MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Alyssa Romine-Olson Part 2

18:58Brit Prawat:According to James, Sammy is of Thai descent, stands shorter than six feet tall, has medium length dark hair, and speaks with an accent.

19:08Ashley Flowers:Okay, so this is like matching that description.

19:11Brit Prawat:But reading the file, I genuinely wonder if we are the only ones who have put this together because Chelsea told us that when she went to police with her tip in October, detectives were like, OK, you know, thanks. We're going to make note of this. Write it down. That was it. They didn't seem concerned. They didn't seem suspicious of it. And I cannot find a single page of investigative follow up into anyone matching Sammy's name or description. No composite sketch, no search, no flyers, no nothing, which I cannot explain. As far as I can tell, to this day, Sammy, whoever he is, has never been found or interviewed.

19:53Brit Prawat:So, I mean, this is like a good call out. Like, if anyone is familiar, like in this Gilbert area, with someone named Sammy, S-A-M-M-Y, who matches that description, who lived around Gilbert, Arizona, email us. tips at audiochuck.com and we will keep looking into this. Now, while the first two theories could involve people we don't have names for, this next one I have a lot of info for. So buckle up. So a full year after Alyssa's body was found, her sister Chelsea ends up getting a private Facebook message from a woman who wants to tell her about some suspicious activity that she observed at the riparian.

20:41Brit Prawat:The woman says that there was this man hanging around the park who was like eyeballing her daughter in a way that made her like very uncomfortable. And not one to brush that kind of unwanted attention off, the woman decided to follow the man when he left the park. She followed as he walked down the road for over a mile to a Circle K and then shoved his backpack into one of the nearby black power boxes. When he did that, something caught this woman's eye. She thought that she saw pieces of clothing in there. And for some reason, that's when it all just like connected for her. She knew about the discovery of Alyssa's body the year before.

21:21Brit Prawat:And here was a suspicious man lurking in the same area, storing clothes and potentially more items in a power box. So she was reaching out to Chelsea to sort of say like, hey I saw this I don't know if this means anything but maybe you should bring it to the attention of police which Chelsea does. On June 14th 2017 she goes to the police station with her dad to explain the whole situation and that's when detectives tell her that they'd actually already heard of this guy spoke to him even twice by that point once the day after Alyssa's body was found, and then another time just months before they were getting this report from Chelsea.

22:03Brit Prawat:The guy's name was Luis Bueno. And sure enough, there he is right there in the case file early days. From the reports we have, it looks like right after Alyssa's death, he approached police in the CVS parking lot, but it's like across the street from the riparian. And he told them that he was homeless and he hung out by the preserve from time to time. But it's what he said next that caught their attention. He said that two days before, so that would have been June 9th.

22:36Ashley Flowers:The day that Alyssa was reported missing.

22:38Brit Prawat:And presumably the day that she died, but we don't know for sure. He says that he was in the parking lot of the LDS church that's across the street from the preserve and he heard a gunshot. Now, Elise couldn't tell where the shot came from or remember exactly what time he heard it. But he said that it was, quote, right before all the cop cars arrived, which I'm assuming were the officers responding to Ed's missing person report for his daughter, Alyssa.

23:05Ashley Flowers:So that's like pretty late at night.

23:08Brit Prawat:Well, I mean, that's the only time that I know of where the cop cars showed up to the preserve that day. But reminder, Alyssa didn't have any gunshot wounds. Right. And Michelle said that when they were out there looking, they definitely didn't hear any shots. So what is this? I don't know. Now, Luis said that he didn't know anyone who regularly visited the park, but he did have something else to share. He says, you know, one or two days before I heard the gunshot, I saw this black guy walking around the park, which he thought apparently was unusual because he had, quote, never seen a black male walk around the park before, end quote.

23:44Brit Prawat:Which just an FYI, Michelle said this is not consistent with her experience of the park. Regardless, they don't do much with this at the time. Like no one else seemed to have heard a gunshot. The story just kind of felt like nonsense, probably. But Luis pops up again in the files about two weeks after that conversation. And by this point, it's June 25th. So the investigator writes that she would like to interview him again about Alyssa's death. But that doesn't actually happen. For another nine months. Which, if you ask me, might have something to do with the fact that investigators were charging like full steam ahead with their investigation into Braden's death.

