# 1 HOUR of Chilling True Crime Mysteries To Fall Asleep To

An episode of [Lazy Chill True Crime](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1815534472), 13 Sep 2025, 54 min.

Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO8138676927.mp3

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## Transcript

[0:00] On a warm 4th of July night in 1988, two Texas teenagers
[0:03] vanished without a trace. 18 year old Sally McNally and 16
[0:08] year old Shane Stewart had reunited that holiday evening to
[0:11] watch the fireworks in their hometown of San Angelo, TX.
[0:15] It was the first time they've been together in months and
[0:18] tragically, the last time they would ever be seen alive.
[0:23] By the next morning, Shane's prized Camaro was found
[0:26] abandoned near the lake, keys resting on the dashboard and
[0:31] fast food wrappers littering the front seat.
[0:34] There were no obvious signs of a struggle, and initially some
[0:38] hoped the young couple had simply run off together.
[0:41] But as days turned into weeks, that hopeful notion faded and
[0:46] four months later, in November 1988, Hunter's made a grim
[0:50] discovery that would set this mystery into motion.
[0:56] The Sally Mcnelly and Shane Stewart case is built on
[0:59] fragments of facts and long held suspicions, as well as a
[1:03] surprise twist that wouldn't be revealed until 2017.
[1:08] What is definitively known is that on July 4th, 1988, Sally
[1:13] and Shane spent the evening together at Lake Nasworthy
[1:16] enjoying the Independence Day festivities.
[1:20] They were former high school sweethearts who had recently
[1:23] reconnected after a brief breakup, and both had only just
[1:26] returned to San Angelo that summer.
[1:30] Sometime around 9:00 that evening, they watched the annual
[1:33] fireworks show at the lake, and they likely left the crowded
[1:37] area late that night. In the early hours of July 5th,
[1:42] a park Ranger discovered Shane's copper colored Camaro abandoned
[1:46] near Fisher Lake, another reservoir in the area.
[1:50] The car's presence was puzzling. It was parked in a different
[1:53] section of the park than where the fireworks took place, and
[1:57] Shane's keys were left in plain sight on the dash.
[2:01] Inside, nothing seemed to miss, and there were no obvious signs
[2:05] of foul play. That said, because no crime had
[2:09] knowingly been committed at the time, it's unclear how closely
[2:14] the authorities examined this vehicle.
[2:19] Authorities at first treated the situation as a possible runaway
[2:22] or teenage escapade gone awry, but the families of the teens
[2:27] felt in their gut that something was very wrong.
[2:31] Shane had promised to be home by 11:00 PM on the 4th, and it
[2:35] wasn't like him to disappear. A search was launched when the
[2:39] pair failed to turn up after a couple of days, with friends and
[2:43] family frantically checking any places the teens might have
[2:46] gone. On November 11th, 1988, the
[2:52] first breakthrough came in a devastating fashion.
[2:56] Remains, later identified as Sally's, were found on a remote
[2:59] ranch property off a rural farm Rd. in Tom Greene County.
[3:04] Three days later, on November 14th, searchers discovered
[3:08] skeletal remains of Shane in the same general vicinity.
[3:11] The two were found only a short distance apart, confirming they
[3:16] had met the same fate. The condition of the remains
[3:20] indicated they had been exposed to the elements for quite some
[3:23] time. Any forensic clues that might
[3:26] have lingered had likely been eliminated by West TX weather
[3:29] and scavengers. Over those four months,
[3:32] investigators could determine little beyond the cause of
[3:35] death. Both teens had been slain by a
[3:38] shotgun blast, likely on the night they disappeared.
[3:45] As the investigation unfolded, an unsettling picture emerged of
[3:49] the teenagers lives before their deaths.
