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Michael Shaver - Buried In his Own Backyard · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey everybody, and welcome back today. We're diving deep into
• 0:02
  a case that you guys have been asking about the
• 0:05
  disappearance of Michael Shaver. And let me tell you this
• 0:08
  one's got twists and turns galore, so.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Buckle up, it really does. We're talking about Michael Shaver
• 0:14
  and Laurie Paddleford high school sweethearts with a picture perfect
• 0:18
  life that takes a really dark turn. We're going to
• 0:21
  try to piece together what happened using court records, news reports,
• 0:24
  social media posts, and then get this a real estate listing.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Hold on a real estate listing. Okay, you've got my attention.
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  So where do we start with this this crazy story.
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  Speaker 2: Let's go back to the beginning. Michael and Laurie's early life.
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  They were high school sweethearts Lauren's New York and for
• 0:40
  a while things seem pretty good. Michael starts out as
• 0:42
  a commercial pilot and then later it gets a job
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  as a mechanic Walt disney World. They relocate to Florida
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  and in twenty fourteen they buy a property on Sandy
• 0:50
  Pines Road.
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  Speaker 1: Disney World mechanic. Okay, so they're living the dream right
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  big how successful career? What could possibly go wrong.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Right, Well, that's what we're here to figure out. And
• 1:00
  this is where that real estate listing comes in. The
• 1:02
  property is described as five acres, it's got a horse barn, pastures,
• 1:06
  and get this, no rear neighbors.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, hold on, no rear neighbors. That sounds kind of creepy.
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  Is that significant?
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  Speaker 2: It can be. Investigators always look at the surroundings.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it sounds like the perfect setup for someone who
• 1:19
  you know, wants to keep things hidden exactly.
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  Speaker 2: But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's rewind back
• 1:25
  to twenty fourteen. Shortly after Michael and Laurie move into
• 1:28
  their new place. This is where things start to unravel.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Unravel, like what did the very tale just start to fade?
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Basically, Yeah, we have a text message from Michael to
• 1:37
  a friend where he mentions that Laurie has filed for divorce,
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  and then shortly after that, there's a serious altercation that
• 1:45
  ends with Michael being charged with domestic violence.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: WHOA, things escalated quickly. Domestic violence, that's serious stuff. What
• 1:54
  happened during that altercation, Well.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: That's where things get a little tricky. We have conflicting
• 1:58
  reports from both Michael and Laurie. Michael claims self defense.
• 2:03
  He says that Laurie attacked him with a gun, but
• 2:06
  Laurie claims that Michael was the aggressor and that he
• 2:08
  hit her with the weapon.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, wait a minute. If someone was planning to, you know,
• 2:13
  do something bad to their spouse, wouldn't they try to
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  get their story straight? I mean, conflicting accounts. It seems
• 2:19
  like a rookie mistake, you.
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  Speaker 2: Would think so. But that's one of the things that
• 2:23
  makes this case so complicated. Sometimes inconsistencies can mean that
• 2:27
  things weren't planned, but sometimes they're part of a bigger
• 2:31
  plan to manipulate the situation. It's really hard to tell.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: So what happened with those charges? Did they stick?
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  Speaker 2: The charges against Michael were eventually dropped. He agreed to
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  enter a pre trial intervention program, which is basically a
• 2:43
  program for first time offenders aimed at rehabilitation so they
• 2:47
  can avoid having a criminal record.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Interesting, so it sounds like he was trying to get
• 2:52
  his life back on track. What happened next? Did they
• 2:54
  try to work things out? Well?
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  Speaker 2: Around the same time, Laurie was involved in a car
• 2:58
  accident totaled her truck, so she ended up buying a
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  new truck from a guy named Jay Blue, a name
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  that's going to come up again later. And this, combined
• 3:07
  with reports of Lauri being in debt and Michael having
• 3:10
  credit card problems, it paints a picture of increasing financial strain.
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  Speaker 1: Money problems. Yeah, yeah, that can definitely put a lot
• 3:19
  of stress on a relationship, especially one that's already having issues.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, So we've got.
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  Speaker 1: A marriage falling apart, history of violence, money problems. What
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  happens next? Do things settle down or did they get
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  even worse?
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  Speaker 2: Well, this is where the story takes a really wild turn.
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  In twenty fifteen, Michael disappears.
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  Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Michael just disappears.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, basically he vanishes into thin air?
