#CrimeWarning

[sohailjawaid]

People of Karachi, be careful, you were lucky to be saved. CCTV footage

"⚠️ People of Karachi, stay alert! You were fortunate to escape danger as shown in this shocking CCTV footage. 🕵️‍♂️📹 Don't take safety for granted — always be cautious in your surroundings. 🚶‍♂️🔍 

For Details Watch CCTV Footage: https://shorturl.at/yzwty

[songsofelisa]

Unexplainable Episode 068 Xerxyx Sagais → true crime

Warning: This episode contains discussions of a homicide as well as audio of the suspect that some may find disturbing. However, in the quest to provide a full and comprehensive overview, this content is included so as to provide all the information in the hopes of being able to bring some answers to those affected by this tragedy. Listener discretion is advised.

Xerxyx Sagais was just twenty years old, with her entire life left to live in front of her. A siren, she was just growing accustomed to using her legs, exploring a world that lay on the surface and getting to know the community at large. She was fierce and confident and had her life cut short by an unexplained and unsolved death in the late summer of 2005. This is her story.

Welcome to: Unexplainable: A deep dive into the cold case files and the supernatural. I’m Elisa Salaliphus and this will be an examination of Xerxyx Sagais and her death with the hopes of providing some insight into what happened that unfortunate day of September 1, 2005.

*cue introductory music*

Xerxyx Sagais disappeared on September 1, 2005 while she was heading into Obsidian City in order to meet up with some friends for a night out on the town. What started out as a missing persons case soon turned into an unsolved homicide when her body was found several months later in an open field just outside the city, along dirty roads that lead into Carynthia. What makes this case more disturbing is the audio that was recovered from her phone with an unknown male in the background, giving her a ride.

Xerxyx Sagais was born in the winter of 1985. A native of Wailing Waters, she was adopted by the Sagais family of sirens. They had four sons and had always wanted a daughter; so the family welcomed in Xerxyx with open arms, the daughter and sister the family had always wanted to complete their unit. Xerxyx fell right into her new home, accepted from the beginning and growing up in a household that was always lively and full of life, brimming with love and affection.

As Xerxyx grew older, she proved herself to be just as lively as the rest of the Sagais brood. In particular, she was quite close to her youngest brother, Xanandar. Xanandar would also prove to be the last person to speak to Xerxyx right before she would go missing on the afternoon of September 1, 2005.

As with many young sirens who are looking to explore the world beyond their waters, Xerxyx found that Ethereum granted her the gift of mobility on land and the ability to push air through her lungs. At the age of twenty, she made a plan to see the world beyond her shores, travel into the city and see what else the island she had lived by had to offer. She obtained enough Ethereum to get her through her travels, setting up a travel plan of two weeks where she’d move from territory to territory and see all their popular attractions. She gave her mother, Xeria Sagais, her itinerary, a day-to-day guide of where she’d be along her journey over the next fourteen days. Xeria Sagais said she would keep track, calling her daughter every day to check in, making sure she was on track and well.

During her first week, Xerxyx made it to Bloodhearth, making a stop at the circus before traveling into St. Vladimir’s to check out their night club and fashion district. Over the first four days, it seemed all was well with Xerxyx. It was on the fifth day, she arrived in Obsidian City, excited to see all that this glamorous and dark city had to offer.

Xeria spoke to Xerxyx upon her arrival in Obsidian city, August 31, 2005. She says her daughter was excited to spend the next three days seeing all she could. She had plans to meet with an unidentified friend of hers who resided in the city.

September 1, 2005 arrived. Xerxyx spoke to her friend during the late morning to confirm their plans to eventually meet in front of treaty towers where her friend resided. After this, the timeline is a bit muddled, but what can be confirmed is that by early afternoon, just after one o’clock, Xerxyx was hitching a ride with a stranger. It is unclear why she chose to take a ride with this unknown person. It is possible she was hitchhiking to save some money and avoid taking a taxi or some alternate form of transportation into the city. It is possible she was offered a ride by what she presumed to be a kind stranger. What is known, however, is that this stranger seemingly had ill intentions.

In one of the more compelling pieces of evidence, Xerxyx received a phone call from her youngest brother, Xanandar. At the time, Xanandar was in jail for some minor offenses and reaching out to his sister to check in. As a general rule, all incoming and outgoing calls are recorded. After perusing phone records, authorities were able to see this last call that had been received by Xerxyx from the nearby jail, just after one in the afternoon. It lasted approximately twenty minutes as she spoke to her brother. What makes this phone call unique though, is at some point, audio of an unidentified male subject can be heard. Xerxyx can very clearly be heard asking the stranger where they are going, making sure they are heading into the city and towards Treaty Towers. She asks several times, each time assured by the unknown male that they are heading towards her desired destination. To follow is a clip of the audio released to the public by authorities in which the unidentified persons can clearly be heard. Please listen as maybe you can be the one to identify this person.

Xerxyx: Where are we going? We’re going into the city, right?

Unidentified Male: Yes, yes, we’re going into the city.

Xerxyx: So, why are all these dirt roads… ? I don’t see the city…

Unidentified Male: It’s a short cut. We’re just north—south of the city now.

Xerxyx: Are you sure?

Unidentified Male: Yes.

*white noise*

Xerxyx: No, seriously. These are country roads. You better be taking me into the city. Can you just drop me off?

Unidentified Male: We’re almost there. I’m taking you there. We’re heading east, that’s how you get into the city…

Xerxyx: Okay. You better not be taking me anywhere I don’t wanna go.

Although the audio is said to be just over twenty minutes, this is the portion the authorities have said contains the voice of the male subject and that is relevant to the investigation. Xeria has come out and stated that she heard the full, twenty-minute phone call and stated that the phone call ended abruptly and by the end Xerxyx sounded frightened and scared. She believes by the end of this interaction, her daughter likely caught on to the ill intentions of her chauffer. Even more compelling are the conflicting instructions the driver gave saying they were north and then south of the city and later on stating they were heading east. Many of those who are familiar with the area state he was heading towards Carynthia in all likelihood, traveling along the dirt roads that head into the forest.

