Cold and Missing: Katelin Akens

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.200:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.300:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.400:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560Listener discretion is advised.500:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.600:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.700:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,600And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.800:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,160Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing.900:00:37,160 --> 00:00:38,600I'm your host, Ali.1000:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,620It's just me coming to you this week.1100:00:40,620 --> 00:00:45,620My darling husband, Eli, as you may remember if you've listened to some of our past episodes,1200:00:45,620 --> 00:00:50,180his mother passed away recently and he just needed to take a little time this week for1300:00:50,180 --> 00:00:51,420his mental health.1400:00:51,420 --> 00:00:54,960So of course he is supported in doing that.1500:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,840And I love him very much and miss him very much.1600:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,520He's still here in the house, but I just miss him when he's not with me.1700:01:01,520 --> 00:01:06,680However, I still wanted to bring you a new episode.1800:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,000This week we are covering a missing person.1900:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,560So let's just get into it.2000:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,040This week we are covering the story of Katelin Aikens.2100:01:16,040 --> 00:01:21,320And this takes place in December of 2015 in Spotslovania, Virginia.2200:01:21,320 --> 00:01:24,440But first, a little bit about Katelin.2300:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,080Katelin is 19 years old in 2015.2400:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,600She would be 27 years old today.2500:01:30,600 --> 00:01:36,360Katelin at this time is living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona with her fiance Amber.2600:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,940Amber and Katelin had been friends for years, having grown up on the same street together.2700:01:40,940 --> 00:01:45,080When Amber was 10, her family moved to Arizona, but her and Katelin remained close throughout2800:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,280the years, their friendship growing into a relationship.2900:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,680Katelin’s family was supportive when she came out.3000:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,600Her mother only wanted her daughter to be happy more than anything.3100:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,160Katelin graduated high school at the age of 16.3200:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,400She was very smart and very academic.3300:02:02,400 --> 00:02:07,320Just 10 days after her 18th birthday, she moved to Arizona to be with Amber.3400:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,760In the weeks before her disappearance, Katelin was in the process of enrolling in cosmetology3500:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,280school in Arizona.3600:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,960But she talked with her family in Virginia several times a day, either through text or3700:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,240phone calls, often both.3800:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,240Her sister was pregnant with her first nephew and Katelin was going to become an aunt for3900:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,060the first time and was so excited.4000:02:27,060 --> 00:02:29,760So now a timeline of events.4100:02:29,760 --> 00:02:36,080On Tuesday, December 1st, 2015, Katelin flies back to her hometown to celebrate the birth4200:02:36,080 --> 00:02:37,440of her nephew.4300:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,200She grew up in Caroline County, Virginia.4400:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,560It was going to be a quick trip, just four days since she was slated to start cosmetology4500:02:44,560 --> 00:02:46,100school on Monday.4600:02:46,100 --> 00:02:49,860She just had to finish up her enrollment, which meant bringing her high school diploma4700:02:49,860 --> 00:02:52,120back to Arizona with her.4800:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,920On Thursday, December 3rd, Katelin meets up with old friends and parties at their place.4900:02:56,920 --> 00:03:01,980They stay up late playing drinking games and Katelin ends up spending the night there.5000:03:01,980 --> 00:03:06,320She comes home later the next day on Friday so she can pack up her stuff and get ready5100:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,360for her flight the next day.5200:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,900Saturday, December 