Legends of the Pet Cemetery (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

24:49let's go out there and search the grounds and see if we can find her.

24:59Fifteen days later, a little past 7 a.m. on May 3rd, 1985, Ballalungo stepped into Strada's office to give him an update on the case. At this point, Ballalungo thought it was extremely likely that foul play was involved here, because they had searched Dorothy's house and her property a few times at this point, and they had not found Dorothy anywhere or any evidence to explain what had happened to her. Patricia had mentioned that Dorothy had a tattoo of a cross on her left index finger. So Vallelongo had spent the last couple of weeks calling around to local hospitals and morgues to see if any women had been brought in with that marking.

25:37Vallelongo also interviewed Dorothy's neighbors and the tellers at that bank that she had gone to shortly before she vanished. And also he had interviewed some people in town who just knew who she was. He'd also tracked down Dorothy's new handyman, Kenny Pommier, who the bank had said was with Dorothy on the day she vanished. He apparently was driving her around. But none of these people had heard from Dorothy since she vanished 20 days earlier. Same as Patricia. Even though nobody knew where Dorothy was and really couldn't offer all that much information to help the investigation, it was like everybody Vallelongo spoke to had a pretty strong negative opinion of Dorothy.

26:15Like that she was this recluse and that she was kind of crazy and, you know, people thought she had murdered her husbands and buried their bodies in the pet cemetery and also her house and her land were haunted. But, you know, none of these rumors were going to do anything to advance the case. But it was interesting to Vallelongo that people felt this way about her. The only real lead that Vallelongo got was something he got from speaking to Dorothy's lawyer a few days ago, who had mentioned that Dorothy was in the middle of this very contentious lawsuit over the rights to her property with a pair of former employees named Bonnie and Brandon Nodier.

26:49And since Dorothy's case was looking more and more like an abduction or even homicide, the fact that there was this active lawsuit that Dorothy was embroiled in was a big red flag. So Vallelongo naturally knew he had to speak to Bonnie and Brandon. But as Vallelongo sat across from Strada at his desk and filled him in on all this, Strada's phone rang. Strada picked it up and listened to the person on the other end, and immediately there was this look of shock that came over his face. Strada thanked the caller and then hung up, and then told Vallelongo that a body had been found in the Mississippi River the day before, about 40 miles downriver from here, and they thought it could be Dorothy.

27:31Just a few hours later, Vallelongo and Strada stood with Patricia Newman inside of an exam room at the coroner's office. In front of them was a long metal table, and lying on this table was the body of the woman who had been found inside the river. Patricia had been asked to come in here and see if this was Dorothy. But as Vallelongo looked at the body, he didn't see how Patricia was going to be able to do that, because the body was already incredibly decomposed and very bloated. The medical examiner had said this woman had likely been in the water for weeks, and they hadn't done an autopsy yet, but any findings would probably just be a guess because of how badly damaged and decomposed the body was.

28:11The only thing they did know for sure was that this definitely was a homicide. The woman was found with a plastic bag tied over her head, and she was wrapped in a lot of very heavy chains, probably to weigh her down so her body would not float up and be found. And so Vallelongo looked over at Patricia, who looked visibly anxious as she stared at this body. You know, she seemed kind of overwhelmed by the moment. You know, she was shaking and she was just staring, sort of shocked. But eventually, you know, after looking at the body, she spoke. And she actually said that she didn't think this was Dorothy.

28:47And for a second, Vallelongo was actually disappointed, not because he was hoping Dorothy was dead, but for the sake of the case, you know, to figure out where she had gone. But then he remembered something. He stepped up to the body, he put on a glove and gently examined the woman's left hand. And there, just visible on her index finger, was a tattoo of a cross. This was Dorothy.