[3:52] These allegations involve alleged occult activities and a
[3:56] circle of friends that many in town would later describe as a
[3:59] satanic cult. In the year leading up to the
[4:02] event, both Sally and Shane had become involved with a
[4:06] clandestine group of local youths engaged in bizarre
[4:09] rituals. And I should note here that the
[4:13] existence of this group has been confirmed by the authorities,
[4:17] for what that's worth. Sally's close friends and even
[4:22] her mother Pat Wade recalled that the 18 year old had been
[4:27] attending strange late night parties featuring black magic
[4:31] ceremonies. When Sally started dating Shane
[4:35] in late 1987, she introduced him to these new friends and their
[4:39] so-called ritualistic parties. Marshall Stewart, Shane's
[4:43] father, noticed an abrupt change in his son's behaviour around
[4:47] that time, claiming the once easygoing teen was now getting
[4:51] into fights and acting out. The influence of this group was
[4:56] clearly negative, and both sets of parents feared the teens were
[5:00] in over their heads. And unlike most of these stories
[5:03] involving the occult, those fears weren't unfounded, since
[5:07] this occult group really sounds more like a local gang with some
[5:11] occult trappings. In March 1988, just a few months
[5:16] before their disappearance, Sally and Shane themselves went
[5:20] to the police with alarming information.
[5:24] Sally contacted a sheriff's deputy, Larry Counts, and
[5:28] reported that members of the cult were involved in serious
[5:31] crimes. She handed over a weapon that,
[5:35] according to her, a cult member had given the couple.
[5:40] The person allegedly told Sally and Shane that the weapon had
[5:43] recently been used in a slaying. Skeptical at first, Deputy
[5:48] Counts checked the serial number and discovered it was indeed
[5:52] stolen property, which lent some credibility to the teen story.
[5:59] The teens confided to law enforcement that they were
[6:02] trying to extricate themselves from the cult, but they feared
[6:05] retaliation if they were caught betraying the group secrets.
[6:09] This chilling warning that their lives could be in danger would
[6:13] prove to be eerily prophetic. But at any rate, even with the
[6:18] stolen weapon being turned over, the cops didn't seem to take the
[6:22] case overly seriously. In fact, this led to rumors at
[6:29] the time that there was a cover up related to the occult group,
[6:33] A theory which leaned fully into the Satanic Panic memes of the
[6:36] time. This theory essentially
[6:39] suggested that all the institutions in this Texas town
[6:42] had been infiltrated by agents of the Devil, a theory that has
[6:46] later been dismissed as mass hysteria.
[6:50] But I'll come back to this peculiar phenomenon shortly, so
[6:53] just hang tight for a moment. Shortly after turning over the
[6:58] weapon, Sally and Shane took steps to distance themselves
[7:02] from the occult group and appear to have initially had some
[7:05] success, at least for a short time.
[7:08] They moved out of the apartment they had briefly shared and
[7:10] actually left San Angelo for a time in the spring of 1988.
[7:15] But by early summer, both teens found themselves drawn back to
[7:18] their hometown. In mid June 1988, roughly 2
[7:23] weeks before she went missing, Sally made a distressed phone
[7:26] call to her friend Helen. Sally was frantic in the extreme
[7:32] and claimed someone was trying to eliminate her due to her
[7:34] connections with the group she had been trying to distance
[7:37] herself from. Helen, not fully understanding
[7:41] the gravity of the situation, tried to calm her down and
[7:45] didn't report the incident to Sally's family at the time.
[7:49] With hindsight, this plea for help was another ominous red
[7:52] flag that went unheeded. Piercing together, the events of
[7:57] July 4th, 1988 has been critical to understanding what might have
[8:01] happened to Shane and Sally. Thanks to witness accounts,
[8:06] investigators have a general timeline of the couple's last
[8:09] hours. After watching the 9:00 PM
[8:12] fireworks at Lake Nosworthy, the pair left the busy lake area and
[8:16] at some point travelled in Shane's car to a secluded spot
[8:20] by Fisher Lake a few miles away. Why they went there remains
[8:25] uncertain, though it's been speculated that they may have
[8:29] been using it as a lover's lane of sorts.
