TRANSCRIPT 🔗
riverside edit krystle — take 03 krystle's studio: Welcome to Unsolved Midwest, and I am your host, Crystal Lay. Thank you so much for coming and spending your time with me and letting me relay some stories about cold cases and mysterious disappearances that just aren't getting the detention the attention that they deserve. Apologies for the late recording. I had a long day today, but I did not want it to end without getting an episode dropped. So So for today, we will be discussing the disappearance of Lisa Renee Irwin and the unsolved murder of Dalton Marsarch. And their trigger warnings, we are discussing homicide, violence, child abduction. But from the title, you can already perceive what we are going to be discussing. But just wanted to give it out there if that's uncomfortable for you, this would be the time to turn it off. And I have no housekeeping items, the only thing is that Thursday's episode will stick with the spooky thing so you'll get more of a spooky tale for the next episode and that's all I got so let's get into the disappearance of Lisa Renee Erwin. Lisa Renee Erwin was reported Missing from her Kansas City home in the early hours of October 4th, 2000 or 2011. Deborah Bat Bradley, Lisa's mother, said that her father, Jeremy Irwin, discovered her missing around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4th. And according to Deborah, Lisa was in her bed when she checked on her at 6:40 p.m. or It could have been 10 40 p.m. Monday night. And when Jeremy came home from his late night job that Tuesday, that is when he realized that something wasn't right. Many of the home's lights were on, a window was open, and the front door was unlocked. And later the family also disclosed to the authorities that several cell phones were also missing from the home. When the investigators put boots to the ground, they found two witnesses who said that they saw a man walking down the street with a baby. And the police were able to find and question a man who matched the description of one witness. But then when they followed up with the other witness, they claimed that his photo did not match the man that they saw. Then on October 19th, 2011, they performed a search of the Irwin home. And in a lot of the court documents, it says that a cadaver dog did turn up a scent of a dead body and that might have been Lisa near the mother's bed. There are items removed from the house at the time of the warrant when it was executed, including a comforter, purple shorts, and a multi-color Disney character shirt, and a glow worm toy, and then a car-themed blanket, rolls of tape, and a tape dispenser. And it was noted from the beginning of the investigation, Lisa's parents were acting very suspicious. So I wonder if there was that they felt guilty about something or if it was almost how I discussed in the Bradley story, if there was some fear that they would get in trouble with the author authorities because maybe they might have done something that they felt wouldn't portray
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them as model parents. So let's get into that. So there's definitely some shifting with the timeline and then there's also Also, some questions about if Lisa's mother was intoxicated at the time of her disappearance. So the changing stories. Deborah Bradley, she in the beginning said that she last checked on baby Lisa at 10:30 p.m. But then she later changed the timeline, and she admitted that the last time she actually saw the infant was at 6:40. And then there was some accusations about heavy drinking. Bradley admitted that to drinking boxed wine on the front porch with a neighbor that evening and being drunk to the point of blacking out. Now a lot of online sleuths say that while some view this as a potential cover up for an accidental death, others have said that her heavy drinking and subsequent memory lapses were driven by just panic and anxiety. And then conflicting polygraphs. So Now in 2026, we don't necessarily give as much credibility to polygraphs, but I'm just adding this part for context. So the early interrogations were very, very stressful, intense, obviously. And an FBI agent informed Bradley that she had failed the polygraph test and she failed regarding knowledge of Lisa's location. And then she later disputed the validity of the test, which is rightfully so, because I in my opinion, and I try to avoid giving my opinion, I don't feel that polygraphs are completely credible and there's too much room for error. So that's just my tidbit about that. And then the cadaver dog, when they hit the set, this was a trained cadaver dog. And him hitting the scent of a d deceased human being. I mean, what is the other what would I say? What would be the other reasons or triggers that he would hit the scent? unless there was like some type of context in the sense that there may have been a pet that passed away or an animal. So I'd be interested to see what would be the other reasons for the hit for the dog regard The hint the smell or scent of a decomposing body. So the defense and the family contested that the reliability of the alert there's no physical evidence of a crime, and that is true, there's