Sebastian Rogers

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1:5018 plus terms apply. Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.

2:26Today, I'm discussing the disappearance of 15-year-old Sebastian Rogers from Hendersonville, Tennessee. When Sebastian went missing in February 2024, his case was immediately propelled into the media. And I get it. I mean, I don't know how anyone can see Sebastian smile and not want to help him. But, like we've seen in so many cases in true crime, the media pressure of Sebastian's case has hit a tipping point. He's been missing for just over six months, and the very few facts in this case are being drowned out by speculation. Despite authorities making several statements about how this is negatively impacting his case, it's done little to stop the insanity online.

3:10So today, I want to clearly separate the facts from speculation and see if we can make sense of what may have happened, and maybe tip the scales back to focusing on what really matters, bringing him home. This is the case of Sebastian Rogers. It's about 6 a.m. on Monday, February 26, 2024. We're in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Katie Proudfoot goes to her son Sebastian's bedroom to wake him up for school. But when she gets to the door and peeks in, she realizes that his bed is empty. She searches the house and the surrounding area for Sebastian. But he's clearly not there. And really, nothing is gone except for Sebastian.

3:58All of his clothing and his cell phone are still there. And all three pairs of Sebastian's shoes were still right by the front door where he last left them. All that seems to be missing are his glasses and his favorite flashlight. After doing this quick search, Katie calls her husband, Sebastian's stepfather, Chris Proudfoot. He was working a construction job out of town about four hours away in Memphis. After finding out what's going on, he calls the Sumner County Sheriff's Office to report Sebastian missing at about 6.20 a.m. Within 10 minutes, sheriff's deputies are at the door. And I am so pleased to report that they take this seriously.

4:40No nonsense about maybe he was a runaway and he'll be back soon. They check the house for Sebastian and confirm that there doesn't appear to be any signs of forced entry, and nothing appeared to be missing from the home. So they begin searching for Sebastian immediately. Over 200 searchers are joined by dogs, officers on horseback, and helicopters to search the immediate area. But they can't find 15-year-old Sebastian or any trace of him. So the Sumner County Sheriff's Office immediately contacts the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, or TBI. They issue an endangered child alert for Sebastian.

5:18This is an alert where there is a concern for the child's safety, and information is shared with the news media and on social media. It's basically like one step down from an Amber Alert. They put out the basic information about Sebastian. He's white, 15 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, with sandy blonde hair, and weighed approximately 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and glasses. But the next day, after more searching and speaking with Sebastian's parents, this alert is upgraded to an Amber Alert. In Tennessee, the requirements for an Amber Alert are that the child is 17 years of age or younger, the child is in imminent danger of bodily injury or death, and there's a description of the child, abductor, or vehicle.

6:07According to the state of Tennessee's website, out of the hundreds of children reported missing each year, they on average activate less than 10 AMBER alerts per year. So this is a big deal for them. But Sebastian is autistic, barefoot, and requires medication. The risk factor here is just higher, so this upgrade makes sense. I also want to take a second to praise how they also got quite creative in their search for Sebastian. Authorities used his favorite song, Eye of the Tiger, in an attempt to lure him out should he be hiding. It didn't work. But it's just refreshing to see after our last few cases where authorities were slower to react and perhaps less enthusiastic about their searches.

6:52But the searches for Sebastian do continue. A pond near Sebastian's home was drained, and nothing was found. And a call for security footage from his neighbors and the local area was coming up empty. By March 3rd, local business owners donated$3 ,500 to establish a reward fund for Sebastian's case. And the very next day, authorities announced that they were scaling back the physical searches for Sebastian. But they didn't stop completely. On March 7th, the Kentucky State Police and deputies from the Sumner County Sheriff's Office searched the Hopkins County Regional Landfill near Madisonville.

