The Truth According To Jon

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0:43$5 first deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. A new true crime podcast from Tenderfoot TV. In the city of Maus in Belgium, women began to go missing. It was only after their dismembered remains began turning up in various places that residents realized a sadistic serial killer was lurking among them. The murders have never been solved. Three decades later, we've unearthed new evidence. Le Monstre, Season 2, coming October 31st. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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2:06Thank you.

2:30Recently, I've spent hours on the phone with John Gerton. And what you're about to hear is what he says is the truth. The man at the center of Florence Okpialik's disappearance. No more waiting. You're going to get to hear him right now. Unfiltered, his own words. This isn't an interview. It's a real phone call. A long, winding conversation between me and John. And what he tells me, it's strange. It's messy. and it might change everything. This is the truth, according to John. I didn't have a lot of choice because I had nowhere to go when things start going downhill here. Because prior to just coming here, Christmas two years ago, I mean literally four months before coming here, my mother passed away Christmas Eve, And then two weeks later, my brother passed from fentanyl overdose.

3:28Oh, man. And then I lost my father three weeks later to a stroke. So I really didn't have anywhere to go. And so when I came up here and I lost my job with the state, which was the result of the rumors going around, there were gentlemen on the boats that were going around calling me serial killer. and I yelled at them and I was removed of duty for violating a bullying policy because I yelled at them. Now, are you the same guy I met? Yes. I'm the guy you met in the bar, remember? Yes, yes, yes. And, you know, a lot of that I think I didn't explain correctly, like the part about the diver and the barrel.

4:23I never confirmed that. That was just something somebody told me. What do you mean? Which part? The part where the girl accused the rescue diver and said that there was a barrel under the house that was working at. That was just something somebody told me. I never verified any of that. And so I was just ruining what I was told. And I tell anybody to listen to me my story. You know, it was pretty easy to get me to talk about it because I want everybody to know. You know, and the FBI, they were there for three and a half weeks and did a full investigation. And they even cleared me and, you know, cleared with, and they said no foul play even.

5:10So I don't know. I kind of stay out of it, you know, and it got pretty bad around here. I got hit by a car. I've been threatened multiple times I've been assaulted and it got pretty bad and the police here I remember from fake profiles on Facebook so what are people saying? they've actually changed it now apparently I got robbed by a girl out from McDonald's and she assaulted me and I pressed charges. And so she had her friends online and now there's two women I've supposedly, yeah. And they just made up. And the police here conducted an investigation because they were receiving complaints because somebody posted the podcast on Ketchikan Community Cycle, which is a community Facebook thing.

6:13And the only reason I even found out about it was because fellow employees on the ferry, my chief steward called me, and personal friends of mine, too, at work. They said, hey, dude. And I listened to about 10, 15 minutes of it, and I kind of started crying. I couldn't listen to it anymore. And now, apparently, I'm a child molester, too, and a rapist. I'm less children now, too. And then at one point, because Titch Ken has completely taken this and just, they actually forged Ketchikan murder warrant documents and registered sex-offensive paperwork and sent it to my wife in the Philippines. I had to take her into the DA's office and tell her that it's all fake and that I am not wanted for any crimes.

7:06Wait, so who forged these documents? Because that's a crime in itself, isn't it? Yes, but Ketchikan doesn't have the means to find out because I used a fake profile. And I went in with the fake, and you can tell it's fake because when you open up the profile, there's no dates. The profile's only existed for a month, and there's no photos. You know, it's obvious. And see, they never came to me when they received the complaints because people were calling them and complaining to them that I'm here and they want to know what they're doing about it. So when I went in with the actual, I I mean, literally received death threats.

7:48And they said, well, we conducted our own investigation a couple weeks ago, and law enforcement doesn't even know who you are up there or anything about the case. Because the FBI, okay, Nome PD, they even tried to talk to them. They refused to talk to me, right? They impounded a car that I rented from my friend, and I drove them out to go fishing. but any one of my friends, they were going in their homes and certain search warrant. I tried to talk to them, you know, to help. And so finally the FBI came in, uh, with a group of about five investigators out of Anchorage. And they were there approximately, I believe about three weeks.

8:37I fully cooperated. They're the only ones that ever interviewed me or come talk to me, you know, and I told them everything I did. and the only thing, they kept asking me about a black truck because I don't know if you know the location, the beach where I was at, it's about a quarter mile away from the paved road. And up on that paved road, it's the port, and there's a camera that overlooks the port. Yeah. Okay.