29:31learn a new language before a trip, and most of the systems that I tried felt pretty generic. But with Rosetta Stone, it was completely different. It adjusted to how I was learning, so it felt more like I was actually preparing to use this language, not just learning how to regurgitate it. Rosetta Stone Sapphire is designed for personalized learning, helping you go beyond generic lessons and focus on the topics that matter most to you. If you want to take your language skills to the next level, don't wait to try Rosetta Stone Sapphire. Mr. Ballin podcast listeners can get 20 % off their Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription when they sign up today.

30:04You'll get unlimited access to all 25 Rosetta Stone languages, plus all the new Sapphire learning tools. Visit rosettastone.com slash mrballin to redeem your 20 % off. Again, go to rosettastone.com slash mrballin and start learning a language for real. Summer is a great opportunity for kids to review challenging concepts, strengthen core skills and head into the start of the school year feeling more prepared. And this is where IXL can help. A couple of things that I like about IXL is that it's really easy to fit into my kids' busy summer schedules, and the instant feedback helps them understand what they missed instead of just moving on.

30:41My kids also like how engaging it is, which makes a big difference because they actually want to use it instead of it feeling like just another assignment. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S., and studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests proven in all 50 states. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And Mr. Ballin Podcast's Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories listeners can get an exclusive 20 % off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com slash Mr.

31:20Ballin. Visit IXL.com slash Mr. Ballin to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

31:31Four days later, on May 7th, Vallelongo got to his office and sat down at his desk to start the day. And he had a lot to do because he was now in the middle of a homicide case. The medical examiner who had done the autopsy on Dorothy didn't find any water in her lungs. So as a result, they had decided the cause of death was most likely asphyxia from strangulation or suffocation, not drowning. Now, Vallelongo had known all along that it was possible somebody had abducted Dorothy from her home and killed her. But now that it was official, he was sort of reviewing the case notes from the beginning to see if anything had been overlooked while this was still basically considered a missing person's case.

32:11And he started with the place Dorothy was last known to be, her house. Dorothy's home was incredibly neat and undisturbed. So it was possible Dorothy was lured from her home and killed somewhere else. But Vallelongo knew from talking to her neighbors and Patricia that Dorothy was, you know, naturally pretty reclusive and did not leave her house easily. So it sort of made the most sense to him that Dorothy must have actually been killed in her home. And the reason the crime scene was so pristine was that Dorothy was overpowered really quickly. Now, originally, Vallelongo had considered Dorothy's current handyman, Kenny Pommier, to be a suspect, since he was the last one to see her alive because he was the one who dropped her off at her home at 4pm around the time she went missing.

32:58But Vallelongo had revisited Kenny and found that he had an alibi. But even if he didn't have an alibi, Vallelongo wasn't really sure what Kenny's motive would even have been. I mean, there'd been no sign of a robbery inside of her house. And on top of that, it just didn't seem like Dorothy had much money to begin with, like she wasn't wealthy. And also the way she died, you know, strangulation or suffocation, you know, that's so personal. And so whoever would have done that would have had to have a reason for it. But so far, Vallelongo had not spoken to anyone who really had a serious issue with Dorothy.

33:31I mean, people definitely had opinions about Dorothy, but it was almost like people said, stay away from her. You know, she lives on haunted land and she's killed her husbands, but it just seemed like rumor mill. There didn't seem to be somebody who really had a targeted issue with her. There was that outstanding lawsuit with the Enodiers, the two people who were, you know, battling over the rights to her property, but it wasn't clear to Vallelongo if in the middle of this lawsuit was like real hatred between the parties. You know, he had yet to see that. And so at this point, Vallelongo felt like his biggest problem was that he really had no real evidence.

34:05There were no witnesses, and they'd searched Dorothy's house repeatedly at this point, and they hadn't found anything useful. And there were no forensics on Dorothy's body, since her body had been in the water for so long, all the forensics had been washed away. But just then, there was a knock on the door, and an officer poked his head in and told Vallelongo that he had something that he might want to come see. And so Vallelongo got up and he walked over and the officer said that they had just brought this guy in for writing bad checks. And it turns out his former employer was Dorothy Thompson.

