Shelley Sikes

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0:30The Hulu Original Series, Furious. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. There are three victims we know of. The suspect is female, white, late 20s. Female serial killers. Kill for power. Control. I believe there's a deeper motivation here. You have no idea who you're dealing with, and you are going to end up dead. I've been waiting for you. Watch the Hulu original series, Furious, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. For bundle subscribers, terms apply. Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder.

1:11This 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.

1:35Today I'm discussing the case of Shelly Sykes. In 1986, several witnesses saw parts of 19-year-old Shelly Sykes' abduction after a pickup forced her car off the road near Texas City. One passerby stopped, but left after a man said it was a family matter. Other witnesses saw Shelly fight to get away and heard her cries for help. By morning, Shelly's shattered blue Ford Pinto had been found abandoned with blood that wasn't hers inside. This is the case of Shelly Sykes. It's Saturday, May 24th, 1986, and 19-year-old Shelly Sykes is working hard during her shift as a server at Guido's. It's a popular seafood restaurant in Galveston, Texas.

2:25And this night is really busy. Not only is Guido's a famous restaurant that's been serving locals and tourists since 1911, it's also Memorial Day weekend. Now, during her shift, Shelly calls her boyfriend Mark. They had plans to meet up after her shift, but when they talk, she tells them that she's really tired. She just wants to stay in for the night and watch movies together. Mark is completely on board. This isn't a new relationship. They've been together for a few years since meeting in high school, and while they were young, they did have plans to get married someday. But before Shelly gets back to work, she tells Mark that she'll just head straight to his place in Texas City after her shift, which according to court documents was at around midnight.

3:11But Shelly never shows up. At first, Mark isn't really concerned. Again, it's a busy night for the restaurant. I think most people who worked as a server in the restaurant industry understand how unpredictable these shifts can be. But then another hour goes by, and that's when he starts to get worried. Mark calls the restaurant and speaks to one of Shelly's co-workers, but they tell Mark that she left just before midnight. And considering it's only about a 20-minute drive from the restaurant to Mark's house, she should have already been there by now. Mark wastes exactly no time looking for Shelly.

3:47But Mark lives with his dad Jim, so when he tells them that he's going to go out and look for Shelly, Jim hops right in the car with him. They retrace the drive that they think Shelly most likely would have taken. They're keeping their eyes open, looking out into the dark Galveston night for any clue to where she could be. Then they get onto Interstate 45. This is the stretch of highway that connects Texas City to Galveston. And that's when Mark sees it. It's a faint light on the side of the road. He tells his dad Jim to pull over, and right when he stops, Mark jumps out of the passenger seat and begins running to the abandoned car on the side of the road.

4:27Immediately, he knew it was Shelly's blue Ford Pinto, but Shelly wasn't inside. The scene they find is nothing short of horrific. The driver's side window is smashed in, with glass lying on the seat. And there's blood inside and outside of the car on the driver's door and driver's seat. When Mark shines his flashlight into the car, he sees just one of Shelly's shoes still inside. Then he notices a footprint in the sand right next to the vehicle, so he assumes that somehow Shelly fled the car on foot. Now of course, Mark and Jim find a phone to call the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, but when a deputy arrives on the scene, he doesn't seem to be too worried about the state of the car.

5:14The officer tells them that Shelly probably just got into a car accident and is most likely at the hospital. The officer also asks Mark if he wants to take Shelly's car from the scene back to his house, but thankfully his dad Jim steps in. He immediately says absolutely not. They both feel that something bad has happened in that car, and he's not about to let his son drive away with a potential crime scene. It really seems that they're on their own at this point, so they go back home and they start calling hospitals looking for anyone who may have seen Shelly, or any Jane Doe who may look like Shelly, but they have no luck.

5:54After realizing that this most likely wasn't an accident, they decide at about 2.30am to call Shelly's mom Erin to tell her what happened. Shelly's family officially reports her missing on Sunday, May 25th, 1986. This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Jones Road Beauty. I don't know about you guys, but I hate the heavy, caked-on look. You know what I'm talking about. The older I get, the more I realize that looking good starts with good skincare. That's why I'm obsessed with the Miracle Balm from Jones Road Beauty. It provides that effortless natural look I'm looking for without a ton of makeup.

