April Beth Pitzer

25:49Not a shoe, not a bag, or hair of April's is found anywhere. Now, while one team searches the desert for April, another team is working on figuring out who may have written that note on the bathroom wall in Oregon. Luckily, this truck stop had cameras, and they were working. In fact, they were on 24-7, and the footage went back for months. So investigators are able to review it all. They look back at each and every person who uses the men's restroom at this truck stop for weeks. But despite best-case scenario for the surveillance, they were never able to connect whoever wrote that note to those seen in the surveillance.

26:30While police are working their leads, Gloria Denton is still hard at work trying to find any trace of April. Now, we know April didn't have a phone, but this meant that along the way she shared many different phone numbers with Gloria, basically whoever April was staying with at the time. So Gloria starts calling all these numbers asking for any information people may have. And slowly but surely, Gloria begins hearing the rumors going around April's friend group. And most of them revolve around April being killed and buried in the desert. Specifically, mineshafts in Ludlow, California, about 30 miles east of Barstow.

27:09And it just so happens that someone April knew owns a mineshaft in Ludlow. Chuck Hollister's friend, Dandan. He apparently owned what's called the Red Dog Mine. Chuck and Dandan actually spent quite a bit of time out in the Red Dog Mine and other mines in the area collecting materials to make and sell jewelry. Now, just for some context, this whole area was a part of the California gold rush in the late 1800s, and it seems like Chuck and Dandan were still chasing this dream of striking it rich by finding gold. Now, I will say that it's pretty unclear exactly what Dandan legally owns, but this is an area he seems to have claimed for himself dating back as far as 1979.

27:53He writes his name and messages on abandoned trailers and random shacks in the area, including warnings that outsiders should not be there. Investigators attempt to speak with Dandan, and he spends months avoiding them, but they do eventually track him down, and he basically says he has no idea where April is. But of course, investigators are not ready to drop this lead. They continue to search the area, which is basically a bunch of abandoned shacks and mines. In these buildings, they do find some disturbing messages allegedly written by Dandan, including, quote, three people can keep a secret if two are dead, end quote.

28:37End quote. You can leave or you can disappear. I can help you disappear no problem, end quote. In December 2004, officers and cadaver dogs searched the red dog mine, and April wasn't in it. And there wasn't any evidence gathered to conclude that April spent any time there either. But April made an impression on this community, and the leads just keep coming in. In January 2005, a woman named Andrea Pruitt sees one of April's missing person posters and immediately calls the police. She owns the Baghdad Cafe in Newberry Springs and gave April a job in April 2004. She says April just walked into the cafe, said that she lived on a dirt road a few blocks over and was looking for something to fill her time.

29:26So, Andrea took a chance on her and gave her a few shifts starting the next day. On April's first day at the cafe, she comes in dressed well and does a great job. She was nice to customers, and it seemed like things were going to work out. But on April's second day, she came in with a black eye. When Andrea asked what happened, April wouldn't say, and after that shift, she never came back. While investigators believe that April was most likely living with Chuck Hollister at this time, there's really nothing definitive to link him to April's black eye. So again, this lead really just sits with all the others.

30:02But like I said, this is a case with no shortage of leads, and this next one is probably the most concrete yet. Through researching this case, I learned that there are such things as desert lore historians. Basically, these are exactly what you'd expect, people who have studied the desert and its history extensively. And part of their work sometimes is giving tours. In this area, specifically what sounds like kind of a gold rush tour. They take people through the mines and the history of this very crazy time in California. During one of these tours in December 2005, a historian enters an abandoned shack and finds women's clothing.

30:43Now, for safety reasons, I don't want to say their name, but this particular historian was actually already alerted by police about April's case and asked to just kind of be on the lookout. So when they see this clothing, they immediately call the police. And when Gloria hears about it, she flies out to see these items for herself. Now this is the first time Gloria has ever gone out to where April went missing from. And she's stunned to see how desolate and really kind of scary everything looks. It's just rocks, sand, and abandoned buildings covered in graffiti. It's a stark and terrifying difference from April's life in Texas.

31:22and when she sees the clothing, her heart just drops. She sees a red and black flannel shirt that she knows is April's because Gloria sent it to her herself. Apparently, during her time in California, April calls Gloria and says that she's cold. She needs cold weather clothing and Gloria remembers when she sent it. April called her to thank her and she ended up sobbing because the shirt smelled like home. This prompts a search of nearby Indian Queen Mine But nothing related to April is found. At this point, Gloria is at her wit's end. And even though it was already searched, she wants to see Red Dog Mine for herself.