34:39Vallelongo was immediately interested and asked for more information. And the officer told him that this man's name was Elkin Childress and he had been the live-in caretaker for Dorothy for two months last fall. And Elkin had told the officers who had arrested him that the reason he had wanted to work there at the Pet Sematary for Dorothy was to find the treasure. Apparently, along with all the other rumors about Dorothy, there was another rumor that hundreds of thousands of dollars were buried somewhere on Dorothy's property, and Elkin had become obsessed with finding it. But he said he never did.

35:15When Vallelongo heard this, he felt his pulse pick up. He'd never heard this treasure rumor, but it wasn't any crazier than any of the other rumors he had heard about Dorothy. And if Elkin was that serious about finding, you know, said treasure, maybe he'd gone to Dorothy and tried to force her to tell him where it was. But before he could say or do anything, the officer told Vallelongo not to get too excited because Elkin had an alibi for the night Dorothy went missing and it checked out. However, the officer said that Elkin had mentioned something else that could help with the investigation.

35:49According to Elkin, there was somebody in Dorothy's life who befriended her for the sole purpose of trying to inherit everything she owned. And that person was Patricia Newman. And as soon as the officer said that, Falalungo's gears in his head began to turn and he thought, why didn't I see this before? After all, it was Patricia who called the authorities. She's also the one who aggressively pushed this investigation in the early days, which, you know, Vallelongo had assumed was just because she was worried about her friend. But now he was starting to wonder if maybe she was trying to make herself look innocent.

36:24It's not unusual for killers to try and insert themselves into investigations to seem cooperative or to cast suspicion on other people. Patricia had also entered Dorothy's house multiple times before Dorothy's body was found, which certainly gave her an opportunity to interact with the scene and potentially hide evidence. And so Falalungo turned and ran to go find Strada. They needed to speak to Patricia immediately. And this time, it would be as a suspect.

36:59On May 8th, so six days after Dorothy was found in the river, Falalungo once again met with Dorothy's close friend, Patricia Newman. But this time, the meeting was inside of a police interrogation room. And as Vallelongo sat at the interrogation table looking at Patricia, he was watching her very carefully. She did seem somewhat annoyed that she had been called in for this, but she also seemed very nervous. In particular, she kept fidgeting with her hands. Now, Vallelongo had really considered his approach here. Since Patricia could have been lying to him this whole time, his plan was to start off pleasant and kind of lull her into a false sense of security that he believed everything she had said was true so far.

37:39And then at some point, he would surprise her with a sharp left turn and see how she reacted. So he started with some background questions about Patricia's relationship with Dorothy and nodded appreciatively as Patricia explained how she and Dorothy were good friends and Patricia also took care of her. But then, kind of out of nowhere, Vallalungo asked her about Dorothy's estate and if it was valuable or not. She did say that Dorothy owned the house and the land it was on outright, so no mortgages or anything. So it had to be worth something, but she didn't know how much it was worth. Vallelongo responded to this by saying, okay, you know, forget the financial worth of the property.

38:17Is the property worth something to you, Patricia? At that point, Vallelongo could clearly see, you know, Patricia realizing what was happening here. She had this alarmed look on her face like she was starting to see that she was not being treated like a witness, but rather a suspect. And so Patricia quickly said, no, you know, the property was not worth anything to her. She didn't want it, not at all. But she kind of turned it around on Vallelongo and said, look, if you're looking for someone who does want that property, well, you ought to speak to the Nodiers. Now, Vallelongo knew who she was referencing.

38:50These were the folks who were embroiled in that lawsuit with Dorothy before she went missing and was found dead. But Vallelongo didn't say anything. He just sort of gave Patricia a look like, oh, explain what you mean. And so Patricia took the cue and told him that the Nodiers had been Dorothy's live-in employees for years. And they were complete monsters. She said that Brandon had been verbally abusive towards Dorothy while he worked for her. And also, he was one of the main people spreading all these rumors about Dorothy in town. About how he thought she killed her husbands and how her land was haunted and she was crazy.