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8:14Ready to reach your goals? Visit 4hers.com slash crime to get personalized affordable care that gets you. That's F-O-R-H-E-R-S dot com slash crime. 4HERS dot com slash crime. Weight loss by HERS is not available in all 50 states. Wegovee is the registered trademark of Novo Noro Disc AS. To get started and learn more, including important safety information, Wegovee clinical study information, and restrictions, visit 4hers.com. After 19-year-old Shelly Sykes is reported missing to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, investigators start with the biggest piece of evidence, the car, which due to Jim's quick thinking was at least left in the same position.

9:00So they go back out to Interstate 45, and luckily this time the responding officers don't shrug it off as some sort of possible accident. Eventually, they determined that the tire marks were consistent with having veered off the road, with the rear tire getting stuck in the mud. It also showed that Shelly had furiously been trying to get out of the car. It was even still in drive when they found it. They also found all of her belongings still inside. Because Shelly's purse, identification, and cash tips remained in the car, investigators had little reason to believe that robbery was the primary motive here.

9:37Everything pointed to someone doing something to Shelly while she was stuck on the side of the road. Of course, in a case like this, they start with the inner circle and work their way out. Shelly wasn't known to have any enemies. In fact, she seemed pretty loved by everyone who knew her. Shelly's sister Dana told Grace White with KHOU11 News that Shelly was always the life of the party. And when Shelly had recently graduated high school the previous year, her class voted her best personality, most talented, and miss school spirit. There was nothing in Shelly's past that would lead them to believe that anyone who knew her would want to hurt her.

10:18With detectives now looking at the possibility of a stranger harming Shelly, they head to the restaurant to see if there was anything out of the ordinary during her last shift. Now, just as a little aside, while Shelly was attending the University of Texas, she also worked at Guido's to help her achieve her bigger dream, working as a professional dancer and opening her own studio one day. Shelley was an incredibly talented dancer and aspired to teach dance to children. And even though the job she was working wasn't her end goal, she took the responsibility very seriously and was known as a great worker.

10:53But when detectives speak with her co-workers, none of them report seeing anything or anyone suspicious during her shift. When she clocked out, they say that Shelly appeared to be totally fine. So, with very few leads, law enforcement decides to turn to the public for help. There was a major media push about Shelly. Her photos, her flyers were absolutely everywhere. And as we see, this was in large part due to her family and her community. Locals began to give their time and money. The oil company in Texas City where Shelly's mom Erin worked also donated towards a reward. Soon, the family was offering$12 ,000 for Shelly's immediate return.

11:34Her mother Erin told the Houston Post, quote, We're all trying to keep our chins up and hope for the best, because she's a precious little girl and we all want her back. End quote. And it doesn't take long for witnesses to come forward with very disturbing accounts of what happened to Shelly. One man told police that he saw Shelly on Interstate 45 on the night of May 24th. He said that he saw her driving fast, with a two-tone truck following close behind her. Then the truck forced Shelly off the road. The driver ran out, smashed her window, dragged her out of the car, and into the truck before driving away.

12:17Now, this man says that he did try to help. He pulled over, got out of his vehicle, and asked if they needed any assistance. but he was told by the man that it was a family problem and to stay out of it. So he backed off. This man gave a description that matched Shelly, and described the suspect as a white male. Then a teenage couple came forward to say that they also saw Shelly being run off the road on Interstate 45. They gave a very similar account to the first man, but they were able to give more details about the man who grabbed her. They said he was a white male with a medium build and scraggly hair, standing around 5 '9 to 5 '10.

12:58They worked with a sketch artist and soon flyers were distributed with the image. And this really just compelled Shelley's family to work even harder. They made hundreds of thousands of posters and put them up all around the Galveston area. Shelley's dad, Eddie, also coordinated a nationwide campaign that sent flyers to at least 42 states. They also put up multiple billboards with a massive photo of Shelley and the$12 ,000 reward. One was displayed in a very prominent area so that everyone leaving Galveston would have to see it. And all these efforts did lead to people calling with potential information.

13:35Detective Wayne Kessler later told on the case with Paula Zahn that at one point, they received 300 tips from all across the country. This led them to looking into as many as 150 possible suspects. That's huge. But unfortunately, after chasing down all the leads, none of them produced any viable answers about where Shelley was. Obviously, this was just excruciating for Shelley's family. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle back in September of 1986, her mom Erin said, quote, I have to have my hope. I couldn't make it if I didn't have my hope. But it's the not knowing that really wrenches my heart.