7:29This is where the trash collected from Sebastian's neighborhood is taken. And authorities were very clear with the media that they didn't have any evidence that Sebastian may be in this landfill. It was just a precautionary measure, basically an effort to leave no stone unturned. And while they weren't able to pinpoint the exact spot where trash from his neighborhood was dumped in this landfill, it doesn't seem really anything came of this search. But then, a week later, WTVF News in Nashville announced that they obtained exclusive video surveillance from the night Sebastian went missing. I will say that this is not the only video clip that's been submitted in this case according to Sumner County, but this is the first clip released to the public.

8:14And you guys, I know we talk a lot about terrible, grainy surveillance video and true crime. But this clip truly takes the cake. When I look at this video, I see very little. But let's talk about what investigators believe it may be. This video comes from a camera pointed at the back of Sebastian's home. Just after 3am again on the night he went missing, it captures what appears to be at least two people holding some type of light source. Many people say that they're holding flashlights, but this has been heavily debated. And I do want to note that there were no streetlights on Sebastian's block.

8:55So it wouldn't appear that these are just streetlights flickering or some odd camera glitch. Basically, what you see in this video is one person in the lower right-hand corner of the frame with, again, some type of light source. You can see a second person move towards the first person before their light source is obstructed by something or possibly turned off. That first person then moves out of the frame, the second person's light source reappears, and then they follow the first person out of the frame. After this, you can see what appears to be one person with a light source moving very quickly in the frame again.

9:32And that's really it. While authorities are trying to enhance this video, at this time no one can be identified. And again, we can't see much in this video. But seeing something holding light sources in Sebastian's backyard on the night he went missing certainly feels significant. And of course, with really just Sebastian's favorite flashlight missing, many people believe one of these figures could be Sebastian. As the public went absolutely wild for this video, the TBI made a statement about this clip, warning the public about it. Quote, Many neighbors and businesses have provided video from home and business surveillance systems.

10:14We are grateful for that cooperation. The video has been collected, and from the beginning of the investigation has been analyzed and enhanced where possible by tech experts with the TBI, FBI, and Secret Service. To date, nothing gathered from these video systems has been determined to be significant. We do caution that some surveillance video being shared in the public may have been misrepresented or misidentified, or not shown in its entirety. It has been determined that it does not hold any evidentiary significance to the investigation." But this warning unfortunately did not stop people from sharing the clip, and quite frankly becoming absolutely feral online.

10:59Media pressure is a double-edged sword, especially when a child goes missing. Having the entire world screaming about it can be a very effective tool in generating tips and hopefully bringing that child home. But like we've seen in a lot of cases, Sebastian's case quickly reached that tipping point, where people just crossed that line of wanting to help to becoming obsessed and toxic. As the very few facts in Sebastian's disappearance faded into the overwhelming amount of speculation, it did negatively impact his case. At the end of March, the United Cajun Navy joined the search efforts for Sebastian, but just six days later they pulled out of those search efforts, saying their volunteers were receiving threats.

11:49By April, the TBI publicly announced that social media has officially become a distraction in Sebastian's case.

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13:26By April 2024, 15-year-old Sebastian Rogers has been missing for about a month. And the TBI tells the public that they don't have much at this point. There's no evidence of foul play, but they're still considering all possibilities. A representative for the organization makes it clear that Sebastian's mother and stepfather, Katie and Chris Proudfoot, and his biological father, Seth Rogers, have all been cooperative in the investigation, but they will not state that they've been cleared of any possible involvement. I mean, basically, they have nothing. Or if they do, like I always say, they're not telling us about it.

14:06While a pair of glasses was found early in the investigation, they didn't belong to Sebastian. In May, there was also a photo of a teenager who did look a lot like Sebastian circulating online. It looked so much like him that Seth Rogers jumped into his car to drive to North Carolina to see for himself. But it wasn't him. And while there is surveillance video that appears to show at least two people moving, holding light sources in Sebastian's backyard on the night he went missing, the TBI says there's nothing in that video that they consider to be significant. All that's really left is speculation.

