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Local Hero - Diver Leads Search for Missing 10-Year-Old in Destin Waters · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the deep dive. Today. We're going to take
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  you to Destin, Florida. It's known for those incredible emerald waters.
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  Beautiful place, absolutely, but it was also the scene of
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  something truly heartbreaking back on June twelfth, twenty twenty five. Yeah,
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  that's when ten year old Trinity Eslinger, who was visiting
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  from Arkansas, vanished. She was swimming near the Destinies Pass,
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  an area with well notoriously strong currents.
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  Speaker 2: Uh huh, really treacherous exactly.
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  Speaker 1: Now. Official search efforts were intense, really intense at first,
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  but eventually they.
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  Speaker 2: Had to be scaled back right, the conditions were just
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  too much.
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  Speaker 1: But that, it turns out, was just the start of
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  a different kind of story, a pretty remarkable one actually.
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  So our mission for you today is to unpack what
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  happened next. How a simple social media post from a
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  local diver kicked off this huge community mission.
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  Speaker 2: It's an amazing story of people coming together, it really is.
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  Speaker 1: We'll look at the incredible challenges they faced, and you
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  know what this whole thing tells us about safety, about
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  solidarity in these coastal towns.
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  Speaker 2: And the power of just one person deciding to act.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, how one person's idea can become this beacon of hope.
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  And what that means for you, our listener, about well,
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  the surprising power we have when we act together.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely, This deep dive really shows how fast a community
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  can rally when something awful happens.
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  Speaker 1: So take us back to that day, June twelfth, Right.
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  Speaker 2: It was June twelfth, twenty twenty five. Trinity was just
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  enjoying the last full day of her family's vacation. Okay,
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  around seven thirty in the evening. She was swimming. It
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  was between Ostine Beach and Norego Point, right near the Dustin.
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  Speaker 1: East Pass, that specific area known for the currents exactly,
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  that's the spot known for being strong, unpredictable. And when
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  she was swept away, what was the immediate situation the
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  families struggle.
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  Speaker 2: It happened fast. Trinity was pulled by a really powerful current.
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  Her mother actually tried to reach her. Oh my gosh, yeah,
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  but she just couldn't overcome the force of the water.
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  It is too strong.
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  Speaker 1: Conditions worse than things.
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  Speaker 2: Dramatically, their efforts, the family's efforts were just stopped almost
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  immediately by darkness falling so quickly and just well overwhelming
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  golf conditions.
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  Speaker 1: That is just harrowing, sounds like an understatement. So the
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  official response, how quickly did that happen?
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  Speaker 2: Pretty fast? Actually within an hour of her disappearing, the
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  Oakalsa County Sheriff's Office, the OCSO, they issued what's called
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  an aqua.
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  Speaker 1: Alert, a marine specific alert, right.
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  Speaker 2: And multiple agencies jumped in immediately, Dustin Fire Rescue, the
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  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission FWC, and the US
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  Coast Guard. So a lot of resources, a lot they
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  had drones, helicopters, boats, divers out there. The OCSO alone
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  they deployed two of their vessels and ten divers. They
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  conducted I think twenty four dives in total.
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  Speaker 1: Twenty four dives. That's exhaustive, but clearly they faced major obstacles.
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  What were the big ones?
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  Speaker 2: The main problem was, as Lieutenant Brian parked in from
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  the OCSO put it, the nature and the elements, right,
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  they were battling stormy weather, really rough seas, those strong
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  currents we mention, and just terrible visibility underwater.
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  Speaker 1: Making diving almost impossible, extremely perilous.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean think about it, You're fighting the current,
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  you can barely see the seabed might be shifting. It's
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  incredibly dangerous work.
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  Speaker 1: So dangerous that they had to stop eventually.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, by June twentieth, so after six solid days of
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  intensive searching, the official efforts were suspended. It just shows
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  how powerful those natural challenges were, even for the pros.
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  Speaker 1: But as those official efforts hit their limit, the story shifts.
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  A local guy, Jonathan Ivy, steps in. Tell us about him.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Jonathan Ivy. He's a certified local diver, been diving
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  for about sixteen years. He also runs a local beverage company.
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  You might know it Pensacola.
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  Speaker 1: Okay.
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  Speaker 2: He was just really moved by what happened to Trinity.
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  He told one of the local news stations where news
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  that losing a child like that is, he said, worse
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  than a tragedy. Wow, And diving for him, it's more
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  than a hobby. It's like a family tradition. So he
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  felt uniquely positioned maybe to do something.
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  Speaker 1: And it started so simply, didn't it. Just a social media.
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  Speaker 2: Post, incredibly simple. On June twentieth, the same day the
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  official search was suspended, he just posted on Facebook he
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  was looking for a dive buddy, someone to go out
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  with him.
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  Speaker 1: And keep searching this one person.
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  Speaker 2: That's what he expected. But he told Fox ten News
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  he was quote overwhelmed and very shocked because what he
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  thought would be a small thing just snowballed.
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  Speaker 1: As he put it, how quickly did it snowball?
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  Speaker 2: Within hours? He said, A dozen experienced divers volunteered right away.
