WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:05.960
Welcome back everyone. Today's case happened thirty three years ago
2
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.119
and we're going to be examining this cold case. And
3
00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:15.800
today we turn our attention to a chilling chapter from Wymar, California,
4
00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:19.280
a small county in Plaster count A small community in
5
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.760
Plaster County that endured a disturbing pattern of violence in
6
00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.559
the early nineties. In this episode titled Locked in Flames,
7
00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.480
we will explore the nineteen ninety two murder of an
8
00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:33.000
eighty five year old Alwyn Schauffer schoe FBR, a case
9
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.600
that defied resolution for more than thirty years until DNA
10
00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.240
evidence provided the definitive link to a serial offender already
11
00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:43.240
behind bars. We'll review the crime scene, the initial investigation,
12
00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:46.880
the perpetrator's extensive history in the recent courtroom conclusion. Let's
13
00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.479
begin with the victim. Alwyn Schauffeur was an eighty five
14
00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.240
year old resident of Ymar, a quiet foothill community east
15
00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.159
of Sacramento, known locally for his independent lifestyle and preference
16
00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:00.320
were carrying substantial amounts of cash rather than relying on banks.
17
00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:04.439
Chauffeur lived modestly yet monitary, maintained a routine that made
18
00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:07.319
him familiar to neighbors. On the evening of August sixth,
19
00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:09.840
nineteen ninety two, reports of a fire at his home
20
00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:14.280
prompted an urgent response from firefighters. Upon arrival, they encountered
21
00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:17.079
a horrifying scene. The exterior doors had been secured with
22
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:21.519
padlocks from the outside, effectively trapping anyone inside. Once the
23
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:26.480
flames were extinguished, investigators discovered Chauffer's body within the burned structure.
24
00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:31.040
He had been beaten, stabbed, and shot. Injuries left no
25
00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:35.920
doubt that this was a deliberate homicide. Further examination confirmed
26
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.359
the fire had been intentionally set inside the residents before
27
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.719
the doors were locked. Evidence collected at the scene and
28
00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:43.560
surrounding areas, including a bag recovered along a road in
29
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:49.239
neighboring Nevada County. Inside were chauffeur's wallet, identification, coin purse,
30
00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.680
and articles of clothing items that appeared to have been
31
00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:57.879
removed from the property. Authorities immediately launched a homicide investigation,
32
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.560
having physical evidence from Plasterer in Nevada Counties. Early leads
33
00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:06.239
were pursued, but despite diligent efforts by detectives, the case
34
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.120
gradually grew cold. The Plaster County Sheriff's office never fully
35
00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.360
closed the file. Decades later, the department's dedicated cold case
36
00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:19.439
unit reopened the investigation. Detectives meticulously re examined preserve evidence
37
00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:24.520
and identified items suitable for contemporary DNA analysis. That scientific
38
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.759
breakthrough arrived. DNA developed from the nineteen ninety two crime
39
00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:31.879
scene evidence matched Joseph Foster, sixty four year old. Investigators
40
00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:35.280
determined than Foster had been familiar with Schauffer and resided
41
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:39.479
within walking distance of the victim's home. Robbery emerged as
42
00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.800
a likely motive, consistent with Schauffer's no known habit of
43
00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:45.439
carrying large sums of cash. Foster was no stranger law enforcement.
44
00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:47.639
By the time of the DNA match. He was already
45
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.159
serving multiple life sentences with two murders committed in Weimar
46
00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.240
in nineteen ninety one, the killing of Jack Colline and
47
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:58.080
Sue Barton, age thirty three, and Hugh Grisham, aged thirty seven.
