Missing Person Michael Thrasher-Williamston, SC (Phone Interview w/Mom & Sister)

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Well, hello to our Loudwater Outfitters community out there.

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Hope you're all doing well today.

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Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

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This is the Loudwater Outfitters podcast hosted by myself, the Pymetta Sleuth.

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Well, again, guys and gals, welcome to the show.

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Appreciate you taking the time to see what we've got going on this week.

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We have an episode that's a little different than what we've been doing.

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We're actually going to have the mother and the sister of a missing person locally.

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We did a phone interview with them a couple days ago, so we're going to have that on the

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show.

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I think you'll enjoy it.

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We have a lot to say, not too happy, but also unfiltered and hey, only way to be.

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But two lovely ladies, enjoyed talking with them.

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My heart goes out to them.

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I know they're dealing with a tough situation, but like so many others, like I explained

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to them, they're not the only one.

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And there are a lot of people out there that do care and do hope that, you know, families

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in this situation can find some type of closure.

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So there is support out there and I think that was a good thing for them.

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So again, I think you'll enjoy it.

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What we're going to do here is talk a little bit about this case first.

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This is the case of Michael Thrasher missing out of the Hunniapath, Williamston area of

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South Carolina, which would be Anderson County, which is my hometown, my home county.

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So hey, shout out there.

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But he went missing August 5th of 2017.

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That would be over five and a half years ago.

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So we're approaching the six year mark.

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I can only imagine how difficult this is.

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I felt my heart went out to them so much that the sister's pretty strong, sister's upset,

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mother's pretty strong, mother's more upset.

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You know, they just want answers.

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They just want their son and brother back.

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At this point, that's all they care about.

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They just want some type of closure.

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But more importantly, they want, you know, as far as contact with the proper authorities

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and going back and forth and figuring out, they, I know there's been a few issues, feeling

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that they didn't seem to be very sympathetic towards the situation or felt like they were

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being blown off a little bit at times.

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And I know that's frustrating.

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Like I was explaining to them, you know, I understand, you know, having been in law enforcement,

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you know, I understand how that can happen.

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It's not necessarily meant to be on purpose or what have you.

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It's just, you know, you do so much in this type of line of work, this job, you know,

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sometimes you say or do things without really realizing.

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But again, you've got to stop right there.

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You've always got to think every time you've got somebody in front of you that's a victim

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or the family of a victim, you've got to understand they're not in your shoes.

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You got to put yourself in those shoes.

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So anyway, that's my little soap box for the day.

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But yeah, Michael, he was 41 years old the day that he went missing.

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His birthdate is seven.

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That would be July 25th of 1976.

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At the time he was five foot six, roughly between 130, 150 pounds.

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As his mother stated, he generally kept his head shaved.

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He may have had like, you know, some facial growth around the chin mustache or just, you

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know, two or three day growth, kind of like what most of us guys like to do.

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Again, he was white male, blonde hair, blue eyes.

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He was last seen, which obviously was August 5th.

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Let me just thumb up here.

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I'm just pulling some information up to refresh myself.

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He left a friend's house again around the honey path area and had left a few of his

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personal belongings behind.

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But that was it.

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Last time he was heard from or ever seen again.

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So the mother and sister and I, like I said, we had a good phone interview, good conversation

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about some things.

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They told me a few things about some of his belongings.

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And I think they had a couple of questions where we ended up talking afterwards for a

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little bit.

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And they're going to do something that I thought was actually a pretty good idea.

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And that was the one thing I have to say that kind of touched me and caught me.

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They're going on almost six years and they have not, they have not let up.

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You know, they're still full steam ahead.

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They're going to get together with other people and family members that have been involved

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in the search for Mr. Michael.

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And they're kind of like rewrite all their notes, so to speak, write down everything

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that each individual person remembers, you know, kind of go through their notes, put

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all this stuff together, kind of redo things and kind of revisit it again.

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And I told them actually that that is a good idea.

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Sometimes you may remember something that you forgot in the past, somebody else maybe

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in the same boat.

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But I told her absolutely once you get that done, reach out to Michael and I, we will

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be more than happy to meet up with you guys and we'll look through it and see if we can

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pick out or see anything.

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So good idea, good idea.

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That's a piece of advice we pass on all of you that are listening.

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It never hurts to go back and revisit and just kind of like they said, you know, write

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down all over again everything that you know and remember, because sometimes you can forget

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things or maybe somebody else sees something in what you put down that you didn't see.

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So that's a great idea.

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I was really impressed with that one.

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So again, going to talk here in just a moment with the mother, Jackie Thrasher and the sister,

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her name was April.

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So like I said, two lovely ladies going through a very difficult thing like so many others,

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but I think you enjoy the conversation.

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It's a fairly long one, but again, it's well worth it.

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So appreciate you guys taking the time to listen, you know, help us spread the word,

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help us spread awareness for this family in the hopes that somewhere out there, somebody

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somehow some way they know something, say something and they'll reach out and help this

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family find closure.

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So again, here in just a moment, we're going to jump on this and start the interview.

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Hey ladies, my name is John with Loudwater Outfitters.

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How are you ladies doing today?

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Good.

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Who am I speaking with again?

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This is Jackie, Michael's mom and I'm April, his sister.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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So y'all had talked with Michael, the owner of Loudwater here just a few weeks ago.

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I know he did an original interview with you ladies on the zoom and I know I think it was

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about two weeks ago.

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He came out a couple of waterways of interest and did some sewing and did some checking

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there.

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So I know y'all had expressed interest with him about doing a podcast episode with us.

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So now that we finally had a chance for our schedules to meet here, I figured this would

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be a great time.

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Like I said, we've introduced ourselves, everybody's kind of familiar with the backdrop.

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So I think what we'll do from here is, and it doesn't matter either or can talk.

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You both can take turns, however you want to do it, just as long as you're comfortable.

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But just kind of just, just tell us what happened and kind of give us a background about Michael

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and the whole situation.

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Well, my name is Jackie.

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I'm Michael's mom.

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Michael went missing August 7th of 2017.

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It's when we filed a missing person's report.

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The last time I seen or spoke with Michael was in June of 2017.

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And he kind of just went off the radar for a little while.

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So he had gotten a check in the mail and at that time we realized something was wrong.

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And that's when my daughter April filed a missing person's report on Michael.

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We've had several tips, we've got several suspects, but nothing concrete enough to tell

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us where Michael is.

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At this point, we're really thankful for remain.

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I know my son and if he was around, he would have done contacted us.

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He's got two grand babies, one is five and the other one is four.

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He's got two grown boys, 24 and 22.

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And I know Michael would not went a day or two without trying to get in contact with

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his children or grandchildren.

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Right, right.

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Wow.

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So we're going, what, 17?

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Oh man.

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Yeah, we're going into our sixth year.

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Wow.

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So when was the last time y'all got any type of like, I guess you say a new lead or any

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new information, anything like that?

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We've got the last tip we got was really about three weeks ago.

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We had a guy call us first and give us the information he had.

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And we had him to call our detective who was Jody Culbertson with Williamson PD.

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And the young man called our detective and he told him that it was hearsay, that he's

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working a cold case and he just can't go around digging up people's yards.

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And that was the end of the tip.

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But the whole time Michael's been missing the whole, like I said, going into our sixth

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year.

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And we had three main suspects that's names have been called over and over.

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And it's just kind of brushed to a side.

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He says our detective tells us he can't give enough evidence and he just can't put people

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in jail, you know, without some hardcore evidence.

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And when we ask him why we keep hearing the same name, he just blows it off as a rumor.

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He says it's just rumors, just hearsay.

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But to me, saying people's names are called for going into six years, then there must

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be more than just a rumor.

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And I think even the other day when Michael went out on the water, he said the time he

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got back in his truck, one of our suspects' name was called to him.

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But somebody reached out to him, I think on Michael's page and told him you need to go

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check this boy's land.

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And it was one of our suspects.

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Wow.

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Wow.

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People just don't ban it.

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Williamson is a real small town.

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Even the area they say that he's missing in is Pelvis, South Carolina, where they say

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his remains are.

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That's a small town.

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We feel like somebody knows something.

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But because of Michael's addiction and the drug use and the people that he associated

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with, I think it's just a dangerous game and they scared the shit out of us.

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We've got our $12,000 reward, but we can't get enough hard evidence to charge nobody.

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Right.

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And the sad thing is y'all are not the first family to express the same type of information

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about based on someone's background or some of their history, what's happened or what

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people may or may not know or think and just doesn't seem to be like a whole lot gets done.

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You kind of feel like because of who it is or their past, no one really cares that much.

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Absolutely.

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That's the one we feel.

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It doesn't matter what Michael's done or his background, he's my child.

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April's brother.