After Xeria did not hear from her daughter by the afternoon of September 1, 2005, she felt worried. However, a mother not wanting to smother her child, she waited a few days before finally reaching out to Xerxyx on September 6, 2005. Surely, her daughter would have given her a call by then. However, Xeria never received a call, and what’s more her outgoing calls were never answered and were sent directly to voicemail. By September 8, 2005, she was able to get in touch with Xerxyx’s unidentified friend and confirm that Xerxyx never arrived to meet her at Treaty Towers on the first. She attempted to call, Xerxyx but by late that night, her calls were already being forwarded directly to voicemail.

Xeria filed a missing person’s report by September 9, 2005. A report that would not initially be taken seriously by investigators as they would claim that an adult siren not only had the right to disappear, but possibly ran out of Ethereum and had to head to a body of water on the opposite side of the island. It was only through persistence that Xeria was able to get authorities to look into her daughter’s case. Yet, they would not discover the body for another seven months, right on the outskirts of Carynthia, on April 14, 2006. It would only be at this time that the authorities would take the case seriously, realizing that they had a homicide on their hands once it was determined death had been caused due to blunt force trauma. The body had decomposed enough that dental records had to be used for identification. At this time, detectives would scour Xerxyx’s last known activity, discover the phone call and release it to the public.

Almost two decades later, however, authorities are no closer to solving Xerxyx’s unsolved murder. At this point, only one, very obvious theory stands and it is that Xerxyx’s unknown driver had something to do with her murder.  It is clear from the audio that he was attempting to disorient her, giving false instructions and false directions. Despite the full audio not being released to the public, there is no reason to believe that Xeria, Xerxyx’s mother, would be lying about the call ending abruptly and fearfully. A mother’s intuition is often correct and it is clear that Xeria always feared the worst had happened to her beloved daughter.

Xerxyx will always be remembered as a fiery force, a daughter and sister beloved by her family. It would be a disservice to remember her as anything but and to count her as nothing more than a statistic. Just like anyone else, she had ambitions and dreams and it would only do her more injustice to not solve her unjust murder. If you have any information, contact the authorities in Obisidian City. No observation or memory is too small. It may be you that helps bring an unsolvable case to its conclusion and bring justice to Xerxyx Sagais.

[songsofelisa]

Unexplainable Episode 070 Rhys Ward → true crime

Warning: This episode contains discussions and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find disturbing in addition to mentions of suicide. However, in the quest to provide a full and comprehensive overview, this content is included so as to provide all the information in the hopes of being able to bring some answers to those affected by this tragedy. Listener discretion is advised.

Rhys Ward was, according to all who knew him, a bright light. He was a young human attending university in the hopes of becoming a veterinarian. He was a kind soul known to be described as patient and helpful. Thus, it was a shock to everyone involved when Rhys Ward was discovered dead on June 3, 2016. Even more shocking was the implication that his own brother was at fault.

Welcome to: Unexplainable: A deep dive into the cold case files and the supernatural, in an attempt to deliver conclusions based on cold, hard facts. I’m Elisa Salaliphus and this will be an examination of Rhys Ward and his death with the hopes of providing some insight into what happened that dark and rainy night in June 2016.

*cue introductory music*

Rhys Ward was born on a cold morning in January of 1995. He was the second of only two children in his family. Not much is known about the human, as he was not a native of the island, though it is clear the family found their way here some time during August of 1998. The family appears to have come over with some pirates, entering through Port Grave, however the reason they ended up here with pirates is also unknown. What we do know is the family settled in Obsidian City and joined the fast paced and dangerous environment the city has become known for.

Rhys spent the majority of his short life in Obsidian City. According to interviews done with his father, he was an extraordinarily happy boy as he grew up. Despite the hardships the family encountered, Rhys found enjoyment in many of the small things that life had to offer. He was positive and upbeat and even more so, he found that he had a sort of nurturing touch when it came to animals of all sorts. Many of those who knew him often spoke about the way he would adopt animals off the street, take in those he could that might have been injured or sick to nurse them back to health before letting them go again, though, it was said the animals consistently hung out around the neighborhood, forever grateful to the man who had shown them an itch of kindness in their rough dwellings.

As he grew older, it was clear that he wasn’t just kind, but was also smart. He excelled in school, even being granted an academic scholarship as he eventually moved onto university to work towards obtaining his degree in biology. Despite Rhys’ successes and clear drive to work towards his goals in life, it was while he was attending university that his young life was suddenly cut short.

It is important, when reviewing this particular incident to understand the timeline leading up to that dark and rainy night of June 3, 2016. Rhys Ward had already been attending Avalon University for three years. During his first two years, friends and professors have always said that Rhys was an excellent student. He had a perfect attendance record, and his grades were always maintained so that he might have graduated Summa Cum laude. This is likely, in part, due to his academic scholarship saying that he could not let his grade point average drop below a certain point. However, Rhys had always been studious and very into his academics. It was then a shock that in the fall semester of 2015, Rhys Ward, the model student, began to experience a sudden drop in his grades. Professors began to receive notices that he would be unable to attend class, sometimes for days. As a result, his grades began to suffer and by the end of 2015, Rhys had been put on academic probation for the severe slump in grades and was in danger of losing the scholarship he had worked so hard to earn.