48
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.319
That double homicide case itself had remained unsolved until DNA
49
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:06.960
evidence linked Foster in twenty seventeen. Additionally, Foster held in
50
00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.039
nineteen eighty two conviction for voluntary manslaughter stemming from the
51
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.560
nineteen eighty shooting death I'm another man near Wymar with
52
00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.039
the nineteen ninety two conviction. Authorities have now held him
53
00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:18.919
responsible for four murders, all occurring within the same small
54
00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:24.039
geographic area. Following the DNA confirmation in twenty twenty five,
55
00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.800
and murder warm was issued on March eighteen, Foster was
56
00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.759
transferred to Plaster County Sheriff's Office for custody. On March thirtieth,
57
00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:33.520
he pleaded guilty to first degree murder in the death
58
00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.400
of Alwyn Chauffeur. Sentencing occurred on April thirtieth of twenty
59
00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.560
twenty six, when Plaster County Superior Court imposed a term
60
00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:44.400
of more than seventy five years to life, basically insurance
61
00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:46.879
Foster will remain incarcerated for the remainder of his life.
62
00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.719
So a great job by the cold case unit and
63
00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.080
the investigators who continually and particularly see comb through every
64
00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.240
cold case in their county, and it was a really
65
00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:03.719
good success Or are there their story of Alwyn Chauffeur
66
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.439
reminds of the cold cases are never truly forgotten and
67
00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:10.400
the advances we have today in DNA technology have transformed
68
00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:14.840
law forcemensibility to deliver the justice even after decades have elapsed.
69
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.399
For the family and friends of mister Chauffur and for
70
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:20.399
the broader Bimar community, this outcome provides a measure of
71
00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:24.000
closure to a chapter marked by fear and uncertainty. There's
72
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.600
also underscores of sobering reality. Violent offenders can remain active
73
00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:33.839
within close knit areas, avoiding detection until science catch up. So, folks,
74
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.839
if you've been listening to this podcast for a while,
75
00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.199
you can see it's really difficult to commit a crime
76
00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:42.879
and not get caught, and it doesn't matter how long
77
00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:47.040
ago it's been. With the advancements in a DNA technology,
78
00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:50.360
and from what I've been reading, they're still working on
79
00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:55.800
advancing that even more with AI and DNA technology, and
80
00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.519
that's improving. They're gonna have solved. They're gonna sol more
81
00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:04.720
and more cold cases in the upcoming years. That's it
82
00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:05.079
for now,
1
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:05.960
Welcome back everyone. Today's case happened thirty three years ago
2
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.119
and we're going to be examining this cold case. And
3
00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:15.800
today we turn our attention to a chilling chapter from Wymar, California,
4
00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:19.280
a small county in Plaster count A small community in
5
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.760
Plaster County that endured a disturbing pattern of violence in
6
00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.559
the early nineties. In this episode titled Locked in Flames,
7
00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.480
we will explore the nineteen ninety two murder of an
8
00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:33.000
eighty five year old Alwyn Schauffer schoe FBR, a case
9
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.600
that defied resolution for more than thirty years until DNA
10
00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.240
evidence provided the definitive link to a serial offender already
11
00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:43.240
behind bars. We'll review the crime scene, the initial investigation,
12
00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:46.880
the perpetrator's extensive history in the recent courtroom conclusion. Let's
13
00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.479
begin with the victim. Alwyn Schauffeur was an eighty five
14
00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.240
year old resident of Ymar, a quiet foothill community east
15
00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.159
of Sacramento, known locally for his independent lifestyle and preference
16
00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:00.320
were carrying substantial amounts of cash rather than relying on banks.
17
00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:04.439
Chauffeur lived modestly yet monitary, maintained a routine that made
18
00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:07.319
him familiar to neighbors. On the evening of August sixth,
19
00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:09.840
nineteen ninety two, reports of a fire at his home
20
00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:14.280
prompted an urgent response from firefighters. Upon arrival, they encountered
21
00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:17.079
a horrifying scene. The exterior doors had been secured with
22
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:21.519
padlocks from the outside, effectively trapping anyone inside. Once the
23
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:26.480
flames were extinguished, investigators discovered Chauffer's body within the burned structure.