24:30Brit Prawat:But finally, in March of 2017, detectives pick back up with Luis. This time he was interviewed on the patio of the library, right by the riparian. Which investigators wrote is an area that he is known to frequent. And if you remember, this is also where Alyssa's, like her dad's car was parked. And the library borders the riparian. Right. So in this interview, the detective told Luis that he was investigating the death that happened in that area. And before he even said Alyssa's name, Luis responded, oh, you mean the lake here. I'm the one that came to the officers to report something. But reminder, Alyssa didn't have any gunshot wounds.

25:13Brit Prawat:And Michelle said that when they were out there looking like that night, they definitely didn't hear any shots. Now, the first thing the detectives asked Luis was when exactly he heard the gunshot that he mentioned in his first conversation with officers. And Luis responded, just when that thing took place with that woman that drowned in the lake, but they said that was a suicide.

25:36Ashley Flowers:Okay, who's they?

25:37Brit Prawat:I don't know. I would assume the media is who he's talking about.

25:41Ashley Flowers:Okay, do we know if Luis even had access to, like, news reports?

25:45Brit Prawat:He probably did. He told detectives he had this, like, five-inch television, and, like, that's how he heard about the death.

25:49Ashley Flowers:Okay.

25:50Brit Prawat:Now, at this point, the detective had already told Luis that he was not under arrest, didn't have to speak, and was free to leave at any time. But one of the first things Luis asked was, you don't think I had anything to do with it. And the investigator didn't answer this. He just asked Luis to describe what he observed that was so suspicious. And here we get the same story again about this, like, black guy walking the paths within the preserve. Luis says that he couldn't remember which path, just that it was, like, deep within the preserve and that he saw him while he was riding his bike going down the path.

26:24Brit Prawat:And this only made less sense when Luis told the detectives that he, quote, hardly goes to the preserve.

26:31Ashley Flowers:So it was just a coincidence that he happened to venture in there the one night that a woman might have died?

26:37Brit Prawat:I guess so. And I think at this point, Louise might have realized the hole he was kind of like digging for himself because he says, I give you my word, sir. I had nothing to do with something like that. Louise said that he just reported the suspicious activity because it was his duty as a Christian. And then Louise sort of changed his tone. According to the police file, he accused the detective of hassling him. And this is where the police file starts to read as a little bit combative. The detective told Luis that he believed he had more information than he had shared. And he asked Luis if he had ever spoken to Alyssa.

27:15Brit Prawat:And Luis said, quote, You're going to take me in, huh, for something I didn't do. So the detective asks again, Have you ever spoken to Alyssa? This time Luis didn't even answer. And when the detective continued on to say that Alyssa was a very talkative person, Luis said, oh, my gosh, you're going to turn me in because I'm a sex offender. I'm sorry.

27:40Ashley Flowers:Come in. And listen, like what?

27:42Brit Prawat:This is true. And it's not news to the detective talking to him. He did his homework, told Luis as much when Luis started telling him about how he spent 17 years in prison for attempting to assault two women at the same time. But Luis insisted that he wasn't actually guilty of that, except again, the detective already read the police report. He knew Luis was downplaying the situation. And he brought up another case where Luis was arrested for attempted sexual assault. And so Luis conceded that while he was claiming he was innocent of the first attempted assault, he was responsible for the second.

28:23Brit Prawat:And then, I guess, feeling the need to explain himself, Louise launched into this personal history about how his mom, like, put him on something when he was, like, 16 or 17. And he had what he calls an explosion, like, or an explosion went off in his head like fireworks. And he said when that happened, he immediately turned to crime.

28:43Ashley Flowers:What did his mom put him on?

28:45Brit Prawat:All of the files are redacted. I don't know. But like based on the way Louise talks like later, he kind of insinuates that it was like an antidepressant. And he says that there are countless stories of antidepressants causing people to, quote, go off.

28:58Ashley Flowers:Was this his way of sort of like admitting some sort of responsibility?

29:04Brit Prawat:No, I don't think so. Because Louise suggested that that was the old him. But he has control now and is, quote, normal again. Now, this first official interview with Luis ended with him asking if the detective wanted him to take a polygraph test.

29:24Ashley Flowers:Yeah. Yes, please.

29:25Brit Prawat:And the detective tries to set it up immediately. He called the polygrapher, made the arrangements, and drove Luis to the police department where, quote, he was provided with the opportunity to take the polygraph test. Love that phrasing. Yeah, but I don't think he did.

