that work in these instances where somebody does die by suicide from jumping off of the 338 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:58,840 bridge, when they know for certain that that is what has happened, they have recovered 339 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,720 the body almost 100% of the time. 340 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,880 So they really know what they're doing. 341 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,520 And they know the terrain really well. 342 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:12,000 And the rafters in the area, they talk about knowing the river really well, like you know, 343 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,060 where you kind of get hung up on things where somebody could get stuck. 344 00:22:16,060 --> 00:22:20,240 And so they also volunteer their time and search the river. 345 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,000 And nothing is found of Holly's. 346 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,280 There is that shoe, which I have a lot of questions about. 347 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,200 It's never really answered if it is Holly's or not. 348 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:35,180 We know that she did have that shoe in a different color in her closet. 349 00:22:35,180 --> 00:22:39,140 Some people when they really like something, they'll buy it in multiple colors if that's 350 00:22:39,140 --> 00:22:40,640 available to them. 351 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:42,640 I don't know if Holly was that kind of person. 352 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,760 Nobody mentions that as like a support to this. 353 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:53,020 And nobody seems to pull out a photograph of her wearing the color shoe that they found, 354 00:22:53,020 --> 00:22:55,960 the black mesh Skechers shoe that they found in the river. 355 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:02,600 A detail I did find interesting that was reported by the rafters who found the shoe is that 356 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,640 they said the shoe wasn't sun bleached at all. 357 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,480 They mentioned that, you know, they're out on the river a lot. 358 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,520 We've seen a lot of shoes and ones that have been out there for a while. 359 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,880 Like you can usually tell like there's sun bleach to them. 360 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:19,960 But this one didn't have any, which led them to think that it hadn't been there for that 361 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:20,960 long. 362 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:22,960 So that is interesting. 363 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:28,640 But again, it's not ever really confirmed if that is Holly's shoe. 364 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:35,720 You know, in the future for this case, I really hope that there are some big resources put 365 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,480 towards searching for Holly. 366 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:45,680 Her family has obviously been doing so much of that like work, you know, and also via 367 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:51,840 her private investigator has been doing a lot of that work over the years of searching 368 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,200 for signs of Holly searching for clues. 369 00:23:54,200 --> 00:24:03,520 But I just hope that at some point those like police resources and specialties and you know, 370 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:09,200 all those things they have at their fingertips of, you know, helicopters and drones and dogs 371 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:10,540 and all of that. 372 00:24:10,540 --> 00:24:16,920 I hope those resources are given to the family to help search for Holly and to find out what 373 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:22,080 happened to her because something is off here. 374 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:28,540 Again, if you know anything about the disappearance of Holly White, please call private investigator 375 00:24:28,540 --> 00:24:35,120 Elaine Graves at 575-613-3415. 376 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:38,900 We'll be sharing pictures of course of Holly on our Instagram. 377 00:24:38,900 --> 00:24:43,360 If you're not following us, you can find us at Cold and Missing. 378 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:48,520 Our profile picture on Instagram is the same as our podcast cover. 379 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,920 So you should be able to spot us if you just search our name. 380 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:53,360 And I want to say thank you. 381 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:59,280 We had a couple of really wonderful reviews come in this week in Apple Podcast. 382 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:04,200 So if you have a second if you're in Apple Podcast, if you can go ahead and give us a 383 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,880 five star rating, write us a review. 384 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:12,760 It is so helpful and other people finding this podcast finding us finding these cases 385 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,920 getting to know these cases that maybe they didn't know about and it's just one more person, 386 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:24,000 you know, thinking about Holly, looking for Holly knows about Holly like all of our cases 387 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:25,000 deserve that. 388 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:30,920 So your reviews, your recommendations to family and friends go so far and getting these stories 389 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:31,920 out there. 390 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,920 So thank you, thank you, thank you. 391 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:40,800 And if you want to find more episodes, transcripts of all our podcast episodes, our YouTube, 392 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,560 any of that if you want to donate if you want to write us a review, but you don't have Apple 393 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:52,240 Podcasts, you can go to www.coldandmissing.com and do all of that over there. 394 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,400 Thank you again so much for listening to cold and missing. 395 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,760 Such an honor to share these stories and to be a part of your week. 396 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,320 So thanks for joining me. 397 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,200 Thanks for listening to cold and missing. 398 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:04,640 I'm your host Allie. 399 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:15,160 Have a good week and stay safe.