32:02She just can't get over the possible connection to Chuck Hollister and Dan Dan. When she gets to the mine, Gloria immediately sees the white suitcase Barbara gave April. The same suitcase Chuck Hollister told her April left behind at his house. Now, I don't know why the suitcase was not immediately taken from Chuck's home by the police, but it wasn't And during the first search of Red Dog Mine, it was not there But now the suitcase is here, and April's clothing had blown all over the area So they take it for testing, but in what seems to be the unfortunate theme in this case, nothing comes of it From here, investigators go back to Chuck Hollister, who is now dying of cancer and they just flat out ask him if he wants to clear his conscience and tell them what happened to April.

32:54But he dies denying any involvement in her disappearance. Now, for the first time, the case really just sits. In May 2006, Steve Pennington took over April's case with a warning from his sergeant. Quote, This is April Pitzer, and her mom will call you every day. End quote. And Gloria laughs at this and admits that she was a pain in their butts. But all in an effort to find April. And Gloria really does work for April. She begins holding searches twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. Basically whenever the weather is temperate enough to hold a search. She works with countless organizations to raise funds for a$50 ,000 reward, billboards, memorials, and more searches.

33:42But they all come up empty. In 2009, Gloria is out in California again for another search, and she hears that Dandan is sick and in the ICU. So she goes to him, wearing a shirt with April's missing person poster printed on it. They talk for over an hour, and by the end, Gloria feels Dandan was kind and not involved. He tells Gloria that April was a sweetheart, and he hopes she gets justice. Gloria believes him. But then, a few days later, right before Dan Dan dies, he confesses to friends that he knows what happened to April. And he says that Gloria is in the right place. She just hasn't searched far enough.

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35:06Brooks, Emma Mackey plays Ella McKay, an idealistic young woman who juggles family and work in a story about the people you love and how to survive them. Featuring an all-star cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Loudon, Kumail Nanjiani, Iowa Debris, Julie Kavner, with Albert Brooks and Woody Harrelson. Ella McKay, in theaters December 12th. Get tickets now. Now, Gloria and investigators don't really know what Dandan meant by saying that she was in the right place but didn't search far enough. But they can only assume that it means the Red Dog Mine. So in November 2009, cadaver dogs are lowered into the mine.

35:44But again, there are no hits. There's another search of the mine in March 2010. But again, nothing related to April is found. In August 2012, April is legally declared dead. And Gloria turns to a private investigator to help sort rumor from fact in her search for April. And they find something. After following all the tips Gloria received over the years, it led them to a key person of interest who was willing to speak with her PI. But then, the PI suddenly passes away. In early 2013, Gloria discussed the lead they planned to follow up on with Desert Dispatch News. They were told that on the day April went missing, she attended a party in Newberry Springs.

36:28Gloria says she believes that there were 7 to 9 people at this party, and there is some type of video of April. But it seems like the trail with this lead stops at just rumors. By July, Steve Pennington is promoted and taken off April's case, much to Gloria's dismay. But she doesn't stop. She's back in California by September to follow up on a tip she'd gotten that April's body was dumped in a well off Dixie Road in Hinkley. And this time they find something. Or at least what they think is something. It appears to be a piece of a skull with brown hair still attached. So again, Gloria sits and waits for testing to be done.

37:09And in the end, it was never linked to April. At this point, your heart just hurts for Gloria Denton as she takes another devastating blow. But she's relentless and continues to hold searches and raise awareness for April. And it's not just Gloria. The Sheriff's Department seems to really want to find April, too. In 2016, they appeal to the public for help in finding April's remains. They also say that they want to re-interview everyone involved in the case. But again, nothing comes of it. And slowly, Gloria begins to fade from the public eye. In 2017, she did post another theory about April's case.

37:55She'd heard a few years prior that April was lured to a party, presumably that same party she thinks there's video footage of. Apparently, according to this rumor, April was duct-taped to a chair, mutilated and decapitated. But now, this woman who told her that is saying that April was beat in the head with a baseball bat until her eyes popped out. Gloria adds that law enforcement has heard this story, and they don't seem to care. In her post, she writes that she really doesn't know where to go from here, but she's hoping to follow up on this lead. And I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm going to tell you that as far as I could find, nothing came of this.

38:40Now, I do want to add some personal opinion here. I think it's worth noting that the timing of this revelation came soon after the infamous Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead, where something nearly identical happens to a beloved main character. So personally, in my opinion, just speculation, I think it's really possible that this person and possibly multiple people in the area were just being cruel to Gloria at this point. I could be wrong, and I hope that I am. I just have to imagine that her presence in this community multiple times a year probably wasn't exactly welcomed by those who were suspected to be involved in April's disappearance.

