Latest / Luke's English Podcast / S2E18 - The Last Days of LaTonya_ Crystal Newkirk Speaks(M4A_128K)

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S2E18 - The Last Days of LaTonya_ Crystal Newkirk Speaks(M4A_128K) · Luke's English Podcast

0:00
Speaker 1: In Tragedy a True Crime Podcast, we discuss missing persons, cases,
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Speaker 1: violent crime, and other sensitive topics that may be difficult
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Speaker 1: for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. Our show is
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Speaker 1: a place where every story matters and every voice deserves
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Speaker 1: a True Crime Podcast for updates, discussions, and ways to
0:41
Speaker 1: support the families we feature.
0:45
Speaker 2: Before we continue our story regardingle to Tanya Thomas, we
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Speaker 2: have a few updates that need to be shared regarding Haileyathy.
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Speaker 1: On April fourteenth, twenty twenty six, on the Bring Hailey homepage,
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Speaker 1: this message was posted. First, we would like to thank
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Speaker 1: everyone on this page for your messages, prayers and information.
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Speaker 1: With heavy hearts, we can confirm that we have accomplished
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Speaker 1: our mission and Hayley has been returned home. Our mission
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Speaker 1: now will be to seek answers and accountability for those
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Speaker 1: involved with her passing.
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Speaker 2: I also understand that there was a press release that
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Speaker 2: was put out there as well. Can you talk about that?
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Speaker 1: Yes, this was just put out today on April fifteenth,
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Speaker 1: twenty twenty six. It reads. On April twelfth, twenty twenty six,
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Speaker 1: Cowlitz County residents were hiking on Weyerhauser property near Rose
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Speaker 1: Valley Road and the sixteen hundred line. During their hike,
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Speaker 1: they came across clothing and two bones. They notified authorities,
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Speaker 1: and a photo of the bones was sent to a
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Speaker 1: forensic anthropologist who identified the bones as human. Detectives from
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Speaker 1: the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office attempted to reach the remains
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Speaker 1: that night, but due to the location in the late hour,
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Speaker 1: they could not. On April thirteenth, Detective Jane Hanbury coordinated
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Speaker 1: a search with the Cowlitz County Corner's Office and Cowlitz
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Speaker 1: County Search and Rescue. One of the men who had
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Speaker 1: found the remains led the search party to the area.
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Speaker 1: Nearly complete skeletal remains were located, as well as multiple
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Speaker 1: items of clothing and personal belongings. This location was in
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Speaker 1: the middle of an area that Detective Handburry had identified
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Speaker 1: through diligent investigation and interviews as an area of interest
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Speaker 1: in the disappearance of Haley Athy. Prior searches had been
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Speaker 1: conducted near this area, but no evidence had been recovered.
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Speaker 1: The remains were turned over to the Cowlitz County Corner's
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Speaker 1: Office and an analysis by a forensic anthropologist will be
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Speaker 1: completed to determine the cause of death. A forensic odentologist
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Speaker 1: examined the recovered skull and compared the teeth to dental
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Speaker 1: records for Hailey. The odentologist was able to make a
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Speaker 1: positive comparison and identify the remains as those of Hailey.
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Speaker 1: Athy The exact location will not be released at this
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Speaker 1: time as this investigation remains an active investigation pending cause
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Speaker 1: and manner of death. And this is signed by under
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Speaker 1: Sheriff Troy Brightville from the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office.
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Speaker 2: All right, Well, obviously Rose Valley's familiar to us because
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Speaker 2: we've talked about Rose Valley quite a bit. And isn't
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Speaker 2: that the area that they went, you know, so allegedly
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Speaker 2: went mushroom picking that day when she disappeared.
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Speaker 1: Yes, everyone that we spoke to when we were covering
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Speaker 1: Hailey's story did discuss that Rose Valley area as the
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Speaker 1: last place that she was known to be seen.
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Speaker 2: All right, Well, bottom line, we're happy that she's home
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Speaker 2: and we just wish it was in better circumstances.