5th, 2015.5300:03:11,900 --> 00:03:15,600Before she leaves for the airport, she makes sure to grab her high school diploma.5400:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,080Her mother, Lisa, had to work that day so another family member had promised to take5500:03:20,080 --> 00:03:21,320her to the airport.5600:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,320However, this other family member ended up getting called into work at the last minute.5700:03:26,320 --> 00:03:31,100In a bind, Katelin reached out to her ex-stepdad, James Branton, to see if he would be able5800:03:31,100 --> 00:03:32,520to give her a ride.5900:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,920James was really the only father figure that Katelin had ever had in her life since her6000:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,240biological dad was not in the picture.6100:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,600James agrees to take her to the airport, but since he had to work later that day, around6200:03:43,600 --> 00:03:48,2003pm, he'll have to drop Katelin off four hours before her flight so he can make the6300:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,400trip back to get to work in Fredericksburg, Virginia.6400:03:51,400 --> 00:03:57,080Katelin was flying out of the Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, DC at 5.40pm.6500:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,640Katelin got a ride from her mother to James' house and then Lisa headed to work.6600:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,520According to her mother, everything seemed normal when she dropped Katelin off.6700:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,160Lisa told Katelin to call her when she got to the airport and when she boarded the plane.6800:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,480Katelin said she would.6900:04:11,480 --> 00:04:16,160Lisa needed to get to work by 10am so she left Katelin and her ex-husband who were chatting7000:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,520about Katelin’s plans to enroll in cosmetology school.7100:04:19,520 --> 00:04:25,300A few hours later, around 1.52pm, Lisa gets a text message from her ex-husband saying7200:04:25,300 --> 00:04:27,040that he dropped Katelin off.7300:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,720Lisa texts back, quote, okay, thank you.7400:04:29,720 --> 00:04:31,960I was traffic, end quote.7500:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,440To which he responds, not bad.7600:04:34,440 --> 00:04:40,120Eight minutes later, at 2pm, Lisa gets a text message from Katelin’s phone saying, quote,7700:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,240I'm at the airport, battery dying so won't be able to text for a bit, end quote.7800:04:45,240 --> 00:04:49,360Lisa shoots back a text, okay, let me know when you get on the plane.7900:04:49,360 --> 00:04:54,920A few minutes after this, another series of text messages are sent to Lisa from Amber,8000:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,280Katelin’s fiancée.8100:04:56,280 --> 00:04:59,560Amber says that Katelin isn't getting on the plane.8200:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,980When Lisa asks her what she means, she says that something happened and Katelin is waiting8300:05:03,980 --> 00:05:05,200for a new flight.8400:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,840However, Lisa knows that there aren't any other flights that Katelin can get on that8500:05:08,840 --> 00:05:09,840night.8600:05:09,840 --> 00:05:11,440This was her only flight.8700:05:11,440 --> 00:05:12,960Lisa starts to worry.8800:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,780She's still at work so in between customers she calls other family members to recruit8900:05:16,780 --> 00:05:19,880them into helping find out what's happening with Katelin.9000:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,920Her sister begins to text her, but she doesn't respond and the calls go straight to voicemail.9100:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,920As Lisa leaves work that night, she texts James to ask him where he dropped her off9200:05:28,920 --> 00:05:29,920at.9300:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,600He said that he dropped her off at the Springfield Mall in Virginia.9400:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,800This was news to Lisa and when she asked why, he said that Katelin wanted to be dropped9500:05:37,800 --> 00:05:38,960off there.9600:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,680He said that instead of waiting at the airport terminal for four hours, she was going to9700:05:43,680 --> 00:05:48,000walk around the mall and then take the metro train from the mall to the airport.9800:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,120James tells Lisa he had even given her $20 for the metro.9900:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,840According to Katelin’s family, this doesn't sound like her.10000:05:55,840 --> 00:05:59,560Katelin hadn't taken the metro