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And he was still a human being.

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And he did not deserve to be just thrown away like a dog.

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Absolutely.

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And so far, if you killed him, you killed him, that's bad enough.

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So why didn't you just leave him where we could find him and get some closure?

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But that's what we don't understand.

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Why don't you just leave him somewhere?

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And I'm sure they did leave him somewhere, but nobody can find him.

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I'm trying to remember because he and I had talked, Michael and I had talked a few times.

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Isn't there, I'm trying to remember, something mentioned about like a septic tank or something

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like that or a house under a house?

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There is.

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This is April, Michael's sister.

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There is a young man who lives less than 10 miles from us, who is one of our suspects.

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His name comes up all the time.

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He has some rental property on his land.

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One of the rental properties, there's nothing there but the land itself.

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And we did get a warrant and they went out there on the property with the foothill dog.

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The dog took up on a fence, but when they dug it up, they said that it was picking up

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the smell from the septic tank, but they never opened the septic tank.

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They said they would have to get another warrant to be able to open the septic tank.

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And my mom knows this, everybody knows this, I make it very known that I have issues.

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If a dog hit on something and you think it's a septic tank, you should have opened it to

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make sure that it was hitting on, you know, not a body, but just fecal matter itself.

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That's what they told us.

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Well, yeah.

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I mean, I feel that battle every day.

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Wow.

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Well, if nothing else, I mean, if the dog's hitting on that, there's at least enough to

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raise a suspicion.

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And yeah, maybe it's aggravating and have to go through all that trouble.

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But at least if you do it and there's nothing there, at least it's done, at least you know

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that there is nobody there.

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Yeah.

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And not only that, the day they went out and dug up to get to the actual septic tank, the

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gentleman who owns the property, he went to jail that exact same day for interfering with

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an investigation.

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Because when they got there, he was beside himself and mad because they were there.

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And they had to take him to jail for, you know, interfering.

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Because they even do that part.

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You got two signs there.

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You got dog hitting and the landowner mad as fire because you're there.

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Wow.

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And just talking about he was in jail when we first filed the missing person report.

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He agreed to take a polygraph test in jail.

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And when they arranged for Sled to come down, he refused.

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And then when I went to his land, he shows up.

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So, you know, it's all, are you doing what you're supposed to do?

235
00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:13,520
Wow.

236
00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:14,520
That's interesting.

237
00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:16,520
How long ago was that?

238
00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:23,520
Oh, well, his name has came up every year for six years.

239
00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,440
Was that kind of towards the beginning of all this when he first disappeared or was

240
00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,320
there a decent amount of time that lapsed?

241
00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,360
He was in jail.

242
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,360
The gentleman, the suspect was in jail in the very beginning.

243
00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:39,520
Then he got out and then he went back, of course, you know, he has an addiction too.

244
00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:40,520
So he was in and out.

245
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:41,520
Well, he did then.

246
00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:47,160
But since then, he is now a preacher.

247
00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,360
I have to pray about that every day myself because that bothers me as well.

248
00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:54,600
But anyway, he has been, his name has came up every year for six years.

249
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:58,800
Hold on, my nephew's coming in.

250
00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:08,480
I'm sorry, but every year for six years, and the first time my brother first went missing,

251
00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,040
the gentleman was out of jail.

252
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,080
Then he went back.

253
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,560
He's been just as much as my brother has.

254
00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:16,320
These people we all ran around with.

255
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,200
We've all been in school together.

256
00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,960
My brother and I are only 17 months apart and I'm the oldest.

257
00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:22,560
We all know each other.

258
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,760
All these were supposedly his friends.

259
00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:31,320
But this young man also has been investigated for two other deaths that supposedly happened

260
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:38,360
on his property that I'm not sure what the turnout was at was or how he got out of it.

261
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,000
But he is still a crime suspect in those cases as well.

262
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:43,000
Wow.

263
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,000
Wow.

264
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,720
You know, and we have to go by there.

265
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:55,200
I went by there today to know that for almost six years somebody's name has been called

266
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:56,200
over and over and over.

267
00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:01,360
And your son says, it's hard even though by his house, I'm not wanting to do something.

268
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,360
But I know I can't.

269
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:08,480
But that's what we live with, knowing that he probably knows, he may not have done it,

270
00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,080
but he knows and there's nothing we can do.

271
00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:13,080
Nothing.

272
00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:17,640
I go by, I have to go by his house every, well, he lives way over there.

273
00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:18,640
He lives way back in the woods.

274
00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:19,640
He goes by his driveway.

275
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,360
But for me to go to work every day, I have to go by that road.

276
00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:26,880
And his wife is at the end of the road every day with his child waiting on the school bus.

277
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,640
And I just want to stop and just say, hey, do you know?

278
00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,760
Because I'm sure she knows because they've been married since some of this happened.

279
00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,680
But yeah, it's a lot.

280
00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:38,960
And that's the hard thing.

281
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,320
And that's one of the things that, you know, that Micah and I try to use with social media,

282
00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:48,760
not just trying to spread the story, the awareness and getting out there to more people hoping

283
00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,960
that maybe we'll get lucky and somebody will have a piece of information and talk with

284
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:53,960
us.

285
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:59,080
But also, I think that a lot of people just don't really understand what the families

286
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,640
actually go through.

287
00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:01,640
No.

288
00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:07,360
And you know, in this country, always liken it to a quiet epidemic, the amount of people

289
00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:10,960
that are missing in this country.

290
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,960
That's a staggering, staggering statistic.

291
00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:19,120
And it's kind of one of those situations where it's almost like I think people look at it,

292
00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:22,080
well, if it doesn't affect me or happen to me, I don't really think about it.

293
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,800
And you know, I understand that's human nature.

294
00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:31,920
But you know, the vast amount of people out here, just like y'all, that are dealing with

295
00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:39,580
this, not knowing all of it, I mean, people just don't understand that the the the stress

296
00:18:39,580 --> 00:18:43,720
and the anxiety, the anguish that families like you go through every day.

297
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:49,080
And I really feel confident saying, you know, time doesn't really make that go away too

298
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:50,080
much.

299
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:51,080
It doesn't.

300
00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:52,080
No, because you have no closure.

301
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,680
You know, it's like I still work full time in my garage.

302
00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:03,400
And I tell my co-workers, it's like you wait every day for a phone call.

303
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,520
You just live and then you when you go down the road and you see a bald headed man, he

304
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,280
is bald headed, he's thinking, is that him?

305
00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:11,280
Was he alive?

306
00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:12,280
Did they kill him?

307
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:17,360
You know, and all these thoughts go through your mind every day.

308
00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:22,720
And last time we went out to Columbia to the missing person saying that Richland County

309
00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:29,160
had and we made a family there that her brother had been missing 20 years.

310
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:35,800
They charged the boy with his murder and the boy, the jury hung because they didn't have

311
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:36,800
nobody.

312
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,200
And I was like, how terrible is that?

313
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:40,200
How terrible?

314
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,560
And you know, without remains for Michael, we're probably going to be looking at the

315
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:45,560
same thing.

316
00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:50,440
If we don't have any remains and they charge somebody, they're probably going to walk.

317
00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,520
And I think that would be when I'd probably lose it, me and my daughter, but no, when

318
00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,200
they did it and nothing so happened to them.

319
00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,080
You know, I don't think people realize how much, like you said, how much it really hits

320
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:05,920
the family because if I go on vacation with my family, my mother, I used to take my mother

321
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,320
and my brother's grandkids with me.

322
00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:12,280
No matter where we are, whether we're in a different state or we're on the beach, we're

323
00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:13,480
always still looking.

324
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:17,880
We always go to the homeless communities and look for those down in the Myrtle Beach area.

325
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:22,120
We have a young lady who we made up with and talked with her and helped her pass out stuff

326
00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:25,200
to the homeless just so we can be involved and get his face out.

327
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:30,600
I mean, you don't get a vacation because you're still working to find some answers to some

328
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:31,600
questions.

329
00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:32,600
Right.

330
00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:38,560
And you're the first one I've ever heard say it in that way that no matter where you go,

331
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:40,720
where you are, you're always doing that.

332
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:41,720
You're always looking.

333
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:42,720
Absolutely.

334
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,720
And you know, I go down with flyers in my car.

335
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,320
I carry a folder with flyers.

336
00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,920
I'll hand them out to the article.

337
00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:57,080
I go on where they say Michael's remains are lost because I got on the back of my car that

338
00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:01,240
my son's missing his name and how many, you know, 2017.

339
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:06,200
Just so they'll see me over there and they'll know that we're not giving up.

340
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,440
And I'm still running around looking.