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  Speaker 1: And what do you mean Laurie's account doesn't add up?
• 3:44
  Didn't anybody report him missing right away?
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  Speaker 2: That's the strange part. It wasn't until twenty eighteen, three
• 3:49
  years after Michael was last seen, that his friend Scott Amatuccio,
• 3:54
  finally reported him missing.
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  Speaker 1: Three years, it's a really long time. You'd think somebody
• 3:58
  would have noticed.
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  Speaker 2: Sooner, you would think acually with social media and everything, right, So.
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  Speaker 1: What was Laurie saying during those three years.
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  Speaker 2: She gave a bunch of different stories about where Michael was.
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  Sometimes she'd say he just left. Other Times she'd say
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  he was traveling or working in another state, but it
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  was always vague. The details never really added up, so she.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Was basically lying. It sounds like she's trying to cover
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  something up.
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  Speaker 2: It certainly seems that way.
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  Speaker 1: But what about Michael's digital footprint? Didn't he have any
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  online activity during those missing years.
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  Speaker 2: That's where things get really interesting and where digital forensics
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  comes into play. Michael did have some activity after twenty fifteen,
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  specifically on Facebook, but some of those posts seemed off.
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  Speaker 1: Off, how like somebody else was posting as him exactly.
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  Speaker 2: Investigators have ways of analyzing digital footprints, looking at things
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  like posting patterns, language use, even the times of day
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  posts are made, and in Michael's case, things just didn't
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  quite match up with his usual online behavior.
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  Speaker 1: That's creepy and kind of clever. It's like a modern
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  day ghost story, except the ghost is leaving digital bread
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  Crumbs's spooky noises.
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  Speaker 2: I like that digital bread crumbs.
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  Speaker 1: So the police finally get involved in twenty eighteen thanks
• 5:09
  to Michael's friend. What happens next did they confront Laurie
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  about those Facebook posts?
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  Speaker 2: They did interview her, and she was not cooperative at all,
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  especially when they started asking about a certain feature on
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  her property.
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  Speaker 1: You mean that concrete slab, the one with the no
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  rear neighbors view, That's the one ooh chills.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it had a weird depression in it, almost like
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  a shallow grave. And Laura's denial and refusal to cooperate
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  just made things look even worse.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, this is starting to sound like a true crime movie, right,
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  So what did the police do. Did they bring in
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  the whole forensics team, cadaver dogs, the whole shebang.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they got a search warrant, Yeah, and brought in
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  those amazing cadaver dogs, you know, those canine detectives. And
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  guess what the dogs alerted on that exact spot, the concrete.
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  Speaker 1: Slab, no way. Yeah, so what did they find?
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  Speaker 2: They found human remains and they were later identified as
• 6:01
  Michael Shaver. Oh wow, So what started as a missing
• 6:04
  person case turned into a possible homicide investigation.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm guessing the prime suspect was Laurie. I mean,
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  it's all starting to add up. The conflicting stories, the
• 6:15
  suspicious Facebook posts, her being uncooperative, and then that creepy
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  concrete slab. It's all pointing to her, it sure is.
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  But wait, there's more. Right, You mentioned a new husband earlier,
• 6:30
  Travis Filmer. Where does he fit into all of this?
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  And what about that guy Jablue you mentioned before? This
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  is getting more and more twisted.
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  Speaker 2: There is a lot more to this story, okay, Travis
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  Filmer as a whole other layer of complexity. The relationship
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  timeline is a bit of a mystery, and there's no
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  official record of Laurie and Michael ever getting divorced.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Oh really?
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  Speaker 2: And Jay Blue, the guy who sold Laurie her new truck, well,
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  let's just say his connection to this case goes a
• 6:55
  lot deeper than just selling a vehicle.
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  Speaker 1: This is blowing my mind. So many players, There's so many.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Secrets you have allowed to keep track of.
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  Speaker 1: So what happened next? Was Laurie immediately arrested after they
• 7:05
  found Michael's remains?
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  Speaker 2: Not right away, but things took another strange turn. After
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  the remains were found. Laurie and Travis moved out of
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  the house on Sandy Pines Road, and get this, they
• 7:16
  left their pet pig behind.
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  Speaker 1: Wait, they abandoned their pig. Seriously, It's one thing to
• 7:22
  be a suspect in a murder investigation, but to leave
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  your pet behind. That's cold.
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  Speaker 2: It is pretty strange.