29:40Ashley Flowers:Oh.

29:40Brit Prawat:I don't know why exactly or what happened because it's redacted in the file, but there is no mention of any polygraph results. Or maybe it's the results that are redacted. Who knows? I just know that Luis was subsequently released. And so then fast forward three months, that's when Chelsea comes forward with her tip. And when she does, it's not just some random like guy. She's like, I saw this guy and they're connecting the dots. She has Louise's name because the woman who told her about this whole thing literally like looked up the sex offender registry list and like ID'd Louise. She's out here like doing the most, but like in the best way possible.

30:20Brit Prawat:Total crime junkie. Yeah. And she did even more because not only did she share this tip with Chelsea, like, hey, you might want to share this with police. You might want to check this out. She actually did go straight to police herself with this information three months before in March.

30:35Ashley Flowers:Is that what spurred them to talk to him like the second time?

30:38Brit Prawat:No, because jurisdiction made it so that this tipster's call got routed to Mesa PD. So when Chelsea is going to them, they're like, OK, yeah, we know this guy. We want to talk to him again. But by then they can't find Luis.

30:56Ashley Flowers:OK, everything you've told me about him, he like frequents like three places in a one mile radius. I know. What do you mean you can't find him?

31:06Brit Prawat:I don't know. I can see a note in the file that says they sent out like over a thousand flyers with his information. Like they're doing something to look for him. But the thing is, like, I don't know where they're sending all those flyers. Because like it couldn't have been or doesn't seem like it was the library.

31:23Ashley Flowers:Where he is all the time.

31:26Brit Prawat:And that's where they find him in November of 2018. And when the detective approaches the library manager, like when they have him this time and they're like, hey, do you have a room or something that we can use to like interview this guy? The library manager says, quote, he comes to the library almost daily. So like there he was.

31:44Ashley Flowers:So then where were they looking for him?

31:47Brit Prawat:It feels like maybe they weren't. Because when they sit down with him, he says that he'd offered to take a polygraph in the past, but then he was never contacted again. So, I mean, there's that answer. The detective says that's why he's there now. Okay, like, let's, we're going to have a second official interview. In it, Luis relays the same story about this, like, black guy that he sees in the preserve. But then the investigator quickly, like, turns the tables. He tells Luis that there are people that believe he was involved in Alyssa's death. And Luis is like, how? Nobody searched my backpack.

32:23Ashley Flowers:Sir, no one, not the answer that you, like, are expecting here.

32:28Brit Prawat:Nope. And he's kind of right. Gilbert PD never searched his backpack.

32:32Ashley Flowers:We didn't know we had to.

32:34Brit Prawat:Yeah, but Mesa PD had searched a backpack of his when that call got routed to them in 2017. And you are not going to believe what they found inside of it.

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35:38Brit Prawat:Mesa PD's search of the backpack happened in 2017. Now, it doesn't seem like the dots are connected right away. But by the time Gilbert PD is interviewing Luis in 2018, they have at least Mesa PD's intake report, which talks about what they found in the backpack. So the detective who's talking to Luis now begins to go through the list with Luis one by one, asking him about each item. First up, pair of gloves. And Luis is like, I'm homeless. But the detective is like, yeah, no, I'm looking at latex surgical gloves. And that's when Louise is like, oh, I worked at PETA Jungle. And so, like, I would take the gloves home.

36:24Ashley Flowers:But surgical gloves.

36:26Brit Prawat:That's what he says.

36:27Ashley Flowers:And correct me if I'm wrong, there were latex gloves found at Alyssa's crime scene.

36:32Brit Prawat:There sure were. Mesa also found a woman's hair tie in his bag. And when asked, Louise says, like, well, I must have just had long hair at the time. Is that true? There's no description of Luis in the file, nor photos of him in 2017 when the bag was recovered. But our reporter did get a hold of the woman who, like, followed him, found the backpack in 2017. And she said back then he did have longer hair. Like, it fell just below his chin. But she said that she never saw him, like, wear it pulled back into a ponytail. So, okay, whatever. Next, the detective brings up some religious writings that Mesa found in the bag.

37:11Ashley Flowers:Like religious writings that could be connected to the woman we know would go to the riparian every day to pray with her Bible.