39:25But she said that wasn't even the worst of it. She said Brandon was also a thief. She said the year before, when Dorothy was on a lot of medication for depression, like more than normal, and she was not of sound mind as a result of it, she said that Brandon and his wife Bonnie had convinced her to sign over her property to them for basically nothing. And that's when it hit Vallelongo. Like he was aware that there had been this lawsuit over the land, but he didn't really have all the details about it. He just knew there was some dispute. And he also knew that Dorothy's lawyer had mentioned the Nodiers days ago, but that was also right before Dorothy's body had turned up and things had been sort of hectic.

40:04And so, Vallelongo had not followed up with her lawyers yet. And so, he didn't really have the context of, you know, how nasty this legal fight really was. Patricia said she had convinced Dorothy to get a lawyer and to fight this, that it was not right they were doing this to her. And Dorothy had done that. She'd gotten a lawyer, and in fact, her and the Nodiers' court date had happened just 10 days before Dorothy went missing. As Vallelongo was listening, it was like he couldn't believe it. This was so obvious, and it was right in front of him the whole time. The Nodiers would clearly benefit from Dorothy's disappearance, and pretty clearly, there was real beef between the parties.

40:43So at this point, Vallelongo kind of shifted tactics and was less interested in looking at Patricia as a suspect and instead assured her that, you know what, he would speak to them. Now, Vallelongo did speak to Patricia for a bit longer. I mean, she was still a suspect. She was very close to Dorothy, who was this older woman with no obvious heirs, and Vallelongo had not seen Dorothy's will yet, but, you know, he wouldn't be that surprised if Patricia was in there. And if she was, that would prove she would have also benefited from Dorothy's demise, just like the Nodiers would. But regardless, Vallelongo knew he was well overdue for a conversation with the Nodiers.

41:21So they were going to be his next call. Three days later, in the afternoon on May 10th, Vallelongo found himself back in the precinct's interrogation room. But this time, it was a bit more crowded. He'd managed to track down 31-year-old Brandon Nodier for an interview. And while Brandon had agreed to talk to Vallelongo, he had also insisted on having his lawyer present as well, which immediately signaled to Vallelongo that Brandon likely had something to hide here. Vallelongo had looked into Brandon's background since speaking to Patricia, and he found out that Brandon had a criminal record, which included assault.

41:59Vallelongo also spoke to a few people in town about Brandon, and he had been told that Brandon apparently had a very hard time keeping his mouth shut. He apparently consistently seemed to threaten or go off on people whenever he got even marginally upset. He was a hothead and a loudmouth. So, given all this, Vallelongo expected Brandon to be at least somewhat antagonistic or defensive in this interview. But when Vallelongo asked him about this, you know, highly contentious lawsuit with Dorothy, Brandon didn't seem like an angry loudmouth at all. Instead, he just seemed confused. He explained the whole thing really was just a big misunderstanding.

42:38Brandon said he and his wife had known Dorothy for six years and actually lived with her for part of the time. And from his point of view, he thought, you know, Dorothy viewed them as sort of like family. And that's also why he said he believed she was selling them her land at such a low rate. It was like a family discount. He said it just sort of seemed like she really wanted them to have her property. And it was actually Brandon and his wife that had sort of insisted on paying for it. Brandon said, you know, everything about this transaction had really been fine and above board. Until Patricia Newman got involved.

43:12Brandon seemed very frustrated as he began to explain how he didn't really know what had happened. But Patricia somehow got into Dorothy's head and convinced her that he and his wife Bonnie had somehow taken advantage of Dorothy. And Brandon saying like that didn't happen. That's not how this went. Brandon said, you know, as far as he was concerned, it actually seemed like Patricia was the one who was taking advantage of Dorothy. And then he said there were actually all these times when apparently Patricia was staying with Dorothy. And at some point they would get into some kind of fight and like Patricia would get mad at Dorothy.