341
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:14,160
I tell my daughter about it yesterday and I saw one of our suspects and that made me

342
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:19,400
sick to my stomach just to see him sitting there when he probably knows where Michael's

343
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:20,400
at.

344
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,120
He knows where my son's remains are.

345
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:26,000
But I do it just to let them know, hey, we're still around.

346
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,800
We're not giving up.

347
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,880
Well, and that's the main thing.

348
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,760
You know, I know it's hard and it can be difficult at times, I'm sure.

349
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,720
But you know, you never should and you don't want to.

350
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:42,360
That, you know, that being said, you know, again, I just don't think people really realize

351
00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:49,660
and truly understand just, you know, how nerve wracking and how tiring and exhausting this

352
00:21:49,660 --> 00:21:51,960
type of situation is for a family.

353
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:53,400
And right.

354
00:21:53,400 --> 00:22:03,520
And you know, with our situation, it seems like every time we get a good tip or a good

355
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,800
lead and we start having some action on the case, something always happens with these

356
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:08,800
three suspects.

357
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:18,040
Like the day that Michael was out on the river, that following weekend, two of the suspects

358
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:19,040
live on the same land.

359
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:20,040
One of them owns the land.

360
00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,040
One of them had a camp report on the land.

361
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,960
Well, one of the guys that lived there, his camp report to the ground.

362
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:31,720
And because we are a small community here in Pailter and Williamson, it was all over,

363
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,640
you know, it was rumored and gossip and all over Facebook.

364
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:39,040
And I reached out to Michael and tell him, Michael, you know that what an accident.

365
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:40,040
It didn't happen by accident.

366
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:41,040
Somebody was getting ready to talk.

367
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:46,040
Somebody was feeling the heat and they got mad.

368
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,040
Interesting.

369
00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:48,040
Yeah.

370
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,040
Very interesting.

371
00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,320
And then we were on the river where Michael was doing on the cameras.

372
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:54,320
Wow.

373
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:59,920
When Michael first went missing, every time we would go to ride around on the Mill Hill,

374
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:02,920
somebody's house would burn, somebody's clock.

375
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,920
It was always something.

376
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:10,960
If we showed our faces over there or was on the news or whatever, somebody's house was

377
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:11,960
going to get burned.

378
00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:12,960
Always.

379
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:13,960
And I hated it.

380
00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:20,040
We didn't want to have to get burnt, but we knew people were talking and they didn't

381
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:21,040
like it.

382
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,040
So somebody just showed them up.

383
00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,040
Yeah.

384
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,400
So somebody trying to use some scare tactics or something.

385
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:27,400
And it worked.

386
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,400
They showed them up.

387
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:31,400
Wow.

388
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:32,400
What?

389
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:40,120
You would think for, I mean, $5,000 ain't a lot of money, but for an addict, that's

390
00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:41,680
a lot of money.

391
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:47,920
And you would think they would talk for it, but they'll tell everything, but they tell

392
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,160
us where Michael's remains are.

393
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,360
We've heard that Michael's been put in a meat grinder.

394
00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:55,040
We've heard that they...

395
00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:56,040
Turtle hook.

396
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:57,040
Turtle hook.

397
00:23:57,040 --> 00:23:58,040
He's in a mattress.

398
00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:03,040
They burn him, and they couldn't burn him good enough.

399
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:04,040
He's in the river.

400
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:05,040
He's in the river.

401
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,040
We've heard it all about Michael.

402
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:12,720
And sometimes you mind, you get to wondering, well, did they do that?

403
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:13,720
You see here?

404
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:14,720
But I don't...

405
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:15,720
I believe it's Michael's mom.

406
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:16,720
I believe he's in that water somewhere.

407
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,720
I believe they put him in that water.

408
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:20,720
Right.

409
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:23,720
And typically the gut doesn't lie.

410
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,720
You know, mommas usually know everything.

411
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:27,720
Absolutely.

412
00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:28,720
Yeah.

413
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:29,720
Well...

414
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:34,360
And like I said, he's in that water.

415
00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:37,960
Well, he said something just a moment ago.

416
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:44,120
And I liked what you said because I don't think, again, a lot of people understand this

417
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:45,600
part of it either.

418
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:50,720
And let me say that social media can be a good thing.

419
00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,000
Social media can be a horrible thing.

420
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:54,000
Yeah.

421
00:24:54,000 --> 00:25:00,480
With that being said, I don't think a lot of people understand what families like you

422
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,960
are going through, the anguish or the emotions you go through when you start hearing all

423
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,320
these possibilities that could have happened.

424
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,560
And good Lord.

425
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:16,560
I know where I work, they offer grief counseling.

426
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,560
And I went and talked to the lady one time.

427
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:23,480
I said, you know, I believe that Michael was tortured.

428
00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:28,880
And I said, sometimes that weighs on my mind so bad that before he took his last breath

429
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:29,880
that he was just tortured.

430
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:37,640
And she said something that just kind of eased my fears and she said, you know, Jackie, God,

431
00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:41,720
He designed the body and the brain is powerful.

432
00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:47,320
She said, and I think when a person is being physically tortured, their brains are shut

433
00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,520
down and they don't feel it.

434
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:54,000
And that brought me more comfort is, you know, God, they're designers.

435
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,000
We made his image.

436
00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:00,520
And I believe in my being tortured like they say they did.

437
00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:03,160
I just have to go with what she told me to find comfort.

438
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:04,160
He didn't feel it.

439
00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,880
You know, he might have for a little while, but he didn't feel it.

440
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:08,880
Right.

441
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,960
Well, and that was, that was a good way for her to put that.

442
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:12,960
Yeah.

443
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:18,920
You know, I think as a sibling, people don't understand the sibling side because I haven't

444
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:20,000
griefed for my brother.

445
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:25,240
I haven't had the opportunity to do any of that because I'm so mad and so livid and won't

446
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,040
him home because my parents are, you know, they're not getting any younger and neither

447
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:30,040
am I.

448
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:35,520
And my daddy's worst fear is once something happened to him and my mom and them not having

449
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:36,520
closure.

450
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,280
So I battle every day trying to figure out how we're going to get answers and closures

451
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:41,280
to the grief side.

452
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:43,280
How do you hit me?

453
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:44,280
Wow.

454
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:45,280
Yeah.

455
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:50,440
And you know, and this is something Michael always says, I guess it's kind of like his

456
00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:55,600
motto with the company, Loudwater is, you know, if you know something, say something.

457
00:26:55,600 --> 00:27:01,320
And there's always, there's almost no way you can ever convince me or Michael anyway,

458
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:05,880
otherwise that there's never a time in any of these types of situations or any type of

459
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:10,560
crime for that matter that somebody doesn't know something or somebody didn't see anything.

460
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:11,560
Absolutely.

461
00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:18,440
We had a girl that I think knew something and she tried to talk to me, but she'd beat

462
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,480
around the bush.

463
00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:26,440
But I think she knew what might happen to Michael, but all of a sudden he was given

464
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,240
some bad heroin and died.

465
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:32,040
And her daddy tried it of all things.

466
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:33,040
She died.

467
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,040
Her daddy's table, something bad, dope.

468
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:36,040
Oh wow.

469
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:37,040
That's that's true.

470
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:41,360
But I think she knew something.

471
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:47,440
Well, and you know, the sad thing is even though, I mean, you know, somebody could do

472
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:52,960
something anonymous anonymously, you know, report something or, you know, pass the proper

473
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,000
information along, they could pass it on to us.

474
00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:02,160
I mean, it doesn't matter, but still, you know, those groups, those type of people in

475
00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:08,160
those circles, they're scared to do that because they in their mind, they just know if I say

476
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,080
something, they're going to know exactly who said it.

477
00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:14,000
And that's kind of frustrating.

478
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:15,400
I know it's frustrating for you.

479
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:19,160
It's definitely frustrating for us and us having been in law enforcement because, you

480
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,900
know, just say we're done with it.

481
00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:26,760
You know, it's just like, and I hate to say this, but in this society that we live in

482
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:31,840
now, the respect for your fellow man is just it's diminished greatly and it's just really

483
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:32,840
not there anymore.

484
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:35,840
No, it's not.

485
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,880
And it's even compounded more when the situation is like this and here you are, the mother,

486
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,600
the sister, this family, and y'all are suffering every day.

487
00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,840
And you know, you know, these people see this, you know, they know that.

488
00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:52,320
And I mean, goodness, but they don't care enough just to say what needs to be said and

489
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:53,320
be done with it.

490
00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:57,440
You know, write it on a piece of paper and drop it off somewhere for all we care about.

491
00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:02,160
We've even asked, went on Facebook one day and just told him, write it in the street.

492
00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:08,320
Put it in my mailbox, do what you have to do, just tell me where they want.