since she was around six years old and didn't really10100:05:59,560 --> 00:06:04,060know her way around it and she had never been to that mall before.10200:06:04,060 --> 00:06:08,140She would have either needed to take a bus and then walk to the train in order to get10300:06:08,140 --> 00:06:12,560to the airport or walk about 16 minutes with her luggage straight to the train from the10400:06:12,560 --> 00:06:13,560mall.10500:06:13,560 --> 00:06:19,180Katelin’s mom and sister are convinced that she wouldn't have done this.10600:06:19,180 --> 00:06:23,780At around 7 and 15, Lisa gets two text messages from Katelin’s phone.10700:06:23,780 --> 00:06:28,280The first one read, quote, staying with a friend, end quote.10800:06:28,280 --> 00:06:33,480And the second one said, quote, I need some time alone, end quote.10900:06:33,480 --> 00:06:37,540This was strange to Lisa since Katelin should have been in the air at this time and unable11000:06:37,540 --> 00:06:39,320to send a text.11100:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,980Lisa was driving home from work when she got the text messages, so she pulled into a gas11200:06:42,980 --> 00:06:47,440station and attempted to call Kateline, but the calls went straight to voicemail.11300:06:47,440 --> 00:06:52,920Lisa texted her daughter saying, call me, and then says, I'm very worried about you.11400:06:52,920 --> 00:06:58,240Shortly after, Amber gets a Facebook message from Katelin that said, quote, I can't come11500:06:58,240 --> 00:06:59,240back.11600:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,400I cheated on you, end quote.11700:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,320Amber and Lisa talk and Amber has no idea what is happening.11800:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,440Amber and Katelin had not gotten into any fights recently, and there's no reason she11900:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,240can think of on why she wouldn't want to come home.12000:07:12,240 --> 00:07:17,760Lisa decides to call the airport and she finds out that Katelin never even boarded her flight.12100:07:17,760 --> 00:07:22,520This sends Lisa into a panic and she calls police to report her daughter missing.12200:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,800But since Katelin is over the age of 18, police tell her that she hasn't been missing long12300:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,700enough yet for them to do anything.12400:07:29,700 --> 00:07:34,780On Monday, December 7, after agonizing over what's happening with Katelin and trying12500:07:34,780 --> 00:07:39,960to get a hold of her with no response, Lisa goes to the Spotslovania County Sheriff's12600:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,880Department to report Katelin missing since this was the last place that she had seen12700:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,920her when she dropped her off at James's house.12800:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,320When Lisa tells police everything, police believe that Katelin just needed a few days12900:07:51,320 --> 00:07:55,560to herself and that she would turn up, that maybe she was getting cold feet and didn't13000:07:55,560 --> 00:07:57,640want to return back to Arizona.13100:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,200Lisa still insists on filing a police report with them.13200:08:01,200 --> 00:08:06,440While Lisa is in the middle of filling out the form, Katelin’s luggage is found.13300:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,680A road crew found her suitcase in a drainage ditch off of River Road near where it intersects13400:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,680with Fall Hill Road in Spotslovania County, 50 miles from the airport.13500:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,800Police pull Lisa into a room to tell her of the discovery.13600:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,840Her luggage was found unzipped.13700:08:22,840 --> 00:08:29,560Her plane ticket, wallet with her ID and all of her bank cards, toothbrush, and phone charger13800:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,680were all in the suitcase, but everything else was missing.13900:08:33,680 --> 00:08:37,440Her clothes, her cell phone, and her high school diploma.14000:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,600The suitcase had a broken wheel and according to Lisa, it looked like it was just tossed14100:08:41,600 --> 00:08:43,200out of a window.14200:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,800Police begin investigating Katelin’s disappearance.14300:08:45,800 --> 00:08:50,680They find the circumstances suspicious and interview her family at length.14400:08:50,680 --> 00:08:55,800Katelin’s case is assigned to Detective Rob Marshall, who speaks with James, her former14500:08:55,800 --> 00:09:01,000stepfather, and his statement remains the same, that around 1pm he dropped her off at14600:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,440the mall near the JCPenney entrance.14700:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,360James