By his spring 2016 semester, Rhys had promised academic advisors and friends alike that everything was fine, and he simply had suffered minor distraction but that he would work twice as hard to ensure this semester he became caught up enough to get his grades back up to the standard he and others were used to. This promise, despite seeming sincere, would go unfulfilled. Rhys would continue to disappear from classes, days at a time and with no emails, texts, or phone calls to professors. In fact, his disappearances weren’t just from classes, but from life in general. Friends and his roommates at the time claimed he would simply disappear off the face of the earth but would show back up seemingly healthy and fine. Other than his uncharacteristic cavalier attitude towards his academics, Rhys seemed to be normal. Rhys would continue to insist all was well and that he would pass his classes despite the overwhelming feeling that he was set up to drop out by the end of that academic year.

Rhys, instead, disappeared by the end of his semester. He disappeared weeks prior to finals and without ever turning in his last assignments and papers that would have been vital to ensuring his academic success could continue. The next time anyone would see Rhys, he would be dead.

It seemed to have been, that by the time Rhys pulled his final disappearing act, his friends had become accustomed to him suddenly taking off. He lived with roommates and, as a result, his father, and subsequently his brother, had no idea he had disappeared. It was two weeks into his disappearance that his father, Stephen Ward, became aware and as a result attempted to report it to campus authorities. Unfortunately, as is the case with most adults who go missing, by the very nature of being adults, authorities oftentimes refuse or insist they are unable to do anything as it is a right for adults to disappear with no notice and no consequences.

It was not for lack of trying on Stephen’s part. He continued to hound authorities, who refused to take action, and instead began a search on his own. Unfortunately, Stephen would never find his son. It seemed, though, Rhys’ brother, Tristan Ward would.

It was dark and stormy that night of June 3, 2016 when police stumbled on the scene. Tristan Ward, Rhys’ older brother would be found slumped over his body, covered in blood. It would seem that it was a very clear what had happened. However, it would turn out to be far from the case.

It is also important to understand the relationship between Tristan and Rhys. Tristan was five years older than his brother, but according to their father, had always been overprotective over Rhys. Stephen said that he refused to believe his older son had anything to do with Rhys’ death if only because he knows all that Tristan sacrificed in order to ensure Rhys would be able to achieve what Tristan could not.

Tristan was born in March of 1990. Again, not a lot is known about the beginnings of the Ward family, but it seems generally agreed upon that of the two brothers, Tristan was far more reserved and aloof, seemingly far more aggressive and less friendly than his brother. For what it’s worth, though, it seemed his father and brother could not talk up his praises enough. It is clear that the two brothers were close. Given Stephen Ward was constantly working, Tristan took it upon himself to care for his younger brother as the two grew up. According to Stephen it is likely the city hardened Tristan as he shielded Rhys from the harsh realities, allowing Rhys to maintain his softer demeanor. Tristan also decided to forgo higher education, instead bartending for several years at several bars around the city. He would work to earn money which he subsequently gave to his brother and father. His aim was twofold, to allow Rhys to not have to work at all and to allow Stephen to work less than the usual two to three jobs.

It then came as a shock to anyone who knew the brothers that Tristan might have at all been involved with Rhys’ death in any shape, way or form.

Rhys had been shot at point blank range in the back of the head. The police were able to confirm with gunpowder residue found on the entrance wound that it would have been within close range of the gun. Tristan was found draped over his brother’s body. The murder weapon was never found. Subsequently, Tristan was arrested and brought into custody. It was always clear from the get-go that the police figured they had their culprit. From my research, I was unable to find any other suspects that might have been considered or other angles that might have been looked at. Instead, what I did find were numerous inconsistencies. Including the missing murder weapon.

However, let’s say the missing murder weapon had been stashed by the brother prior to the arrival of police. What we then contend with is that when tested, it was found Tristan had an unusually high blood alcohol level at 0.14%, and also had indeterminate levels of ethereum in his system. Already, at that level of BAC, he would be over the limit of being functional, vomiting, and experience loss of coordination. Additionally, the reaction of ethereum along with the alcohol might have additional affects, especially on a human. Based on that alone, it would be hard to imagine Tristan stashing a gun effectively or efficiently. Even if he had left the crime scene to do so, it would have been difficult for him to navigate his way back to it to be found where he was and police have also stated that the body was still warm when they arrived, thus leaving very little time for anyone, especially someone that intoxicated to hide a weapon.

Additionally, there was no gun powder residue found on Tristan’s hands. Even more telling was that there was no bullet. At the formal autopsy conducted by the coroner, an exit wound was found, thus the bullet should have been found at the crime scene, yet there were never any reports that this was found or recovered. Further proving this point, the ballistics of the weapon were never released as they were unable to determine exactly the gun used without the weapon itself or the bullet.

Even with all that physical evidence, Tristan himself has stated he was never responsible, nor does he remember ever making it out there. Of course, many point to him lying and being too drunk to remember, but even then, the lack of memory only serves to show how impaired he was. If someone is unable to remember what they did, it is hard to imagine they would have the mental capacity to commit a crime, hide the gun and the bullet, wipe the residue off your hands, and not have the forethought to not return to the scene of the crime after going through all that.

Yet, Tristan Ward was ultimately arrested and convicted of this crime. Many, though, including Stephen himself, do not believe he is responsible. What the authorities seemed to have failed to take into account was Rhys’ odd behavior and his many disappearances leading up to his death. It was already proven Tristan was never with Rhys during many of his bouts of missing time, as he was often working, having alibis established either through CCTV footage or reliable witnesses who could corroborate his whereabouts.

With Tristan’s conviction already being shaky, what many now believe to be an easy arrest and win for the authorities, we’ll dive into some other theories as to what could have actually happened that night of June 3rd.