493
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:13,600
And you know, at this point, me and April Boat, we've kind of, and my husband, it don't

494
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:14,600
matter who done it.

495
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:15,600
I mean, it does, but it don't.

496
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:20,200
Just tell them what you did with Michael so we can get some closure.

497
00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:21,200
Absolutely.

498
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,200
And the rest, we'll take care of.

499
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,760
Might not be taken care of here, but it'll be taken care of one day.

500
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:27,760
You're absolutely right.

501
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:28,760
Absolutely.

502
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:29,760
That's right.

503
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:36,520
And I hate it because again, you know, since we've started this whole thing, you know,

504
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:42,720
the families that we talk to every day, obviously the same situation, you know, someone's missing

505
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:43,840
and looking for help.

506
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:49,700
And I think the more aggravating part for he and I is we seem to hear the same thing

507
00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:53,000
over and over, kind of like we said a little bit earlier, they just, they don't feel like

508
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,920
they're getting any help or any help from the law enforcement agency that's investigating.

509
00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:03,520
We've even had some that have talked about how they never get contacted back by that

510
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,160
agency and they've called, they've left emails.

511
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:10,440
And I actually even had one that said they were literally cussed out by the investigator

512
00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,960
and pretty much said, you know, to quit calling me so much.

513
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,240
We had our sled brought to us and said that we were a cold case.

514
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,520
The tip that we got in three weeks ago, the gentleman and I that made the tip, he, him

515
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:23,520
and I went to school together.

516
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:29,240
And when he called to make this tip known to the detective, the detective told him that

517
00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:31,200
he was pretty much dealing with a cold case.

518
00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:36,880
And I don't care how you got a tip, let's follow up on it.

519
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:41,040
I was about to say, so what is that supposed to mean just because it's a cold case?

520
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,600
It was blown up and nothing was done.

521
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:49,680
I even called down there and asked them if I could get a permit just to walk through

522
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:54,120
the town of Williamson with a sign with Michael's information on it.

523
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:55,840
They told me I couldn't do that.

524
00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:56,840
That was against the law.

525
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:57,840
I said, what?

526
00:30:57,840 --> 00:30:58,840
You tell me why?

527
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:03,360
She's got to say, we let you, there's going to be other people wanting to walk through

528
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:04,360
town with signs.

529
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:08,600
There's nobody missing in Williamson except for Michael.

530
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,360
Why would anybody else want to walk through town with a sign?

531
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,120
To me, that don't make sense.

532
00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:14,120
I'm not protesting.

533
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:18,000
I just want to walk through town with a sign to keep his name out there.

534
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,000
They told me no.

535
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:24,040
Actually, and I might be wrong, but last time I remember we were still free country and

536
00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,760
that's freedom of speech.

537
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:31,840
You're well, and I don't know.

538
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:33,640
I'm just liking it.

539
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,440
My last three years of law enforcement, I was the chief of police.

540
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:41,040
If somebody had walked through town with a sign on there about something like that, I

541
00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:42,240
wouldn't have done anything.

542
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:43,400
That's not hurting anybody.

543
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:44,400
There's nothing vulgar.

544
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:51,560
They're not accusing anybody of anything, you're not impeding traffic, causing the issues.

545
00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:52,560
That's your right.

546
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:53,560
That's right.

547
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:59,000
It's the same thing as people, as a law enforcement officer, people can cuss us out as a police

548
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:00,800
officer and call us names.

549
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,280
That's not illegal.

550
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:03,280
Right.

551
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,500
So walking through town with a sign about your missing child is not illegal.

552
00:32:07,500 --> 00:32:11,200
That just sounds like they just don't want any trouble stirred up.

553
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:17,520
That's what I think too, because after we did that, April said there was something on

554
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,640
the Wimson police page about not putting your name on the back of your car.

555
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,800
Well, I already kept his names on the back of my car and Michael's names on the back

556
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,640
of my car, but I'm not taking them off.

557
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:29,640
That's my call.

558
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,640
I'm not taking them off.

559
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:38,000
And that was after our lounge with Michael.

560
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:43,960
That was after our interview that all that came up and I was told no, that I couldn't

561
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:44,960
walk through town.

562
00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:45,960
But I'm born walked through town.

563
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,520
All they can do is come and put my sign up and get my car.

564
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:54,920
Well, I would absolutely ask them to, and it's not going to be any kind of a state or

565
00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:55,920
federal law.

566
00:32:55,920 --> 00:33:00,960
So I would ask them to produce a town ordinance that says that I can't walk through town with

567
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:01,960
free speech.

568
00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:02,960
That's right.

569
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,960
I thought we still had to do that.

570
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:06,960
Wow.

571
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:07,960
Wow.

572
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:12,000
And they just stirred up a hornet's nest and they just wanted to say hush hush.

573
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,200
Well, I'm sorry.

574
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,120
We learn different stuff all the time that we can do.

575
00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,000
And Michael and you was one of the things that we're trying.

576
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,800
We're going to keep trying stuff until we find out where Michael's at.

577
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:27,720
And I think our detective has gotten tired just because there's so much going on.

578
00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:29,800
I actually live right in the town of Wimson.

579
00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,360
Mama lives in the county, but I'm right in the town.

580
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:34,760
But we have a lot going on in our police department.

581
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,680
We just got a new chief of police.

582
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:38,880
Our detective just got promoted to lieutenant.

583
00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:40,520
So there's a lot going on.

584
00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:44,120
And, you know, they're trying to keep us quiet and peaceful.

585
00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:46,120
You know, there has never been not peaceful.

586
00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:50,680
We just want to keep his name out there and let people know that we're not giving up.

587
00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:51,680
Right.

588
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:58,760
And I tell you what, and I'm going to say this and again, speaking from my past experience,

589
00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:03,000
you know, in situations like this, something turns into a cold case.

590
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,440
I absolutely get it.

591
00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,600
I absolutely understand.

592
00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,560
There's not a whole lot you can do when you don't have a whole lot to work with or, you

593
00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:16,040
know, no new leads coming in or, you know, unfortunately, you know, law enforcement do

594
00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,960
have to operate under certain laws and guidelines.

595
00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:23,440
And even though it's frustrating when we know we're having a gut feeling, we still have

596
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:28,040
things we have to go by because of, you know, for the legality purpose.

597
00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:34,560
But that being said, at the very least, and this was something, you know, my guys at this

598
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,040
last agency I was with, they were all pretty good about this.

599
00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,920
Just because you don't have anything new, no way, you know, to move forward with the

600
00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:47,200
case, solve it, what have you, just taking a moment to reach out to that family and let

601
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:51,640
them know, says, hey, unfortunately, you know, nothing new, no new leads, we just want to

602
00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:53,920
let you know we haven't forgotten.

603
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:54,920
Are you okay?

604
00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:57,260
Is there anything we can do for you?

605
00:34:57,260 --> 00:35:02,100
Just doing something that simple would probably make families like you feel 100% better knowing

606
00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:06,360
that they're being empathetic, they're being professional and letting you know that, hey,

607
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:08,960
you know, we're not kicking you to the curb.

608
00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:10,100
Absolutely.

609
00:35:10,100 --> 00:35:15,640
But we find this time and time again where that doesn't happen in these agencies or these

610
00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:20,520
investigators, what have you, you know, take it personal when something said about them

611
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:25,720
or to them or something's questioned and they keep forgetting who they work for.

612
00:35:25,720 --> 00:35:26,720
Right.

613
00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:32,400
Your tax dollars pay for that position, your tax dollars goes into that budget that funds

614
00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:33,400
what they do.

615
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:38,520
I'm not saying for them to go out there and work a miracle, but at the very least just

616
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,760
let you know that, you know, I'm a professional police officer.

617
00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:42,760
I do care.

618
00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:43,760
I'm sorry that's happened.

619
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,800
I'm sorry I don't have any more information, but you know, we will keep it.

620
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:48,800
We'll keep working.

621
00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:50,800
If something comes up, we will do something.

622
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:51,800
Yeah.

623
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:56,760
You know, my wife and I both know, you know, life goes on, people, their lives continue

624
00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:57,760
to do whatever.

625
00:35:57,760 --> 00:35:59,480
And we know our detective has a lot.

626
00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:00,480
We get that.

627
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,480
But like you said, it's two minutes out of, if you do once a month, let that family know,

628
00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:08,360
hey, I'm here, you know, without them having to reach out to them all the time.

629
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,360
We used to do all the reaching out.

630
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,880
You know, just, you know, hey, thinking of you guys, let you know that your name's still

631
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,440
here, whatever, something small and simple.

632
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:22,320
You know, and one thing that aggravates me is we go and have a meeting probably every

633
00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:23,320
two or three months.

634
00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:24,320
That we initiate?

635
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:25,320
Yeah.