43:48And Dorothy would flee her own house and run to the Nodier's house, like for protection, for safe haven. They said that was fairly common. Like, Patricia was this awful person that, you know, Dorothy had to flee from. As Vallelongo heard this, he kind of didn't know what to think. I mean, you know, Brandon could be lying to him. But truthfully, Brandon seemed very convincing. And also, you know, Brandon just didn't really seem smart enough to be a master manipulator here. In fact, if anything, Brandon seemed kind of dense. And it was hard to believe he could engineer this murder without leaving behind any evidence or witnesses.

44:26and then also concoct this sort of brilliant story about how Patricia really was the one behind this whole thing. But Brandon's wife, Bonnie, was a suspect too. And it was possible that, you know, she was the ringleader and Brandon had just sort of followed along. They were divorced now, but if they were wrapped up in this lawsuit with Dorothy together, it was possible they could have, you know, come together and joined forces to take care of the problem, i.e. get rid of Dorothy. All that's to say, Vallelonga was not going to eliminate Brandon as a suspect just yet, but he needed more evidence before he could connect him to the crime.

45:03So ultimately, he told Brandon he could leave and that he would be in touch. And then Vallelonga watched as Brandon and his lawyer stood up and filed out of the room. It was sort of funny in a dark way that just a few days ago, Vallelonga couldn't see any reason why anybody would want to kill Dorothy. And now it was like everybody in Dorothy's life, Elkin, Patricia, and now the Nodiers, wanted Dorothy's money and so really would benefit if she went away. And so now, he just had to figure out who wanted Dorothy gone the most.

45:40Pet parent guilt isn't something that's talked about much, but it's a feeling we all know well. When daily life gets in the way, it can feel impossible to measure up to our beloved pet's unconditional love. Traveling for work is never the hard part. Leaving behind my six cats and three dogs is. My daily routine goes from loud and chaotic to way too quiet. But one thing I never compromise on is their health and nutrition. Every one of them is on Hills Pet Nutrition, so I know they're getting exactly what they need to stay happy and strong. And so even when I'm away, missing all the barking, the purring, the non-stop attention, I still have peace of mind.

46:16because they're not just pets, they're family. But you're doing better than you think you are, and Hills Pet Nutrition is here to help make this whole pet parenting thing easier with science-led nutrition to support their unique needs and lifelong health. You can feel confident that you're doing right by your pet and taking care of them with guilt-free meals they can't get enough of. Because you're only human, there's Hills. Science does more. Ready to give more love than humanly possible? Find your pet's new favorite food at hillspet.com. slash ballin. That's hillspet.com slash ballin. We all have our own time-saving hacks for everyday life, and I'm always looking for little ways to save time.

46:53Whether it's just ordering things online instead of making another trip to the store, or taking care of a few small tasks while I'm already waiting on something else. Those little time-savers add up pretty quickly. But if you're a business owner, how can you save time hiring? ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter has a new feature that quickly lets you see the most interested, qualified candidates first, so you save time by meeting the right people faster. And right now, you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash Ballin. Their powerful matching technology finds qualified candidates quickly, and these candidates can tell you in their own words why they're interested in your job.

47:32No wonder ZipRecruiter is the number one rated hiring site based on G2. Save time and meet great candidates sooner with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at ziprecruiter.com slash ballin. That's ziprecruiter.com slash ballin. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter.

48:00About five months later, in October of 1985, Balalungo stood in the middle of Dorothy's Pet Sematary, along with Sergeant Strada, in total disbelief. Because all around them, almost every single tombstone had been completely smashed. Now, Vallelongo had no idea who had done this, but it was sort of oddly fitting. Because just like this cemetery, Vallelongo's homicide case was a complete and total mess. Since May, Vallelongo and some other investigators had questioned both Patricia and Brandon Nodier multiple times. But all they ever did was point the finger at the other one. And now, the two primary suspects in Dorothy's murder were essentially at war over her property.