First, is that Rhys committed suicide. Many point to his obvious change of behavior in the months leading up to his death. Rhys was disappearing and falling behind in his academics, all of which many have agreed upon where uncharacteristic of him. Despite his assurances to his friends and teachers that he was fine, Rhys never could bounce back from the erratic pattern he had established, and no reason has ever been presented or given to explain what he might have been doing during these missing periods of time. Instead, what many propose is that Rhys had grown depressed. He stopped connecting with friends, stopped going to class and ultimately stopped enjoying what he loved. Even with depression, people can often appear normal and will reassure those close to them they are fine. It is not uncommon for friends and family to be shocked by a death, and even more so, a death by suicide because it is impossible to imagine it happening when there are no signs. This theory might fit nicely, if it were not only for the missing murder weapon. Furthermore, there was never gun powder residue found on his hands. Although, it is easy to imagine someone might have walked by and taken the gun, once again, his body was still warm. Most damning of all, was that Rhys was shot point blank in the back of his head. Typically, this would not be a comfortable or natural method for suicide by gunshot. It wouldn’t make sense, nor would the missing gun. Although the rain of the day might have wiped away some physical evidence, it would not have been enough to completely erase it.

The second theory is that the police got this right. Although we’ve already gone over this in-depth, there is still a significant portion that believe Tristan is ultimately responsible for his brother’s death. Most will point to the fact that additional parties were likely involved, either aiding in Tristan’s ability to move around despite his inebriation and also taking the gun to hide. Many believe it might have been a gang ritual of sorts, as it is not uncommon for new members to participate in initiations of sorts. Some believe the gun was taken as to avoid the weapon being connected back to a specific gang or member of a gang. This theory also means Tristan would not have been solely responsible for his brother’s death, however this theory still does not account for Rhys’ odd behavior and disappearances.

The third theory is that Rhys got caught up in some broader crime organization or gang and ultimately became a victim once he decided he no longer wanted to be part of the gang or otherwise could not perform his duties in a way that was satisfactory to those who had recruited him. It is in the opinion of this sleuth, that this is the most likely theory as it accounts for almost every aspect of his mysterious death. It even goes so far as to account for the quote professional nature unquote of the shooting. Many believe that the style is characteristic of a professional hit, possibly a murder that was taken out to silence Rhys after deciding he knew too much to simply let him go. This would also account for his change in behavior and his brief disappearances pointing to being asked to perform tasks that might have required him to be gone for days, even weeks, at a time and miss classes leaving him unable to study. Add that with the missing gun, the missing bullet, it is a theory that fits most neatly into this enigmatic murder. It would also mean, Tristan would turn out to be nothing more than an innocent bystander who likely wandered onto the crime scene at the wrong time. More sinisterly, as has been proposed by those online, he may have been set up. It would not be odd to think those involved in the murder of Rhys Ward ended up spiking what he was drinking with ethereum to cause the effects of the alcohol to go haywire and thus able to guide him, or even take him, to the crime scene, dropping him off and leaving him there to act as scapegoat.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, despite these inconsistencies, despite the lack of investigation and despite all the evidence, Tristan Ward was ultimately convicted. Due to mitigating factors including the fact that Tristan was extremely intoxicated and that it was likely an accidental homicide, according to the defense, he received a light sentence and has already been released as of November 2021, in part, due to good behavior. As a result, though, the case of Rhys Ward was officially closed and as far as law enforcement is concerned, there is nothing further to the case.

Yet, online sleuths can’t help but know that this is likely not the entire answer nor the end of this puzzle. However, until a confession comes to light or new evidence presents itself to compel investigators to reopen the case, we will likely never know what truly happened. But it would do us well to remember Rhys as he was, a bright young man with a promising future, a man who simply wanted to help all creatures from all walks of life and to remember him, not for his brutal, unexplainable end, but rather the bright spots of light he contributed to the lives of those he surrounded himself with.

[songsofelisa]

Unexplainable Episode 072 Ismay Olifante & Xauim Osoblanc → true crime

Warning: This episode, although it does not contain any real descriptions of violence, it may still be upsetting to some as all the episodes tend to be. Listener discretion is still advised.

In 2017, Ismay Olifante and Xauim Osoblanc were two, young banshees who were taking a well-deserved break from life. Ismay had just finished her studies at university while Xauim being a couple of years older, was in between jobs. The girls became friends when they met after at a diner they both worked at. In order to celebrate Ismay’s graduation, they decided to take a trip, a trip which would ultimately end when they disappeared.

Welcome to: Unexplainable: A deep dive into the cold case files and the supernatural, in an attempt to deliver conclusions based on cold, hard facts. I’m Elisa Salaliphus and this will be an examination of the disappearance of Ismay Olifante and Xauim Osoblanc.

*cue introductory music*

Ismay Olifante and Xauim Osoblanc were the best of friends. Two young banshees, Ismay was twenty-two years old and freshly graduated from college. Xauim was twenty-five years old, working at the very diner where the two girls originally met when Ismay found a job there just two years prior. They both had promising futures. Ismay had just graduated with her degree in sociology while Xauim was an aspiring artist, subsidizing her income working at the diner while she pursued her artistic dreams elsewhere. The two girls, though opposites in many ways, were a match. Ismay was outgoing and athletic. Xauim was quieter and creative. They seemed to complete each other.

It was June 2017, with Ismay having finished her college career, the girls decided to celebrate with a trip to some neighboring islands. They wanted to see more, see what lay across the Elysian Sea and so they charted a course, hopping from island to island where they would circle back around and come back to their home island through Carynthia, making stops there to appreciate their own local territories beyond their home of Wailing Waters.

The first few weeks of their trip went as expected for them. They experienced the local culture and color of their neighbors. They enjoyed seaside comforts, diving into the oceans and staying at resorts with room service and luxury like they had never experienced. It was the trip of a lifetime, a trip that was chronicled through various photos that were sent to their loved ones. The girls even kept diaries, writing of their experiences, and writing about all the people they met, the food they tried and the experiences they had. It was pure paradise.

Ismay and Xauim started their trip on June 14, 2017. By the time they made landfall back in Carynthia it was June 30, 2017. They had plans to hike through the Fanged Forest and experience the Diving Cliffs.