636
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:26,320
Yeah.

637
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:27,320
That we ask for with our detective.

638
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:32,080
And he's always got those bucket papers laying on his desk.

639
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:34,440
Well, look at all these cases.

640
00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:37,680
I don't give a rat's tail about all them cases.

641
00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:41,160
I'm sorry for those people, but I'm here about my son.

642
00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:43,040
I don't want to hear about you all.

643
00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:44,040
I don't care.

644
00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:46,960
And that's something that aggravates me every time.

645
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,320
And probably the next time we go, I'm just going to have to tell it.

646
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:51,800
I don't want to hear about those people.

647
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:53,680
I don't, I care about them.

648
00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:55,680
I'm sorry for whatever they're going through.

649
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:58,640
All I want to see on your desk is Michael's case.

650
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:00,640
That's all I want to say.

651
00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:01,640
Right.

652
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:02,640
And absolutely.

653
00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:03,640
Why I'm here.

654
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:04,960
That's all I want to say.

655
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:08,800
And all that is, and I hate to say it and hate to call somebody out on it, but that's

656
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:10,800
just, that's just an excuse.

657
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:11,800
Yeah.

658
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:12,800
You know, I've got all this.

659
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:13,800
Look what all I'm doing.

660
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:15,160
I've just got so much on me.

661
00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:16,160
I understand.

662
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:17,160
I mean, I do.

663
00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,040
I absolutely understand that, but that doesn't matter.

664
00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:24,960
You have a family member of a victim.

665
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:29,560
What matters is that person sitting in front of you, you know, be sympathetic to the situation,

666
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:32,840
be professional, you know, be genuine, be caring.

667
00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:36,840
And if you do have 5,000 cases in front of you, guess what?

668
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:38,840
Put them on the back burner for five, 10 minutes.

669
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:39,840
That's right.

670
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,320
Take care of that family.

671
00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:42,320
Then move on.

672
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:45,600
But this is time and time again.

673
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:46,600
Oh yeah.

674
00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:53,120
When Michael first went missing, we had a different detective, but this is before we

675
00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:58,560
felt like Michael had been hurt at that point, but we really, we didn't know what to say.

676
00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:06,520
So one of the first things he said was, I keep helping a deer hunter find him.

677
00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:07,520
Find what?

678
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:08,520
What are you talking about?

679
00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:12,120
You know, that's what we, because Michael hadn't been reported missing for a couple

680
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:13,120
of weeks, a couple of weeks.

681
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:14,120
What do you know that we don't know?

682
00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:15,120
You know, that's what he told me.

683
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:16,120
I'll help a deer hunter find him.

684
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:17,120
What's he going to find?

685
00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:24,120
And I thought that was very, I had nobody even said nothing about Michael being dead

686
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:25,120
at that point.

687
00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:26,120
We were like, find what?

688
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:31,120
You know, they just, they need to think before they speak to these families.

689
00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:32,120
Yeah.

690
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:33,120
Yeah.

691
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:39,120
I mean, y'all think the most are running high, but we don't expect at that point.

692
00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:44,120
And we did mention it to our news page and he said that was just a poor choice of words.

693
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:45,120
Well, absolutely was.

694
00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:46,120
I agree.

695
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:47,120
It sure was.

696
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,120
But it's a poor choice of words that last forever.

697
00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:51,120
Yeah.

698
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,120
You think about that all the time.

699
00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:59,120
And you know, this is kind of one hard thing and I'm not defending in any way, shape or

700
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:00,120
form.

701
00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:01,120
I'm just saying it's something that happens.

702
00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:05,120
And again, a lot of officers just, they don't really realize this.

703
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,120
I mean, I was guilty of it a few times myself.

704
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:11,120
But you deal with these situations day in and day out.

705
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,120
You deal with these other calls for service, the violence, all these things.

706
00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:20,120
And you kind of become, I don't want to say jaded, but in a way you kind of are, you just

707
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:22,120
get so used to it, you don't think about things.

708
00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:26,120
And a lot of times, you just, you blurred out what you're thinking.

709
00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:31,120
And instead of realizing, you know, hey, I've got, you got a victim or family member here.

710
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:32,120
You need to be careful.

711
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:33,120
You need to be a little more professional.

712
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:38,120
So while I appreciate you saying that, I don't think I've ever heard any past law enforcement,

713
00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,120
current law enforcement ever admit to that because it's true.

714
00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:42,120
I'm sure.

715
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,120
Because you know, mom and I both work in the medical field and it's a whole different story.

716
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:51,120
But you know, when we lose residents and we see families there, we're nurturing and loving

717
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,120
to the family and try to be there for them.

718
00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:57,120
But at the same time, you come to a point where this has happened so much.

719
00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:58,120
Right.

720
00:39:58,120 --> 00:39:59,120
Kind of going through the most.

721
00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:04,120
I mean, you feel and you have compassion, but it's just, it's the same with every family.

722
00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,120
You know, I understand that 100%.

723
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:13,120
You know, and I told them about Michael when Michael went first with medicine.

724
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:17,120
You know, working in the health care field, everybody wants their family member to be

725
00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:19,120
first, the only, the first.

726
00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:22,120
And I understand Michael can't be the only one.

727
00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:24,120
He's not the only one.

728
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:30,120
But when I call you with a concern, don't brush me off, all you've got to say to me

729
00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:32,120
to pacify me, Ms.

730
00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:36,120
Bresher, I have took this down and I will look into it.

731
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:37,120
And I'm pacified.

732
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:39,120
I'm saying he's going to do it.

733
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:45,120
But April, I want out because I called him with a tip and he just kind of brushed me off.

734
00:40:45,120 --> 00:40:46,120
And I got so upset.

735
00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:48,120
That's what I was talking.

736
00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:52,120
All you had to say to my mom was I'm going to look into it.

737
00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:53,120
She would have been happy.

738
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,120
You didn't have to brush her off.

739
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:56,120
I take after my daddy.

740
00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,120
My dad has a quick temper and mine does too.

741
00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:02,120
And you mess with my mom and daddy, you've got issues.

742
00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:07,120
But he just kind of made mama feel like whatever she had to say wasn't important.

743
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:11,120
And I pretty much just told him just like it was, you know, we're all taxpayers.

744
00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:12,120
We all have a problem.

745
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:13,120
We all have a concern.

746
00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:18,120
But when she's sitting right here or she calls you and wants you to listen for two seconds

747
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:22,120
to her cry about her son, I expect nothing less than you to sit here and listen.

748
00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:27,120
Yeah, that's that's absolutely part of the job.

749
00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:28,120
I just I don't know.

750
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:38,120
I almost want to say I'm amazed that the same time again, you're another family with a familiar story dealing with authorities.

751
00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:45,120
And it becomes frustrating on my end, Michael's end, but actually becomes embarrassing to a degree.

752
00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:52,120
Because, you know, we represented that profession for many, many years and took pride in it.

753
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:56,120
And you hear and starting to see more and more of this.

754
00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:02,120
And it kind of it kind of makes us angry to a degree because some of this is so simple.

755
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:11,120
Just simply use your noggin, be a little sympathetic, say a very simple phrase to these families and it would go such a long way.

756
00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:18,120
Absolutely. So many of them just take very quick offense, get on the defense about it and become very secretive.

757
00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:27,120
And I understand there are certain situations, especially in open, ongoing investigations, that there's some things you don't talk about or mention.

758
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,120
Yeah, we get that.

759
00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:35,120
But when a family just want to know what's going on, where you at, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you don't have to be secretive.

760
00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:37,120
Let them know it's a free country.

761
00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:42,120
It's a free country, number one and number two, that's their family member that's missing.

762
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:43,120
That's right.

763
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,120
That they deserve to know what's going on.

764
00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:59,120
And I get so frustrated when I hear these type of stories because what they don't understand, you know, just like these people that are saying all these bad things that may or may not have happened to this missing person that gets the family upset and concerned.

765
00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:11,120
And I've got the same thing here, you know, law enforcement is not doing things the way they should or they're not being sympathetic enough or they're being, you know, defensive, all these type of adjectives you can throw out there.

766
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:15,120
And they're actually compounding the situation and making it worse.

767
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:23,120
When just a lot of people like to throw judgment and say, well, you know, my brother was an addict.

768
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,120
He did this and he did that.

769
00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:33,120
His mother raised him that way and I have come many, many years telling my mom and my dad, plus to my mom, because she struggled with it big time.

770
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,120
We were both raised in the same household.

771
00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:37,120
We're 17 months apart.

772
00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:41,120
I never chose that lifestyle, not giving myself a pat on the back by no means.

773
00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:44,120
However, she raised us both the same way.