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  Speaker 1: So were they running away? Maybe did they think they
• 7:31
  could escape the investigation It's possible. Or were they just
• 7:34
  trying to cut ties and stuff over?
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  Speaker 2: Who knows?
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  Speaker 1: So many questions, but eventually justice was served. Right what
• 7:41
  happened to Laurie?
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  Speaker 2: It was in September twenty twenty Laurie Shaver was arrested
• 7:47
  and charged with second degree murder and accessory after the
• 7:50
  fact to second degree murder.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: She was held without bail and was awaiting trial.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: What a crazy story. This case has been a rule coaster,
• 8:01
  But even with Lori's arrest, there are still so many
• 8:03
  unanswered questions like what was the motive Travisen Vall and
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  what about j Blue? What was his connection? Do you
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  think we'll ever get those answers?
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  Speaker 2: We can only hope as the legal process continues. But
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  this case really shows how important digital footprints are in
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  modern day investigations.
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  Speaker 1: Right those Facebook posts, they really make you think what
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  we see online isn't always what it seems.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely not like a.
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  Speaker 1: Whole new type of evidence.
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  Speaker 2: It is.
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  Speaker 1: They can be both helpful and misleading.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's a good.
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  Speaker 1: Reminder to be careful about what we believe online it is,
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  and always think critically about the information we see.
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  Speaker 2: That's right.
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  Speaker 1: Well, this deep dive has been fascinating, from that five
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  acre property to the concrete slab, the abandoned pig, and
• 8:49
  all the tangled relationships. It's like something out of a.
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  Speaker 2: Movie, it really is.
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  Speaker 1: So what's the takeaway for our listeners? What can we
• 8:55
  learn from Michael Shaver's story?
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: I think the most important thing is to trust your gut.
• 9:00
  If something feels off in a relationship, or if somebody's
• 9:03
  behavior seems strange, don't ignore those red flags. Speak up,
• 9:07
  get help. Remember that even the most perfect looking lives
• 9:11
  can have dark secrets.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: That's good advice. And for those of you who are
• 9:16
  interested in learning more about this case, we encourage you
• 9:19
  to do your own research. Read the court documents, look
• 9:21
  at the online stuff, see what you can find. You
• 9:24
  never know, you might uncover something that everyone else missed.
• 9:27
  You might, so until next time, keep those critical thinking
• 9:30
  caps on and never stop exploring. That's right, And if
• 9:34
  you have a case that you'd like us to deep
• 9:36
  dive into send us a message. We're always looking for
• 9:39
  our next mystery. We are Okay, So they knew how
• 9:42
  he died, but what was the turning point? Did they
• 9:46
  find some new evidence or was it just putting together
• 9:49
  all those inconsistencies.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: It was probably a bit of both. They never said
• 9:54
  exactly how Michael died, but the fact that they said
• 9:57
  they knew how he died suggests they had forends evidence
• 10:01
  linking Laurie to the crime, right.
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  Speaker 1: Like DNA or something that could tire to his death exactly.
• 10:07
  So do they arrest her then?
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: Well not right away. Things got even weirder After the announcement.
• 10:13
  Laurie and Travis moved out of the house on Sandy
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  Pines Road, and get this, they left their pet pig behind.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: Wait a minute, they abandoned their pig. I did Wow,
• 10:25
  that's messed up.
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  Speaker 2: It is strange.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: So they were running, thought they could get away, may
• 10:29
  or maybe they were just trying to start over.
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: It's hard to say, so many questions I know.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: But in the end justice was served. Right what happened
• 10:37
  to Lourie?
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: It was in September twenty twenty. Laurie Shaver was arrested,
• 10:43
  charged with second degree murder and accessory after the fact
• 10:47
  two second degree murder.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: She was held without bail awaiting trial.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: His case is wild.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: It really is.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: So many twists and turned But even with Laurie's arrest,
• 10:58
  there are still so many unanswered questions. What was the motive?
• 11:02
  Was Travis involved? Yeah?
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Was he?
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: And what about j Bloo? What was his connection to
• 11:07
  all of this? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: I guess so.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: But this case really highlights the importance of digital footprints
• 11:13
  in investigations.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Those Facebook posts are a good example. They are What
• 11:18
  we see online isn't always what it seems. No, it's
• 11:20
  a whole new level of evidence it is. It can
• 11:22
  be both helpful and misleading, for sure, So we all
• 11:25
  need to be careful about what we believe online, we
• 11:27
  do and always think critically. Well, this has been a
• 11:30
  fascinating deep dive. From the five acre property to the
• 11:34
  concrete slab, the abandoned pig, all the tangled relationships. It's
• 11:40
  been quite a ride, it has. So what's the takeaway
• 11:43
  for our listeners? What can we learn from all of this?