July 1, 2017 arrived and the girls had actually made arrangements with a local guide to show them through the forest. However, those arrangements were made for July 2. Restless, and not wanting to waste the day, ultimately, the girls decided that they would travel on their own through the Carynthia Scenic Trail.

This trail is a marked path that goes through the forest all the way to the Shadow of Sisyphus Valley. Generally speaking, it has been proven to be a very clearly marked trail that is easy to follow. Many of the locals state that as long as people stay on the path, they don’t get lost. However, as you may well know how things generally go on this show, July 1, 2017 would be the last time anyone saw the girls. The last confirmed sighting would be by the locals stating they spotted the girls heading into the forest around noon at the start of the trail.

Now, the girls, although were traveling alone together, had made plans to stay with a local resident in Carynthia. Madam Cocqui was known for housing those who were not from the area. She was the one who had greeted the girls upon their arrival back on the island. They had made prior arrangements to stay with her for three nights, while they explored all that Carynthia had to offer. Upon arriving, she stated the girls were smart and kind. Xauim being the quieter of the two, would end up staying in her room the night of their arrival, but she would stay up chatting with Ismay. Madam Cocquie had given the girls a key. She had housing accommodations that were connected to the main house, but had a separate entrance that the girls could access. She saw the girls leave that July 1 morning as they headed out to the trail.

It is important to note, because Madam Cocqui had given the girls their own key, she was not immediately alarmed when she did not see them. She assumed they had gotten caught up in the night life of Carynthia, heading to Howl at the Moon nightclub and coming home late. They were young, she said, it was only natural. It was why, then, alarms were not raised immediately not by Madam Cocqui. Rather, it was the guide that the girls had booked on June 30 for their July 2 tour that would notice the girls were gone when they did not make it to their scheduled tour. This guide would inquire with Madam Cocqui. She had been the one to make the recommendation and reservation for the girls, after all. When the guide informer her the girls had not shown for their scheduled time, they both went to check their rooms where they discovered, it seemed, the girls had never come back for their excursion.

Upon discovery that it seemed the girls had never made it out of the forest, the guide immediately arranged a small search party with some locals to begin searching the forest. The authorities would not be brought into the equation until July 3. Many question why it had taken more than twenty-four hours since the girls had gone missing to inform the authorities. It seemed that Madam Cocqui had thought the guide would call, whereas the guide thought Madam Cocqui would call. Regardless it would not be for another two days until a formal search party by the authorities could be arranged by July 5, authorities claiming they had so much on their hands at the time, that it was the earliest they could free up resources for the search.

Meanwhile, both girls’ parents had been growing worried throughout these several days. Both Ismay and Xauim were apparently very close to their families and had been providing regular and daily updates throughout their trip. It seems that by midday July 1, the correspondence had stopped. The parents not wanting to panic immediately, did not truly grow concerned until July 3 and by July 4, they had been informed by authorities. On July 5, parents, authorities, the guide and Madam Cocqui were all gathered in Carynthia at the start of the scenic trail of Fanged Forest. Despite helicopter searches by air, searches on foot by police and locals alike, there was nothing found over the next few days. In fact, even as the searches by police eventually ceased and the girls’ parents had gone home, it would not be for another two months that they would finally find something pertinent to the girls.

By mid-August 2017, the exact date unclear, the first break in the case would arise. A local of the forest would find and turn in a backpack to the authorities. This backpack would be identified as one belonging to Ismay. Inside the backpack were the following items: two pairs of sunglasses, some empty candy wrappers, two smart phones, a digital camera, a small amount of cash, as well as two bras. All the items were confirmed to belong to the girls. The bag was found a considerable distance away from the scenic trail as it would turn out to be it was found on the opposite side of the river, on the southern edge of the forest. However, everyone’s breath was bated at the discovery the phones and cameras. Surely they would have the answers they sought from these items.

First, was the phones. Despite the backpack being found near the river that cuts through Carynthia, the contents were in perfect working order. It seemed regardless of any weather conditions or the potential to be wet by the river, the phones and camera had no problems being powered on. Xauim’s phone had needed to be charged, but once it had been, both her phone and Ismay’s phones could be powered on and the data extracted. The data would prove to be curious and would also present a clearer picture of what happened to the girls in the subsequent days once they disappeared.

As mentioned earlier, the girls would be spotted around noon for the last time. Based on the phone data, it seemed that the next several hours would proceed to be unalarming. Though, at around four in the afternoon, something must have gone wrong as the girls would begin calling the emergency number. One call attempt was made from each of the girls’ phones on this day and within the same hour. Ismay would make the first call, followed by Xauim almost ten minutes later. Those would be the only two calls attempted that day. The following day, more attempts were made early in the morning. One from each phone and then several more attempts from Xauim’s phone throughout the day. At one point, one of the calls would connect, but only for a second. It seemed that, due to the dense nature of the part of the forest they were likely in, there was no signal. July 3 would be the last attempt from Ismay’s phone to attempt a call to the emergency number. From there on, the phones would be turned on and off periodically, seemingly to check for signal. By July 4, Xauim’s phone had been exhausted of its battery. Ismay’s phone would continue to be turned on and off, twice a day starting July 3 all the way through July 11. July 11, just before midnight, would be the last time the phone was turned off. It was never turned on again.

However something curious occurred on July 5. As usual, Ismay’s phone was turned on in the morning for its usual signal check. During these checks for signal, the pins were being entered into the phone to access them. By the evening signal check on Ismay’s phone, the pin that was entered was incorrect. Several more attempts would be made, all with an incorrect pin. In total, the pin would be entered incorrectly over seventy times, before the phone would only be used to check for signal. Many have pointed out, even if something had happened to Ismay, making her unable to enter her pin, emergency calls are still able to be made from the lock screen. Why then, try to enter the pin?

