Latest / U.S SECRET CRIMES / The Women Who Disappeared Into His House: The Anthony Sowell Case
Transcript
- 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160 #the Cleveland House of Horrors. The killer who hid in plain sight. What if the man your community 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:10,960 welcomed into its homes was secretly responsible for the disappearance of women whose families were 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:15,840 desperately searching for them? And what if the warning signs had been there for years? But the people 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:21,200 who could have stopped him failed to connect them. In East Cleveland, Ohio, a survivor's desperate 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:27,040 attempt to escape from a second floor window on October 20, 2009 would finally expose the terrible 6 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:32,160 secrets hidden inside the home of Anthony Soel, a convicted sex offender who had continued living 7 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:38,560 among his neighbors while women vanished around him. The story unfolded at 12205 Imperial Avenue 8 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:43,600 in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of East Cleveland. From the outside, the house appeared to be 9 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:49,120 just another property in a community struggling with poverty, drug addiction, and crime. But behind 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:54,880 its doors, investigators would eventually uncover evidence of a series of killings that had remained 11 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:59,920 undetected for years. The discovery would leave families grieving. Residents questioning their 12 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:05,120 safety and the wider community confronting an uncomfortable truth about how easily vulnerable 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:10,240 people can be overlooked. Anthony Soel was not someone everyone in the neighborhood immediately 14 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:16,080 regarded as dangerous. Some people remembered him as a man who socialized, held barbecues and 15 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:21,680 spoke with neighbors. He could appear friendly and relaxed, and he sometimes offered women food, 16 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:27,200 drinks, clothing, or a place to stay. Others described a more troubling side of his personality, 17 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:32,560 including anger and aggression when he was challenged. These contrasting impressions helped him 18 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,680 maintain an ordinary public appearance while concealing what was happening inside his home. Soel 19 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,880 had served in the United States Marine Corps for seven years. According to the documentary, he 20 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:48,640 performed well during his military service, following orders and avoiding serious trouble. But after 21 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:55,280 leaving the military in 1985, his life began to deteriorate. His relationship ended, he lost 22 00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:01,600 his job, and he increasingly turned to alcohol. By the late 1980s, he had also faced accusations 23 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:07,360 of sexual violence against women. One woman alleged that Soel had restrained and sexually assaulted her 24 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:12,640 inside his home. Another rape case resulted in his conviction for attempted rape, for which he 25 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:18,320 received a prison sentence of up to 15 years. He remained in prison for an extended period, 26 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:24,400 and his requests for early release were repeatedly denied. In 2005, after completing his sentence, 27 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:30,640 he returned to Imperial Avenue. His release did not mean that his previous conviction had disappeared. 28 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:36,640 Soel was required to register as a sex offender and report his address periodically. However, 29 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:41,200 the documentary explains that these requirements did not place him under continuous police 30 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,360 supervision. He was able to return to his home and live with considerable freedom. 31 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,760 Even as the neighborhood around him continued to struggle with the effects of addiction and 32 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:57,120 economic hardship. By 2007, Soel was living alone at 12205 Imperial Avenue. Alcohol remained a major 33 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,920 part of his daily routine, and his house became a gathering place for people who wanted somewhere to 34 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:06,960 drink, use drugs or spend the night. Some women came because they were struggling financially, 35 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,480 dealing with addiction or simply looking for a temporary refuge. Soel appeared willing to offer them 36 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:18,320 a place to stay, but that apparent generosity concealed a far more dangerous reality. The women he 37 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,880 targeted were often dealing with circumstances that made it difficult for them to protect themselves 38 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:28,480 or seek help. Many were black women struggling with drug dependence, unstable living conditions, 39 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:34,720 and limited support. Some were involved in sex work. These circumstances did not make them responsible 40 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,600 for what happened to them. They made them people who needed protection, yet their vulnerability 41 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:44,640 would become one of the reasons their disappearances were not taken seriously enough. The first victim 42 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:50,640 identified in the documentary was Crystal Dozier, a mother of seven. Her family remembered a girl who 43 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:56,800 had once been responsible, helpful and eager to learn. Over time, however, drug addiction became a 44 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:03,680 serious problem in her life. On May 17, 2007, Soel encountered her in Mount Pleasant and invited her 45 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:10,960 to his home, offering her access to beer. She entered 12205 Imperial Avenue and never returned to her family. 