no physical evidence that was ever recovered from the bedroom of a crime. So, and then the interview postponement. This definitely was a red flag to me. So the police have repeatedly complained when. The parents kept canceling initial interviews and delaying scheduled interviews and reinterviews with Lisa's two younger half-brothers, and they were ages six and eight at the time, and they were home the night that she vanished. But there was reports of frequent cancellations and delays in following up in providing those interviews. And the family's attorney, they did a like eventually step in and coordinate those interviews but there was a lot of back and forth but the FBI experts were finally able to privately talk to the children. Now during an interview with the Associated Press Deborah said the police had accused her of being involved in Lisa's disappearance and they told her that you did it and That claim obviously sh was very upsetting to her. And they also kept throwing back in her face that she had failed her lie detector test. And Deborah and Jeremy announced the following weeks that they were organizing rewards in hopes that it would result in some information. And then Jeremy Erwin also made an appearance on the Today show for an interview. And he says, and I quote, we just want to make sure. that we tell everybody that we were still cooperating, we're still talking to the police, and we're doing everything we can try to find Lisa and bring her home. And that's what he said on the Today Show. Now regarding the award the reward or the yeah, the reward, apologies, that there was an anonymous benefactor who Hired a private investigator and issued a $100,000 reward for Lisa's return. And then in October 2011, Cindy Short, she was the family's attorney. She stopped representing the Irwin family. And she walked away from them as clients because she was unable to work with the family's other attorney, Joe Takapini. And Lisa's brothers had been scheduled. Like again, it just goes back to the whole interview process, and they wanted to collect DNA samples regarding the case, but again, the parents canceled the night before, and this was a huge back and forth between the attorneys and the one recorded interview with the boys, that sticks out is the second interview on November 10th of 2011. And whatever happened in this interview, this is what the police ended up requesting for a warrant and it that claims that the inconsistent stories from people involved may have hampered the early stages of the investigation. Then in May twenty twelve, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin reported that their debit card had been charged for some type of website that provides false birth certificates. And the Today Show and America Live, they both confirmed that these are real websites. They actually do exist. And their attorneys at the time also confirm that they visit the website as as well and were able to confirm that this is a real thing. And the police, they have continued their investigation and they do believe that she is still alive. They they have not given up hope. So in October of 2013, a girl that was thought to be Lisa, they discovered in a Romani camp in Greece, but the authorities were able to determine that it was not her. In 2016, they did a profile of her case on the podcast Vanish. And on November 24th, 2020, her case was featured on an HLN series called The Real Life Nightmares. and her episode was called Vanish from the Crib. And Again, Bradley and Erwin have always maintained their innocence, believing that some predator just broke into their home and targeted their daughter for human trafficking. And several leads have been followed up, but they've just resulted in it not being her or being any resolution to her disappearance. And to this day, they have kept Blaise's room
completely the same and they still buy her holiday gifts and they just Just hold on to hope that she is still alive. They've also never moved away from their home that they were living in when Lisa disappeared, and they have no plans of ever moving away because they said if she ever came back, they want her to know what house to go to. Now As far as the case and her age progression, I'm going to share an image of what she would look like today. And her current age, she would be 15 years old, and she disappeared on October 3rd is the date that we're going with 2011, and she was 10 months old. And her home address was a 3600 block of North Leicester Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. And her distinguishing features were that she has this blondish strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes. and she has a birthmark on her right thigh. Now, as far as search efforts today, the most current things that we know is that her family has relied on DNA databases and again age progression. So that's why we're gonna share her photo. And her case is also handled by the Kansas City Police Department and Missing Persons Cold Case Squad. And again, the $100,000 reward is still active. So if you have any clues or any details or information that would lead to her safe return, the $100,000 is still an active reward. And you can