48:46After Dorothy's will was read, it would turn out that Patricia Newman had inherited a huge chunk of her estate, including whatever proceeds came from the cemetery business. But the Nodiers were saying that, no, you cannot just give that to Patricia because the property is theirs and so the business is theirs because Dorothy had signed it all over to them. And the lawsuit to overturn that sale, despite it being very contentious, it had not been resolved yet. So you can't just shuffle it over to Patricia. And on top of that, Bonnie Nodier, Brandon's ex-wife, had literally moved into Dorothy's house, making it even more complicated.

49:24And so that was why the St. Bernard Sheriff's Department and the state police were at the Pet Sematary right now. Patricia was there and trying to get access to the house since she needed to get some of Dorothy's things, and Bonnie wouldn't let her in. Now, the uniformed officers had just gone there to make sure everybody played nice, but Vallelongo and Strada had tagged along specifically to try to ask Bonnie a few questions. Now, Bonnie was still very much a suspect in Dorothy's murder, but so far, investigators had actually not been able to interview her, and Vallelongo had hoped that maybe this was their chance.

49:59However, when they arrived, Bonnie was extremely angry and she refused to speak to anyone and told all the officers and Patricia to get off her property. And even though the officers along with Patricia had eventually gotten inside and Patricia took what she needed, the officers had not been able to get Bonnie to say anything to them. She refused. And so now, Balalungo and Strada walked back to their cruiser past all these shattered tombstones, feeling very frustrated that they had multiple suspects here and no way to eliminate any of them. Brandon Nodier would directly benefit from Dorothy's death, because if she was dead, then the lawsuit he was embroiled in would get dropped and he would by default take control of Dorothy's land.

50:42He also had a criminal record and, according to Patricia, had been horrible to Dorothy when they lived together. Brandon's ex-wife, Bonnie, could have helped him do it, too, since after all, she was named in that lawsuit as well. And she had taken full control of Dorothy's house after she died, so clearly she was intent on living there. But Patricia also could have been highly motivated to get Dorothy out of the picture, since she was named in the will. And she'd seemed really controlling of Dorothy, and had repeatedly inserted herself into the investigation. And then there was the handyman, Elkin Childress, who had been eliminated through his alibi, but Vallelongo felt like he deserved another look.

51:23He had admitted that he was obsessed with finding treasure on Dorothy's property, and now all the gravestones were mysteriously smashed, which could indicate that maybe he had come back, and this was part of his attempt to find the treasure. Maybe they were inside the gravestones. Then again, if they're going to treat Elkin like a suspect, well, then anybody who had heard rumors about the treasure on Dorothy's land was also a suspect. And considering how the residents of St. Bernard clearly gossiped a lot about Dorothy, it seemed like that would mean basically everyone in town was a suspect. But without any forensic evidence or witnesses, Falalungo didn't see how they would ever be able to connect anybody to this crime.

52:07Still, he and Strada got back in the cruiser and headed back to the station to keep at it. The investigative team kept working this case diligently for weeks and then months, interviewing and re-interviewing suspects and speaking to people who knew Dorothy. They even met with a psychic who claimed she knew who the killer was. And some people even called in with tips that they had seen Dorothy's ghost in the area and they would even go follow up in case maybe Dorothy was there. But none of that went anywhere. None of it amounted to any new meaningful evidence that the police could actually use to bring somebody to court.

52:43And as time went on, Dorothy's case changed hands multiple times before finally going cold.

52:5524 years later, on a Thursday afternoon in late September of 2009, Detective John Duran sat at his desk in the St. Bernard's police precinct doing some paperwork. And he just put his pen down and leaned back in his chair to take a break when another detective poked his head in and told Duran, hey, the caller was on the phone. And Duran knew exactly who he was talking about. A few days ago, an anonymous caller had put in a tip to say he had information about an old cold case from 1985, the murder of the lady who owned that pet cemetery. And Duran had known immediately that the caller was talking about Dorothy Thompson.