14:45And the speculation grows as Sebastian's parents begin doing media separately. In most interviews, it's Katie and Chris Proudfoot or just Sebastian's bio dad, Seth Rogers. Now, since we've discussed Katie and Chris Proudfoot, I wanted to give just a quick background here on Seth. While Sebastian did not live with his father Seth, it appears that he was very active and present in Sebastian's life. He has shared physical custody and gets Sebastian every other weekend and during most of his breaks from school. He says he was about 45 minutes away at work when Sebastian was reported missing, and by all accounts has been quite active in the search for Sebastian.

15:25But in an April 6 interview with Court TV, Seth Rogers talks about a lot, and his statements contradict earlier statements made in this case. I found statements from Seth Rogers saying that Sebastian was not known to wander off. Katie Proudfoot has said something similar, that she knew something was wrong immediately because Sebastian was not a runner and had never run away before. But in this interview, Seth says that Sebastian has gone missing three times under Katie's care, which I know going missing and running are not the same. but I just want to reiterate that it appears this is not the first time Sebastian has gone missing, at least according to Seth.

16:07He also says Sebastian was sexually abused by a minor in the past under his mother's care as well. I think what we see happening here is that while both sides were a lot more cordial in the way that they spoke about each other in the media at first, that kind of fades away as time goes on. Now, I'm not saying these statements are true or untrue. I just see a progression with the amount of information being shared as time goes on. And I will say that it also does seem like Seth is finding out a lot about Sebastian's home life right along with the public. Like that Child Protective Services had been called to the home in the past to investigate possible physical abuse.

16:46And Chris Proudfoot admitting to Nancy Grace that he had hit Sebastian with a belt in the past. To be honest, there's a lot more out there. Speculation about Chris's past relationships. His daughter that was living with them part-time. As people start coming out of the woodwork to be interviewed, a lot is said about the character of Katie, Chris, and Seth. But my goal with this episode is to try to make a piece of media that is not a distraction from Sebastian's case. I don't want to be another reason the TBI has to tell people to settle down. So I'm going to narrow that focus on what feels more critical to the circumstances surrounding Sebastian's disappearance.

17:26It seems that one of the largest points of contention in Sebastian's case is what really happened the day and night before he was reported missing. We haven't talked about that yet. The day before Sebastian went missing was a Sunday. It was just Sebastian and his mom Katie in the house. Chris is away for work, and Chris's daughter is away from the home as well. Katie says she and Sebastian took a trip around town. And Sebastian spent a lot of the day laughing, playing with her two dogs, and eating a lot of popcorn. But it's a school night. So Katie says that at about 9pm, Sebastian tells her he loves her and goes to bed.

18:04But about an hour later at 10, she hears him making some noise and hears a large thud. While Katie's statements have been a little unclear throughout her interviews, it appears she did not physically check on Sebastian at this time, but just kind of yelled, are you okay? Sebastian responds that he is, and Katie says that he needs to go to bed. According to Katie and Chris, phone records confirm that they were on the phone for most of the night, and Katie falls asleep around midnight while still on the phone with Chris. Chris tells her to get to bed, and after taking care of her dogs, she does exactly that.

18:41But again, it's basically Chris and Katie's word against massive speculation that they may have harmed Sebastian. For what reason is a little unclear. According to Chris, he and Seth were discussing Sebastian going to live with Seth full-time. Again, for what reason is unclear. It seems both men were on board, but Chris was still trying to convince Katie when Sebastian went missing. But the TBI has all this information, and even more that may never see the light of day. And six months later, there have been no arrests in Sebastian's case. This episode is brought to you by 20th Century Studios upcoming comedy, Ella McKay.

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20:14Try now at windows.com slash copilot. Hi, I'm here to pick up my son Milo. There's no Milo here. Who picked up my son from school? Streaming only on Peacock. I'm going to need the name of everyone that could have a connection. You don't understand. It was just the five of us. So this was all planned. What are you going to do? I will do whatever it takes to get my son back. I honestly didn't see this coming. These nice people killing each other. All her fault. A new series streaming now, only on Peacock. So what happened to Sebastian Rogers? One of the smallest yet biggest elements to me in Sebastian's case is him not having shoes on.

