Stephanie Crane

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1:26Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.

1:38Today, I'm discussing the disappearance of 9-year-old Stephanie Crane from Chalice, Idaho. In October 1993, Stephanie Crane disappeared without a trace after leaving her local bowling alley. Her sudden absence left her family and the community in shock. As search parties combed the surrounding area, and the days turned into weeks, residents in Chalice became increasingly concerned that their small town wasn't nearly as safe as they thought it was. Despite many concerning incidents and persons of interest in Stephanie's case, it remains unsolved. This is the case of Stephanie Crane. In 1993, Chalice, Idaho was the definition of small-town America.

2:25With a population of about 1 ,100, it's a tight-knit community. In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, resident Jan Long said it's one of those towns where if something happens to your kid at school, you hear about it before they even get home. Kids rode their bikes across town and walked to school with their friends without fear. Residents have called the small town nestled between the mountains a literal utopia. So it makes sense why Ben and Sandy Crane decided to raise their children here. Ben's parents, Hazel and Earl, even live right next door. Ben works in a local mineral mine and does taxidermy, while Sandy stays home with their four daughters, ages 9, 6, 4, and 2.

3:09So she definitely has her hands full, but with Ben's parents right next door, they make it work. And their oldest, Stephanie, also really takes on a motherly role to her younger sisters. When Stephanie's not out playing in the dirt, playing with her friends, riding bikes, and enjoying her BB gun that she got for Christmas, she's helping out around the house wherever she can. No family is perfect, but by most accounts, the green children are incredibly loved and well cared for. And despite having some younger siblings she helps care for, her parents make sure that Stephanie has time to enjoy her own separate activities as well.

3:47Specifically, Stephanie has joined an after-school bowling league. On Monday, October 11th, 1993, that's exactly what Stephanie's doing. After school lets out, she walks to the Chalice Bowling Alley, which is basically across the street. Her mom, Sandy, meets her there around 4 to pay for her games and give her a dollar to buy a snack. Then Sandy heads home, expecting Stephanie to really be right behind her in about 45 minutes. Again, small town, Stephanie walked everywhere and she was expected to walk home. But when Stephanie isn't home by 5.15, Sandy doesn't exactly panic. She calls Stephanie's grandmother, Hazel, to see if she's there.

4:27She's not. Hazel checks with some of the neighborhood kids, but they haven't seen Stephanie either. Sandy calls the bowling alley at about 5.30. But the employee tells her that Stephanie already left. So Sandy and Hazel get in the car to look for Stephanie. They figure she's likely somewhere on the route between the bowling alley and home. or that maybe she just went home with a friend and hasn't called home to tell them yet. But it's really when the sun starts to set that that optimism turns to fear. Stephanie is terrified of the dark, to the point where a nightlight wasn't enough for her. Stephanie had to sleep with her bedroom lights completely on.

5:08According to Hazel, Stephanie could rarely make it through a sleepover at her house right next door without asking to go home when it got dark. She was just one of those kids who were very, very afraid of the dark. So, after calling around town to see if anyone had seen Stephanie, Sandy reports her missing to the Custer County Sheriff's Office just after 8pm. And you guys, we love to see it. They waste no time in looking for Stephanie. The first deputy dispatch checks a creek behind the bowling alley to see if maybe Stephanie slipped and fell in. But it's pretty dark and hard to tell. so they call in Custer County Search and Rescue and the fire department to help with a larger search.

5:51They bring out horses, boats, and four-wheelers, and they're soon joined by about 15 % of the entire population of the town. But the search that night comes up completely empty. There's no trace of Stephanie anywhere. The search continues the next day, but of course they also want to try to track Stephanie's movements after leaving the bowling alley. Investigators are able to confirm with an employee at the bowling alley that Stephanie did finish her game and return her shoes before leaving the building. From here, the mother of one of Stephanie's classmates reports seeing her just before 5pm.

6:29She saw Stephanie in the parking lot and asked her if she was headed home. Stephanie says she was, and this mother watches her walk to a footbridge over the creek that would lead her home. But other witnesses, Stephanie's friend Brandy and her mom, report seeing Stephanie outside waiting to cross Highway 93. That would take her back to school, not home. But here, Brandy kind of yells out of the window and just asks Stephanie what she's doing and if she needs a ride home. Stephanie declines, saying that she left her backpack on the soccer field. So these initial searches for Stephanie really focus on retracing any possible routes from the bowling alley to the school and then to her house.