The phones, despite hope being high in helping to clarify the mystery only served to deepen it. It seems something had gone horribly wrong that the girls—or someone—would begin to attempt to dial emergency numbers. Eventually, the attempts would stop realizing that the lack of signal was making it pointless. Not to mention, the phones being turned on and off would seem to indicate that there was an attempt to conserve battery, especially once one of the phones had died. Everything would seem to point to the girl’s ending up lost in the Fanged Forest of Carynthia with attempts to make contact. What people find curious about the information the phones provide, is the data that was not found. It is typical for people who are in dire situations, for them to contact loved ones. It has been shown time and time again that attempts to call and reach out to loved ones in times of danger is usually where behavior patterns end up. It has been shown the girls were close to their families, and yet there was no trace of attempts to reach out to them. No call attempts. No drafted messages. No videos recorded. Nothing.

But wasn’t there a digital camera? Maybe there was a message on there. Let’s take a look.

The digital camera contained over one hundred photos that the authorities were able to find beginning with April 1. Now, the camera the girls possessed is the sort of camera that numbers the photos. So, the first photos from the day the Ismay and Xauim disappeared were all relatively normal. It started with photo 498. The photos contained various images of the girls enjoying their hike. Selfies taken throughout the day in varying location. In fact, many of the photos were able to be lined up with various points along the scenic trail. Beginning with photo 505, it is clear the girls reached the end of the trail. There is a photo of each girl standing in front of the valley at the end, celebrating their triumphant hike through Fanged Forest. Curiously, photo 507 would show the girls did not immediately turn around and head back down the trail, but instead continued on, off the beaten path to explore some more. Once again, the foliage was distinctive in a way that allowed authorities to retrace the girls steps and where they were in the forest. Photo 508 would be the last photo from April 1, a picture of Ismay, seemingly ahead of the picture taker—presumably Xauim—as she traveled over a rocky portion of the forest.

At that point, the next photo in the series would be 510. There was a series of over 90 photos taken over the course of a three-hour period. These pictures would have a chillingly different tone as these photos, based on the time stamps, would be taken a week since the girls were last seen, on April 8, and were taken between 1:00am – 4:00am in the morning. The series of haunting photos were taken in the pitch black of night in the middle of the forest. It is clear as the flash lights up the surrounding area to show dense bushes and thickets of trees. Many of the photos are taken with a precise and controlled hand. They are not blurry, but startingly clear. A majority of these photos seem to show the same precise area of forest, with the picture-taker simply moving and shifting the angle of the camera. There are photos taken off what seem to be the side of a cliff with the angle looking down, whilst others seem to capture the nighttime sky. Still others are even more ominous as one seems to show various papers strewn about, what looks to be a mirror of some sort at the center of the papers, possibly acting as a reflective surface. Another shows the back of one of the girl’s heads, Ismay Olifante as her bleach blonde hair is quite stark and contrasts heavily with Xauim’s darker hair color. However, the reason for these photos being taken is unknown, especially given the late hour.

The last point regarding the camera, for those keeping track is you may have noticed that photo 508 would be the last photo of the girls from April 1, seemingly still enjoying their time. Whereas the next series of photos would begin with 510. So, what happened to 509? It’s already been confirmed that this camera is the kind of camera that, if a photo is deleted, the number of the deleted picture is automatically used for the next photo. The only reason 509 would be missing, is that if it were deleted some time after photo 510 was taken, over a week later. Additionally, experts did attempt to retrieve photo 509. Many times, even deleting the photos off the camera doesn’t actually erase them forever. They are still recoverable using a computer and using the right software. However, in this case, it seems 509 may have been deleted using the same software that might have made it possible to recover. Even if the girls did decide to go back and delete a photo, why would they have a week over almost being stuck in the forest? Why would that be on their mind? Was the deleted photo from the series of April 1 photos, or was it part of the nighttime photos? Or perhaps, was it a photo from the week in between?

The last major discovery in this case would occur almost another two months later when volunteer search parties, still occasionally searching for some sign of the girls, would stumble across human remains. A pelvic bone and several smaller bones would be found. Later those bones would be confirmed to be those of Ismay’s. More horrifyingly, the girls’ shoes would be found, and one shoe would prove to still have its owner’s foot inside, still tightly secured, still fleshy. This foot would belong to Xauim. With this final discovery, it would be confirmed the girls had indeed perished.

Now, for the most part people fall into two camps when it comes to theories on what happened to the girls. First, the official investigation ultimately showed the girls had perished after getting lost and after falling or becoming injured, both girls would eventually succumb to the elements as well as their own hunger and starvation. Unfortunately, due to only bits and pieces of the girls being found, an official determination for cause of death could never be done. Many people agree with this and feel it was nothing more or less than a tragic hiking accident. However, there are still those who are bothered by all the inconsistencies who think something more sinister happened to them, and believe at some point a third party entered the picture who intended to do harm to them.

On the side of the official investigation, there are many things that do line up and show the girls did get lost. First, there are the emergency calls that were made over the course of the first few days along with the attempt to find signal and conserve phone battery. Secondly, the foot that was found and confirmed to belong to Xauim had been broken in various places in a way that officials have stated is consistent with a fall, potentially incapacitating Xauim and sealing her fate.

However, against the idea of the lost theory are first, as mentioned earlier, no attempts were made by the girls to reach out to family members or to even record goodbyes. It is a known fact the girls were the kind of people who kept diaries. People wonder why they didn’t at least try to reach out or leave messages or even chronicle their time in the wilderness with the camera. Additionally, the backpack that was found was found to be dry. The contents inside were seemingly untouched and in perfect order. Yet, by the time those items were found, they would have been out in the wilderness subject to the elements for at least six weeks. The missing photo 509 is also a huge point of contention as many wonder who deleted it and for what purpose. Lastly, the location of where the bag was found, along with the remains were hours and miles apart. Why would the girls’ remains be so far removed? Analyses of the bones and fragments additionally showed that animals could not have been responsible as there were no scratches or marks of any kind. In fact, the bones found belonging to Ismay seemed to be perfectly preserved.