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Speaker 1: For those of you who are looking for ways that
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Speaker 1: you can help Haley's family, we did link a gofund
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Speaker 1: me on our Facebook page. You can find us on
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Speaker 1: Facebook Tragedy a True Crime Podcast, and all those funds
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Speaker 1: will go to her memorial service. And we're not done here. Obviously,
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Speaker 1: Haley has been brought home, but now we are going
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Speaker 1: to move into a different for Haley and we are
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Speaker 1: going to work with this family to support them as
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Speaker 1: they seek justice for Haley. The case we are discussing today,
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Speaker 1: the death of Latania Thomas, is a closed case. The
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Speaker 1: conclusions reached by law enforcement remain in place, and nothing
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Speaker 1: in this episode is intended to challenge or override those
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Speaker 1: official findings. Our discussion is based on a limited set
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Speaker 1: of information, including documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act
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Speaker 1: requests and interviews with individuals who knew Latania personally. As
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Speaker 1: with any case built from partial records and personal accounts,
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Speaker 1: there may be gaps, inconsistencies, or perspectives that are not
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Speaker 1: fully represented. We want to be clear we are not
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Speaker 1: making accusations against any individual or entity. Our goal is
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Speaker 1: to share information highlight perspectives and give voice to those impacted,
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Speaker 1: not to assign blame or determined guilt. All content presented
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Speaker 1: in this episode should be considered informational and for discussion
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Speaker 1: purposes only. Listeners are encouraged to review available public records
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Speaker 1: and form their own conclusions. As always, reapproach this case
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Speaker 1: and every case with respect for those involved and the
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Speaker 1: understanding that real lives are impacted by these stories. Welcome
5:23
Speaker 1: to Tragedy, a true crime podcast.
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Speaker 2: I'm Melissa and I'm Michael.
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Speaker 1: Today we're talking about the loss of Latania Thomas, a
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Speaker 1: loss that was sudden, devastating and left a lasting impact
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Speaker 1: on the people who loved her. While the circumstances surrounding
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Speaker 1: her death are difficult, at the heart of this story
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Speaker 1: is a woman who mattered deeply to so many. Latania
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Speaker 1: was more than what happened to her. She was a friend,
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Speaker 1: a daughter, and someone whose presence is still felt by
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Speaker 1: those closest to her. Today, we're joined by her friend,
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Speaker 1: Krystal Nwkirk, who is here to help us remember Latania
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Speaker 1: for who she truly was beyond the tragedy. Thank you
6:03
Speaker 1: for being here, and welcome to the show.
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Speaker 3: Thank you.
6:07
Speaker 1: We're glad to have you, and we would like to
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Speaker 1: start off by just learning a little bit about you.
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Speaker 1: So tell us a little bit about you, Crystal.
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Speaker 3: I live in Satchoppe, Florida my whole life. I was
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Speaker 3: born there. I fish root fish worms and went to
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Speaker 3: Barcola High School and just being with my family. Thank you. Fishing.
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Speaker 1: I'm learning that people around here are very much into fishing,
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Speaker 1: as is Michael.
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Speaker 2: Of course we are.
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Speaker 3: Yes, this is.
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Speaker 1: Something that I'm learning that when you live here, you
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Speaker 1: go fishing. And so I've learned to fish, which is great.
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Speaker 3: And that's all I did all my life with my family.
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Speaker 3: You know, we own a We used to own a
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Speaker 3: sea free market there on Pa Santa.
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Speaker 1: Dro Tell us about your relationship to Latania.
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Speaker 3: Okay, I went to school where Tania we called her
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Speaker 3: two and I went to elementary through high school. We
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Speaker 3: graduated together, me and her. When we graduated, we never
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Speaker 3: split up at all. Have you seen her, You've seen me?
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Speaker 3: It's either way. We was there together and I let
7:21
Speaker 3: her meet my husband's nat uncle and she decided to
7:28
Speaker 3: move in with him. And of that date only that's
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Speaker 3: my last time when I seen her share with us.
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Speaker 1: One of your fondest memories of the time that you
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Speaker 1: spent with Atanya.
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Speaker 3: Well, me and her, we did school together. We have fun,
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Speaker 3: we have our first talk together. I had a son
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Speaker 3: and she had a daughter. Me and her, we co
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Speaker 3: parent with our children. You know, we were young, we
7:54
Speaker 3: had kids. But me and her we did sports in school. Men,
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Speaker 3: are we dead? Party together? We did all kinds of
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Speaker 3: things like friends. We were like sisters more than anything.
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Speaker 1: And what do you want people to know about Latania?
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Speaker 3: Well, Latania was a sweet girl. She was a happy girl.
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Speaker 3: She helped anybody she did. She would give her shirt
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Speaker 3: off their back. You know. She she will help anybody,
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Speaker 3: you know. And she never bothered nobody at all. She
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Speaker 3: was a quiet person. The long thing we can remember
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Speaker 3: with Latanya. You know, we were sitting at the picnic table.
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Speaker 3: We played cards together, and we was on Allan Street
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Speaker 3: and thought chopping.
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Speaker 1: So let's talk a little bit about Latania and her death.
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Speaker 1: And I believe you were very involved in getting Latonia
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Speaker 1: to the hospital. About that, yes, ma'am, Okay, can you
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Speaker 1: talk a little bit about what that was like for
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Speaker 1: you that day and what you remember?
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Speaker 3: Okay, only thing I remember I got a phone call
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Speaker 3: from my mama.