774
00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:52,120
He chose the path he took, but he's still ours and we're going to love him and support him, whether we have him right here in front of us or 10 miles away.

775
00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:56,120
But he chose that life that we're not turning our backs on him.

776
00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:57,120
Absolutely.

777
00:43:57,120 --> 00:43:58,120
Absolutely.

778
00:43:58,120 --> 00:43:59,120
That is your son.

779
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:00,120
That's your brother.

780
00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:01,120
That's right.

781
00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:20,120
You know, I was actually speaking about something on a separate podcast that I do, but y'all hit on something right there, you know, just because of somebody's past, you know, what they became when they grew up, what they got into, what have you.

782
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:29,120
But that being said, you know, somebody's past, somebody's background, what they've been into or not been into, gotten in trouble, what have you.

783
00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:39,120
That doesn't determine their worth on whether or not or how a situation like this, a case should or should not be worked.

784
00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:40,120
That's right.

785
00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:41,120
You have one.

786
00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:43,120
Okay, I'm sorry.

787
00:44:43,120 --> 00:45:04,120
Well, I was just going to say I talked with a few ladies earlier this week out of a situation out of Maryland and found out or was told that one of the law enforcement officials actually told a few other people about this particular missing individual that they knew about him, knew his background and the problems and troubles they had had with him.

788
00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:14,120
So this was stated this particular individual said that was not going to put a whole lot of effort into looking for this guy because of the situation.

789
00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:23,120
And now that he and I are starting to hear things similar to this more and more that it's almost a fear or a concern.

790
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:33,120
Is that truly how it is across this country that, you know, a lot of officials are looking at things depending on who or how it is as to what they're going to put into it.

791
00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,120
Right. And that's wrong.

792
00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:43,120
We heard when Michael Fird went missing, even then, well, let me tell you, Michael's Facebook disappeared.

793
00:45:43,120 --> 00:46:04,120
We didn't take it down. We didn't ask for it to be taken down. It just disappeared. Thank God we got all his pictures off. But before that, it was mentioned in his Facebook about the Dixieland mafia, the Mexican cartel.

794
00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:15,120
When we brought it up with Anderson County, I guess he's the chief head of all of it. He told us there was no such thing.

795
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:22,120
We like, really? Yeah, there is a Mexican cartel. Yeah, there is a Dixieland mafia.

796
00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:31,120
And we think they're scared of them. So law enforcement are scared of these people because they're dangerous.

797
00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:38,120
You know, it's a big ring of drug people. And they just scare them. But every time we bring it, there's no such thing.

798
00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:44,120
Well, it was on the TV the other night about the Mexican cartel. So how can it not be so?

799
00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:48,120
Wow. How can you tell them it's not so?

800
00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:49,120
Well.

801
00:46:49,120 --> 00:47:03,120
So I understand. But getting back to Michael, it doesn't matter if Michael could have never done anything. He had to kill me so that I couldn't love him before I would have stopped loving him. That would have been bad.

802
00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:04,120
Right.

803
00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:20,120
You know, I hate to hear people say he's just a drug addict. He's just an old drug addict. You know what I tell him? He's got a mama somewhere. She's got a mama somewhere that loves her. So we need to love them too and quit calling on that and pray for them.

804
00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:26,120
But somebody somewhere loves them. And we don't keep loving Michael until we find what happened to him.

805
00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:27,120
Absolutely.

806
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:39,120
One little bone. You know, and that's like Slade told us, we didn't need to do DNA because Michael's got DNA on file with the prison system.

807
00:47:39,120 --> 00:48:00,120
Well, this thing we went through a couple of weeks ago, Nama told us that we did need DNA and they took our DNA. Because they said, suppose they find a bone fragment of Michael and there's not enough there to really match. But then they got ours to compare it to.

808
00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:10,120
We got to get a match. But Slade, our Slade told us we didn't need it. And then all of a sudden we do need it. We've needed it all along.

809
00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:12,120
Wow.

810
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:13,120
That's, huh.

811
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:18,120
Yeah, the more you start going around the different things the more you learn.

812
00:48:18,120 --> 00:48:31,120
And unfortunately, in this world, and using the internet and social media too, you can ask one very simple question, you're going to get 10 different answers or 10 different ideas.

813
00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:42,120
And I know that is so frustrating. It's especially for the family because you're experiencing something you've never experienced before, you know, involved in something you've never had to deal with.

814
00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:53,120
So obviously, you don't have a clue. You don't have an idea. You're looking towards the authorities, you know, the professionals, those that are trained in these particular things to tell you and help you.

815
00:48:53,120 --> 00:49:04,120
And unfortunately, God, I hate to say this, but many, many times the wrong information is conveyed to the victim's family.

816
00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:05,120
Right. Right.

817
00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:16,120
And a lot of times, unfortunately, is that, you know, these families don't even know that or realize that until, you know, a few years down the road and kind of like this, you're finding out, well, actually we should have done that.

818
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:17,120
Yeah.

819
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:31,120
And I hate that. I'm sorry that some of this stuff has happened to y'all. I know it's frustrating. And of course, it's compounded even more because you still, you don't have answers and you're not any closer to anything you were almost seven years ago.

820
00:49:31,120 --> 00:49:47,120
Right. I don't think we're no closer than we were 30. I really don't. I think it's been a vicious cycle of the same names, the same rumors to the point now, you know, I usually text our detective maybe at least once a month.

821
00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:58,120
And he'll say the same old stuff. Well, you know, you're not going to put down all that you done done. Just start fresh with the same old stuff.

822
00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:09,120
But if our six years we've been getting the same old stuff, there's got to be something in between. We're missing. There's something missing.

823
00:50:09,120 --> 00:50:21,120
And it's just been labeled as a rumor. That's what we get now. It's just a rumor. Same old people. If you text him today, have you got any new information? Same old stuff. Same old stuff.

824
00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:37,120
And probably, but there might be something to that same old stuff. And that's actually what we're doing. My mom was just talking about a week ago. We're going to start trying to go back from day one and we're going to start writing our stories and she's going to write what she remembers. I'm going to write what I remember.

825
00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:55,120
We have another young lady who's involved with us and get her right what she remembers so we can start comparing. And that way, you know, time goes on. We can keep a record of what we reported and what we found and what the detective told us just so we can keep a better regulation of, you know, the storyline of where we are and what we need to do from this point forward.

826
00:50:55,120 --> 00:51:24,120
Yeah, yeah, that's a great idea. Y'all do that. And, you know, however long it takes, once y'all gotten that done and you have everything to compare, reach back out to Michael and I, we'll be more than happy to set up a time get together with y'all and let us look it over to you because the more eyes, the more noggins that are trying to figure things out, the better the opportunity or better the chance that, you know, somebody somewhere is going to see something that somebody else may have not have seen.

827
00:51:24,120 --> 00:51:26,120
Or thought of.

828
00:51:26,120 --> 00:51:27,120
Right.

829
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:31,120
Oh, I hope so. We're praying for the day.

830
00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:32,120
Wow.

831
00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:39,120
I don't know if I'll be but we just keep praying. We keep saying that every day I wake up, I say maybe today. Maybe today.

832
00:51:39,120 --> 00:51:43,120
Well, pray and work through to the next day.

833
00:51:43,120 --> 00:52:05,120
I understand and I again, you know, we hate it not just you but you know all these families that are going through this I can. Wow, yeah, I just, as much as we see it, talk with families and deal with it you know we still can't imagine how this feels I know it's probably got to be obviously one of the worst situations a family goes through.

834
00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:10,120
It's a nightmare. I can understand.

835
00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:19,120
Well, Jackie April, is there anything else y'all want to talk about anything you want us to know about or convey to anybody here.

836
00:52:19,120 --> 00:52:40,120
We're the only other concerns I have from the very beginning of the investigation was when my brother went missing, he was supposedly staying with a buddy of his, but you know, Michael was from here to there. So I was able to go get all his belongings and his guitar which he went nowhere without, without it and his tambourine.

837
00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:55,120
He had his cell phone charger and clothes, but his cell phone never showed up. They pinged his cell phone, and with two different investigators we got two different locations. One said it pained in Anderson near his ex-wife's house.

838
00:52:55,120 --> 00:53:15,120
And the other one pinged in Belton. I have asked throughout the years for us to be able to get records that those phone records, but I have not been able to do that I'm just trying to figure out how you can get a ping I mean, I could get it if it was like anywhere like five miles from each other we're talking across the town, two towns at that.

839
00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:19,120
What, what type of phone, can you remember.

840
00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:25,120
I think it was prepaid, I think it was just like prepaid, I can't remember.

841
00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:34,120
I can't remember off the top of my head but if I could get copies of all those records because they were able to ping that number I probably could find, figure out that, you know, it's probably one of those prepaid phones I'm sure.