37:20Brit Prawat:But not according to Louise. He says that those writings were his. He's a Christian. He writes like that all the time. In fact, he says he has so many writings about angels and demons that if they want, he can show them. So the detective is like, okay, great. Would love to see. Where? And then Louise says, oh, actually, like, I only carry essential items with me. So, like, I can't show you.

37:44Ashley Flowers:Essential items like surgical gloves and a hair tie for the long hair you don't currently have. Right.

37:51Brit Prawat:Now, I don't know the exact contents of these writings. I know Mesa PD impounded everything that they collected, that bag and everything in it. So we filed a FOIA for the intake form, any photos, like anything. Yeah. But Mesa PD told us that no photos were taken from the incident and there was like not even body cam footage. All they gave us was the incident report and the catalog.

38:16Ashley Flowers:OK, but to me, even more than what the religious notes say, I feel like the handwriting itself would tell you everything you need to know.

38:24Brit Prawat:I know. But like I said, no photos. And Gilbert PD doesn't get to expand on Mesa PD's report because Gilbert PD never got to actually see the items either. Because per a note in the file, the items got destroyed by Mesa PD in May of 2017, quote, in accordance with their policy. So like not that long after they. You're kidding me. No, not that long after they collected them.

38:50Ashley Flowers:Did anyone test this stuff in relation to Alyssa's case? It's like there was no time to.

38:54Brit Prawat:No. And I think that like Mesa PD is the one that responded. They never connected the dots. No, all they knew was that they were holding onto items that like a local resident said, like, it seems suspicious someone put it in there and they were like unclaimed items. They did not know that those items could be connected to a crime that Gilbert P.D. was in charge of. Bottom line is if there was anything in that bag that could definitively tie Luis to Alyssa's death, we will never know. Because by the time Gilbert PD pieced it all together and inquired about the bag, it was too late. Everything was gone.

39:33Brit Prawat:But let's go back to the Louise interview. No, Gilbert PD didn't search the backpack. But they know Mesa PD did. And there was enough there written in their report to make them suspicious. Now, at this point in the interview, Louise again brings up his sex offender status. but restates that he was innocent of his assault charges. And he elaborates more this time and tells the detectives that he committed a burglary where two women fell out of a window. But then they went to court and claimed that he sexually assaulted them. And the only reason he pled guilty was because he went to court chained to a lot of men who wanted to do bad things to him.

40:15Brit Prawat:So he was forced to.

40:16Ashley Flowers:Do we know anything about this case?

40:20Brit Prawat:Well, I wouldn't just from Gilbert's report. There is nothing there. But obviously, I am here trying to solve a mysterious death, not to just like tell you a story. So we FOIA'd the Maricopa County Superior Court. And according to those files, the first incident involving Luis took place in June 1990. He would have been just around like 20 at the time. And the file says that he ambushed two sisters while they were asleep at home and that he was already naked when he jumped on them in their shared bed and attempted to assault them.

40:53Ashley Flowers:And this is what Luis is talking about when he said two women fell out a window.

40:58Brit Prawat:I'm not 100 percent sure because we weren't given the full incident report, only the court filing. So, like, it's possible, but there's like no mention of a window or anything that I can see. Now, the second incident took place in February of 1991, and we actually do have the full incident report for it. It says that Luis forced his way into a physical therapy office naked, found a woman as she was leaving work, and forced her to the floor where he tore her clothes off and attempted to sexually assault her. Luis hit her in the face several times, threatened to kill her if she didn't shut up. But right then, the burglar alarm sounded, and the office phone rang, so Luis ran off.

41:38Brit Prawat:And how did they know it was Luis, you might ask? Well, according to the file, he defecated at the scene, but I don't even know if they, like, had to test that because he also left his photo ID there as well. Now, what's interesting about all of this is the prosecution moved to try both crimes at the same time, citing that, quote,

42:17Brit Prawat:In their motion, the prosecution noted that in both cases, while already naked, Luis ambushed unsuspecting victims that he didn't know prior and attempted to sexually assault them. Luis said that he got the urge to rape victims shortly after seeing them and then just acted spontaneously. He got convicted on all three counts of attempted sexual assault and he went to prison for 17 years. So now let's circle back to Alyssa's case. Because there are a lot of dots here that kind of connect themselves. For one, we know Alyssa was found naked and some of the clothing that was found nearby the crime scene was torn.