told police he didn't think that it was odd at all that she wanted to take the14800:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,440Metro into the airport.14900:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,960Police reach out to the mall, the Metro, and the airport for surveillance footage on the15000:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,000day that Katelin went missing.15100:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,960Later review of the videos will show that Katelin was not caught on any of the security15200:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,920cameras at the mall, metro, or airport.15300:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,760On Thursday, December 10th, Katelin has been missing for five days.15400:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,920Police search the area near where her suitcase was found.15500:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,040There is a river near this area and investigators search the shoreline.15600:09:36,040 --> 00:09:41,760They do aerial searches as well, but nothing additional is found in regards to Katelin,15700:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,920so none of her clothing was found, her cell phone wasn't found, her diploma wasn't15800:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,520found, and she was not found.15900:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,800Police continue to dig into Katelin’s life.16000:09:50,800 --> 00:09:55,840They find a Facebook message from the early hours of the day she disappeared, when it16100:09:55,840 --> 00:09:59,040was known that Katelin still was in possession of her phone.16200:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,480It said that she didn't want to be here or there, which investigators took to mean16300:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,520she didn't want to be in Virginia or Arizona.16400:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,680Investigators also talked to the friends that she had spent the night with while she was16500:10:10,680 --> 00:10:12,200in town visiting.16600:10:12,200 --> 00:10:16,320The house Katelin crashed at belonged to a couple, and they said that when Katelin was16700:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,800over, they were playing drinking games and one thing led to another and they all became16800:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,240intimate.16900:10:22,240 --> 00:10:27,360This does give investigators hope that maybe Katelin is just laying low for a couple days17000:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,720and helps support the Facebook message that was sent to her fiance saying that she had17100:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,080cheated.17200:10:33,080 --> 00:10:37,520Police begin to stake out areas that Katelin was known to visit, hoping that maybe some17300:10:37,520 --> 00:10:42,360family or friends were just helping her lie low for a few days while she figured out her17400:10:42,360 --> 00:10:43,360life.17500:10:43,360 --> 00:10:48,360On December 19th, two weeks since Katelin disappeared, police had found no sign of her17600:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,600and it did not appear that anybody was helping hide Katelin.17700:10:52,600 --> 00:10:56,600Police say they're no closer to finding her than the day she vanished.17800:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,880Katelin’s family believe that there is no way she would stay out of touch with them17900:10:59,880 --> 00:11:01,460for this long.18000:11:01,460 --> 00:11:06,200She would have contacted them by now if she had just needed a few days to herself.18100:11:06,200 --> 00:11:10,880It's unclear exactly when, but eventually Katelin’s phone records arrived to police18200:11:10,880 --> 00:11:12,720to review.18300:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,600Police find out through the phone records that when Katelin sent the text to her mother18400:11:16,600 --> 00:11:22,680saying that she was at the airport, that that text message pinged to a tower near Fredericksburg,18500:11:22,680 --> 00:11:27,520Virginia, about five miles from where her suitcase was found, but far away from the18600:11:27,520 --> 00:11:29,740airport.18700:11:29,740 --> 00:11:36,440On December 29th, 2015, James is scheduled to come in that day and take a polygraph test.18800:11:36,440 --> 00:11:41,380He has been very cooperative with police during their investigation and police really view18900:11:41,380 --> 00:11:43,640him as a concerned father.19000:11:43,640 --> 00:11:47,980They scheduled the polygraph as a way to rule him out and move past him since he was the19100:11:47,980 --> 00:11:50,720last person to see Katelin.19200:11:50,720 --> 00:11:55,200James calls police to tell him that he spoke with his attorney who advised him not to take19300:11:55,200 --> 00:11:59,280the polygraph test since he was being looked at as a suspect.19400:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,360Police try to assure James that he's not a suspect, but