842
00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:37,120
Right.

843
00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:51,120
And the other one that I thought was wanting to know, you know, I can return to about two is, they said that they just sent to Pina, Michael's Facebook, and got, you know, all his stuff.

844
00:53:51,120 --> 00:54:06,120
And when we asked them, was there a lot of drug activity on there and names on there, they said let's know. And we know better. So what happened, that was how he did his stuff through his phone.

845
00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:09,120
And we know that stuff was on there.

846
00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:18,120
But they didn't know how those records, why don't they go back and look at that and look at the names in there. Why can't we get copies. Why can't we get copies of that.

847
00:54:18,120 --> 00:54:21,120
That's pretty interesting.

848
00:54:21,120 --> 00:54:25,120
And this was from Williamson PD.

849
00:54:25,120 --> 00:54:30,120
This is from Williamson and Anderson County.

850
00:54:30,120 --> 00:54:44,120
And they say how he made his deal was through his phone. And we know that stuff was on there. But they claim nothing. The only thing we got was, well, did you know your son liked women?

851
00:54:44,120 --> 00:54:53,120
Yeah, we did. And the trashier the better. We know that. But we didn't, you know, we don't care about that. What else did you find besides that?

852
00:54:53,120 --> 00:55:02,120
And we know the word nothing is not acceptable because when Michael was around, his phone was nonstop. 24 7.

853
00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:08,120
Really? Huh. But they're saying that there's just there really wasn't anything on it.

854
00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:12,120
Yeah, that's what they're saying. And then it disappeared.

855
00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:18,120
Wow. So, so y'all don't know who has the phone now if it's still even around.

856
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:22,120
We don't.

857
00:55:22,120 --> 00:55:34,120
Do you know? I know you said prepaid. You know, if you got like from like from Walmart or I just want to it was like the straight talk or or who it might have been through.

858
00:55:34,120 --> 00:55:45,120
I think it was straight talks. I can remember there was times I had to go five minutes up here in Williamson. Now that mama said that there was a straight talk to work that then.

859
00:55:45,120 --> 00:55:52,120
I think you know, I can't remember.

860
00:55:52,120 --> 00:55:57,120
Okay, I've got it. I've got a few notes down here.

861
00:55:57,120 --> 00:56:06,120
Ladies and there's not anything else. Yeah, I appreciate your time. I hate you. We're going through this.

862
00:56:06,120 --> 00:56:12,120
And I'll reach out through my brother's brain pressure home and give you my number as well so you can have it.

863
00:56:12,120 --> 00:56:18,120
Okay, okay. Well, good deal. Well, ladies again. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

864
00:56:18,120 --> 00:56:28,120
If there's ever anything we can do for you guys, you know, help answer questions, anything of that nature. You all know y'all can reach out to us anytime day or night.

865
00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:33,120
Thank you so much. Thank you. You're very welcome. You ladies have a great weekend.

866
00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:37,120
Bye bye.

867
00:56:37,120 --> 00:56:42,120
Well, guys and gals, I told y'all you would probably enjoy that interview with Miss Jackie in April.

868
00:56:42,120 --> 00:56:49,120
I hope you did enjoy it. Two lovely ladies. I absolutely hate what they're going through and what they're dealing with in that whole family.

869
00:56:49,120 --> 00:56:58,120
A very difficult situation, especially as you know, time goes on and years pass, you know, we're almost at the six year mark for the situation.

870
00:56:58,120 --> 00:57:11,120
I told you those two would say what they felt they needed to say and absolutely admire that and appreciate that. I mean, it's the only way to be, you know, don't hold back, say what needs to be said and move on.

871
00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:23,120
You know, they're dealing with a lot of aggravation and frustration, you know, the anguish of just not knowing at this point, you know, they just want their brother back. They want their son back.

872
00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:34,120
You know, who cares about the whole circumstances at this point? You know, even one of you mentioned, as you heard at this point, we didn't care if somebody gets prosecuted or charged or not. We just want him back. We want closure.

873
00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:40,120
You know, and as always, there's always somebody out there that knows something. All they got to do is say something.

874
00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:46,120
You know, and it could be as simple as like we mentioned, you know, just write something down anonymously and stick it in a mailbox.

875
00:57:46,120 --> 00:57:55,120
You know, contact Michael and I, you know, we don't care anonymously, you know, come up with a fake Facebook page. Who cares?

876
00:57:55,120 --> 00:58:12,120
You know, just simply get the right truthful information to somebody that can get it to the authorities so they can finally solve this case, bring closure to this whole situation for this family and help them be able to close it out and move on.

877
00:58:12,120 --> 00:58:23,120
You know, I know you heard what they mentioned or talked about some of the frustrations they had and something I hadn't really thought about before.

878
00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:29,120
And but but when they said it during this interview, it absolutely clicked. And I got to thinking, I mean, you know, oh, wow.

879
00:58:29,120 --> 00:58:39,120
But that was the thing about what they were talking about how, you know, mother told me that they heard that this happened to Michael or this happened to Michael or he may have been thrown in here.

880
00:58:39,120 --> 00:58:53,120
He may have been buried there. You know, all these horrible things and the countless other families across this country of ours that have gone through that same thing, and especially when people are getting on Facebook and saying that crap.

881
00:58:53,120 --> 00:59:14,120
Well, people are stopping and thinking about and honestly, I'm kind of guilty of I hadn't really thought about it that much that way. But it's it's compounding that anguish that anxiety that stress that hurt when you're hearing people say some of these things because now obviously, you know,

882
00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:27,120
the family, all the different members are sitting there thinking, well, what if this did happen to him or what if that did happen to him? Or, you know, what if he what if he is there? He's been there this whole time.

883
00:59:27,120 --> 00:59:35,120
That's that is stressful. That's difficult because

884
00:59:35,120 --> 00:59:52,120
you know, some of the things that get described and not just here, it can be in other cases can be lack of a better way to put it a very violent means to an end for this individual. So now this family's thinking what that did happen. Oh, my dear Lord.

885
00:59:52,120 --> 01:00:08,120
And like you heard her say, you know, one lady had told her about, you know, well, you know, believes that the mind is able to shut things off when something tragic is happening to you or, you know, something traumatic and and probably didn't really feel anything anymore.

886
01:00:08,120 --> 01:00:29,120
If something bad did happen to him, I know that helped Miss Jackie out a lot. And I appreciated her saying that because, you know, it's good that their friends, family, co workers, what have you that that thinking those terms that do care, do care about these families that are going through these things and try to do and say things to comfort them and help them.

887
01:00:29,120 --> 01:00:39,120
Because, goodness knows, especially my can I haven't been in law enforcement, those years, the world could use a little bit more of those types of people.

888
01:00:39,120 --> 01:00:50,120
And we know they're out there. But sometimes it just takes a little jolting for them to come forward and decide it's time for them to step up and do something and help somebody in need.

889
01:00:50,120 --> 01:01:02,120
But again, you know, what was so much of that it's, I think people just kind of lose sight of things, especially, you know, if it didn't happen to me, it doesn't affect me. So you don't think about it. And, and yeah, that's human nature. So it's not really anybody's fault.

890
01:01:02,120 --> 01:01:17,120
But then on the flip side, you know, one of the other things that they were talking about is, you know, the frustration of not really hearing anything back when they try to contact authorities or, or when they do, it's almost like they're aggravated that they're having to

891
01:01:17,120 --> 01:01:26,120
talk to them again, it's like nothing new or, you know, and it's not just this case, we've had other people pretty much say the same exact thing.

892
01:01:26,120 --> 01:01:29,120
And

893
01:01:29,120 --> 01:01:34,120
and I'll say this in a way, again, having been I'm not trying to defend either side.

894
01:01:34,120 --> 01:01:39,120
But I can see it from both sides, especially now in this capacity.

895
01:01:39,120 --> 01:01:59,120
Number one, you've got somebody on the law enforcement side who deals with things day in and day out. And if they're an investigator, you know that they get a caseload, and if they're in an area where they're busy, if they're in an area where they don't have a lot of, you know, manpower

896
01:01:59,120 --> 01:02:09,120
or officers in this department, and maybe on top of that is that and they're busy, and they get a lot of cases, they get a caseload and they can only do so much.

897
01:02:09,120 --> 01:02:13,120
I get an understand that and when something becomes cold.

898
01:02:13,120 --> 01:02:23,120
You're not getting any new leads new any information anything of that nature. There's not much you can do. I completely understand that.

899
01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:36,120
The family on the other hand doesn't really understand that or they don't see it that way. All they see is haven't heard in such a long time or I've tried contacting and not getting anything back.

900
01:02:36,120 --> 01:02:46,120
We've actually had one family tell us that they spoke with an investigator, wherever this was and investigated pretty much just custom out and hung up on them.