9:07they said that a picture of a black truck was a female profile getting into it about the time when I said she left and that's all I know because they just were asking me do you know anybody in a black truck no now about a year earlier somebody loaned me a blue pickup that said Tanya on the back with two-and-a-half-foot letters. So, I mean, highly identifiable. And that was the cab company I was working at, and I got a full meter, and that's what I used for transportation, a full meter with no exhaust, and you could literally hear me coming, and the FBI actually had me start it up for them, and they had to cover theirs.

9:58And they brought in cadaver dogs and everything, and I gave them permission to go into my tent. I had a huge cabin tent because people were allowed to just show up. I befriended quite a few female friends. I used to teach women self-defense and empowerment courses, right? And teach them they don't have to be a victim. The fact is, me being forced to stay here and not be able to run away, I have had to every friend that I talk to when I first meet him, I explain to him my situation and I want them to be fully informed that before, you know, you want to hang out with me, that there is going to be a rumor and people are going to come up to you and say, why are you hanging out with him?

10:52Do you know this, this and this? So what do you tell them that that situation is? I tell them everything like can you give me can you tell me what I'm just curious I said I was in Nova Alaska I gave a girl a ride at a safe place to stay and in the morning I heard her leave I tell him about her boyfriend I tell him everything her boyfriend and I don't yeah her boyfriend showed up the next day that's the person I gave the shoes and the phone to he works with me I don't know I can't remember because I kind of tried blogging, but he worked at the cab company. He knew me, and her sister was with him.

11:33And she's like, he did something. He goes, no, I know John. John didn't do nothing. So Florence was in your tent. That's okay. Florence was in your tent. But let me finish. But the next morning, Florence is missing, but you have her things. Why is that? Why is that? Because, okay. Okay, because her boyfriend told me she had took her to the hospital, admitted her for treatment. They put her on the drugs that don't let you allow to drink. Well, she had went out and went drinking. That night, she became extremely unstable psychologically, was talking about hurting herself. There was about three camps right there where I was, and she wanted cigarettes so bad, she went next door.

12:22Now, there was a guy from Spain or something like that. He'd been there every year, too. He knocked his tent down, got upset because he didn't smoke. I don't smoke. She couldn't find a cigarette, and I finally got her to calm down. How did you get her to calm down? I was just talking to her and tell her it's going to be okay. Right. You know, I said, you know, because she was talking about not wanting to live and everything like that. And I did not. It was stressful for me watching her go through this, you know. Yeah. Because my chant was huge. It was 18 by 24. So, and I had a cock in one corner.

13:12I had a wood stove in there to cook on. And I had a solar panel and a 12-volt refrigerator. So I had a little thing. And I would set up pallets, you know, not pallet pallets, but that's what we call it, sleeping. Yeah, just little places to sleep. And I had tourist free because friends were always welcome to stop by. As a matter of fact, that night, I was expecting two friends to stop by, a boyfriend and girlfriend. very close friends because they'd like to come out and hang out and we'd have a bonfire and you know um so everybody was always woke you know and uh just be respectful who are these friends who are these friends that you're talking about she moved back to the island the island that's right out from the ocean subunga i believe from I mean the guy.

14:04Oh, well, it was, I was mainly friends with her, but it was her boyfriend, and they kind of broke up right after that. So I'm trying to remember. They were in my old Facebook account, and when I broke my phone last month, I lost the Facebook account. I had to start a new one. Can't really remember his name. Okay, so let's just go back to the basics here. Yeah. So Florence was in your tent, and then when is the last time that you saw her? Okay, I saw her when she went to sleep. Okay. Now, daylight, you can tell in the tent it's daylight, and I'm laying there half awake, half asleep. And I hear her get up.

14:53I hear her unzip the tent because it's an eight foot tall zipper. She unzips it and zips it down. And I figured she just went outside for a walk or to go take a pee somewhere. You know, because that's what the girls do out there is they go behind the hill. What time is that at about? Just guess. Okay, I actually looked at my phone to see what time it was. That was 7.30. I get up around 8.15, 8.20, and I'm looking around, and she's not there. So I go outside, and I walk, and I look up, and I look down the beach because it's about a quarter of a mile walk to the road. and it is a direct sight line and you could, if somebody was walking, I would at least see their silhouette and I don't see her anywhere.