14:16In that same article, Shelley's dad Eddie said, quote,

14:43End quote. I don't think it can be overstated how hard this family worked for Shelley. While all this is happening, Shelley's sister Dana was supposed to get married, but she postponed her wedding hoping Shelley would be back to attend. It wasn't until Shelley's case hit the one-year mark that Dana decided to go forward with her wedding, and she actually invited the two lead detectives, Wayne Kessler and Tommy Hansen, both of whom agreed to be there. but on the day of the ceremony they didn't show and while I have to imagine that this was upsetting at first she soon learned that they had a very valid reason for not being there they'd just gotten the biggest break in this case to date this episode is supported by fx's the shards a seductive drama from executive producer ryan murphy set in 1980s los angeles the series follows a group of glamorous, deeply entangled high school seniors drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties, and excess.

15:51At its center is Brett, whose reality begins to unravel when the arrival of a new student coincides with a series of mysterious murders. FX's The Shards premieres August 5th on FX and Hulu. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and I hope you'll join us for Season 5 of Dateline Missing in America. In each episode of Dateline's award-winning series, We will focus on one missing persons case and hear from the families, the friends, and the investigators all desperate to find them. Maybe you could help solve a mystery. Search Dateline Missing in America to listen completely free or subscribe to Dateline Premium to unlock new episodes early.

16:35For approximately 13 months after Shelley disappeared, investigators had evidence that she'd been abducted, but didn't know who'd taken her. Multiple witnesses had seen Shelly being forced from her car. There was blood found in her pinto. Despite there being several witnesses, they could only partially describe one of the men seen by her car that night. Then, there was a major break that came after Shelly's family had launched a new publicity campaign around the first anniversary of her disappearance. According to court records, this renewed attention caused 29-year-old John Robert King to leave the Galveston County area and move to El Paso.

17:16Shortly after moving there, he attempted to die by suicide in a motel room. He called 911 for help and came forward with a shocking admission. According to reporting by Grace White for KHOU 11, King said, quote, I think I know something about a girl that's missing in Galveston County, end quote. When the dispatcher asks her name, he says Shelly Sykes. And when the El Paso authorities investigated the attempted suicide, King began revealing information about Shelly's abduction. According to the Texas Court of Appeals, King implicated both himself and 32-year-old Gerald Peter Zwarst. He claimed that they kidnapped Shelley, assaulted her, and later killed her with a shovel.

18:10Now, of course, this is the first time that investigators received an account from someone claiming direct involvement in Shelley's disappearance, but King's statements didn't really immediately resolve the case. His story changed over time, he repeatedly shifted responsibility to Gerald Zwarszt, and he never told investigators where Shelley was. Now, King did initially agree to cooperate with investigators. He returned to the Clear Lake area where Zwarszt was living, and investigators placed a recording device on him. King then went to Zwarszt's apartment and attempted to get him to discuss Shelley's kidnapping and the possible location of her remains.

18:53But Zwars wasn't going for it, and he didn't make any useful admissions during that conversation. After this, the Galveston County District Attorney's Office decided to just ask Zwars to speak with investigators voluntarily. On June 26, 1987, Zwars and his girlfriend left his apartment. Investigators followed them into La Porte, where a marked La Porte police vehicle pulled them over. As officers approached, Zwars quickly placed his hands beneath the dashboard. So at this point, officers draw their weapons, but he eventually puts his hands up, they realize that he's not armed, and they put them away.

19:35Galveston County Sheriff Sergeant Wayne Kessler and FBI Special Agent Flo Logan told Zwars they wanted to speak with him about a major investigation. They also told him that he was not under arrest. And Zwars agreed to accompany them to the North County building in League City. During the drive, investigators did not mention Shelley's case. However, Zwars reportedly volunteered that he was not violent, did not use drugs, and had never hurt or killed anyone. He arrived at the building at approximately 7.07pm. Investigators again told him that he was not under arrest and he was free to leave. Swartz said that he wanted to stay and get the matter straightened out.

20:18At 7.55pm, Judge M.W. Nelson informed Swartz that he was being investigated for aggravated kidnapping and advised him of his rights. Swartz signed a written form acknowledging that he understood those rights. So, the videotaped interview began at approximately 8.43pm. During the interview, Swarst admitted that he remembered parts of the weekend Shelley disappeared. He said that he did help King get Shelley into the truck. He admitted to placing his foot on her while she was restrained on the floorboard, and added that he and King took Shelley to Spillway Park in Baycliff. But Swarst claimed that his memory was incomplete because he and King had consumed large amounts of beer and smoked marijuana laced with PCP.