901
01:02:46,120 --> 01:02:55,120
Yeah, that's, that's professional that that's really the great way to handle that that family that victim, they felt so much better after that one.

902
01:02:55,120 --> 01:03:00,120
And that's the problem that there's you become jaded.

903
01:03:00,120 --> 01:03:09,120
And it's not so much that you just become jaded because you just don't care just because you deal with so so much. And this is one thing that I can't say enough about that.

904
01:03:09,120 --> 01:03:17,120
Again, a lot of people don't understand about law enforcement is when you deal with these situations day in and day out and you go to violent calls of service all the time.

905
01:03:17,120 --> 01:03:23,120
And you deal with fight calls, shootings, stabbings and just so many different things like that.

906
01:03:23,120 --> 01:03:38,120
That is not so much that you become jaded even to a degree it is. It's just you kind of become more like you're numb to it because you dealt with it so much that it's just, you know, it's the same as you and I just go into Walmart.

907
01:03:38,120 --> 01:03:46,120
You know, to buy a loaf of bread and, you know, some baby formula. It's just well if there is any I guess China still holding it I'm not sure.

908
01:03:46,120 --> 01:03:58,120
But it's just an everyday thing you don't think about it. And it's not so much that that's their fault. I mean, I understand that side of it because unfortunately I've been like that at times.

909
01:03:58,120 --> 01:04:00,120
You just don't think.

910
01:04:00,120 --> 01:04:15,120
But again that the family doesn't see it that way the family doesn't understand that all they see is you know they're rude to me or they won't talk to me they won't contact me back or, or that I can tell they get frustrated aggravated that I even showed up or even called and.

911
01:04:15,120 --> 01:04:17,120
But what.

912
01:04:17,120 --> 01:04:22,120
For the family sake and what some law enforcement don't think about.

913
01:04:22,120 --> 01:04:25,120
Is all it takes.

914
01:04:25,120 --> 01:04:34,120
It's so simple. Just a couple of minutes, even if it's just once a month yeah I get it it's a cold case you have nothing new.

915
01:04:34,120 --> 01:04:40,120
You've got 15 cases piled up in front of you or, you know, or what have you.

916
01:04:40,120 --> 01:04:48,120
You know you're on your shift supervisor on patrol and you're running five guys short or what I get all of that.

917
01:04:48,120 --> 01:05:07,120
But again, they don't see that family doesn't see you know all of that, but for you just to take a few moments to show some sympathy and some professionalism and just simply call you like I said, even if it's just once a month, just simply once a month, make that phone call.

918
01:05:07,120 --> 01:05:11,120
Even better if you are out and about.

919
01:05:11,120 --> 01:05:25,120
Just take a couple of just stop by that would go even 10 times further with these victims families, but either or just let them know so hey you know I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a few weeks.

920
01:05:25,120 --> 01:05:41,120
Just wanted to just check in let you know, unfortunately, I'm sorry to say we still don't we don't have any new leads knew any information. I hate it but we just don't, but I just want to let you know that we haven't forgotten about you.

921
01:05:41,120 --> 01:05:49,120
This case is still in front of us. We still re look at things every you know two three four months two or three months is probably what I would do.

922
01:05:49,120 --> 01:05:59,120
And we can we try to get a fresh set of eyes to look at it to maybe somebody with a different noggin might think of something to say something that we didn't, because that is always very possible.

923
01:05:59,120 --> 01:06:04,120
But, you know, just take that moment just to let them know that.

924
01:06:04,120 --> 01:06:13,120
And just simply say it in a way you know just, and don't be rude about it but just simply knows hey, I'm just just be professional.

925
01:06:13,120 --> 01:06:21,120
Just just let you know that would go such a long way with these families that there's no doubt in my mind.

926
01:06:21,120 --> 01:06:28,120
Because that that just tells them that you know just what it says you well they haven't forgotten about me.

927
01:06:28,120 --> 01:06:37,120
And you might be surprised how far doing that can get you and help you in a lot of other ways and a lot of other cases and aspects with your job.

928
01:06:37,120 --> 01:06:53,120
You'd be surprised at how many people may be more willing to help you in in other scenarios or other situations because the words going to get out I promise you that hey you know that this investigator or this sergeant or this officer this guy this guy's jam up he's square.

929
01:06:53,120 --> 01:06:56,120
Why, because he cares about his job.

930
01:06:56,120 --> 01:07:06,120
He's organizing he does his job and, you know, my, my friends family you know experienced a certain situation.

931
01:07:06,120 --> 01:07:15,120
It's been going on for a long time now they haven't been able to solve the case but you know this guy still checks in with them very regular just to let him know he's always looking.

932
01:07:15,120 --> 01:07:19,120
Unfortunately, nothing new. Let me know if you need anything.

933
01:07:19,120 --> 01:07:28,120
And that that means the world to them. And I promise you that will mean the world of these families and will help you and them in the long run.

934
01:07:28,120 --> 01:07:34,120
You know, again, you know what I like the whole thing they talked about.

935
01:07:34,120 --> 01:07:49,120
Doing the fact all the family of Mr thrasher rewriting everything that they know about the case and all the different members that were involved writing their version down or what all they knew or know, and then re looking at things.

936
01:07:49,120 --> 01:07:57,120
And again, like I said, you know, Michael and I'll be more than happy to come look at it and see what if we see something we notice something.

937
01:07:57,120 --> 01:08:00,120
But again doing those type of things.

938
01:08:00,120 --> 01:08:16,120
It that can apply with law enforcement to you know, just every so often just really look at things. Every so often, you know, reach out to somebody you know or your shift supervisor or your division supervisor knows that another agency and maybe you know they deal with this

939
01:08:16,120 --> 01:08:18,120
situation, a lot more.

940
01:08:18,120 --> 01:08:26,120
And so hey you know, I know you've been you take a few minutes you know look this over tell me if you see anything tell me what you think.

941
01:08:26,120 --> 01:08:33,120
It hurts to do that. It's always a good thing because, you know, the law enforcement community.

942
01:08:33,120 --> 01:08:39,120
Technically is always there to support and help each other so you need to lean on each other a little more.

943
01:08:39,120 --> 01:08:43,120
But again, you know that's just, that's my take on things.

944
01:08:43,120 --> 01:08:53,120
I hate with this family's going through I know this is a difficult situation my heart goes out to them and the countless other families across this great nation of ours.

945
01:08:53,120 --> 01:09:04,120
I know it's a very difficult thing I wish, you know, and I'm sure Michael probably feel the same way I wish we could just snap our fingers and make everything better.

946
01:09:04,120 --> 01:09:10,120
I know most agencies would love to do the same thing too but unfortunately, it's not how the world works.

947
01:09:10,120 --> 01:09:26,120
So it takes doing things like this it takes trying to use a strong platform like social media to spread awareness to spread the story to try and reach more and more and more people trying to build a community like we have at Loudwater and get it larger and

948
01:09:26,120 --> 01:09:35,120
larger. And the same thing with the YouTube channel and building an audience and a community there, and of course with some of the same people.

949
01:09:35,120 --> 01:09:47,120
But doing that because again in some way shape or form, and it may not be every case but somebody is going to end up seeing, hearing, watching what have you.

950
01:09:47,120 --> 01:10:00,120
And they're going to have the proper information so that that's why we do that to keep pushing that. So again, thank you guys so much help us keep growing help us keep building this community because the larger we get the better we can be at things and more

951
01:10:00,120 --> 01:10:18,120
we can do, and the more families we can help try and bring closure to their situation. So again just reiterating, Michael thrasher, missing August 5 or 2017 out of the honey path Williamston area of South Carolina which is Anderson County.

952
01:10:18,120 --> 01:10:35,120
He was birth date 725 or 76. He was five foot six 130 to 150 pounds would have had blonde hair blue has blue eyes would have had blonde hair. But as a mother said he always kept it shaved is a white male had several tattoos.

953
01:10:35,120 --> 01:10:47,120
Check out the bring thrasher home Facebook page that they've created you can see and find a lot on there or if you know something, you can even you know reach out to the family on there if you want to but also there's a lot of information

954
01:10:47,120 --> 01:10:56,120
there's also a lot of pictures, the tattoo pictures and things about Mr thrasher on a website called the Charlie project so check that out.

955
01:10:56,120 --> 01:11:03,120
And again you know you've heard Michael say this thousand times you hear me starting to say it now I'm trying to get into it remember it.

956
01:11:03,120 --> 01:11:17,120
But again guys gals, we know people out there have seen things have heard things. So bottom line just simply comes down to if you know something, say something. Thank you so much.

957
01:11:33,120 --> 01:11:35,120
Thank you.