contact the greater Casey Crime Stoppers to Hotline at 816-474-8477. Now for our next case, the unsolved murder of Dalton Marsarch. And this case is solvable. Somebody knows something. It's just It's solvable. I just when I keep going over the details over and over again in my head, I'm surprised that it has not been solved yet. So let's get into Dalton's unsolved kidnapping and murder. he was a seven year old boy at the time of his death in from Streeter, Illinois, and he disappeared on March twenty sixth, two thousand and three. And it's been over twenty-three years and his family they still continue. to appeal for any information or any help that could lead to who is responsible for this. So let's get into the Dalton's disappearance. So on The evening of March twenty sixth, two thousand and three, Dalton was waiting for his family and they had an enclosed porch. So he's waiting for, I guess, a church van, or they were I've able to confirm it was a church van to pick him up for Bible study. And they were going out for an outing and unbeknownst to the family at the time, the van driver had called out for the night due to an emergency. And Dalton literally vanished from his front yard and investigators keep going back to that he was coaxed or forced into a vehicle and less than 24 hours later on march 27th 2003 a fisherman discovered Dalton's body at a boat launch in Vermilion River and that is on the south side of Streeter in Livingston County and When the autopsy was completed, it was revealed that Dalton had been bludgeoned to death. And the murder weapon, which was recovered in the p by the police, was identified as a three-pound short-handled sledgehammer. And it's specifically called a bench top pro hammer that was exclusively sold at Kmart stores at the time. And it was found in a trash can or trash bin behind a local business. And then there are discrepancies surrounding the initial investigation details. so the coroner's early report also recorded physical lacerations along with a severe impact and trauma from the hammer. Now there is an ongoing investigation, and this is does involve a multi-jurisdictional effort involving the Schreeder Police Department, the Livingston and LaSalle County Sheriff's Department, and the Illinois State Police. And they do have a dedicated task force for Dalton's case, and the FBI has also been included into the investigation. And they have processed over 500 evidentiary exhibits, and they followed up on more than 2,000 leads, stretching across multiple states, but no arrests have been made. And in recent years, investigators have hoped that maybe just as much as DNA is advancing, the technology. Technology would be discovered to finally have that break in the case. And his family, his poor family, they are, they are continually actively fighting and doing things to try to keep his name out there, to try to keep keeping his memory alive and keeping him in everyone's forefront. And Law enforcement was able to in the early stages officially clear any of the immediate family of any wrongdoing. So his family has been completely cleared. This is not a result of interfamily like a homicide within the family. And Michelle, his mother. she remains the primary voice and like again, just constantly trying to keep her son's name out there and trying to find out who killed her son. And she organizes vigils in Streeter, Illinois, and coordinates with the FBI and the Illinois state police and manages the official Facebook page for Dalton's case. Just like I said, to continue to provide awareness. And Danielle and Dina. And Deanna, his sisters, have joined their mother with for different media appearances, and they did do an appearance together on the Steve Wilco show. Also, his aunt Paula, she does a lot of public advocacy too, and does a lot of things to keep again Dalton's memory alive. Now the theories regarding Dalton's case, the primary working theory, and this is held by the FBI and local law enforcement and Dalton's family, is that it was a perpetrator who was close to the community or the family. Just The van timeline, the investigators believe that the killer likely knew that the church van its routine or realized that the van was not coming and using that as an opportunity to approach Dalton. and then coaxed, but maybe like not such a forceful kidnapping or abduction because from what everyone's saying in all accounts, Dalton was known to be a super glue child is from what I read in quotes. So he rarely would leave like his mother's side. So in order for someone to be able to get him to their car, it would have to be someone that he knew or trusted. And