[8:32] This theory makes a lot of sense to me since they were just
[8:35] reconnecting and they no longer had a shared private apartment
[8:39] where they could spend some alone time.
[8:44] One eyewitness later came forward to say he saw Sally and
[8:47] Shane near a park at Fisher Lake in the late night hours.
[8:51] This witness, fishing from a boat, noticed a pickup truck
[8:55] approached the couple's parked Camaro.
[8:58] He distinctly heard Sally's voice carrying over the water,
[9:02] telling the truck's occupants that they didn't want to be
[9:04] involved with the group anymore. An argument ensued, but the
[9:09] witness assumed it was just some teens partying or quarrelling
[9:13] and paid little attention as he departed the area.
[9:19] That snippet of overheard conversation, if accurate, is
[9:22] incredibly telling. It suggests that the people who
[9:26] met Sally and Shane at the lake that night were likely connected
[9:30] to the very group the teens were trying to escape.
[9:33] Notably, this was the last known sighting of them alive and by
[9:37] daylight on July 5th, when the Camaro was found abandoned, the
[9:42] teens were nowhere to be found. Marshall Stewart, who never
[9:48] believed the runaway theory in the wake of July 4th, took it
[9:51] upon himself to investigate. He recalled that Shane had been
[9:55] having trouble with a particular individual.
[9:59] This was another teenager from the cult crowd whom Shane didn't
[10:02] get along with. According to Marshall, Shane had
[10:06] once said that if he ever saw this person again, a fight would
[10:09] be inevitable. Now, in the wake of the
[10:13] disappearance, Marshall went to that young man's home to
[10:17] confront him. The teen refused to talk about
[10:20] Shane and Sally, but Marshall noticed something.
[10:23] Chilling scratch marks on the boy's face, as if he'd been in a
[10:28] recent scuffle. It was suspicious, to say the
[10:32] least. But with no further evidence,
[10:34] nothing was ever done further. Yet.
[10:38] The authorities were still treating the case as a runaway
[10:40] at the time and wouldn't have interviewed Shane's scratched up
[10:44] rival. Also, I note that this
[10:48] individual's name has never been released to the public, and
[10:51] you're going to want to keep this in mind going forward since
[10:54] it may be important given the eerie circumstances of the case.
[11:01] A number of theories have been proposed to explain who
[11:04] eliminated Sally and Shane and why.
[11:07] The most prevalent theory, especially at the time, was that
[11:10] their slayings were connected to Satanic cult activity.
[11:14] The late 1980s were the height of the Satanic Panic in America,
[11:19] when fear of cults and ritual crime was rampant.
[11:23] According to the media, teenagers would get together,
[11:26] listen to heavy metal while summoning demons and Dungeons
[11:29] and Dragons, all for the glory of the devil, as was the style
[11:34] at the time. Sally and Shane's story,
[11:37] teenagers dabbling in devil worship who then mysteriously
[11:41] disappeared fit neatly into that narrative.
[11:46] In 1991, Unsolved Mysteries ran a segment on the case, heavily
[11:52] implying that the couple might have been slain as part of a
[11:55] satanic ritual or cult retribution.
[11:58] This is where I first found out about the case, and where I'm
[12:02] sure most of you who heard about it previous to this segment did
[12:05] as well. The show dramatized the occult
[12:10] angle, suggesting that sinister ceremonies or even a sacrifice
[12:14] could be involved. However, as time passed,
[12:18] investigators began to question whether the slayings were really
[12:21] ritualistic at all. Despite the rumors, no concrete
[12:26] evidence of an actual Satanic ceremony or symbols was ever
[12:30] reported at the crime scene. In fact, decades later, law
[12:34] enforcement has stated they don't believe the teens were
[12:37] slain because of a Satanic rite. More likely, the cult story
[12:43] provided A dramatic backdrop, but the real motive may have
[12:47] been more mundane. Notably, the so-called cult was
[12:51] also involved in a lucrative side business for Satan.