46 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:16,800 For approximately two and a half years, her loved ones had no clear answer about what had happened to her. 47 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,840 Crystal had become the first known victim in the series of killings attributed to Soel. Her 48 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:27,280 disappearance was not merely the loss of a name on a missing person's list. It was the disappearance 49 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:32,480 of a mother whose children and relatives were left without the answers they deserved. Another woman, 50 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:39,760 Tanna Culver, disappeared in June 2008. She was 33 and had six children. Her family knew that she had 51 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:44,640 struggled with addiction and that she sometimes disappeared from their lives, which made it harder to 52 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:50,160 recognize when something was seriously wrong. She had once pursued training in cosmetology and medical 53 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:55,520 assistance, but her life had become increasingly affected by substance dependence. According to the 54 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:01,520 documentary, she died shortly after entering Soel's home. Her story illustrates one of the most 55 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:06,160 troubling patterns in this case. When someone has disappeared before and later returned, 56 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:11,600 family members may initially believe that the same thing has happened again. That expectation can 57 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:16,960 delay the response to a genuine emergency. It also places enormous pressure on relatives, 58 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:22,000 who must decide when an absence has become something more serious, while often receiving little help 59 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,760 from the people they turned to for assistance. Soel's violence continued as other women entered his home. 60 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:32,720 Some victims had known him casually, while others were drawn in by his offers of drinks, 61 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,920 drugs were somewhere to stay. The documentary describes how he used his home as a gathering place 62 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:43,680 before sexually assaulting women and in a number of cases, killing them. His conduct followed a 63 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:48,400 pattern and that pattern should have raised urgent questions as women continued to disappear from 64 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,520 the same community. There were also women who survived encounters with him. Their accounts were 65 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:59,040 important because they demonstrated that the danger inside 12205, Imperial Avenue was not limited to 66 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:04,320 the victims who never came home. Yet fear prevented some survivors from immediately reporting what 67 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,680 had happened. They worried that admitting to drug use or sex work could expose them to arrest, 68 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:14,960 judgment or further mistreatment. One woman who had seen evidence of a dead victim inside the house 69 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:20,240 did not feel able to speak openly until Soel was safely in custody. That silence cannot be 70 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:26,160 understood simply as a failure by survivors to come forward. People who fear punishment, disbelief 71 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:31,440 or humiliation may hesitate to approach authorities, particularly when they have reason to believe 72 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:36,320 that their own circumstances will be used against them. For investigators, the challenge should have 73 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:41,120 been to create conditions in which witnesses could report violence without fearing that their vulnerability 74 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:47,360 would make them the focus of the investigation. In December 2008, a woman named Gladys Wade provided 75 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:52,480 another warning. She flagged down a police car and reported that Soel had attacked her after inviting 76 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:58,640 her to drink beer. According to her account, he punched her, knocked her unconscious, dragged her into 77 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:04,560 his home, choked her and attempted to remove her clothing. She fought back and managed to escape. 78 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:10,000 Police went to Soel's property and heard a different account from him. He claimed that Wade had struck 79 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:15,520 him. The incident was treated as a domestic dispute, an officer's left without conducting the deeper 80 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:20,560 examination that might have revealed what was concealed inside the house. The documentary describes 81 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:26,400 the property as filthy and filled with garbage, with a powerful and unpleasant smell. That smell 82 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:31,600 had already become a concern in the neighborhood. Residents complained about an odor that seemed to 83 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:37,520 linger around imperial avenue. Because a sausage business operated nearby, the smell was sometimes 84 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,640 attributed to the business and its waste. The company reportedly made changes to its sewer system 85 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:47,520 in an attempt to address the complaints. Only later would the community understand that the odor 86 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:52,720 may have been connected to the crime's taking place inside Soel's property. The missed opportunities 87 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:59,280 were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Soel was a registered sex offender. A woman had reported 88 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:05,040 an assault inside his home. Other women were disappearing and residents were complaining about a 89 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,240 persistent odor. Yet the different pieces of information were not brought together in time to stop 90 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:17,360 the killings. Between 2007 and 2008, women continued to vanish from mount pleasant. Families reported 91 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:22,320 their loved ones missing, put up flyers and searched the neighborhood. Some were told that their 92 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:27,200 relatives would probably return when they had finished using drugs. That response reflected a 93 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,320 dangerous assumption. That a woman struggling with addiction was less likely to be in danger, 94 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,800 or that her disappearance was not urgent enough to warrant sustained attention. But a person's 95 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:42,400 circumstances do not determine the value of their life. Addiction does not erase a person's right 96 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:48,320 to safety. A history of sex work does not make someone less deserving of protection. And a family 97 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,640 should not have to convince authorities that a missing loved one is respectable enough to be 98 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:58,320 searched for. One of the women who disappeared was Michelle Mason. Her family remembered a period 99 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:03,680 when she had begun rebuilding her life, living independently and becoming clean and sober. 