Episode 96 Missing no more: A sad update on the case of David Schultz

In this episode we discuss the sad update in the case of missing truck driver David Schultz who vanished in November, 2023. We first covered his case in episode 87 in January, 2024. David's remains were recovered in April from a field about a mile from where his 18 wheeler was found abandoned in Sac County, Iowa. A preliminary autopsy did not find any clear signs of trauma or foul play, although his family is pursuing a second autopsy. Full results from the autopsies may take several weeks to come in. In addition to the update, we are including our full original episode about David's case. Now that David has been found, some of the questions from our original episode are now answered, but many are not, and now there may be even more questions.

Anyone with information about David Schultz’s disappearance and subsequent death is asked to call the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 712-262-1873.

There is a reward of $2,000 being offered in this case.

David's family has been financially impacted by his death, and a Gofundme has been set up to help get them through this difficult time. Please contribute if you can.

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Episode 95 Gregory 'Greg' Treace

53 year old Gregory Treace, a father of 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma was having a challenging 2022. He was battling Lymphoma which left him in a lot of pain, and unable to work. On top of that, he and his wife Billie were separated, although on good terms, and living in the same home in different bedrooms. One day in July, he went out to do some night fishing with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, and he never came home. After he didn't return home a couple days later, his wife Billie became very worried. It wasn't like him to stay away from home, and he missed an important medical treatment. When she reached out to Greg's brother, he told her a story that didn't make sense; that Greg had run off with his brother's girlfriend to a hotel, and that he hadn't seen him since. Billie didn't believe it, but drove to the hotel and found no sign of Greg. Later, Greg's Brother's girlfriend called Billie with a different story; that the 3 of them had broken down in Greg's car on the way to go fishing, and that Greg and his brother began arguing before his brother left on his own. The girlfriend arranged for someone to pick her and Greg up and to drive them home. The friend who dropped them off verified that he dropped the girlfriend off and then Greg off near Greg's mom's property in Sapulga, Oklahoma. The man that dropped Greg off confirmed that they were greeted by Greg's brother who appeared to be very angry and was yelling at Greg. The witness left, and Greg was never seen again. Greg's brother's story changed, and looked very suspicious. Greg's car was located broken down as described, but Greg was not found despite searches by dogs and drones. Some of Greg's clothing and his shoes were found at his mother's home, but his phone, wallet, and keys are missing. To date, Greg remains a missing person, although Billie believes her husband is dead. She wants to know what happened and where her husband's remains are. Her and Greg's children miss Greg. After Greg vanished, his brother who has a history of drug abuse, was charged with abusing his girlfriend and sent to prison where he remains as of the release of this episode. If he knows anything more about his brother's disapperance, he isn't talking.

In this episode, Billie discusses her husband's disappearance, and all of the changes in her brother in law's account of what happened.

Gregory was last seen in Sapulpa, Oklahoma on July 24th, 2022. He is white with graying/bald hair and blue eyes. He is 6’3 and 225lbs. DNA is available for comparison in NaMus, where he is listed as case # MP94228.

Please call the Creek County Sheriff at 918-227-6374 with any information on the whereabouts of Gregory Treace.

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Episode 94 Brianna Maitland

17 year old Brianna Maitland vanished without a trace on Friday night March 19, 2004 after she left her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Her co-workers watched her drive off in her Green 1985 Oldsmobile at around 11:20PM. They had asked her to hang out and share a meal, but she was tired and had to work her second job early the next morning. In the hours after Brianna laft work, her car was spotted by multiple witnesses backed into the wall of a barn house about a mile from the Black Lantern Inn. One of the witnesses was a young man who had dated Brianna. He claimed that he found her car abandoned against the barn home with its doors open and headlights on, but there was no sign of Brianna, so he turned off her lights and shut the doors before leaving. Another witness, a police officer, discovered the car and when he saw Brianna's uncashed paychecks inside from the Black Lantern Inn, he headed there to try and figure out what was going on, but by the time he arrived, they were closed. Rather than report the incident, he left for a long weekend get away, setting into motion a set of circumstances that caused a delay in anyone even realizing Brianna was missing. Hours after the police officer had come upon the scene, a group of travelers spotted the odd scene of the car backed into the barn. It was so odd, they stopped to take photos and investigate the scene. A broken necklace and some of Brianna's belongings were found inside and outside of the car. The car was towed, and 2 days would pass before anyone realized Brianna was missing.

Officially, Brianna was never seen again, although there were reported sightings of her in other states thought to be cases of mistaken identity. Brianna's parents, Bruce and Kellie Maitland, were left to wonder what happened to their daughter. Along the way, they had to hear all kinds of rumors about Brianna, and what may have happened to her and who may be responsible. Brianna's case was thought by some to possibly be linked to the disapperance of Maura Murray, another high profile missing persons case in New England. Maura vanished from New Hampshire a month before Brianna, and as in Brianna's case, her car and odd clues were left behind.

The Maitlands found a friend, advocate, and ally in Private Investigator Greg Overacker who has worked doggedly on Brianna's case for years. In this episode, he discusses the case, and tried to sort out fact from fiction. He also discusses the book he wrote on Brianna's case.

When Brianna Maitland vanished, she was described as White, with Brown haid and Hazel eyes. She stood about 5ft5 and weight around 116 pounds. If you have any information about Brianna's case, call the FBI tip line at 800-CALLFBI or call the Vermont State Police at 844-84-VTIPS. You can also reach out to Bruce Maitland's organization; Private Investigations for the Missing.