39:26Gloria Denton made her final post to the Missing April Beth Pitzer Facebook page on April's 45th birthday, February 19th, 2019. It reads, quote, Heavenly happy birthday to my baby girl April Beth. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. I love and miss you so much. End quote. Truth be told, I've been looking into April's case for months, and I tried to find Gloria so I could speak with her for this episode, but I couldn't. She was the heart behind this investigation, and honestly, I wasn't sure I could make this episode without speaking to her. Like we see happen all the time in true crime, April's story and disappearance has largely become Gloria's story too by default.

40:16When you live these cases for years and then decades, they have a way of changing you and your life forever. That's just what happens. It becomes a part of your story, too. While I was trying to connect with Gloria, though, I found a quote. A rare quote from one of April's daughters, Kennedy Pitzer. By the 10-year anniversary of her mom going missing, Kennedy was 13 years old, and very much feeling the impact of growing up without her mom. For an article about April, she told Macy Jenkins with KTHV, quote, I wonder what it would be like to have a mom to go to for problems. And just knowing that she's not going to be there when I get married, or help me pick out my dress, is just hard.

41:06End quote. This quote was it for me. It's why I knew I had to cover April's case. April would be a grandma now. And just like how these cases become a part of your life story when you live within them, they also tend to get passed down to younger generations. Like April's daughters, who would now be in their 20s, around the same age April was when she had them. This is a burden no one should have to bear alone. According to some of Gloria's last statements, no one is seeking justice for April. They just want answers. And her daughters want their mother's remains so they can say goodbye. Which brings me right to our call to action.

41:51This case is really different than a lot of the ones I cover. We don't have a lot of hard facts. Just a lot of rumor and speculation about what may have happened to April. But sometimes we just have to work with what we know. And what we know is that at 22 years old, April made a stupid decision to drive after drinking. And she more than paid her debt to society by putting herself in danger for the rest of her life. Danger that may have cost her her life. Cost Gloria her daughter. And her children their mother. Someone knows what happened to April. and her family deserves answers. Please share.

42:36There is always hope.

42:43As a reminder, April Beth Pitzer was 30 years old when she went missing near Newberry Springs, California. She is white, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with brown hair and hazel eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she weighed approximately 130 pounds. She has a scar on her elbow, lip, left side of her stomach, and left side of her chest. She may have been wearing gold hoop earrings when she went missing. Anyone with information is asked to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at 909-387-3690.

43:22But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time. Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice Media original. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice.

44:35Welcome to the Secret After Show. back by popular demand. The door is open and the dogs are in. They are floating around here somewhere. I'm sure that you will hear them in this audio. I brought them back because somebody told me that they missed it and it only takes one of you to make me want to bring back something that brings you joy in some way. So let's get into April's case. I guess, you know, you know how this goes, afterthoughts and all that. This was a hard one. Again, I know I say that like every week or whatever, because they're all hard in their own unique ways. And, you know, of course I felt for April, right?

45:19Let's start with that. It's all about April. Like, man, she never asked for this. You know what I mean? I mean, yes, she did agree to be an informant instead of getting the DUI charge. But I have to believe that a 22-year-old, you know, wasn't expecting that this would be the outcome, that she would, you know, become an informant and be so important in this case that she would convict, you know, I think it was 32 people was the exact number that went to prison because of April. You know, I'm sure in her mind that night after she's had a few drinks and she's talking with police and she's probably terrified.

45:59You know, she wasn't thinking that this is what would happen, that she would spend the rest of her life being paranoid, that she would then have two children that she was terrified for. So I don't know. This episode hurt me. And I don't know exactly what the perfect solution would be, but I kept asking myself, why didn't the police do more to help April? What was there more that they could do? You know, some type of, I don't know, witness protection program or something. She was so scared, and I just wish somebody could have helped her. And that's not to place blame on those around her. It does seem like she was loved, you know what I mean?

46:44And when it comes to those interpersonal relationships with child custody and care. We don't know what happened. I just wish that there was some program, some type of intervention from police that they could have followed up with her to make sure that she was okay, because she clearly was not. And then Gloria Denton, you guys. Oh my gosh. I cover, obviously, a lot of cases here, and I research about a lot of parents, and I will just say that April is incredibly lucky to have Gloria, and to see her so passionate doing all these interviews, she's going out and doing searches twice a year, and then for her to just kind of slowly fade away.