21:06But it was too late for Zwarsd. During a break in the interview, investigators prepared a sworn probable cause affidavit charging Zwarsd with Shelley's aggravated kidnapping. An arrest warrant was issued at approximately 1.15 a.m. on June 27th. When the interview resumed, investigators informed Zwarsd that he was now under arrest, and again advised him of his rights. He made no additional admissions that night. But the following day, Zwars did agree to take investigators along the route he said that he and King traveled after abducting Shelley. At the conclusion of that trip, he gave another recorded statement.

21:48He claimed that King repeatedly kicked Shelley down onto the truck's floorboard while they drove towards Spillway Park. Zwars said that Shelley was moaning during the drive. According to Zwars, King eventually placed Shelley in the bed of the pickup. Zwarst then drove to the home of King's parents, which was located a short distance from the park. King went inside, and then returned with a shovel. The two men then traveled to a house that King was renting. Zwarst claimed that he went inside, ate dinner, and drank beer, while King remained outside. When he eventually came back outside, the truck was still there, but Shelley was gone.

22:33Zwarst insisted that he didn't know what King had done with her or where she'd been taken. But prosecutors quickly learned that wasn't the story he was telling other people.

23:01feeling? It's such a rush because you know everyone else wanted it too. Meanwhile, on eBay Live, you don't just watch the action, you're in it. Download the eBay app to stream and shop live. eBay Live, things people love. Following his arrest, Zwarst was placed into the Galveston County Jail with two men named Michael Anthony Collins and Daniel R. Moran. Both men later testified that Zwarst voluntarily spoke to them about his participation in Shelley's abduction. According to their testimony, Zwarst claimed that he passed out at King's rented house. When he regained consciousness, he allegedly saw King striking Shelley with a shovel and burying her alive.

23:49Obviously, this is a very different account from what he told investigators. Previously, he said that he went inside, came back out, and Shelley was gone. that he didn't really know what happened. Now, accounts given by King and Zwurst directed investigators toward Spillway Park, King's parents' property, King's rented house, and the surrounding Baycliffe, Bayview, and San Leon area. They conducted major searches, including a major volunteer search involving approximately 600 people in August of 1987. Shelley's mother, Erin, told the Houston Chronicle, quote, it's heartwarming to know that there are this many caring people out there.

24:30It's really kind of overwhelming. It makes you feel as good as you can feel in this situation. End quote. Shelly's father, Eddie, added quote, we all need to start looking after each other's children. I believe everyone is much more concerned about their safety, their children's safety, and safety in general. Shelly's disappearance may have brought some good. End quote. Unfortunately, none of those searches recovered Shelley, and both men continued blaming each other. Now, King and Zwars were eventually indicted for aggravated kidnapping. Although King had alleged that Shelley was killed, her remains had not been recovered, there was no forensic evidence establishing a cause of death, and the men's account of the final violence were inconsistent.

25:16So, prosecutors proceeded with aggravated kidnapping, a charge supported by the eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and the men's own admissions. Now, in December of 1987, before the official trials began, Eddie Sykes used another tactic to compel King and Zwars to tell them where Shelley was. He filed a$30 million wrongful death civil lawsuit against the men. His attorney told Ken Lanterman with the Houston Post, quote, The dollar figure is just a statement to show how serious we are. The ultimate goal in this case is to find out where Shelley is. We feel we have more at our disposal than in the criminal system.

25:56People can still invoke the Fifth Amendment, but we're going to give it a try. This is just another alternative." End quote. In that same article, Shelley's stepmother, Denise Sykes, added that this suit wasn't a criticism of the investigation, and said that she believed investigators did all they could on this case. Unfortunately, as far as I could find, this civil suit never went forward, but King and Zwirst were tried separately in 1988 on the criminal charges. King was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison. It's also extremely worth noting here that the blood found on Shelley's pinto was a match to King's blood type, not Shelley's or Zwirst, which would be consistent with the accounts that King was the one who smashed her window and pulled her out of the vehicle.

26:49Zwarsd pleaded not guilty. Because of the extensive media in Galveston County, his trial was moved to Brazos County, and his case was really treated a bit differently, because no eyewitness could specifically identify him as the second man standing beside the road. The case against him relied heavily on his own recorded admissions, his root reconstruction, the testimony of those two inmates, and the other evidence establishing that Shelley had been forcibly abducted. And as we see defense attorneys try to do, before trial, they attempted to keep his recorded statements out of evidence. They argued that the traffic stop amounted to an illegal arrest, and that the lengthy interrogation made his statements involuntary.