15:55So I'm like, huh, that's weird. But it's not that weird out there because people who have been drinking and everything, sometimes they just leave. Leave where though? Why could you not see her? No, it's a 15, 20 minute walk to the road and from the road, it's another 10-minute walk to downtown. Back to when you're in the tent and she's asleep, did you actually see her with your own eyes leave? No. I heard her use the zipper. How do you know it was her? Because she was the only one there with me. But you looked at your phone. Why didn't you look up to see her? Because when I looked at my phone, she'd already zipped it down and was outside.

16:46And I just looked at it and I go, man, it's still early. I'm going to lay here a while. Right. Because I wasn't facing the doorway. I was facing the wall because I sleep on my side. I was too lazy to roll. Look, because I knew who it was. Okay, so either way you realize at some point it looks like Florence left and she zipped the tent back up, right? Yeah. Did she leave anything behind or what? Yeah, yeah. Later on that day, I didn't even realize it then, but I'm folding the bedding over that I made for her, and underneath it was her phone and her shoes. I'm like, oh, well, she'll be back for these as soon as she realizes it.

17:37So when did you realize that? Like, not in the morning? No, I didn't find them right away. So when did you find them that next day? Well, okay, it was later on that afternoon. I was picking stuff up. You weren't curious to see, like, what she left behind, if she just dipped out on you? No, because I didn't know she'd left anything behind. Right. You know, because to me, I put my shoes on, and I put my phone in my pocket, and then I leave. But why didn't she do that? That's so weird. But because she was under the drugs the hospital gave her that you're not supposed to drink on. So clearly, I don't think psychologically.

18:24And see, I kind of have my own theory that a lot of people aren't talking about. Let's hear it. But I really don't want to think this happened. But up there, especially in Alaska with the addiction issues, there is a possibility. And I believe, you know, possible. Because the night earlier she was talking about wanting to live. And I'm afraid that is a possibility. What do you mean? I think she walked out in the ocean. So if you walked out in the ocean, because I've been out there on West Beach, you're not just... I don't, you know, I mean, I'm afraid that it is, but I don't, I pray it's not, but then the other alternative is something else.

19:18What's the other alternative? Well, somebody got her. And who... Okay, there's two options. And who could that have been? I don't know. And like I said. Well, it had to be someone close to your tent on the beach. So give me your best guess or, you know, help me. The guy next to me, he goes to church and he's a nice guy. You go to church too? Yeah. But, and then the other, there was a pallet house built right next to his tent. It was a pallet and it was a guy and a woman, you know. And I did not know them very well. But I talked to the Latino guy a lot, you know, because he was gold buying stuff too.

20:04And we got along and, you know, we were kind of doing the same thing, you know. And I don't want to think that because, you know. Well, right now we have to think everything because the bottom line is. There's basically two options, you know. Yes, correct. That or the other, you know. and because they kept asking me about a black truck, but it wasn't conclusive because as much as they had told me it was a female figure, there was nothing that they could tell me that it was even her. When it comes to what your family eats and drinks, you know your choices matter. You're the expert because you know what fits your life.

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22:27Marijuana. That was my thing. Now, occasionally and after that, I relapsed a little bit on methamphetamines because of depression. Around what time period? About three to four weeks after the flu incident because of my depression. Why were you so depressed? Because people were saying that I did something and I didn't. Why do you think they were saying that? Because technically I was the last person anyone knows that saw her. Well, then who do you think saw her after you? I have no idea. Don't you think that if you could figure that part out, then you'll be cleared forever? But here's the thing.

23:18You want to hear something really weird? And this is what I thought about later after Danny Girl called me in Oregon. What is it? Paul was coming out and visiting me. Because I went in and I went in town once, twice, and purchased some methamphetamines from him. And then he was making trips out there to check on me. And he would bring me out and he was asking me questions and he would give me a little bit and I would talk to him because I was depressed. And then I'm like, I barely know this guy and I didn't socialize with him. I've only met him and purchased from him twice. And why is he coming out to visit me?

24:08I thought he was just trying to be a friend. Well, then Danny girl tells me this stuff. And I'm like, because he was asking me questions. He got me high. Like what kind of questions? Like what? What do you remember about that? Not even slow. Anything else? Is anybody saying anything? You know? Why would he ask that? I don't know. But then after I make it to Oregon, Danny Girl tells me that he was best friends with the diver guy. She had the theory about. And the reason she come up with the barrel theory is because she was working on the diver guy's house, the construction underneath it, restacking the piers.