47:31Like, I get it, you know? I get it. That type of pace is not sustainable. and at every turn like I kept saying in the episode these leads, these rumors, the concrete evidence didn't go anywhere and there are only so many times you can get knocked down before you decide that maybe this time it's better if you don't get back up and I'm not saying that's what happened with Gloria because I truly don't know, and I don't want you to take my speculation as fact. But Gloria, if you're out there listening somewhere, I hope that you're doing okay. And of course, like I said in the episode, you know, when I couldn't reach Gloria, I had a choice to make.

48:32You know, do I do the show? I knew that Gloria hadn't really had a social media presence for a few years. I didn't really know what the situation is. I still don't know what the situation is. And then I found that quote from April's daughter. And I knew. I knew that even though I doubt Gloria would ever put that type of burden on her grandkids, these are things that siblings parents children whatever they pick up they tend to pick up this baton that has you know kind of just fallen to the ground or whatever um and they run with it because depending on the person right you feel like you have to and you almost feel this guilt I mean, I know for me, I felt guilt when I didn't do anything for Alyssa.

49:32I felt guilt when I was laying on my couch watching Netflix. I decided to do the episode, and I really hope that it helps. Now, before I move on, I do just want to kind of give some shoutouts. When I was researching this case, I was stunned by the amount of people that Gloria was able to get to help April's case. I mean, more than I can probably remember here, I have a little list. I have a little cheat sheet. Let me grab it, please. Patience, patience. And the reason I didn't have it in front of me is because I found more people and I had a longer list. So the Kristen Foundation, Home Depot, Best Western, Sparklets, Lamar Advertising, General Outdoor Advertising.

50:21And I'm sure that there's more I didn't even find. But I just want to give them a shout out. When I see companies donating in true crime, I just like to make that known in case you are someone who cares about supporting businesses that seem to care about the community. And I know Home Depot has some troubling history behind it, so don't come for me. I'm just saying they helped in this case. if you want to see me I feel so cheesy whenever I do this if you want to see an episode of dark truth on my patreon about home depot let me know um I love that kind of stuff to be honest I love digging into like corporate history and seeing what's shady because there's usually something shady um whenever there's a huge corporation just like billionaires you guys right there's usually something shady.

51:14But this was a nice thing that Home Depot did, and we will leave it at that. Moving on to what is happening with me, what I am watching and what I am reading. Be excited. I have watched something true crime related, and I loved it. That was, oh my gosh, what was it called? American Nightmare. Oh my gosh, I'm sure that like so many of you are watching that. Um, it's huge right now on Netflix, but if you don't know, it's a three-part series that goes over, um, one of my favorite, one of my favorite subjects in true crime, right? And that is the dangers of speculation and true crime, um, irresponsible true crime journalism, I should say.

51:56I don't want to give it all away. Maybe I just should. I don't know. I feel like everybody knows about this case and I'm like just finding out about it because it all happened when I didn't consume true crime for work or whatever. But essentially this couple, I'm going to give it away. So this is a spoiler. If you don't want to know about this case, fast forward and the episode, whatever you got to do, I'll see you next week. Essentially what happens is this couple gets kidnapped, this married, I'm sorry, they're not married, you guys. I am the worst. You'd think I'd be a great storyteller. No, I need to write it down.

52:32But what happens in this show is essentially this man and woman are dating and kidnappers come into their house and they take the woman. And I won't ruin it all for you. I'll just say that. But essentially, the guy goes to the police And he's like, oh my gosh, you know, we just got tied up. They took my girlfriend, like, please help. And they're like, buddy. Yeah. These people came in and wetsuits, huh? They came in and put goggles over your face. Is that what happened? You know, they interrogate this guy for hours and hours and hours. And essentially they're like, we don't believe you. You killed your girlfriend.

53:12Where is she? You know, the whole thing. We see, we, we see in true crime all the time. and then the the woman is let go by the kidnappers but this doesn't make the police change their mind it doesn't make the media change their mind either right that all the media is like this guy's a killer he killed his girlfriend you know in like the most pc journalism way possible allegedly police believe that this story is a hoax whatever um so this woman gets released and it only fuels the fire more because this case happened right after the movie Gone Girl came out. Of course, infamous Gone Girl, great movie if you have not seen it, fantastic book if you have not read it.

53:55I'm like gasping for air over here trying to tell you this story. But essentially, because of Gone Girl and because she like returned, they were like, no, you're just like recreating the plot of Gone Girl. And they end up just like kind of destroying these people's lives for a while until the kidnappers are kind of like sick of it. And eventually, a guy comes forward and is like, no, they really were kidnapped. He starts like sending all these weird things to this journalist to prove that their story is real. And then, thanks to the work of a single wonderful officer. They are out there. There are so many out there.