just the last person to see19500:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,960Katelin alive, that they need to rule him out before they can start looking at other19600:12:07,960 --> 00:12:08,960people.19700:12:08,960 --> 00:12:14,240Still, James refuses to take the polygraph test and really stops being cooperative with19800:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,400police after this point.19900:12:16,400 --> 00:12:22,120In January of 2016, Katelin has been missing for nearly a month at this point.20000:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,960Detective Rob Marshall decides to get a search warrant for James' house and the swamp area20100:12:26,960 --> 00:12:28,760behind his house.20200:12:28,760 --> 00:12:33,440During the search, investigators seize computers and cell phones and spend hours searching20300:12:33,440 --> 00:12:38,520his house, property, and vehicles, but they don't find any trace that anything bad happened20400:12:38,520 --> 00:12:42,280to Katelin in his home or the vehicles.20500:12:42,280 --> 00:12:47,120Police do, however, obtain James' cell phone records, and they notice that all of the calls20600:12:47,120 --> 00:12:52,320he made that day and all of the text messages he sent on the day that Katelin disappeared20700:12:52,320 --> 00:12:58,120pinged off of the tower near his home in Partlow, Virginia, not near the mall or airport or20800:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,440even near his job in Fredericksburg.20900:13:00,440 --> 00:13:05,200His phone records will also show that James never tried to call Katelin once after she21000:13:05,200 --> 00:13:06,980disappeared.21100:13:06,980 --> 00:13:12,040Investigators will also come to find out that James called off work that Saturday that Katelin21200:13:12,040 --> 00:13:13,040disappeared.21300:13:13,040 --> 00:13:14,800He never went in.21400:13:14,800 --> 00:13:20,400In June of 2016, it's been over six months since Katelin went missing.21500:13:20,400 --> 00:13:24,840Katelin’s family is desperate to find her, and they start a GoFundMe in order to hire21600:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,640a private investigator.21700:13:26,640 --> 00:13:32,160They also have started a Facebook group to try to raise awareness for Katelin’s case.21800:13:32,160 --> 00:13:37,040The Spotslovenia Sheriff's Department says, quote, the case is still open and we have21900:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,600a detective who is actively working on it.22000:13:39,600 --> 00:13:45,160We've looked everywhere we know to look, but at this time we have no new leads or information,22100:13:45,160 --> 00:13:46,320end quote.22200:13:46,320 --> 00:13:52,000In May of 2017, Katelin has been missing for about a year and a half now.22300:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,480The FBI has joined the search, but investigators are still at a standstill.22400:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,720The family is deep in their own investigation into what happened.22500:14:00,720 --> 00:14:05,520Katelin’s sister Pamela says, quote, we analyze everything all the time, different22600:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,280things that could have happened every day, end quote.22700:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,360Katelin’s mom checks Facebook first thing in the morning to see if there's any new22800:14:12,360 --> 00:14:17,800posts about Katelin or Googles her daughter's name to see if anything new pops up.22900:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,160Lisa used to talk to detectives every day, but it got depressing.23000:14:21,160 --> 00:14:26,000Nothing ever changed in the investigation and there was never any new information.23100:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,560Lisa has reached out to national TV shows and famous psychics to see if any of them would23200:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,480be able to help get Katelin’s story out there.23300:14:33,480 --> 00:14:39,200The show Disappear does do an episode on Katelin and that helps raise awareness about Katelin’s23400:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,640case nationally.23500:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,760When Lisa thinks back to the day her daughter disappeared, she thinks of the text messages23600:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,880that Katelin sent and Lisa does not believe that they were sent by Katelin.23700:14:48,880 --> 00:14:53,980She told a local paper that Katelin never double texted unless she had misspelled something.23800:14:53,980 --> 00:14:57,920And when she texted her mother that she needed time alone and was at a friend's house, it23900:14:57,920 --> 00:14:59,880was sent as a double text.24000:14:59,880 --> 00:15:03,680Police Captain Liz Scott told local media that investigators now believe that Katelin24100:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,960never left the area.24200:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,120Lisa holds out hope that her daughter will be