he possibly they're leaning more towards he wasn't violently dragged away. Another theory is that he was targeted as revenge against his mother. So that's another one of the top theories is that because both experts and family members have also questioned that if their target is payback. Is revenge against Dalton's mother specifically. And in a twenty twenty-three interview with Chris Ty of CBS Chicago, Dalton's sister and his mother, they noted that they believed that the murder was a deliberate act designed to destroy his mother's life, pointing towards a specific unnamed individual in the community who helped held a deep animosity towards them. Another theory is that he saw something. So investigators and criminologists who were assigned to the Illinois State Police Task Force, they've floated this idea that Dalton may have accidentally seen some type of illegal activity or something he wasn't supposed to see in the neighborhood and it made him a target just to make sure he couldn't go back and say anything or that there was a fight gone wrong. So Dalton may have been taken, Because there was a sudden altercation or a physical fight ensued and the perpetrator killed him in a panic and tried to cover up for an accidental injury. And then there's also been a really odd development that there's been a rumor about ups unsubstantiated tips and the law enforcement they just find it really hard to like vet. But the more strange thing that's going on is that there's these letters floating around. So in 2009, a photo copied anonymous letter. was like just distributed through Streeter, Illinois. And whoever is the whoever generated these letters i it's claiming that they know the identity of the murderer. Then in 2010, there's another wave of anonymous letters that were circulated again, and it was claiming again to hold information regarding the murder, and it also claimed to know about other regional crimes. Then in late 2024, There's a series of random handwritten letters and they were postmarked from El Paso and they were mailed to various individuals and locations. And the Streeter Police Department and the Illinois State Police actively collected these to investigate the potential potential leads. But the FBI later stated that these late 2024 letters were of substantiated. And they lack any significant investigative value. Now there's a $50,000 reward, and it remains active for any information that leads to the arrest or the conviction of an individual or individuals responsible. And if you have any tips, authorities definitely urge anyone who may have seen something so small near the Mercer Chick House andor the Vermilion River boat. launch on March 26th the 27th 2023 please reach out because you just never know how little that tip is that could lead to something opening the case wide open and the FBI tip line is 1 800 call FBI or you could submit your details through the official FBI wanted page for Dalton because he has his own page So again, I think both of these cases could definitely be solved. But Dalton's case, it feels like it's just right at the edge with how much advancement we have with technology. Somebody knows and somebody knows something. It sounds like a very small town. I hope that we get some resolution and I hope they find out who hurt Dalton. So let's get into our peak of the week. Incarcerated men at the Norton Correctional Facility in Kansas have raised four thousand two hundred and sixty-seven dollars to cover the majority of the six thousand dollar outstanding school lunch debt at Norton Community School District 211. I was like that's the sweetest thing ever. You're in the roughest place and a hard time and you're taking the small Amount of money that you make to make sure that other children eat. That is just restores my hope and humanity. So There's a rehabilitation program called Reaching Out from Within. And it goes by the acronym O or R O F W. And they collected $3,810 from their own personal prison prison wages. And then the staff members at the Kansas Department of Corrections added another $457. And that's how they ended up with their total donation of the amount of $4,000. 267. And that's just amazing. And again, the funds went to the Norton Community School to wipe out the bulk of the roughly six thousand dollars unpaid breakfast and lunch balances accumulated by the local families that were facing food insecurity during the 25-26 school year. And they The inmates presented the check directly to the Norton School Suintendent Corey Roy during a special ceremony held inside the facility on August 3rd, 2026. And then just their motivation, many of the men they shared that they had experienced food and economic insecurity or went hungry during their childhood. So this expired this inspired them to make sure that other local children didn't have to worry about a meal. Again, stories like this like reaffirm my hope in humanity that we're not completely we're not completely cooked just yet. just to go through like a heavy time. Right now, we are we're going through heavy times right now, and to hear stories about others doing something kind for others when you're at your lowest point in life, that really warms my heart. So, those are our stories today. Again, if you know anything or have any tips, please contact the information that I'll provide in the show notes. And again, thank you so much for supporting me and taking time out of your day to listen to me, Gab, and let's get some attention. to these people and their cases and get some resolution because they're important and they mattered and they have family that want to know what happened to their relative. So let's get on it and have a good night and get some rest because I'm about to. Alright. Bye.