53:33Duran had actually used to cut the grass at the pet cemetery when he was 15 years old. And so he and his friends knew all about Dorothy, how she was, you know, this eccentric recluse who potentially murdered people, and who turned up dead one day. But during the first call, this tipster had gotten spooked and hung up without giving his name. And as soon as Duran picked up the phone to speak to the caller, he immediately said, whoever this is, you're not going to get in any trouble here. We just want your name and your location. I want to come talk to you and just hear what you know. You're not going to get in any trouble.

54:07Can you do that? There was a pause. And then the caller reluctantly agreed. Later that day, Duran and another detective sat in the living room of a New Orleans home, right across from a very fidgety-looking older man. The man's eyes kept darting all around the room, and periodically he kept looking over his shoulder like somebody was going to, you know, jump out at him. And it occurred to Duran as he was watching this guy that he didn't just seem nervous, you know, about the information he was going to spill to them. He actually seemed pretty genuinely terrified. But finally, the man took a steadying breath and said he knew who killed Dorothy, and he had known for years.

54:47Now, the guilt of knowing was haunting him. Literally. He told the detectives that he had been seeing Dorothy's ghost, covered in chains, and asking him to come forward. Now, at this, Duran raised his eyebrows skeptically, but didn't say anything. You know, this was a pretty crazy start to the story and pretty hard to believe. But at the same time, it didn't really matter what prompted this guy to come forward. It mattered what he had to say. And so, with an open mind, Duran, along with his partner, just sat there and waited. And eventually, the old man, despite being very scared and timid, finally did just come out and say what he knew.

55:31Based on a decades-long investigation and multiple confessions, Here is a reconstruction of what police believe happened to Dorothy Thompson on the night of April 13, 1985.

55:49Sometime after 9 p.m. that night, the killer was sitting behind the wheel of their truck, making their way up the long, winding driveway through the woods towards Dorothy's house. And as they drove along, the killer found themselves sort of looking out the window and taking in the sights, you know, the tombstones, the trees, the house up ahead, the whole property, you know, taking it all in. And as they did that, they thought to themselves that it was time to stop waiting for their fortune to arrive. They needed to take it. Because Dorothy did not deserve to have this. In fact, the killer believed Dorothy didn't deserve to live.

56:28And so the killer eventually arrived right outside of Dorothy's house and they stopped their truck. They threw it in park and then calm as can be, they got out and they walked around to the back of the house. There, they knocked. And eventually, Dorothy, you know, made her way to the door and she looked out through the glass and she saw this person, the killer, and she looked confused. But it didn't stop her from opening the door. And as soon as she did, the killer didn't hesitate. They jumped on top of her. Dorothy tried to scream, but the killer immediately wrapped their hands tight around her throat and she went silent.

57:06And then in silence, they strangled Dorothy until she stopped moving. Then once Dorothy was crumpled lifeless on the ground, the killer found some sheets and wrapped them around Dorothy's body and then dragged her outside to the waiting truck. Once they put Dorothy's body in the truck, they drove to a section of the Mississippi River not far from Dorothy's house. There, the killer got out, and they grabbed Dorothy's body, and they tied her hands and her feet together, and also, just in case, put a plastic bag tightly over her head. Then they wrapped her body in chains. And then once she was all prepped, the killer, calm as can be, lifted her body up, walked over to the Mississippi River, and threw her in.

57:50Moments later, the killer was back inside their truck, driving along, feeling better than they had in months. Because now that Dorothy was gone, all their problems were solved. It would turn out Dorothy Thompson's killer was indeed Brandon Nodier. He had not only tricked Dorothy into selling him her land at a very cheap price, but also when she figured out he had basically conned her, she sued him at Patricia's urging. And when that happened, Brandon thought, well, if I just kill Dorothy before this lawsuit gets dismissed, because they're going to figure out that this was not fair, that I did con her.