found.24300:15:09,120 --> 00:15:13,600She says, quote, We don't know if she's lying in a ditch somewhere or if she's going to24400:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,080be fine.24500:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,720We don't know if she's living it up, partying around.24600:15:18,720 --> 00:15:22,800If she is out there, is she going to be the same Katelin we know?24700:15:22,800 --> 00:15:24,280I don't know.24800:15:24,280 --> 00:15:25,480End quote.24900:15:25,480 --> 00:15:32,280When Katelin went missing in 2015, she was five foot four and about 145 pounds.25000:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,560She had short blonde hair and blue eyes.25100:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,540She has a tattoo of three stars on her foot and five butterflies on her arm that are outlined25200:15:40,540 --> 00:15:41,540in blue.25300:15:41,540 --> 00:15:46,360Her nose, lip and belly button are pierced and she has gauges in her ears.25400:15:46,360 --> 00:15:53,520So if you know anything about the disappearance of Katelin Akins in December of 2015 or her25500:15:53,520 --> 00:16:01,440whereabouts today, please call Crime Solvers at 1-800-928-5822 or you can submit a tip25600:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,440on the FBI website.25700:16:03,440 --> 00:16:08,640And the sources for the timeline today come from Cole Pepper's star exponent, Richard25800:16:08,640 --> 00:16:15,360Times Dispatch, the Facebook page, help find Katelin Akins, the FBI and Virginia cold case25900:16:15,360 --> 00:16:16,980database.26000:16:16,980 --> 00:16:20,680So that is the case of Katelin Akins.26100:16:20,680 --> 00:16:26,640This is a case that I was not familiar with, but in a comment section of one of our YouTube26200:16:26,640 --> 00:16:30,240pages, someone suggested that I should look into the case.26300:16:30,240 --> 00:16:35,840And as soon as I did, I really wanted more information.26400:16:35,840 --> 00:16:41,840There just seems to be a lot of questions for me, a lot of lot of questions.26500:16:41,840 --> 00:16:46,880And some of the more obvious ones that I'm sure you all had too is what happened to her26600:16:46,880 --> 00:16:47,880clothes?26700:16:47,880 --> 00:16:53,920You know, they find her suitcase, and there's some of her stuff in there, some really important26800:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,760stuff, her plane ticket, her wallet, her IDs, her bank cards, her phone charger, but none26900:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,780of her clothes are there.27000:17:00,780 --> 00:17:03,520So what happened to all of them?27100:17:03,520 --> 00:17:09,420It does seem strange that none of them have turned up, but it does make me hopeful because27200:17:09,420 --> 00:17:15,480it's like those are a lot of pieces of evidence that could be found somewhere, some way.27300:17:15,480 --> 00:17:24,240I do share Katelin’s family's thoughts that if she was able to, she would have contacted27400:17:24,240 --> 00:17:25,840the family by now.27500:17:25,840 --> 00:17:31,640Her mom was talking about how she would be at work and Katelin would regularly call two27600:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,880or three times and text her while she was at work.27700:17:34,880 --> 00:17:39,880So it wasn't as if she had a very strange relationship with her family, like, you know,27800:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,380a lot of LGBTQ people sometimes have.27900:17:44,380 --> 00:17:47,040She seemed very close with her family, very close with her sister.28000:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,520She flew back to meet her nephew.28100:17:49,520 --> 00:17:55,280So all of that to me just makes it seem like even if she decided to take a couple days28200:17:55,280 --> 00:18:00,320because she was rethinking her relationship, maybe going through some stuff, you know,28300:18:00,320 --> 00:18:06,480just growing pains of being 19 and figuring out your life and what you want from it, she28400:18:06,480 --> 00:18:08,040would have contacted her family.28500:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,440I really do believe that, as does her family.28600:18:11,440 --> 00:18:16,440So it makes me anxious to think about what could have happened to her.28700:18:16,440 --> 00:18:22,020I also have a lot of questions for her former stepfather.28800:18:22,020 --> 00:18:30,420He claims that he dropped her off at Springfield Mall in Springfield, Virginia, but no security28900:18:30,420 --> 00:18:35,040cameras caught him or his car, you know, in the parking lot.29000:18:35,040 --> 00:18:40,360They didn't catch her walking into the entrance and there were cameras, you know, at that29100:18:40,360 --> 00:18:43,660entrance, the JCPenney entrance that she was walking into.29200:18:43,660 --> 00:18:49,520So it just doesn't seem likely that in 2015, especially when, you know, there's a lot of29300:18:49,520 --> 00:18:57,080camera footage that she would go missed in a mall with security cameras that nobody would29400:18:57,080 --> 00:18:58,280see her.29500:18:58,280 --> 