42:59Brit Prawat:According to reports, Alyssa's DNA wasn't found on any of that clothing. But I can't help but think back to the original woman who messaged Chelsea on Facebook. She mentioned seeing Luis put clothing in the backpack in the power box. Obviously, all of it would have been destroyed by Mesa PD if it was even still there by the time they collected it. Now we know Luis was at the library every day, according to the librarian. Almost every day. Alyssa gets there very early in the morning, before the library is open, before anyone is around. Does Luis see her and get a spontaneous urge like he admitted to having in his previous crimes?

43:38Brit Prawat:Someone took Alyssa's clothes and her journal with her religious writings. Luis has those kind of writings in his backpack. He has a woman's hair tie. He had latex gloves, and latex gloves were found at the scene. So, knowing that, let's circle back to that November 2018 interview at the library. Once again, Luis and the detective start discussing a polygraph test. Luis asked the detective what good a poly would do if it wouldn't 100 % clear him. And the detective says that it would at least help eliminate him, right? So then for the second time, a polygraph is scheduled, like not right then, but it's scheduled for the end of the month, November 29th, 2018.

44:22Brit Prawat:But before it can happen, Luis calls to reschedule for December 4th because he will no longer be available at that time in November.

44:31Ashley Flowers:I'm like dying to know what he's so busy doing. I have no idea. Yeah.

44:34Brit Prawat:So December 4th comes. Luis and the officer, they do meet. But it seems like the meeting is just for the officer to relay to Luis that the polygrapher won't be available now until December 27th. So Luis agrees to meet the detective then. But on that date, the detective shows up to the library, waits for an hour and 15 minutes, and Luis never shows. He never texts. He never calls. And from the files I have, that seems like the end with Luis. There is nothing to show that he has ever been interviewed again since 2018. So as far as I can tell, he was never even given that polygraph examination that he apparently agreed to, said he would do.

45:18Brit Prawat:Okay, it sounds like he had a phone, though. Like, call him, reschedule. Like, apparently all you have to do to get off Gilbert Petey's radar is, like, ghost them. Not call them. Which is, like, great. I mean, is it that they, like, somehow can't find him again? I don't know for sure, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that this guy is probably just like in the same one block radius that he's been since the start. Like if they really wanted to pin this guy down, I just don't think it would be that hard.

45:50Ashley Flowers:Yeah, it seems like they aren't even trying.

45:53Brit Prawat:It doesn't even seem like they're interested in talking to him again because it's not that they can't find him. You know, I actually know that because we requested a list from the Gilbert PD of all the police records involving Luis Bueno. And he's most definitely been in contact with police officers since 2018. Like records show that he has been named in reports for traffic violations, urinating and defecating in public, trespassing and more. We tried to reach him for comment, but we never heard back from any of the numbers that we tried, including those in his court records. All of those have been disconnected.

46:27Brit Prawat:So I think next step would be a visit to the library, right? The way I see it, there are a lot of things that don't look great for Luis in this. But there isn't any hard evidence they have. But I also like, I don't feel like, it doesn't feel like they're looking for it. It doesn't feel like they're really trying to get to the bottom of this. It feels like the case has stalled and nothing is happening. So we reached out to the Gilbert PD to see what is happening with this case. And in the 11th hour, of course, always, they gave us this statement that I'll have you read.

47:09Ashley Flowers:The initial death investigation involving Alyssa Romine has been thoroughly investigated by Gilbert Detectives. While the Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as undetermined, investigators have exhausted all viable leads and available evidence at this time. This case has not been forgotten. This case has remained under periodic review since its initial closure and is currently assigned to a detective for additional review and may be reactivated if new information becomes available. Gilbert PD also continues to monitor advancements in forensic technology that may assist in case evaluation.

47:43Ashley Flowers:There you have it. If they're still monitoring forensic advancements, that should mean they have things to test, right?

47:50Brit Prawat:Maybe. I mean, we know all this stuff from Mesa's gone. But the one thing that I keep coming back to are the latex gloves they found. Like they found a full one and they found a piece of one. I can see that they were both tested back in 2016. The results, though, are pretty redacted. All I can read is that the full latex glove had male DNA present. They also seemingly found male DNA on, there was this like black phone case that they found too. but conclusions and like other like testing results whatever are redacted as well.

48:25Ashley Flowers:I feel like you would have told me this but like do we know who that DNA belongs to?