54:38Props to her. I cannot remember her name, but she ends up putting it all together and she goes back to this police department and she's like, hey, you guys got this wrong. Like they really were kidnapped. It's a great story. You know, obviously horrible for them. They did get a settlement of I think it was 2.5 million dollars, which does not feel like enough money. But in the end, it did work out and they finally got to tell their story on Netflix. And what I think is really cool, it's done by the production company Raw, who is one, fantastic, but two, really, the people at the center of the story take the lead in telling this case, which you guys know is my favorite way of consuming true crime.

55:24So again, if you are looking for a really twisty turny, crazy true crime story that had heavy involvement by the people involved, check out American Nightmare on Netflix. It is three hours. I consumed it all in one sitting and it was fantastic. So that is what I've been watching. Now on to our segment of hope. And this one is different. I feel like I've just, You know, there are so many stories out there of cases being solved, and that's fantastic. But I think that hope comes in different forms. And I just wanted to, I don't know, I got this email, and I thought that this would make a great feature for the segment of hope, and in a way that you might not think about.

56:11For me, the hope, I mean, it kind of ties back to Gloria Denton, right? The hope here is never giving up. So you guys might remember I covered the story of Jacob Laundin, who was just a small baby who unfortunately lost his life. You know, there's a lot of speculation. There's a lot of questions into Jacob's mom's boyfriend. The timing was very suspicious. go back and listen to that episode if you have not yet. Better yet, go over to the True Consequences podcast and listen to Jacob's brother Eric tell this story. He has a few parts over there and he tells it in a really fantastic way. But I covered this case.

56:59I've known Eric forever and he sent me an update and I want to share that here with you. Basically, in his email, he says, I wanted to share this with you in case you wanted to share it with listeners. And he says, quote, Hi, first and foremost, I want to thank you for caring about Justice for Jacob. I want to thank all the creators who covered Jacob's case. I also want to thank all the listeners for your engagement in the Justice for Jacob movement. Your efforts helped us get the case to the point where it currently is. I have not been able to provide updates for a long time, But I want to back up a bit and bring you up to speed on what's been happening.

57:38Three years ago, I asked for help in calling and emailing the district attorney in Socorro County, New Mexico. And you all showed up. Calls, emails, and letters poured in from around the world. We initially planned to do this for 10 days, and the DA responded two days later. He asked that the AG take the case, because he did not have the resources or time to deal with the calls and emails. So thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for showing up for us. The AG took the file and started an investigation. Unfortunately, there was an election halfway through the last three years which stalled the case.

58:14In December, the AG's office reached out to my mom and I and asked for a meeting. We were excited because we believed that the AG would not bring us in if it was bad news. I wish that happened. Unfortunately, we did not receive the news we were hoping for. We were told by the prosecutors that through their investigation, they were not able to find sufficient evidence to prosecute. This is not the end of Justice for Jacob. We are going to continue pushing for change in New Mexico, even if that means a change in the attorney general or laws. We will continue to do everything in our power to make sure that no New Mexican family has to go through what we have gone through.

58:53Once again, thank you for your support and love. It has carried us through these last few years. We may be reaching out again to ask for help from you. So stay tuned as we take a step back and start planning our next steps. Thank you again for amplifying Jacob's voice. We cannot thank you enough. Love, Eric. End quote. So the reason it makes this segment of hope, right, is because Eric hasn't given up hope, and I don't think we should either. Also, I think it's clear from that email, that update, right, we have been a part of sparking hope for Eric and for his mom, Brenda. So, while it's not the most satisfying resolution, I mean, it's not satisfying and it's not a resolution at all, I hope that all of, I hope, hope, hope, hope, my favorite word, I really hope that this just shows you the effect that people like you, you right now, I am in your headphones talking to you, you can help people like Eric.

1:00:03Just like you helped people like me. Or just me. Yeah. So anyway, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here. Wishing you a very happy half-off holiday. Because right now, Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50 % off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So, that means a half day. Yeah? Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. A front payment of$45 for three-month plan equivalent to$15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes if network's busy.

1:00:44Taxes and fees extra. Do you ever meet someone and think, wow, they've really been through it, and then realize we all have? That's what We're All Insane is all about. It's a podcast where real people sit down to share their stories that have shaped them, the raw, unfiltered moments that don't usually make it into everyday conversation. There are no scripts, no interruptions, and no filters, just honest storytelling that unfolds naturally. From heartbreak and loss to recovery and resilience, every episode is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we're never really alone. If you love hearing real stories that make you feel something, stories that connect us all, this is one you'll want to subscribe to.

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