100 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:10,080 In 2008, she left home and did not return. Her relatives believed something was wrong. Filed a 101 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:14,960 missing person report and distributed flyers around the neighborhood. The search for Michelle would 102 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:21,200 eventually become part of the wider investigation into Seoul. Other victims included Tisana Carmichael, 103 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:27,200 also referred to in parts of the documentary Estonia, who disappeared in November 2008 at the age of 104 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:32,960 33. She had once been a protective mother, but addiction had disrupted her life and separated her 105 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:38,000 from her children. Her family sought help when she disappeared. And her daughter Danita searched 106 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:43,280 for her. The family was left with the devastating reality that Tisana would never come home. 107 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:49,040 Lea Long, described in the documentary as the youngest of Seoul's victims, was 25. 108 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:55,120 She had experienced instability from childhood and became a mother at a very young age. By 17, 109 00:09:55,120 --> 00:10:00,800 she had three children and had lost custody of them. Her life was increasingly affected by addiction. 110 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:05,360 Leaving her vulnerable to people who appeared willing to help but had dangerous intentions. 111 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:11,840 Kim Smith, Nancy Cobb, Amy Hunter, Janice Webb, Tasia Forson and Diane Turner were also identified 112 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:17,440 among the women connected to the case. Their lives had been different. And each had her own history, 113 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:23,680 relationships and hopes. Some were mothers. Some had struggled with addiction. Some had family members 114 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:28,880 who searched for them. Reported them missing or placed flyers around the community. Their individual 115 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:33,840 stories reveal how a single criminal investigation can contain many separate tragedies. 116 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:38,960 Each affecting a family in a different way. The documentary describes how investigators eventually 117 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:44,560 connected 11 missing women to Seoul's property. Some remains were found inside the house, 118 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:49,520 including in rooms and other concealed areas, while others were discovered outside. 119 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:54,160 The scale of the discovery transformed what might initially have appeared to be an investigation 120 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:59,680 into a single assault into a major serial murder case. Yet the turning point came because one woman 121 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:06,960 survived. On October 20, 2009, a passerby saw a woman fall from a second floor window at 12205 122 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:12,800 Imperial Avenue. He immediately called emergency services. Reporting that she was on the ground and 123 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:18,400 appeared injured, the woman had escaped Seoul's home in an attempt to save herself. The documentary 124 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,720 explains that she had been so frightened by what she encountered inside that she chose to risk 125 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:28,320 the fall rather than remain there. When officers arrived, Seoul claimed that he and the woman had been 126 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:33,440 using drugs and that she had accidentally fallen from the window. But the survivor's account would 127 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:38,080 ultimately expose what had been happening behind his front door. She later spoke to police and 128 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:43,520 described her experience. Giving investigators a reason to look more closely at a man whose history 129 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:49,120 and earlier complaints should already have prompted serious concern. On October 29, 2009, 130 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:55,200 officers returned to Seoul's home with a search warrant and an arrest warrant. Seoul was not there. 131 00:11:55,200 --> 00:12:00,640 When investigators entered, they encountered a scene that immediately demanded further assistance. 132 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:05,360 They found the bodies of two women and as additional officers and crimes seen investigators 133 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:10,800 searched the property, more victims were discovered. The search continued over several days. 134 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:15,760 Investigators found remains in different parts of the house and in the yard. What had been a 135 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,960 neighborhood of missing persons reports was now the scene of a major criminal investigation. 136 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:26,160 11 women had disappeared and investigators concluded that all 11 had been killed 137 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:31,120 and their remains concealed at the same address. The discoveries gave families answers, 138 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,320 but the answers brought devastating grief. Relatives who had spent months or years hoping that 139 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:41,680 their loved ones would return now had to confront the reality of their deaths. In some cases, 140 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:46,400 identifying the victims and recovering their remains presented additional difficulties. 141 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,960 The loss was not only the lives taken, but also the time families had spent searching. 142 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:57,280 The uncertainty they had endured and the moments they would never share again. On October 31, 2009, 143 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:03,040 police found Seoul walking approximately a mile from his home and arrested him. He was initially 144 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:08,640 charged with five counts of murder, but the discovery of more victims expanded the scope of the case. 145 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:14,160 During questioning, investigators confronted him with evidence from the property and sought to establish 146 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,880 what had happened to the women who had disappeared. The documentary described Seoul as appearing 147 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:24,560 calm during parts of his interactions with police, sometimes discussing his family and grandchildren, 148 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:30,480 that contrast between an outwardly ordinary man and the crimes attributed to him unsettled many people. 