Yet, even as we examine the idea that a third party may have been involved, the pieces don’t fit perfectly into place with that theory either. Although gangs are not uncommon on the island, and certainly packs of werewolves dominate Carynthia, the idea that a third party may have had ill intentions does not line up with the fact that the girls had their phones and were making emergency phone calls. That is, assuming it was the girls making those calls. Nor do the 90 pictures taken on August 8. If it was the girls, why would they be allowed to keep the camera if a third party had been involved at that point? If it was some third party, what would be the point of the pictures? Why go in and delete the sole photo 509. Why not go ahead and delete all the photos up until 508?

However, a third party becoming involved once the girls got lost is compelling. It would explain why their bag was discovered where it was and why their remains would have been scattered. In fact, some reports state that Xauim’s foot was cleanly cut, the bone that would have connected her foot to the rest of the leg not showing a break like might be expected from a natural death or a fall as has been proposed by the officials.

The thing with this case, is neither seems to perfectly fit either scenario. There are bits of evidence that get ignored in favor of making either theory work and unfortunately, it seems that this is one of those cases where we may never know what truly happened out there on Ismay and Xauim’s final days. It is impossible to imagine what the girls may have experienced and the pain and terror they had to go through, their lives cut tragically short. However, they will be remembered for being kind, helpful, generous and energetic young banshees, lost by their Wailing Waters community.

This has been Unexplainable.

[songsofelisa]

Unexplainable Episode 071 Eloise Whitman → true crime

Warning: This episode contains discussions and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find disturbing in addition to mentions of suicide and mental health as well as potential self harm. However, in the quest to provide a full and comprehensive overview, this content is included so as to provide all the information in the hopes of being able to bring some answers to those affected by this tragedy. Listener discretion is advised.

Eloise Whitman was a paramedic and a human. She dedicated her life to helping all species on the island, working tirelessly in a city that never seemed to find peace. Ironically, in the seven years leading up to her death, Eloise was unable to find peace of her own, as she was allegedly relentlessly harassed by a stalker, with over 100 reported incidents to authorities until her untimely death in 1989.

Welcome to: Unexplainable: A deep dive into the cold case files and the supernatural, in an attempt to deliver conclusions based on cold, hard facts. I’m Elisa Salaliphus and this will be an examination of Eloise Whitman and her mysterious and unexplained death with the hopes of providing some clarification into what happened to her.  

*cue introductory music*

Eloise Whitman came from modest beginnings. She was a native of the island, born to Pamela and Theodore Whitman in 1944, and one of five children. Her mother was a nurse, and her father a greengrocer who sold produce in the city. Eloise’s own childhood was relatively unseemly, despite growing up in the seedy island, her family remained honest and hardworking, passing on these traits to Eloise who would eventually go on to be a paramedic, following in the footsteps of her mother.

By the time she was twenty-five, she would marry Robert James. Although the marriage lasted a good thirteen years, it seemed it was not meant to be, as the two would eventually divorce. Although to hear Robert tell it, he would hint at a somewhat amicable divorce, simply citing drifting apart over the years due to their demanding professions, it may not have been all that it would seem.

Just two months after the divorce, Eloise’s seven yearlong nightmare would begin.

In February of 1982, Eloise would begin reporting incidents to the police. It started off with threatening phone calls, many of them simply whispering vague threats over the phone if she happened to pick up and even leaving messages on her answering machine if she did not. The voice on the other end would often whisper her name and sometimes the word ‘dead’ or ‘death.’ Eloise would report these incidents with no resolution. Soon, though, phone calls would prove to be the least outrageous act they could commit.

Before long, phone calls turned into threatening letters left on her doorstep. They were often cut out letters from newspapers and magazines and pasted together before being left, either taped to her door or shoved under it. This also meant the stalker was now making contact, coming directly to her, rather than watching from afar. This would seemingly be further substantiated as Eloise would later report hearing a prowler outside her house, even going so far as to smash her porch lights or even leaving claw and scratch marks at her front door, as if trying to get in, but failing to do so. Her phone lines would be cut on multiple occasions.

Every incident Eloise would report, and every time the police would come and find no evidence that a third party had ever been there. There would be no footprints, no fingerprints, no other physical trace that someone who shouldn’t have been there was ever there. The police would soon come to suspect that Eloise was doing all of this to herself, creating her own tormentor. Why? They could never offer much more than it was for the attention.

Despite the police claiming Eloise was doing all of this to herself, she moved repeatedly. She went so far as to paint her car and change her plates. She even changed her last name. Yet, no matter what evasive maneuvers Eloise took, the stalker always found her. This only led the police to further assume that their theory was right and she was her own stalker.

By August of 1984, the incidents would escalate. The attacks and threats were no longer simply spoken to her or cut and pasted onto paper, but manifested physically. In one incident, Eloise had gone so far as to hire a private investigator. The investigator had given her a radio, not unlike baby monitors, so that he might be able to hear anything that was going on. One night, he heard some unusual sounds and sped over to her home where he would knock on the doors to no response. It was only when he looked through her windows that he would find Eloise unconscious on her living room floor with a small paring knife through her hand and a note pinned to her.

It was also in 1984, December, that Eloise would be found for the first time, not in her home but elsewhere in a ditch just outside the city. She was found after missing for two days, bound with some rope, cuts and bruises all over her and a nylon stocking around her neck. Due to the cold weather, she had suffered from hypothermia, but ultimately, Eloise would recover from this incident.

Despite all of these physical attacks, the police were still insistent that Eloise was doing this to herself. Once again, little physical evidence could ever be found in any of these cases and, more startingly, Eloise often claimed she could not remember what happened. When questioned about the incident where she had been found in the ditch, she said she did not remember how she had ended up there or even what happened when her attackers had come. She did however reveal, two people approached her from behind. This was the first indication it was potentially more than one party torturing her.