24:58Because that's what she did was construction work. and she showed up one day and the way she explained it was right after Flo's disappearance and he would no longer allow her under the house to do any work and stop the job completely. And she goes, I think, that he did something and she buried under the house. Well, we've clearly heard that almost too many times and you've even said you think it's a rumor. Secondly, I don't care about the drugs. man. I don't give a shit. But I do, I do have a question for you. I, I found the picture from the FBI of the truck that you're talking about. And I texted, I texted it to you.

25:45Can you look at it and tell me if you recognize it? This is interesting. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not I'm not meaning to get excited it's just you know it's been so long and um okay um pain image cool cool cool no no um because I am just as as much as I really really really wish it wasn't an outcome like that um but still I want to know Oh, wow. Whose truck is that? Okay, okay, okay. I don't know. But like I said, it has weird racks on the back. You know, because I never saw the picture. They never showed me a picture. It's a flatbed. Maybe they did. Yeah. And like I said, I described this, and somebody told me it was a...

26:34Wow. You described it to who? Well, two or three of my friends in town to see if they knew who he was because if I could find out some information, I could give it to the FBI because the FBI asked me. Have you seen this picture before yet or no? It is a possibility that the FBI showed me because it is looking familiar now, the picture, not the truck, but the picture. You know, and it would make sense that the FBI would have this and show it to you. So probably, yes, they showed me. Because I was, at that point, I wanted to cooperate because, one, I wanted to clear my name. And two, I really wanted everybody to know the truth.

27:31Do you still want them to know the truth? Yes, and because I know that I didn't. But who did? yes and I'm asking you but who did I don't know because I had no involvement in that part it doesn't matter if you weren't involved you're saying that you didn't do it but you're hinting that you know who may have done it well I was told by another friend that she was drinking with a guy in that truck and she described him to me as a young white male mid to late 20s and I don't know him and I never I don't know who told you that I'm sorry I remember her name maybe I get a maybe it would have changed the outcome of anything you know a butterfly effect one small thing can change everything if I had got up and walked outside and made sure she was okay maybe whatever whatever would have changed to you know let's take you to town let's get you some cigarettes are you hungry where's home can I drop you off just anything that is nothing to me no effort just a small change could have had a drastic impact so what yet what do you think happened when she left the Because you have to have thought about this for years.

29:04I would think a million possibilities. Where have you landed? Without any other further proof of anything, I can only think that she went in the ocean. Why would she do that? Because the night before, she was talking about, after I got her to come in, she was talking about how her life was so horrible and how she's such a burden on everybody and that she wishes, you know, that she wasn't around anymore. And what did you say to that? I told her, I said, look, you know, this is just how it looks to you right now at this moment. You know, life gets better. But her life didn't. It's all about, no, no, it didn't.

29:57because I was too lazy to care about her. I just assumed she was going to be okay. Are you still too lazy to care? No, because everything that I believe in, if I hadn't been too lazy and assumed she was going to be all right, if I had just made sure of it, the possibility of things being different would be extremely great. What do you think that they would be? How would they be different? Well, I could have taken her to get help. Why didn't you take her to get help that night? Because it was late. It wasn't that long when you picked her up from the nugget. No, no, no, but I didn't realize that she was in that type of condition until later on.

30:51Well, you did, though. You said that whenever you talked to her, she didn't seem right, and she was not able to complete sentences. Yeah, and I figured just resting and hanging out would be fine. Well, did you see how somebody, not me, but somebody else could look like that as predatory behavior? Oh, yeah. Yeah, but... We're sitting here talking today all these years later because there's not enough evidence to point somewhere definitively yet, right? But when I hear you say that after all these years, you feel like she walked into the ocean. Here's my problem with that, John, is that there is the least amount of evidence to support that.

31:33Yeah. So let's just go ahead and check that off the list and start with the other possibilities. The other possibilities are even harder to think about because then I would have to realize that my inaction resulted in something that I was just... That would mean that something horrible happened to her. I mean, granted, that the other, you know, if something she did herself, that's not demeaning the horribility of that. But that's what we're facing, John. Yeah. Yeah, that's what her family's facing. It's hard for you to think about that. You know, and I swear to God, I wished I could find out because she wasn't a bad person.

32:28She was just in a bad place. And she hadn't done anything to deserve anything done to her. We had three hours of sunlight during the day between noon and like three or four. But at night, even though it's dark, there's so much freaking snow, everything's lit up from the snow. Land in the midnight sun, man. I get on my wheeler and I'm going down the road, heading out of... Okay.