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Speaker 1: You take as much time as you need.
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Speaker 3: Her mom called me because we because she was praid
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Speaker 3: to go to the crab outse. Well, we went her
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Speaker 3: her brother went to the trailer. Well, when we got
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Speaker 3: there till the trailer, her brother busted the door down
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Speaker 3: and he busted door down and found her butt ass
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Speaker 3: neckd Her leg was up under the chair. But when
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Speaker 3: to do Before all this happened, I went picked her
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Speaker 3: up because she called me and asked me to come
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Speaker 3: and get her because her and then was arguing. And
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Speaker 3: I picked her up off the back truck the box
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Speaker 3: trail rather on surf road. Well, I took her there
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Speaker 3: to pick up her wallet from his house. She never
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Speaker 3: came back out, and I just left. The guy that
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Speaker 3: was with me he deceased now. He told me, he said,
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Speaker 3: don't get involved with this. Don't get involved with this Crystal,
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Speaker 3: because she's the want to come back. Well, when I
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Speaker 3: finally talked to her and I told her, I said,
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Speaker 3: you need to come home. You know they would never
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Speaker 3: let her leap. That's all I remember that Her mom
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Speaker 3: and her brother called me because they found her butt naked.
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Speaker 1: And so it sounds like the relationship that she had
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Speaker 1: with Was she living with him in this trailer and
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Speaker 1: were you there frequently or did she live somewhere else?
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Speaker 3: Well, she was living with him there, okay, Yeah, she
10:55
Speaker 3: was living with him because she moved out of my
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Speaker 3: out of my house and down with him. And I
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Speaker 3: told her, I said, you're making a bad idea because
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Speaker 3: I told him he couldn't stay at my house because
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Speaker 3: him and her just constantly argued and I wasn't going
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Speaker 3: to have that around my children. But that's the last
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Speaker 3: time I talked to her when I dropped her off.
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Speaker 1: And so you you saw evidence of were called an
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Speaker 1: unhealthy relationship and warned her right that this was something
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Speaker 1: that she probably shouldn't do.
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Speaker 3: Yes, Yes, I did, okay.
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Speaker 1: And then when you got the phone call from Latania's mom,
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Speaker 1: did you go straight to the hospital. Did you go
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Speaker 1: over to the trailer?
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Speaker 3: No, I went straight to the hospital where Latania was,
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Speaker 3: and that didn't look like her and I stand beside
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Speaker 3: her the whole time, and like I was begging her
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Speaker 3: to come back and life. I was bad. And after
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Speaker 3: that the chef department picked me up.
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Speaker 1: And then they did an interview with you, right, yeah, yeah,
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Speaker 1: tell us a little bit about that interview, and you
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Speaker 1: just told us exactly what you remember that day, and
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Speaker 1: I would imagine that you said the same thing to them,
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Speaker 1: and what was their reaction when you told them what
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Speaker 1: you had observed.
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Speaker 3: They told me they was going to do some investigation
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Speaker 3: that whenever they need me or ask more any questions,
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Speaker 3: they will let me know. Well, after all that, I
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Speaker 3: haven't heard back from nobody. I didn't spoke with nobody.
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Speaker 3: I even asked, what's Anya's mom? Has she found out
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Speaker 3: about anything? Because I was married in the family in
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Speaker 3: that dude's family, you know, and that there calls my
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Speaker 3: marriage to my husband. Yeah, I got a run by
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Speaker 3: that family, you know. But I do protect my son.
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Speaker 3: My son don't go around them. But they alcoholics. The
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Speaker 3: guys is, they are drunk, they do drugs, you know.
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Speaker 3: And what I heard to somebody else, but I already
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Speaker 3: there was two more guys there when that when it happened.
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Speaker 3: But I don't know how true it is. The law
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Speaker 3: didn't investigate. I don't know.
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Speaker 1: Tell us what you heard about what happened to her
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Speaker 1: from the time that you left her that day and
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Speaker 1: then her mom found her.
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Speaker 3: Her mom called me and told me that they found
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Speaker 3: her unconscious, and I didn't know what to think. But
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Speaker 3: the dude that she was win, they said he was
13:53
Speaker 3: at the hospital too, and how that puzzle when it
13:57
Speaker 3: didn't just didn't add upright on the top.
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Speaker 1: I was able to get some documentation from the Sheriff's
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Speaker 1: office and quite a bit of it is what was
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Speaker 1: happening at the hospital, and it's my understanding that it
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Speaker 1: was a strangulation that then caused a blood clot, and
14:19
Speaker 1: then a blood that blood clot in her throat caused
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Speaker 1: a stroke, and then that is ultimately what caused her death.
14:29
Speaker 1: Am I right about that?