48:30Brit Prawat:We do not. I can't even tell if anyone that we've mentioned in these episodes has been tested against it or did they get a good enough profile to put into code FC? I mean as we know there is a lot that is redacted in the file but the reports start really trailing off after 2019. In 2020, I know the PD renewed search efforts for Alyssa's missing belongings in the riparian, which were unsuccessful. And they sent a sample of Alyssa's liver tissue collected in 2016 to a private lab for expanded postmortem forensic examination. OK, what were they looking for? It said that they were just doing like a broader tox screen.

49:12Ashley Flowers:OK, but didn't they already do a tox screen?

49:15Brit Prawat:They did a tox screen. My only assumption is that like maybe they wanted to check for like different, right? Like it expanded. I think it's all there. But I don't know. I don't know if there was something specific they were looking for. I don't know if they found anything, what they found, because there are no results mentioned in the file. I don't know if this is part of like them being like, is there a reason? You know, what the family keeps telling us is like it feels like they're looking for like she did this, right? Like even though they're calling it foul play, like they've always had this like impression.

49:43Brit Prawat:Yeah.

49:44Ashley Flowers:This kind of fits into that. It's just like this undercurrent in the cold case.

49:48Brit Prawat:Now, I know in 2021, there was this like moment where they interviewed a wildlife photographer who frequented the riparian, but she turned out to have no relevant information. And then in 2022, the case was documented as being under a formal FBI cold case review. But the only reason we know that is from a singular status line in the file with no additional context, no follow up. Alyssa's family wasn't even aware of the FBI review until our reporter told them. But what's even stranger is that when asked, the Gilbert PD representative told us that regardless of what the file says, the case actually hasn't been sent to the FBI?

50:27Brit Prawat:Question mark?

50:29Ashley Flowers:So the line in the file is a lie?

50:33Brit Prawat:The rep said that his guess is that there is maybe just like a discussion between the detectives at the time. But like whatever they were discussing about sending it, it just never came to fruition. But it literally says like in the file, quote, currently under FBI cold case review, end quote. So right. Not like we're thinking about sending this to the FBI. Someday maybe having a I don't know. I really don't know.

50:56Ashley Flowers:Which makes me like distrust everything else in the file.

51:01Brit Prawat:Well, while we're on the topic of trust, do you remember from our past Gilbert, Arizona episodes? So the Arizona attorney general's office was looking into allegations about Gilbert PD destroying police records. Right. Well, just a few days before this recording, I haven't told you this yet. They put out a statement saying that their review found that the files in question were deleted as a result of, what do you know, an administrative error. You know, it's always that. There's so many errors. And thus, there is no evidence supporting the likelihood of a successful prosecution. So no criminal charges will be filed.

51:42Ashley Flowers:Of course. Of course.

51:44Brit Prawat:We have heard from the people in Gilbert loud and clear. The status quo ain't working. Something's got to give. The people of Gilbert want more from their public servants. Also, like, if there is, like, no repercussions for, like, any heirs. I've said this before. Like every other like job and profession, I feel like when you have people's lives in your hand, like there's a standard.

52:09Ashley Flowers:Even if you don't, like there are still like expectations and things that you're responsible for to do well. You can do whatever you want.

52:16Brit Prawat:You can just apparently you can do whatever you want. And like as long as you like check a box and say you're trying and like oopsie, it doesn't matter. According to Alyssa's sister, Chelsea, the last time investigators spoke to her mom was in 2019. And from what I can see in the police report, it seems like that conversation was to inform her that Alyssa's case would be reassigned to a new detective. Though they apparently weren't informed that in 2020, the case got reassigned again. After this long, the family deserves more answers than what they're getting. What does the full autopsy report say?

52:54Brit Prawat:What has or has not been tested? And after they learn everything that has been done, the question then is, what else can be? Police should continue to push on Luis. I think it would be worthwhile for them to find this Sammy guy. And it's worth looking into any members of the Last Reformation movement that Alyssa might have had contact with. It's worth finding out who that number was that she was in communication with. And these are only the leads that I was able to identify or connect from the file. The heavily redacted file. There are other possibilities out there. Ones that the family even suggested to police early on.

53:37Brit Prawat:Like one of Alyssa's ex-boyfriends, who, according to Michelle, never got over Alyssa. Michelle said they split years before her death and he knew that she had moved on. But he was still, quote, obsessed with her. He was still reaching out to her and trying to get her back or trying to get back in her life, I should say. And not only that, but Michelle says that he was abusive to Alyssa while they were together. When we asked Chelsea about him, she said that she has a vivid memory of being like 12 or 13 and overhearing a phone call Alyssa made to her parents' house where she was screaming that she needed her dad's help because this man had severely beaten her.