Visit this link to order Greg Overacker's book; The Hunt for Brianna Maitland; The Relentless Pursuit of Answers to one of Vermont's Biggest Mysteries. You can also reach out to Greg via Facebook with tips or to get an autographed copy of his book.

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Episode 93 Still Missing; A Re-Release of Episode 50 Our Most Mysterious Cases So Far

From the Missing Persons 'Still Missing' Vault of episodes, this week's episode is a re-release of Episode 50; Our Most Mysterious Cases So Far.

To commemorate the 50th episode of Missing Persons, hosts Jess & Mike look back at the first 49 episodes and each pick out their top 5 most mysterious cases to recap, and discuss in more depth.

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Episode 92 Mary Jane Croft VanGilder Update Part 2 of 2

In part 2 of our update on the Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder case, we talk once again with Detective Adam Turner of the Shelby, OH police department who solved this case. He discusses what went into solving the case and what questions remain unanswered.

To listen to our full original episode on Mary Jane's case, visit our website.

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Episode 91 Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder Update Part 1 of 2

Mary Jane Croft VanGilder went missing in 1945. We originally covered her case in episode 8 of Missing Persons. She had left her family in WV to escape an abusive relationship. She traveled to OH where she took a warehouse job, and routinely sent letters and war bonds home to her children. In February, 1945, she filed for divorce. The following month, she quit her job and vanished. Her family had searched for her ever since. Decades after she went missing, Detective Adam Turner was tasked with trying to do what seemed impossible- figure out what happened to Mary Jane decades before when she vanished. It was an uphill battle, but against the odds, through hard work and refusal to give up, Detective Turner solved the mystery. He found out that Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder had started her life over as Mary Jane Sebren. She possibly re-married, and then had additional children. She lived the rest of her life without either of her 2 families knowing about the other before she passed away in 1990.

In this episode, the first of two parts, we recap what happened, and what we know, and we re-play our original interview with Mary Jane's daughter, Anna. In our next episode of Missing Persons, we will have an all new interview with Detective Adam Turner who breaks down just how he was able to solve this case, and what else he knows about Mary Jane's disappearance, and new life.

To listen to our full original episode on Mary Jane's case, visit our website.

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Episode 90 Missing Persons Alert: Avery Doherty 

Avery Lydia Doherty is a child missing out of Ames, Iowa and is presumed to be the victim of a familial abduction at the hands of her mother, Esther Bender. She's been missing since October, 2023. Her mother Esther, had an 'unofficial' shared custody agreement with Avery's father, Brandon Doherty who is the guest in this episode. The relationship between Esther and Brandon officially ended when Avery was much younger, but the pair remains on good terms for Avery's benefit. When Brandon moved 3 hours away to Kansas City, MO, he continued to stay in touch, and alternated between having Avery stay with him, and him going to visit her in Ames. While their shared custody agreement wasn't organized by the court, it was working for them for a while. Then, Brandon noticed that Esther seemed to be trying to phase him out of his daughter's life. She would miss pre-arranged meetups and drop offs. She then began to explore changing her daughter's last name. Brandon sensed something was 'off' and decided to hire an attorney and get the courts involved so that the shared custody was in an official capacity recognized by the court. Instead of showing up to court, Esther and Avery vanished. Esther un-enrolled Avery from her school without notifying Brandon. When Brandon was not able to contact Esther, he feared something was wrong, and went to Esther's residence only to find it had been haphazardly cleaned out, and was left in a mess. Esther's minivan was left behind, and there has been no contact with her or Avery since. In light of the parental abduction, the court stepped in and issued a ruling that if and when Avery is found, she is to be returned to Brandon to have full custody. 

There is evidence that Esther pre-planned this abduction, and purchased a burner phone, and minutes to keep off of investigator's radar.They fear that she left the state, and may have had assistance by one or more people to help pull off this abduction.

Avery Doherty is described as weighing 45 pounds and standing 4 feet, 5 inches tall. She is white and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Esther Bender, who may be using her maiden name, Yoder. Although no clear description of Esther was given, she is described as White with dark Brown hair.

Anyone with information on the case should call Ames police at 515-239-5133.

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Episode 89 Elena Roy 

83 year old Mother and Grandmother, Elena Roy, vanished from her home in Fallbrook, California in November, 2021. Elena who had been experiencing various health issues, which possibly included dementia, reportedly left her home which she shared with her partner Chris, on November 3rd following an argument, and never returned. Reported searches of the areas nearby did not lead to Elena's recovery, nor did they reveal any clues to what happened to her. It came to light that Elena had wandered off from her home before and been returned safely after being aided by a passerby. Since Elena has gone missing, her family does not fully trust Chris's accounts of what happened. According to her family, Chris tried to sell off many of Elena's belongings, and used money from her bank account that he was not entitled to. They also are concerned because Chris had spent time in prison prior to meeting Elena. 

In this episode, Elena's daughter Tami discusses her mom's case, and the frustration of not finding out what happened to Elena despite searches, and the help of a private investigator.

There is currently a $10,000 reward being offered in this case.

Elena Roy was described when she vanished as being 5ft4, 120lbs, with Brown eyes and dark Graying hair. She was last seen wearing Blue loafers and an Ivory Beannie. If you have any information, please call the SD sheriff's Homicide Unit at 858-285-6286 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. Information on how to send anonymous web and mobile app tips is available at www.sdcrimestoppers.org.

Elena's case detail has been entered into Namus.

To learn more about Elena's case, be sure to visit this Facebook group.

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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit:
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