58:28If I kill her now, well, by default, the charges get dropped and the sale goes to me. The property is mine. On the night of the murder, Brandon was not alone. He actually asked another one of Dorothy's former handymen, a guy named James Treggler, to come along with him and basically just wait in the car. And so he had done that. Now, Brandon was an incredibly violent person, and he did not think twice about murdering Dorothy to make sure the lawsuit got dropped. But Brandon also had a famously big mouth, and he told his entire friend group what he had done. And so basically, all of Brandon's friends were aware of this horrible crime, and they totally believed what he said because they were fully capable of him being able to commit extreme violence, but they were scared of him.

59:14And that's why none of the friends came forward to say, you know, what they knew. But Finally, one of these friends was so haunted by their knowledge of this crime that they did eventually come forward. That was the caller who, you know, told the detectives what happened. And in their rendition of what happened, they said Brandon didn't act alone. There was somebody else, a guy named James Treggler. And so as a result of that tip, it would take another four years, but they would ultimately speak to James Treggler and he would confess to having been there on that night, and with that, they had enough evidence to finally charge Brandon for the murder.

59:54Brandon ultimately surrendered to authorities in 2012, and he would get a 10-year sentence for pleading guilty to Dorothy's murder. Brandon's ex-wife, Bonnie, was not involved. As for James Treggler, the other handyman who drove with Brandon on the night of the murder, he always maintained that he didn't know the murder was going to happen, and so he was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony. Even though the Pet Sematary is still standing today, it's now abandoned and totally overgrown. However, treasure hunters continue to walk around the property, you know, with their metal detectors, hoping that they'll be the ones to finally find the treasure that's buried there.

1:00:44A quick note about our stories. They are all based on true events. But we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved, and some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

1:01:00The Mr. Ballin Podcast, Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories, is hosted and executive produced by me, Mr. Ballin. Our head of writing is Evan Allen. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Produced by Jeremy Bone. This episode was written by Kate Murdoch. Story editing by Karis Pash Cooper. Research and fact-checking by Shelley Hsu, Samantha Van Hoos, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway, and Camille Callahan. Research and fact-checking supervision by Stephen Ear. Audio editing and post-produced by Whit Lacasio and Cole Lacasio. Additional audio editing by Jordan Stidham Mixed and mastered by Brendan Cain Production coordination by Samantha Collins Production support by Antonio Minata and Delaina Corley Artwork by Jessica Clogston-Kiner Theme song called Something Wicked by Ross Bugden Thank you for listening to the Mr.

1:01:49Ballin Podcast. If you enjoyed today's story and you're looking for more bone-chilling content, be sure to check out all of our studio's podcasts. There's this one, the Mr. Ballin Podcast, as well as Mr. Bollin's Medical Mysteries, Bedtime Stories, Wartime Stories, Run Fool, Redacted, Late Nights with Nexpo, and A Twist of History. All you have to do is search for Bollin Studios wherever you get your podcasts. To watch hundreds more stories just like this one, head over to our YouTube channel, which is just called Mr. Bollin. So that's going to do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time, see ya.

1:02:41Sleep is so critical, especially that deep comforting sleep. But oftentimes, it's hard to find the right mattress for that deep sleep without trying it in person. That's why Helix and Steinhoffels have come together, combining their years of mattress knowledge and technology to bring you your best night's sleep. Helix Sleep's award-winning mattresses are now available to try and purchase at 13 Steinhoffels locations, an in-store opportunity you won't find just anywhere. Plus, Helix and Steinhoffels are offering 20 % off all mattress orders for our listeners. Please visit helixsleep.com to find your nearest location.

1:03:18Remember to ask a team member about their selection of award-winning Helix Sleep mattresses. Eligible items are in stock and available for free local delivery. That's helixsleep.com to find the store nearest you and ask about Helix Sleep. With Helix and Steinhoffel's, better sleep starts now. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. And one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter.

1:03:55From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com.