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  Speaker 1: A dozen.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So his personal idea suddenly turned into this big,
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  collaborative community mission. I mean, it wasn't just finding a
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  partner anymore. It was organizing a whole volunteer search effort.
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  Speaker 1: That's incredible mobilization. And it wasn't just individual divers showing
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  up right other groups got involved.
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  Speaker 2: It really showed the strength of that community. You had
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  experienced divers from all over Deston in Northwest Florida, offering
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  their time, their skills, their equipment, bringing their own gear exactly.
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  Some brought boats, others were just swimming out from the shore.
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  They covered a search area about a half mile out,
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  and Ivy was smart about it. He organized them into
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  buddy groups for safety. You need that in those conditions.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely essential. Any larger organizations, Yes.
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  Speaker 2: The United Cajun Navy joined in. You might remember them.
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  They formed after Hurricane Katrina back in two thousand and five.
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  Speaker 1: Right, the volunteer group, that's them.
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  Speaker 2: They brought drones and boats and they committed to searching
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  for at least another day, possibly longer.
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  Speaker 1: And I heard a local business stepped up too.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. Smith Mechanical Heating and Air offered a five
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  thousand dollars reward for finding Trinity.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: And Ivy immediately said, you know, if that reward is claimed,
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  it goes straight to the family. He says, something really powerful.
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  There's no price tag you can put on a person's life.
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  M powerful indeed, and beyond that, just huge online support,
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  people expressing grief solidarity. Trinity's aunt started to go fund
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  me and that helped cover expenses, equipment, travel for the family.
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  Stay there just a real outpouring.
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  Speaker 1: So let's circle back to the pass itself, the Destinies Pass.
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  We keep saying it's treacherous. Could you break down why
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  it's so dangerous, especially for swimmers and divers.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So the East hass It's basically where the Gulf
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  of Mexico meets the Choctawachee Bay. This creates really strong,
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  often sudden currents. Lieutenant Parkedon mentioned it the mix of
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  the current and the water depth is a big part
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  of the hazard. Especially if you can't touch the bottom,
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  you can get pulled out very quickly.
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  Speaker 1: Like a funnel effect almost sort of.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it channels the water flow intensely.
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  Speaker 1: And for the divers trying to search in that, what
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  were the specific difficulties they were up against.
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  Speaker 2: Down there, Oh, it was brutal for them. Visibility, as
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  we said, often terrible, especially if storms have churned everything
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  up right, then you've got potential marine life, underwater debris
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  things to get snagged on. Plus the environment itself is
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  constantly changing, shifting sandbars, those unpredictable currents. Trying to do
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  a systemat had a grid search in that, it's incredibly tough.
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  Speaker 1: Like searching in a washing machine, you said earlier, pretty much, Yeah,
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  not far off yet. Despite all that, Ivy and his
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  team were just incredibly determined.
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  Speaker 2: They really were. Ivy himself said it was not something
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  for the faint of heart, but he stressed their commitment.
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  They wanted to make sure quote, not a single place
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  that could have been searched that wasn't.
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  Speaker 1: Leaving no stone unturned literally exactly.
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  Speaker 2: They used a systematic approach searching in pairs. They were
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  driven by hope, you know, hope for closure for Trinity's family,
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  even though they realistically knew it was likely a recovery
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  effort by then, their resolve was just immense.
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  Speaker 1: This whole tragic event. It seems like it's also reignited
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  some long standing worries about water safety and DestinE.
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  Speaker 2: It definitely has. It's brought renewed attention to safety concerns
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  that have been around for a while, like.
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  Speaker 1: What, specifically, what are people calling for?
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  Speaker 2: Well, some residents like Marcy Bell, have been pushing for
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  better warning systems, specifically like a beach flow system to
• 8:00
  clearly signal when conditions are dangerous.
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  Speaker 1: Flags like you see in other beaches red flag, double
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  red flags exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And it's interesting because nearby places Okalissa Island, Pensacola, they
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  do use those flag systems.
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  Speaker 1: So why out at Ostein Beach where Trinity was.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Ostein Beach where she was last seen, it just
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  has a swim at your own risk sign, no lifeguards.
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  And there was a report actually that the Dustined Beach
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  Safety Facebook page stopped posting flag warnings back in twenty
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  twenty four. Stopped why apparently because the conditions there are
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  so consistently dangerous they would almost always have to fly
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  double red flags.
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  Speaker 1: Which means no swimming allowed at all.
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  Speaker 2: Right, so it creates this difficult situation for a tourist area.
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  You know, constant warnings might scare people away, but not
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  warning them clearly has tragic consequences.
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  Speaker 1: That's a really tough balance. So given these inherent dangers, right,
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  what's the key advice from officials like Lieutenant Parkton.
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  Speaker 2: His main advice is pretty straightforward, wear life jackets and
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  always be mindful of the currents, even if the water seems.
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  Speaker 1: Shallow, because it can change so quickly.