24
00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:31.040
He had been beaten, stabbed, and shot. Injuries left no
25
00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:35.920
doubt that this was a deliberate homicide. Further examination confirmed
26
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.359
the fire had been intentionally set inside the residents before
27
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.719
the doors were locked. Evidence collected at the scene and
28
00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:43.560
surrounding areas, including a bag recovered along a road in
29
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:49.239
neighboring Nevada County. Inside were chauffeur's wallet, identification, coin purse,
30
00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.680
and articles of clothing items that appeared to have been
31
00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:57.879
removed from the property. Authorities immediately launched a homicide investigation,
32
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.560
having physical evidence from Plasterer in Nevada Counties. Early leads
33
00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:06.239
were pursued, but despite diligent efforts by detectives, the case
34
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.120
gradually grew cold. The Plaster County Sheriff's office never fully
35
00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.360
closed the file. Decades later, the department's dedicated cold case
36
00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:19.439
unit reopened the investigation. Detectives meticulously re examined preserve evidence
37
00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:24.520
and identified items suitable for contemporary DNA analysis. That scientific
38
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.759
breakthrough arrived. DNA developed from the nineteen ninety two crime
39
00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:31.879
scene evidence matched Joseph Foster, sixty four year old. Investigators
40
00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:35.280
determined than Foster had been familiar with Schauffer and resided
41
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:39.479
within walking distance of the victim's home. Robbery emerged as
42
00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.800
a likely motive, consistent with Schauffer's no known habit of
43
00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:45.439
carrying large sums of cash. Foster was no stranger law enforcement.
44
00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:47.639
By the time of the DNA match. He was already
45
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.159
serving multiple life sentences with two murders committed in Weimar
46
00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.240
in nineteen ninety one, the killing of Jack Colline and
47
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:58.080
Sue Barton, age thirty three, and Hugh Grisham, aged thirty seven.
48
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.319
That double homicide case itself had remained unsolved until DNA
49
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:06.960
evidence linked Foster in twenty seventeen. Additionally, Foster held in
50
00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.039
nineteen eighty two conviction for voluntary manslaughter stemming from the
51
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.560
nineteen eighty shooting death I'm another man near Wymar with
52
00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.039
the nineteen ninety two conviction. Authorities have now held him
53
00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:18.919
responsible for four murders, all occurring within the same small
54
00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:24.039
geographic area. Following the DNA confirmation in twenty twenty five,
55
00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.800
and murder warm was issued on March eighteen, Foster was
56
00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.759
transferred to Plaster County Sheriff's Office for custody. On March thirtieth,
57
00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:33.520
he pleaded guilty to first degree murder in the death
58
00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.400
of Alwyn Chauffeur. Sentencing occurred on April thirtieth of twenty
59
00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.560
twenty six, when Plaster County Superior Court imposed a term
60
00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:44.400
of more than seventy five years to life, basically insurance
61
00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:46.879
Foster will remain incarcerated for the remainder of his life.
62
00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.719
So a great job by the cold case unit and
63
00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.080
the investigators who continually and particularly see comb through every
64
00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.240
cold case in their county, and it was a really
65
00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:03.719
good success Or are there their story of Alwyn Chauffeur
66
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.439
reminds of the cold cases are never truly forgotten and
67
00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:10.400
the advances we have today in DNA technology have transformed
68
00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:14.840
law forcemensibility to deliver the justice even after decades have elapsed.
69
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.399
For the family and friends of mister Chauffur and for
70
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:20.399
the broader Bimar community, this outcome provides a measure of
71
00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:24.000
closure to a chapter marked by fear and uncertainty. There's
72
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.600
also underscores of sobering reality. Violent offenders can remain active
73
00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:33.839
within close knit areas, avoiding detection until science catch up. So, folks,
74
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.839
if you've been listening to this podcast for a while,
75
00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.199
you can see it's really difficult to commit a crime
76
00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:42.879
and not get caught, and it doesn't matter how long
77
00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:47.040
ago it's been. With the advancements in a DNA technology,
78
00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:50.360
and from what I've been reading, they're still working on
79
00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:55.800
advancing that even more with AI and DNA technology, and
80
00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.519
that's improving. They're gonna have solved. They're gonna sol more
81
00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:04.720
and more cold cases in the upcoming years. That's it
82
00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:05.079
for now,