7:10But the search radius does eventually expand to a 7 ,000 square mile area that spans multiple counties. And there's just nothing. Not a hair tie, Stephanie's backpack, her hoodie. Dogs did pick a percent outside of the bowling alley, but they lose it pretty quickly after. By day two, state and federal agencies are called to assist, and by the end of the month, Stephanie's cases featured on America's Most Wanted. But still, there was nothing. The entire town of Chalice essentially shut down to look for Stephanie. Literally, businesses closed their doors and hung signs stating that they were out helping the search.

7:52Kids canceled their art lessons. Kids missed school. Hunters from across Idaho came to chalice in droves to volunteer their time. Trucks of food were being brought in to feed the search parties. Even the mayor, John Walker, joined the search efforts, alongside the town's most prominent business owners. The hero of this week's episode is this community. They worked so hard to find Stephanie and hopefully prevent something like this from happening again. While I was researching Stephanie's case, so many articles are just bursting with quotes about how all these things don't happen in Chalice, not in their small town.

8:33But everyone was working hard to find Stephanie. On Tuesday, Sandy was featured on a local TV program, where she cried and begged for Stephanie's safe return. By Wednesday, there were a thousand volunteers in Chalice to look for Stephanie. And by Friday, the searches were scaled back, as law enforcement began to focus on the investigation. Rinse takes your laundry and hand delivers it to your door, expertly cleaned and folded. So you could take the time once spent folding and sorting and waiting to finally pursue a whole new version of you. Like tea time you. Mmm. Or this tea time you. Or even this tea time you.

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10:2318 plus terms apply. While investigators don't have much, they do have some leads they can at least try to follow up on. Many residents reported seeing a yellow truck with red stripes on the side parked outside the school. It stood out to them not only because of the color, but also because no one knew who it belonged to. They just knew that they'd never seen it before. Unfortunately, we don't know anything about the potential driver, and no one was able to recall a license plate number. So this tip just sits. The other kids bowling with Stephanie that day also report seeing a man who was out of place.

11:01No one recognized him, but they report that he was just kind of intently staring at the kids in a weird way. Again, this is a small town. The residents know who lives here and what they drive. And while no one knew who this man was, a composite sketch was created and circulated. Investigators also received tips about a blue van seen parked on the shoulder of Highway 93 about a half a mile from the bowling alley, but they were never able to track down a license plate number, make, or model of the van. But again, for what they lacked in actionable tips, they really did make up for impassion. Soon, the community formed a group called Friends of Stephanie, where they volunteered their time to mail out Stephanie's missing person flyer across the country.

11:49Within a year, they'd sent out nearly half a million flyers. They also raised enough money for a$50 ,000 reward through a variety of fundraisers. That was soon doubled to$100 ,000. Local TV stations ran a PSA dedicated solely to her disappearance. Sandy even went on Jerry Springer in February 1994. This is before the format of his show changed quite a bit. The episode featured Stephanie and other missing children, but the tips just weren't coming in. That same month, volunteers spent four days digging out a water reserve that they feared was overlooked in their searches, but nothing was found.

12:29And within about this year, this passion people had for trying to find Stephanie turned to fear, and really to resentment and anger that nothing had been done. I know it sounds cliche, but the town of Chalice was really changed forever. Stephanie's desk at school sat untouched that year. It became a memorial of sorts and reminder of what the town had lost. Not just Stephanie, but their feeling of utopia. Parents showed up in droves walking their kids directly to their classroom. And the streets were silent. Kids weren't walking or riding their bikes anywhere anymore. No one felt safe. By 1995, Stephanie's parents got divorced.