The next incident that would take place, might be the most damning of all. By, 1985 Eloise was terrified of being on her own. She had taken to going to and from her job with coworkers. Family and friends would often allow her to stay with them. One night, she had a pair of friends staying in her home when her house caught fire. As the three of them were fleeing the scene, her male friend, whose name has never been revealed, claims he saw a figure standing on the sidewalk as they watched the house go up in flames. He called for this mysterious figure to dial for help and summon authorities, however this person fled the scene. By the time authorities did arrived, only after they had gone to a neighbors home to dial themselves, despite the friend telling his story to police, nothing ever came of this incident.

Eloise had already reported over 100 incidents by 1987. At this time, she had been committed to a psychiatric facility as some began to suspect mental illness may have been at play. Her ex-husband, a psychologist, thought perhaps Eloise may not have been aware she was torturing herself, a manifestation of dissociative identity disorder, more commonly thought of as multiple personality disorder. However, Eloise spent ten weeks at the facility where doctors and nurses reported that, although Eloise did seem distressed, it was simply because no one believed her. She was eventually released with a bill of clean mental health.

Eloise once claimed to friends she knew who was behind the incidents, but could not say so for fear that they may hurt her friends and family if she offered a name. She eventually pointed the finger at her ex-husband, though he denied the claims, even providing an audio recording of a threatening message he had received meant for Eloise. It was reminiscent of the ones Eloise had received when the harassment had first started. Most damning of all, many seemed to think it sounded like a woman disguising her voice, further supporting the idea that Eloise was simply doing this to herself. Take a listen:

Eloooooooisssssse…

Dead…

Once again, nothing could be done, though. Many of the incidents had taken place while Robert wasn’t even on the island, and thus with no way of being physically present for any of the attacks. However, some may point out that Eloise herself pointed to multiple attackers on various occasions, and thus would indicate that Robert had an accomplice.

July 1, 1989, Eloise would go missing. During the investigation, the police found her car, four days later on July 5. It was abandoned in the theater district; blood was found inside. It would take another ten days before police would find Eloise inside an abandoned house, dead. Just like the previous incident, she had been found with her hand and feet bound behind her with a rope and a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck. Despite the state of her body and what immediate evidence might indicate, Eloise did not die from strangulation, but instead her cause of death was determined to be an ethereum overdose. She also had several other narcotics inside her system. Ultimately the police would rule the death a suicide. The coroner, on the other hand, determined her death was due to unknown circumstances.

It was case closed on Eloise Whitman.  

One thing it seems everyone can agree on is that Eloise’s demise was tragic. It was a sudden end on a woman who had been tormented for years on end, with very few individuals willing to believe her. What divides most who look at this case is whether it was a suicide or whether she was killed by an unknown party.

During the investigation, police had a knot expert (can you believe there’s such a thing?) recreate the binds that Eloise was found in. Additionally, it took them only a few minutes to do, which meant even if Eloise had taken all the drugs found in her system, she would have had sufficient time to create these binds before becoming incapacitated, especially if she took them as pills, which would take at least half hour to dissolve.

Another point that people point to is the messages left on the voicemails always sounding like a woman trying to disguise her voice. Though, it would be irresponsible of me to not point out that the gender of the perpetrator was never truly confirmed, and it could have been a woman, not Eloise, who was tormenting her. Regardless, no physical evidence was ever found at any of the scenes the police investigated, and it was determined all of the incidents, Eloise could have done to herself. Not to mention, the police did investigate nearly all of her reports, and it would be dishonest of this reporter to not add, that at some point the police had Eloise take a polygraph test that showed she was being dishonest (though, in my humble opinion, polygraphs are often unreliable, and a fae would be a better witness). The police even went so far as to conduct surveillance on her home, days on end, with no incidents and no sightings of a third party whatsoever. It should be noted that as soon as they finished their surveillance, incidents would happen almost immediately out of sight of police or other witnesses. Whether it was intentionally done, or Eloise was suffering from some mental illness that had her torturing herself is further unknown and undetermined by authorities.

Yet, there are several things that simply do not add up with this case. As mentioned, Eloise was at a psychiatric facility for ten weeks where she was monitored by professionals. Not only did she not exhibit any signs of mental illness other than being upset no one would believe her, prior to this seven-year period, she had never displayed any sort of psychological conditions. There was no precursor she had ever displayed, despite being a paramedic who often worked with medical professionals. The only indication that she might have been mentally distressed was ever only presented by her ex-husband, one of the prime suspects in this case. Additionally, despite the police surveillance that was conducted, it is entirely possible, whoever was committing these atrocities knew about the police and would simply take a break while they were there, only to return once they knew the authorities were gone. I would also be remiss, to not point out, despite the hours and manpower that was put into the investigation, the police often did not follow through on doing thorough investigations. At one point, cigarettes were found outside of Eloise’s home. She did not smoke. Furthermore, physical evidence was found at one of the crime scenes and it did not match Eloise, but further analysis and testing was never conducted to figure out who it might match. Lastly, the biggest piece of evidence by far, is the mysterious figure who appeared the night of the fire. It is clear someone was there who was witnessing the events and decided to flee the scene instead of help. It is damning if only because this was not witnessed or told by Eloise herself, but by her friend who reported this to the police.

Unfortunately, we may never truly know what happened to Eloise Whitman. What we do know is a woman suffered psychological and physical terror for seven years, with barely any relief and that she died in the same pain that she lived in. It would be a disservice to at least not consider that perhaps, she was not mentally disturbed, but instead a woman who was a victim to forces that were much more powerful than she. She was clearly a woman who was out to help the world be a slightly better place, and we can do her justice to remember her as she was and not how she died.

This has been Unexplainable.