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  Speaker 2: Instantly and sadly, this isn't the first tragedy like this
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  in Destin's waters. It echoes other incidents. There was the
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  disappearance and later recovery of a thirty one year old
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  scuba diver, Jeremy Carmicle, back in September twenty twenty four,
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  and even earlier in twenty twelve, a twenty two year
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  old diver named Stefan Noray died near the East Jetty.
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  Speaker 1: So it underscores the ongoing risk absolutely.
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  Speaker 2: It highlights the constant need for awareness and education about
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  just how dynamic and potentially dangerous. These beautiful waters can
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  be the.
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  Speaker 1: Way Jonathan Ivy and the community stepped up. It really
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  points to the power of these grassroots efforts, doesn't it,
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  especially when official searches face limits.
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  Speaker 2: It really does. And Ivy's initiative, while remarkable, isn't totally unique.
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  It's actually part of a growing trend.
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  Speaker 1: Oh. Really, other groups doing similar work.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are groups like Adventures with Purpose or Chaos Divers.
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  You might have seen them online maybe on YouTube.
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  Speaker 1: Heard of them. They use sonar and stuff exactly.
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  Speaker 2: They use sonar diving expertise, often funded by donations or
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  their online presence, to find missing persons, especially in water recoveries.
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  They've solved dozens of cold cases across the country.
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  Speaker 1: Wow. So they're filling a real gap.
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  Speaker 2: A critical gap sometimes, Yeah, especially when official resources are
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  stretched thin or a case has gone cold. These specialized
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  civilian teams can be incredibly effective.
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  Speaker 1: But diving in places like the destinies pass, as we've established,
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  is risky. How important was it that Ivy was coordinating
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  experienced divers.
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  Speaker 2: Hugely important. Doctor Michelle Genis, who's an assistant professor of
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  criminal justice, made this point. She said, While these grassroots
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  efforts play an integral role, inexperienced people getting involved in
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  such hazardous conditions can easily endanger themselves.
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  Speaker 1: Right, good intentions aren't enough, not when the risks are
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  that high.
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  Speaker 2: So Ivy's background, his insistence on buddy systems and coordinating
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  experience certified divers, that was absolutely crucial. It's just for
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  the effectiveness of the search, but for everyone's safety. It
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  really highlights why expertise and proper safety protocols are vital
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  when volunteers step into these high risk situations.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and throughout all this, the logistics, the dangers, the
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  emotional heart of this is just wrenching. The family's uncertainty.
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  Speaker 2: It has to be just excruciating. That's the word used
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  to describe it. Knowing her mother tried so hard to
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  save her and the family they're resolved to stay involved,
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  to be there during the search. It's just immense strength.
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  Kevin Lafon from the United Cajun Navy, he talked about
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  how difficult it is having family directly involved in active
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  searches sometimes, but he praised their resilience and how the
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  community support really helped ease at least some of that
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  burden during such an unimaginable time.
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  Speaker 1: And for Johnathan Ivy, his driving force seemed to be
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  about offering that family some kind of piece.
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  Speaker 2: That was clearly his core motivation. It was about giving
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  them peace of mind knowing that everything possible was being done.
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  He said, we're hopeful and we're prayerful. His goal was
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  to ensure again that not a single place that could
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  have been searched that.
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  Speaker 1: Wasn't that commitment is powerful, it is.
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  Speaker 2: And the way everyone responded, the divers, the businesses, the
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  people donating, the people just offering support online, it all
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  came together around that same goal trying to provide some
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  form of closure, some answer for the Eslinger family.
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  Speaker 1: So wrapping this up, Jonathan Ivy taking that simple Facebook
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  post and turning it into this massive community search for
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  Trinity Slinger. It's just such a powerful example, isn't it,
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  of compassion of action right in the middle of a
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  terrible tragedy.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, his leadership, coupled with the sheer determination of all
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  those divers, the United Cajun Navy, the whole Destined community,
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  it really shows the strength that can come from just
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  well human solidarity, empathy put into action.
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  Speaker 1: On this deep dive. It's really shown us the vital
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  role these grassroots efforts can play, especially when official searches
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  hit limitations like those extreme conditions in the past.
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  Speaker 2: Right. It shows their potential, but also certainly the risks
• 13:00
  involved and the need for expertise, And it definitely puts
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  a spotlight back on the ongoing need for better safety measures,
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  clearer warnings in these beautiful but challenging coastal spots.
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  Speaker 1: We've seen how fast things can go wrong, how dangerous
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  the water can be, but also how quickly a community
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  can come together.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that contrast is really striking the immense power of
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  nature and the equally immense power of human connection and
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  collective action when things are at their worst.
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  Speaker 1: So it leaves us and you the listener, with something
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  to think about. We've seen the beauty, the danger, and
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  the community response. It raises this really important question. How
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  can everyone involve the coastal communities, the visitors who love
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  these places, the local authorities. How can we all work
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  together to balance that magnetic allure of natural beauty with
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  the very real inherent risks. How do we make sure
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  safety truly comes first without taking away that joy of
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  being by the water. The joy of discovery.
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  Speaker 2: It's a complex question. There aren't easy answers.
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  Speaker 1: No, there aren't. Trendy's story is a heartbreaking reminder of
• 14:02
  just how high the stakes are in finding that balance.