14:32
Speaker 3: Yeah?
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Speaker 1: Okay, that does line up with what I was able
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Speaker 1: to read. It's I was about to say it's unfortunate,
14:39
Speaker 1: but I'm going to use a different word. I think
14:41
Speaker 1: it's I don't know the right word. It's tragic that
14:47
Speaker 1: this isn't a name that is known to us, and
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Speaker 1: we live here in Wilkhala County, and it does. When
14:56
Speaker 1: I found out about Latania, I was a little bit
14:59
Speaker 1: surpris because we've only always been under the assumption that
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Speaker 1: Jody Kilgore is the only unsolved homicide. And we'll call
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Speaker 1: a county and people nod their heads and say, yes,
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Speaker 1: that's true. And then I learned about Latania and I
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Speaker 1: learned that there is documentation of a strangulation that caused
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Speaker 1: a blood clot that caused a stroke that caused her death.
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Speaker 1: And I'm like, that means that this Jody Kilgore is
15:23
Speaker 1: not the only unsolved homicide. And we'll call a county
15:26
Speaker 1: because no one has ever been arrested for Latania's homicide. Correct, No,
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Speaker 1: So this was sort of I'm still struggling with the
15:35
Speaker 1: right word, but this was very eye opening to me,
15:37
Speaker 1: and in a sense, I kind of felt like I
15:39
Speaker 1: was like the like the wool was pulled over my
15:43
Speaker 1: eyes because we've had several conversations with people across the
15:48
Speaker 1: county and with law enforcement, and no one's ever said
15:50
Speaker 1: her name. And so we are here to make sure
15:52
Speaker 1: that people say her name and everyone in the county
15:55
Speaker 1: knows that Latania Thomas is the victim of an unsolved homicide,
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Speaker 1: and we'll call a county.
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Speaker 3: Yeah. It just like they never me or Thomas and
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Speaker 3: or Pam. We ain't heard back from nobody, They ain't
16:09
Speaker 3: told us nothing.
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Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit about the impact that Latania's
16:14
Speaker 1: death has had on you.
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Speaker 3: Well, I take it strong. It hurts. I miss my
16:21
Speaker 3: friend every day. You know, I can't make friends with
16:25
Speaker 3: other people, and all I got is my children. You know.
16:34
Speaker 3: After I lost but Tanya, I lost my friend Vicki.
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Speaker 3: You know, all three of us stuck together, all three
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Speaker 3: of us, and I lost my both best friends, and
16:50
Speaker 3: I don't have nobody but my children. Then after I
16:54
Speaker 3: lost them, I lost my mother. You know, I lost
16:58
Speaker 3: my son from murder, Kraye, from Jeff Dugger a home side.
17:04
Speaker 3: I know y'all't heard about that, did y'all?
17:07
Speaker 1: No, that's not what I'm familiar with either. No, I
17:11
Speaker 1: have not heard of that.
17:13
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, from mark La County. Yeah.
17:16
Speaker 1: This is very eye opening in a really sad way.
17:21
Speaker 1: And we're just really grateful that you have come forward
17:25
Speaker 1: and that you're sharing this information with us. And is
17:29
Speaker 1: there anything that we did not give you an opportunity
17:32
Speaker 1: to speak about, or something that you'd like to say
17:35
Speaker 1: that we didn't specifically ask you about? Love I do
17:40
Speaker 1: a follow up question. It seems clear to me that
17:46
Speaker 1: you have a hope that the Sheriff's office will do
17:48
Speaker 1: more than they're doing. What would you like from the
17:51
Speaker 1: community now that we are making sure that people are
17:54
Speaker 1: aware of Latania and they have a little bit of
17:56
Speaker 1: information about what has happened. What would you like to
17:59
Speaker 1: have from the Wakulla County community.
18:04
Speaker 3: I the county will find out what really happened, What
18:12
Speaker 3: happened whoever really done this to her? Because it's pretty
18:17
Speaker 3: bad that I heard. It wasn't just one person, it
18:21
Speaker 3: was three guys, and I'm thinking them three guys need
18:25
Speaker 3: to be a just be in prison.
18:29
Speaker 1: You've been listening to Tragedy a True Crime Podcast. Our
18:33
Speaker 1: purpose is to honor victims by sharing their stories through
18:36
Speaker 1: the voices of friends, family, and those whose wives were
18:39
Speaker 1: forever changed. If today's episode resonated with you, we encourage
18:45
Speaker 1: you to subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast
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Speaker 1: so these important stories continue to be heard. Together, we
18:53
Speaker 1: can preserve their memories and ensure their voices are never forgotten.
18:58
Speaker 1: If you have ideas for ki we should cover or
19:01
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19:14
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19:24
Speaker 1: you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time.