20:59According to Seth Rogers, Sebastian really didn't like being barefoot. So Sebastian going missing without any shoes on is extremely concerning. And outside of some emergency situation like a fire or something, points to him not leaving the home willingly. Or as much as I hate to say it, even Sebastian walking out of that house versus being carried or transported somehow. If he was met with foul play, I think ensuring you take a pair of shoes to cover it up is an easy thing to miss in the moment. Seth is also adamant that his son would never leave with a stranger Which doesn't make it true, but it is worth considering Investigators have explored the possibility that Sebastian may have met someone online and been lured away from his home Possibly while playing one of his favorite games, Minecraft But his parents say that while he did love playing the game, he didn't have online capabilities Seth Rogers has also stated that while Sebastian did have a cell phone, they also blocked online access on that device as well.

22:09And if you don't want to take it from them, his cell phone and gaming system were examined by authorities, and they say nothing of significance was found. So while I think whenever a teenager goes missing, it's fair to consider that they may have met an adult online who aimed to harm them, this does seem less likely in Sebastian's case. And again, this doesn't explain why he wouldn't be wearing any shoes. Since nothing was taken from the home and there were no signs of forced entry, a burglary gone wrong does also seem unlikely. Authorities have executed numerous search warrants in this case, and vehicles in the area were tracked down and accounted for.

22:51But authorities have also been crystal clear that they have no evidence to confirm that Sebastian ever left his mother's home. At this point, investigators are still considering all options. While Chris and Katie Proudfoot have announced to the media that they've been cleared in Sebastian's case, Sebastian's father Seth has recently said that no one has been cleared. Not Katie, Chris, or himself. And while authorities have said multiple times that Sebastian's parents and family have all been cooperative, they do seem to really reiterate this sentiment that nothing is off the table. As of just a few weeks before this episode airs, the FBI and TBI reiterate that there's no evidence of foul play, and that there's no evidence that Sebastian's mother, biological father, or stepfather are involved in his disappearance.

23:45So what we're being told is that they are being cooperative, there's no evidence to suggest foul play, or that his parents are involved, they're still not taking anything off the table. While it feels that we have few facts and a lot of speculation in this case, I'd argue that there's still hope that Sebastian can be found. Which brings me right to our call to action. While Sebastian's case feels incredibly frustrating because we have so little information, it is still very active, and I have a feeling that law enforcement knows a lot more than they're saying. The week of recording this episode, teams were still conducting searches for Sebastian.

24:28At the end of August 2024, the FBI announced a$50 ,000 reward for information leading to Sebastian. And in September, his family partnered with Dwayne Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter. He says he thinks Sebastian's alive and he's going to bring him home. He's also advertising a$100 ,000 reward. And Seth Rogers has been extremely vocal that he still needs people to help share his son's case. So please share.

25:06As a reminder, Sebastian Rogers was 15 years old when he was last seen in February 2024 in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He is white, and at that time he was 5 foot 5 inches tall with sandy blonde hair and weighed approximately 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and glasses. He does have known medical conditions. Anyone with information is asked to call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. But, as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

26:10Thank you.

26:59Welcome to the secret after show. The door is open. The puppies are in. Marley's on my lap squirming and yawning. Good yawn. Um, let's talk. So what's going on with me? The reason, hi Marley, Marley is sitting in my lap is because he finally turned 18, which I feel like I've been talking about for like a year. Everyone's like, oh, he's 18 now. And really I've just been talking about his birthday, um, forever. But Marley is officially 18 now, which means he wants to get out of my lap. And as an adult, I'm going to let him do that. I just wanted to say, um, thank you for all of the birthday wishes for Marley.

27:39Of course, he holds a very special place in my heart, not just because he is a dog I have owned for 18 years, which is insane. As you guys might remember from season one of Voices for Justice, Marley is the dog who never existed. Marley is the reason that on the day that our house was raided in 2008, I lost my cool. I was able to find two out of my three dogs, And when I asked where my third dog is, there was a brown one, a black one, and a white one. They're really easy to tell apart. When I asked where the small white one was, they said there was no small white dog. He did not exist, essentially.