00:19:04,120Or I would hope that police went and, you know, kind of canvassed the mall as well,29600:19:04,120 --> 00:19:08,880like maybe some of the JCPenney workers who were working that day or whatever the stores29700:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,640just beyond that are.29800:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,920I would hope that would be done.29900:19:12,920 --> 00:19:18,400Because I think people might remember, you know, a young woman walking in with a suitcase30000:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,240kind of dragging it around.30100:19:20,240 --> 00:19:24,000You don't always see that at a shopping mall, so that might have stuck out to some people.30200:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,200So I hope that was done.30300:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,840But ultimately, I don't think she was ever at the mall.30400:19:28,840 --> 00:19:31,960It doesn't sound like she ever made it there.30500:19:31,960 --> 00:19:39,400And I did notice as well that between the statement that her stepfather gives to police,30600:19:39,400 --> 00:19:45,800which is that around one, he drops her off, Lisa doesn't get a text from him until 1 52.30700:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,080So that's a 52 minute gap.30800:19:48,080 --> 00:19:53,240And you know, maybe it's as innocent as, oh, like, I dropped her off, I immediately turned30900:19:53,240 --> 00:19:58,680around because I needed to get to work, which we later find out he called off that day.31000:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,700But maybe it is as innocent as I turned around and was in traffic.31100:20:02,700 --> 00:20:05,680And I just didn't think about it until 52 minutes later.31200:20:05,680 --> 00:20:07,280And I texted her.31300:20:07,280 --> 00:20:12,420And maybe him not going to work is as innocent as I got caught in traffic.31400:20:12,420 --> 00:20:13,560I knew I wasn't going to make it.31500:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,780So I had to call off the rest of the day.31600:20:15,780 --> 00:20:17,640But that doesn't seem to be his story.31700:20:17,640 --> 00:20:23,100Like that's not included in his statements to police, at least that police have revealed.31800:20:23,100 --> 00:20:29,500So for me, in order to kind of rule him out as a person of interest, or even like the31900:20:29,500 --> 00:20:34,500police said, just as the last person who saw her, you kind of have to start there and then32000:20:34,500 --> 00:20:36,040go beyond.32100:20:36,040 --> 00:20:37,760I can't rule him out yet.32200:20:37,760 --> 00:20:44,440Like, you know, no evidence was found that a crime had taken place in his car or in his32300:20:44,440 --> 00:20:45,440home.32400:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,900So I would take that to mean there.32500:20:48,900 --> 00:20:50,640They didn't find any blood.32600:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,640No signs of struggle.32700:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,000No recent dig marks on his property.32800:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,880You know, there wasn't anything that stood out to them as something bad had happened32900:20:59,880 --> 00:21:00,880there.33000:21:00,880 --> 00:21:07,240But I do wonder if they found any evidence of her at all, just because she was in his33100:21:07,240 --> 00:21:08,240car.33200:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,200So you know, did they find a hair?33300:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,400Did they find her DNA?33400:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,280You know, on the armrest or anything?33500:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,680Was her DNA found at all?33600:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,980Because it should be there.33700:21:18,980 --> 00:21:23,360If what he says is true, he drove her, you know, an hour to this mall that she wanted33800:21:23,360 --> 00:21:25,300to be dropped off there.33900:21:25,300 --> 00:21:32,360So that way she could kill time at the mall and then head over via the metro in DC.34000:21:32,360 --> 00:21:36,940I do think that if Katelin was dropped off at the mall, she would have been able to figure34100:21:36,940 --> 00:21:40,280out the metro system to get to the airport.34200:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,520A lot of her family kind of made the comment that she wouldn't have done that because she34300:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,560doesn't know how to.34400:21:45,560 --> 00:21:47,840But you know, Katelin was also very smart.34500:21:47,840 --> 00:21:49,080She was very book smart.34600:21:49,080 --> 00:21:53,840I think she could have figured it out, especially if she had a smartphone with her that could34700:21:53,840 --> 00:21:57,220kind of, you know, give her the step by step directions.34800:21:57,220 --> 00:22:02,520But I always come back to the fact that she was never seen on any of the cameras at the34900:22:02,520 --> 00:22:03,520mall.35000:22:03,520 --> 00:22:09,120So