149 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:35,200 But the lesson is not that a person who seems friendly must be hiding something. It is that 150 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:40,480 appearances alone cannot establish whether someone is dangerous and that credible reports and physical 151 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:45,760 evidence must be investigated regardless of a suspect's public image. The case also raised 152 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:51,280 serious questions about the police response. Officers had previously been called to Seoul's property 153 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:56,560 after a woman reported an attack. He was a registered sex offender and the neighborhood had 154 00:13:56,560 --> 00:14:01,840 experienced repeated disappearances and complaints about a foul smell. In the documentary, 155 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:06,080 campaigners later argued that the killings could and should have been interrupted earlier, 156 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:10,160 particularly after the first reports of missing women and the accounts of survivors. 157 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:14,720 A review of such failures must distinguish between what authorities knew at each point and what 158 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:20,400 became clear only after the full investigation. Nevertheless, the missed opportunities described 159 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:25,040 in the documentary demand scrutiny. A system designed to protect the public cannot function 160 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,920 effectively when separate warnings are treated as unrelated incidents, or when the credibility of 161 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:35,280 a person reporting violence is undermined by their addiction, poverty, or social circumstances. 162 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:41,280 In 2011, Seoul was sentenced to death. The documentary states that the sentence was never carried out 163 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:47,360 and that he died of natural causes in 2021. His death did not erase the damage left behind. 164 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,000 It did not restore the lives of the 11 women. Return mothers to their children or give 165 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:58,320 grieving relatives the years they had lost while searching for answers. In 2010, the House at 12-205 166 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:03,920 Imperial Avenue was demolished, leaving an empty lot where the crimes had taken place. Before it was 167 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:09,520 removed, the property stood as a painful reminder of the women whose lives had ended there. 168 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:14,320 Clothing and jewelry belonging to victims had been left behind. For the community, 169 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:19,200 the demolition marked a physical end to the House, but it could not erase the memory of what had 170 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:24,480 happened within it. The legacy of Anthony Seoul's crimes is not simply a story about one man who 171 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:29,760 concealed violence behind an ordinary appearance. It is also a story about the people who were not 172 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:35,600 heard soon enough. Families asked for help. Women survived attacks, but feared the consequences of 173 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:42,080 speaking. Residents complained about an unexplained smell. A known sex offender remained in the community 174 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:48,320 while women continued to disappear. Each detail mattered, and together they reveal the consequences 175 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:53,200 of treating vulnerable people as though their suffering were expected or unimportant. This lesson 176 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:59,280 remains relevant today, whether in the United States, Nigeria or elsewhere. Communities must take missing 177 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:05,520 person reports seriously, especially when families explain that an absence is unusual. Police and other 178 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:10,400 authorities must investigate credible allegations without allowing prejudice about addiction, 179 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:15,760 poverty or sex work to determine whose testimony deserves attention. Survivors need safe ways to 180 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:21,200 report violence, and families deserve clear communication when someone they love disappears. 181 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:26,960 There is also a lesson about responsibility. Difficult circumstances can help explain why someone 182 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:32,480 becomes vulnerable, but they do not excuse the person who exploits that vulnerability. Addiction 183 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:39,040 is not consent. A need for shelter is not permission for abuse. And an offer of food, drink or 184 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:44,320 companionship does not give anyone the right to control another person's life. The women connected 185 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:49,360 to this case should not be remembered only as victims of a serial killer. They were mothers, 186 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:54,720 daughters, sisters and friends. They had histories that began long before they entered soul's home, 187 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:59,440 and they deserved the chance to continue writing those histories. Their families deserved the 188 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:05,280 opportunity to see them again. Their disappearances deserved urgent attention from the very beginning. 189 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:11,280 Ultimately, it was a survivor who forced the hidden truth into the open. Her escape on October 20, 190 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:17,760 2009 became the turning point that led investigators back to 12205 Imperial Avenue and exposed the scale 191 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:23,040 of the crimes. It is a reminder that one person's decision to seek help can change an investigation, 192 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,760 but it is also a warning that public safety should never depend on a victim surviving long enough 193 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:34,000 to make the truth impossible to ignore. The house is gone, and Anthony Soel is dead. But the questions 194 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,840 raised by this case remain. How many warning signs must appear before they are treated as a pattern? 195 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:44,800 How many families must search for someone they love before their concerns are taken seriously? 196 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:50,960 And how many vulnerable people are overlooked because society has decided unfairly that their lives matter 197 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:57,120 less? The answers begin with listening, investigating and treating every human being with dignity. 198 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:02,960 Behind every missing person report is a life that matters. Behind every family's search is a hope 199 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:08,240 that should not be dismissed. And behind every missed warning is an opportunity to ask whether more 200 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:14,400 could have been done. This is you.s Secret Crimes podcast. Stick to US for more of information and 201 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:19,040 stories of this nature. See you on the next one. Tighten the middle for stronger pacing 202 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:22,320 organized the victims into clearer sections.