13:16Sandy moved to Reno, Nevada, and Ben stayed in chalice with their three daughters and his parents. After two years with nearly no answers about how Stephanie could just seemingly vanish into thin air, the Idaho Attorney General visits them to address their concerns about the lack of progress in the investigation. And they say what no parent of a missing 9-year-old wants to hear. There's no proof a crime occurred. And maybe Stephanie was just unhappy and ran away. Really, Stephanie's case sits for years. Until early 1997, when one of the most prominent persons of interest is revealed. In early 1997, the Custer County Sheriff's Office gets a call from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

14:05They tell them that a man named Keith Hescock was taken into custody for unlawful possession of wildlife. According to early reporting on this incident, Hescock was no stranger to breaking hunting laws, and after trying to run from authorities, he was eventually caught for illegally killing seven elk and one deer. He and his hunting partner, Dwayne Christensen, were ordered to pay nearly$17 ,000 in fines. But obviously, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game weren't calling to report illegal hunting. It appears that when Hescock was apprehended, they found a stash of child sex abuse material in his possession.

14:45They also believe that they can trace him to Chalice on the day that Stephanie went missing. Hescock had apparently reported that he'd shot and killed a bighorn sheep in the area on that day. And you guys, not only that, Hescock owns a yellow truck matching the description of the one seen parked at the school that day. And again, the Custer County Sheriff's Office is all over this. They pull search warrants for his home, but they don't find anything that points them back to Stephanie. and his yellow truck now appears to be missing without explanation. As damning as it all seems, they don't have anything that moves Stephanie's case forward.

15:29Unfortunately, that same year, Stephanie's mother Sandy passes away due to blood clots in her lungs. By 1998, Ben moves his daughters to Orcas Island, Washington, while his parents stay behind in chalice. The next update in Stephanie's case doesn't come until May 2000. This comes from Nampa, Idaho, about 200 miles east of Chalice. A man in police custody says he might have information about Stephanie Crane. He tells them he knows a woman who rented a room from a man in Nampa in 1993. She told him that she and all the neighbors were extremely concerned because they could hear a girl crying and screaming from this man's basement, and he wouldn't allow anyone to go down there.

16:15So investigators track down this woman who confirms the story. She says she was living there at this time and remembers exactly what the man told them. She says that she confronted the man who was there at the time and he says it was his unruly daughter who was being punished for running away. So she's obviously freaked out and she does some digging around the home and finds girls' underwear. She immediately packs her things and leaves. Now, law enforcement hasn't released this man's name or really anybody involved in this incident, but they say that in November 1992, the man was arrested on a sex charge involving a minor.

16:54He was also charged for abusing his daughter in Portland. But after receiving a suspended sentence of six months in jail and three years supervised probation, he's granted permission to move to Idaho. and he's there by the time Stephanie goes missing. This man is tracked down, given a polygraph, and asked about Stephanie and he shows deception. They also search his home and they find blood on mattresses in the basement as well as a rope with fibers and hair still attached. Everything is sent off for testing in the state lab near Boise but they can't determine if the blood is human or animal let alone who it belongs to.

17:39Ultimately, the hairs submitted for testing were missing the follicle, and their lab was unable to test them at that time. I tried to see if these items were resubmitted for testing in more recent years, but I wasn't able to find anything. So if they were, they aren't telling us. In the end, nothing happens to this man, or really with this lead at all, which is pretty horrifying not only for Stephanie but for whoever's blood and hair that may have been not even to mention whoever was screaming down there then in June 2002 Keith Hescock is in trouble again he abducted a 14 year old girl she was sleeping outside on a trampoline with her sister he explained to the girl that he'd raped and killed a girl in the past and before leaving for work he changed her to some furniture in his home But the girl found a fire extinguisher, and after hours of pounding at the chain, she broke free.

18:40She ended up finding an envelope with Hescock's address on it, and called a family friend to pick her up. When Hescock pulled up to his house after work, deputies were waiting for him, so he fled. During the high-speed chase through the mountains of Madison County, Hescock made three phone calls, including one to his mom, where he said he couldn't go back to prison. He'd recently served two years for burglary. Then, Hescock turned onto a dead-end road, shot and killed a canine officer, shot another officer in the leg, and then died by suicide. Authorities searched truckloads of evidence from Hescock's home, but were never able to connect him to Stephanie's disappearance or any others.