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: I think the biggest takeaway is trust your gut. If
• 11:49
  something feels off in a relationship or if someone's acting strange,
• 11:53
  don't ignore those red flags right, speak up, ask for help,
• 11:57
  and remember even the most perfect looking line can have
• 12:01
  dark secrets.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: That's great advice. And for those of you who want
• 12:04
  to learn more about this case, we encourage you to
• 12:06
  do some research. Read the court documents, look at the
• 12:08
  online stuff. See what you can find. You never know,
• 12:11
  you might uncover something new. You're right, So until next time,
• 12:14
  keep thinking critically. Yeah, never stop exploring, And if you
• 12:17
  have a case He's leg is to deep dive into,
• 12:19
  send us a message.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: We'd love to hear from you.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: We're always looking for our next mystery. Okay, so they
• 12:25
  finally had enough to connect Lourie to Michael's death. What
• 12:28
  was the turning point? Did they find some new evidence
• 12:31
  or was it just putting all those inconsistencies together.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: It seems like it was a combination of things. They
• 12:36
  never publicly said how Michael died, but the fact that
• 12:40
  they said they knew how he died means they probably
• 12:42
  had some forensic evidence that linked Laurie.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: To the scene, right, like trace evidence or DNA exact
• 12:49
  So did they arrest her right then.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Not right away, things took an even stranger turn. Laurie
• 12:54
  and Travis packed up and moved out of the house
• 12:57
  and they left their pet pig behind.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: Wait they abandoned their pig? Yeah, seriously, that's crazy. I mean,
• 13:04
  it's one thing to be a suspect in a murder investigation,
• 13:07
  but to leave your pet that's just heartless.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: It does make you wonder what they were thinking, right.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Were they on the run? Maybe they think they could
• 13:14
  escape that's possible, or maybe they were just trying to
• 13:17
  start over.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: Who knows.
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: But eventually justice was served, right what happened to Laurie?
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: It was in September of twenty twenty. Laurie Shaver was
• 13:26
  arrested and charged with second degree murder and accessory after
• 13:31
  the fact to second degree murder.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: She was held without bail and is a waiting trial.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: This case is wild. It really is more twists and
• 13:40
  turns than a roller coaster. But even with Laurie's arrest, Yeah,
• 13:44
  there are still so many unanswered questions like what was
• 13:48
  the motive right? And was Travis involved?
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: What about him?
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: And what about Jay Blue? Was his connection to everything?
• 13:54
  So many questions I guess we'll have to wait and
• 13:56
  see how the legal process plays out.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: He will.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: But you know what, this case, it really highlights the
• 14:01
  role of digital footprints in modern investigations. Absolutely, those suspicious Facebook.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: Posts, they're a perfect example.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: It's a reminder that what we see online isn't always
• 14:15
  the truth Nope, and we need to be careful about
• 14:17
  what we believe and always think critically, always well. This
• 14:21
  has been an absolutely fascinating deep dive. From the five
• 14:24
  acre property to the concrete slab, the abandoned pig, and
• 14:29
  the complicated relationships. This case has it all.
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: It does.
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: So what's the takeaway for our listeners today?
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: I think the most important thing is to trust your gut.
• 14:37
  If something feels off in a relationship, or if someone's
• 14:41
  behavior seems suspicious, don't ignore those red flags, speak up,
• 14:46
  seek help, and remember that even the most picture perfect
• 14:50
  lives can have dark secrets.
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: That's such important advice. And for those of you who
• 14:56
  are hooked on this case and want to learn more,
• 14:59
  we encourage you to do you your own digging. Yeah,
• 15:01
  read the court documents, explore the online trails, see what
• 15:04
  you can find. You never know, you might just uncover
• 15:06
  something that everyone else missed you might, so until next time,
• 15:10
  keep those critical thinking caps on and keep exploring the
• 15:14
  world around you. Absolutely, and if you have a case
• 15:17
  that you want us to deep dive into, send us
• 15:19
  a message. We're always looking for our next mystery. We are.
• 15:22
  Thanks for listening, everybody,