I don't think she was ever there to figure out how to get to the airport from there.35100:22:09,120 --> 00:22:13,760And you know, all her cell phone, all the texts that were sent from her cell phone pinged35200:22:13,760 --> 00:22:20,48050 miles away in Spotslovania County where her stepfather lived or her former stepfather35300:22:20,480 --> 00:22:27,300lived near where her suitcase was eventually found with her plane ticket in it.35400:22:27,300 --> 00:22:33,200So that just leaves me with a lot of questions that I would love to have answered as I'm35500:22:33,200 --> 00:22:38,680sure her family and police would love to have answered as far as her former stepfather James35600:22:38,680 --> 00:22:39,680goes.35700:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,900I do hope that this case will get solved.35800:22:43,900 --> 00:22:49,380You know, this is from 2015, even though, you know, we are in the year of 2024 as I'm35900:22:49,380 --> 00:22:50,380recording this.36000:22:50,380 --> 00:22:55,880So you know, this December will be nine years.36100:22:55,880 --> 00:23:00,120That's a long time to not have somebody and for somebody to be missing.36200:23:00,120 --> 00:23:07,040But I feel like since it did happen within the last 10 years that there is a lot of information36300:23:07,040 --> 00:23:08,860that police still have.36400:23:08,860 --> 00:23:15,000There's a lot of technology that the police have that I think could provide more answers,36500:23:15,000 --> 00:23:20,240especially if they're able to take newer technology, like maybe there are texts that need to be36600:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,400recovered or, you know, things that were kind of hidden on the phone that can be brought36700:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,960to light, you know, using new technology.36800:23:26,960 --> 00:23:32,600I hope that that is done for Katelin and that we're able to get some answers and know what36900:23:32,600 --> 00:23:37,840happened to her and hopefully bring her home so that way her family can know where she37000:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,040is one way or the other.37100:23:41,040 --> 00:23:42,880And she disappeared during the day.37200:23:42,880 --> 00:23:51,920So you know, if anybody saw anything from December 5th, 2015, again, you are encouraged37300:23:51,920 --> 00:23:57,300to call Crime Solvers at 1-800-928-5822.37400:23:57,300 --> 00:24:02,320You can submit a tip directly to the FBI if you go on their website, especially if you37500:24:02,320 --> 00:24:03,920search her name.37600:24:03,920 --> 00:24:08,880So please, if you know anything, if you saw anything in that area, please submit a tip.37700:24:08,880 --> 00:24:14,560Let's get some answers for Katelin and get this thing solved, get this thing closed.37800:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,660We'll be posting pictures of Katelin on our Instagram.37900:24:17,660 --> 00:24:22,640If you're not following us there, I definitely suggest you check us out.38000:24:22,640 --> 00:24:28,280We put any updates with the podcast on there as well as post in our stories about cases38100:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,460happening here and now.38200:24:30,460 --> 00:24:35,660We'll of course be posting pictures of Katelin on our Instagram at Cold and Missing.38300:24:35,660 --> 00:24:37,320You can find us there.38400:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,680If you have a second before you move on to the next part of your day, if you could please38500:24:41,680 --> 00:24:46,880leave us review, especially if you're an Apple podcast, leaving us a written review helps38600:24:46,880 --> 00:24:53,000others find us and helps bring these cases to more people and get people interested in38700:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,360these cold cases, in these unresolved missing person cases.38800:24:56,360 --> 00:25:00,000So if you've already done that, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.38900:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,720If you haven't, I strongly encourage you to do it.39000:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,760It's such a free way to support this podcast.39100:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,920You can always visit us on our website www.coldandmissing.com.39200:25:10,920 --> 00:25:12,640You can review us there as well.39300:25:12,640 --> 00:25:19,060If you're not a part of Apple podcasts, you can also donate to us if you wish to support39400:25:19,060 --> 00:25:20,480us that way.39500:25:20,480 --> 00:25:24,640And also if you or someone you love is hard of hearing, we have transcripts on the website39600:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,600so that way you can follow along with us there.39700:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,040Thank you so much for listening to Cold and Missing.39800:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,920I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Zilkowski.39900:25:32,920 --> 00:25:59,920Have a great week and stay safe, y'all.