54:19Brit Prawat:Michelle told us his name, but that name never comes up in the police file, even though Michelle said that she and her mom specifically told investigators they should interview this guy. It also happens that shortly after Alyssa's death, according to Chelsea, this same ex-boyfriend started seeing one of Alyssa's little sisters. Mm-hmm. And interestingly, that sister said that at his home, this guy had something stuck to his fridge that said Brayden killed Alyssa.

54:52Ashley Flowers:Why?

54:52Brit Prawat:He told Alyssa's little sister it was because he knew Brayden did it. Now, we reached out to Brayden for comment, but as of this recording, we have not heard back. According to Chelsea, this ex-boyfriend passed away just last year. But as far as anyone knows, he was never questioned about Alyssa's death. And this is just one more thing contributing to the Romine's family's lack of trust in the investigation. Their biggest frustration from the jump was the lack of communication from Gilbert Petey. Chelsea told us the onus fell on her family to reach out for information. And eventually her mom just stopped calling because she didn't have the energy to be told again and again and again that there was just nothing new to report.

55:37Ashley Flowers:Which, like, listen, I get not sharing details with the public that, like, you know, could jeopardize the investigation. But, I mean, I think the family has the right to know.

55:47Brit Prawat:I know. But, like, what's wild to me is that, like, it's not even like they, like, weren't telling them, like, just some things. Like, pretty much everything that I've told you today, Chelsea said that her family had to piece together on their own. Like they were sharing nothing. In 2018, Gilbert Police Sergeant Mark Marino was at least willing to hint at the possibility of foul play publicly, basically saying that they don't want to release anything because they don't want to jeopardize the case. But also there is no threat to the public. But also there might be. They don't know. They're still working on it.

56:25Brit Prawat:Even in 2019, when Gilbert Petey got a new legal advisor and finally decided to release a highly redacted version of Alyssa's investigative file for the first time, the sergeant was just as wishy-washy. He said Alyssa's was the most unique case he'd seen. And even though it was undetermined, they were working it as a homicide, but also, quote, we don't have the fact that a homicide occurred. We don't know if one occurred or didn't occur. We don't have clear-cut evidence to show that someone else is responsible for her death. We don't have clear-cut evidence to show this was an accidental death.

57:04Brit Prawat:End quote.

57:05Ashley Flowers:Okay, tell me how on earth this was an accidental death.

57:10Brit Prawat:He just says, at this point, we don't have a predominant theory. There was a little bit more to the statement that they gave us. And I'll have you read. what else they said.

57:22Ashley Flowers:We recognize the profound loss Alyssa's family and loved ones endure, and our thoughts remain with them. We remain available to the family should they have questions or wish to discuss the case further.

57:34Brit Prawat:The thing is, Chelsea says that many of her family members have all but given up hope that they'll get answers in Alyssa's death. In 2023, Alyssa's dad, Ed, told the Gilbert Sun News, they never told us if they have a suspect. It's all a big mystery. No more information made us think not much effort is going into it. End quote. Chelsea said she is still desperate for closure. And she believes her family has grieved in silence for too long. So for her sake and the entire Romine family, it's time to blow this case wide open. Time to change the narrative about the death of Alyssa Romine Olson and finally get answers about what happened to her in that park in 2016.

58:23Brit Prawat:So if you know anything about the death of Alyssa Romine Olson at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona, you can contact the Gilbert Police Department by submitting a tip at gilbertaz.gov slash submit a tip. And make sure it's in reference to case number 16-9745. And as always, you can reach out to us by emailing tips at audiochuck.com. Crime Junkie is an Audio Chuck production. I think Chuck would approve.

59:03Brit Prawat:Hey, Crime Junkies. If you're wondering what to listen to next, I got you. Check out another Audio Chuck show, Park Predators. A recent episode is about a couple named Danny and Sue who left for a camping trip in New York's Adirondacks and never made it home. When Danny's abandoned car was found, investigators thought that they were dealing with a missing persons case. But then another attack happened. And suddenly, the whole investigation became something much bigger. It's one of those cases where every new clue changes what you think you know. For the full story, listen to The Adirondacks on Park Predators wherever you get your podcasts.