19:28Stephanie's case sits for another four years, until a third possible person of interest is discovered. Meet the computer you can talk to. With Copilot on Windows, working, creating, and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot Voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help. With Copilot Vision, Copilot sees what you see. Let Copilot talk you through step-by-step guidance so you can master new apps, games, and skills faster. Try now at windows.com slash copilot. This episode is brought to you by 20th Century Studios upcoming comedy, Ella McKay.

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20:52So this was all planned. What are you gonna 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. In December 2006, a man in Thorn Creek, Idaho died by suicide, leaving behind a note explaining his guilt. He says his friend Kevin Mooney told him that he picked up a girl in Chalice, Idaho, who he called Steph, and raped and killed her. So, investigators find Kevin Mooney He says he has no idea why his friend would say something like that And denies any involvement in Stephanie's case Cadaver dogs are taken to his property He passes a polygraph And investigators consider him to be cleared So, Stephanie's case just sits again On October 11, 2012 19 years to the day that Stephanie went missing, her father Ben dies from a heart attack.

21:58And unfortunately, that is pretty much where Stephanie's case is today. So, what happened to 9-year-old Stephanie Crane? The yellow truck with the red stripes has never been found, and its owner has never been identified. The same goes for the blue van parked along the freeway. and the man watching the kids at the bowling alley. The composite sketch never produced any actionable leads. Richard Allen Davis, who was convicted of killing 12-year-old Polly Klass in 1996, was looked at as a possible person of interest in this case. The connection is a little unclear, but the FBI says that they ultimately do not believe he was involved.

22:44Stephanie's great-uncle, Robert Paul Crane, was also looked at. but he was in Colorado working at a lumber camp at this time. This does feel like a case where stranger abduction is very possible. It only takes a few seconds for a kid to be grabbed off the side of the road. And despite earlier statements that she may have run away, authorities now state that they believe she likely was taken by someone she didn't know. Ultimately, the Custer County Sheriff's Office says that Stephanie's case is still open, and will remain open until she's found. Stephanie's grandmother Hazel still has hope that she may be out there, possibly being held captive, or that she was brainwashed into believing that her family didn't want her anymore.

23:33She has hope that she's still alive. And I'll just say that we all know that crazier things have happened in true crime. Which brings me right to our call to action. Please share Stephanie's case. The group Friends of Stephanie spent an entire year to send out half a million flyers. But a lot has changed since 1993. That's something I think we could do in a single day if just everyone shared her case and her flyer. So that's my ask. Please share. While Stephanie's parents are no longer with us, she still does have family out there. Her friend Brandy, the one that asked her what she was doing and if she needed a ride, even named one of her children after Stephanie.

24:21She not only changed Chalice, Idaho forever, but she impacted every person that lived there. Please share.

24:37As a reminder, Stephanie Lynn Crane was 9 years old when she was last seen on October 11, 1993 in Chalice, Idaho. She is white, with brown hair and blue eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 65 pounds. She was last seen wearing maroon sweatpants, a maroon and white striped hoodie with the word gimme on the front, and maroon and white striped tennis shoes. She does have a small scar on her right eyebrow. Anyone with information about Stephanie's case is encouraged to call the Custer County Sheriff's Office at 208-879-2232. You can also call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

25:27But, as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

25:35Voices 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 on your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice.

26:41Welcome to the Secret After Show. The door is open. Our emotional support dogs are in the room. Let's talk about it. first what's going on with me um not a lot i will say that there's been a few delays in alissa's new season um and that's actually because of some exciting developments that i honestly don't feel comfortable sharing with you guys here because i know that my dad is watching everything that i do um he actually recently posted a video saying exactly that he He says he's trying to email me and I'm blocking him, which I've honestly never received an email because I will take any correspondence from that man and log it and compare it.

27:26So, Dad, if you are trying to reach me, my email is sarah at voicesforjusticepodcast.com. I'm not getting your emails, but I will take any written correspondence from you any day. I may not respond to you, but feel free to send your emails there. He's also saying that he found out I blocked him on Instagram, which is true. Dad, I did block you on Instagram. Stop stalking my social media. But yeah, that's basically what's going on with Alyssa's new season is there are some delays, but for good reason. I'm getting some new info, some interesting information. and I think it's going to be, I hate to like be sensational and say insane, but I really do think it's going to be insane.