[12:55] They were pushing the devil's lettuce on the local youth and
[12:59] making a tidy profit doing so. Shane and Sally had recently
[13:03] turned over a weapon to the police and were clearly
[13:06] interested in getting out of this group.
[13:09] Under this theory, the two of them were seen as liabilities
[13:13] who would sink a profitable St. pharmaceutical operation and
[13:17] land the ringleaders in the slammer.
[13:21] Another theory that has been floated over the years involves
[13:24] specific suspects within the victims social circle.
[13:28] As mentioned, Shane had conflict with at least one other teenager
[13:32] who was involved in the occult group.
[13:35] Marshall Stewart's encounter with that individual noticing
[13:38] scratches on his face is often cited as a clue that a fight
[13:42] happened around the time of the slayings.
[13:46] Some have speculated that this teen confronted Shane and Sally
[13:49] on July 4th and things turned violent.
[13:53] Under this theory, while this teenager may have been a social
[13:56] connection from the occult group, he didn't commit the act
[14:00] on the authority of the group. For nearly three decades, the
[14:06] mystery of who slew Sally McNally and Shane Stewart saw
[14:09] little movement until a shocking break in 2017 injected New Hope
[14:14] into the cold case. And trust me, this is going to
[14:18] be one of the weirdest and most disturbing twists I've ever
[14:21] discussed and suggest the occult group wasn't your typical group
[14:25] of edgy teenagers. In June 2017, a 47 year old San
[14:32] Angelo man named John Cyrus Gilbreth was pulled over by Tom
[14:36] Greene County deputies on a routine stop.
[14:40] This minor incident quickly escalated into something far
[14:43] more significant. Gilbreth's passenger made a
[14:46] remark to officers that he was involved in the street pharmacy
[14:49] game, prompting investigators to obtain a warrant to search his
[14:53] home. What they found instead was a
[14:57] trove of items that appeared to tie Gilbreth directly to the
[15:01] 1988 double slaying. According to police statements
[15:05] and reports from local media, the search of Gilbreth's
[15:09] residence uncovered personal writings and notes explicitly
[15:12] mentioning Shane and Sally. There were also three cassette
[15:16] tapes, all of which contained the initials of the couple,
[15:21] though the sound quality was so degraded that it was impossible
[15:24] to determine what was going on. Even more damning, they
[15:30] discovered physical evidence, including hair and fingernails,
[15:33] that are believed to have belonged to the deceased pair.
[15:36] The revelation was stunning, and for the first time, authorities
[15:40] publicly named John Gilbreath as a person of interest in the
[15:44] slayings of Sally and Shane. It turned out Gilbreath was not
[15:48] an unknown figure in the case. Investigators acknowledged that
[15:53] he had been on their radar from the very beginning, and he was
[15:56] one of the teenagers involved in the same occult group back in
[15:59] 1988. In other words, Gilbreth was one
[16:03] of Sally and Shane's alleged friends who had a penchant for
[16:07] Satanic themed gatherings. He had a checkered past in the
[16:13] years after the slayings, including a felony theft
[16:16] conviction in 1989 and a substance related conviction in
[16:20] 1994. Gilbreth was eventually
[16:24] convicted on unrelated charges based upon an arsenal of
[16:28] weaponry that was also incidentally found during the
[16:31] search. As a convicted felon, he was, of
[16:35] course, not allowed to be in possession of these items, and
[16:39] he was sent to federal prison in 2018.
[16:43] Notably, however, he has never been charged with the slayings
[16:47] of Shane and Sally. The evidence found at his home
[16:50] is strongly suggestive, but likely not enough on its own to
[16:54] secure an indictment without corroborating proof or
[16:57] testimony. As of now, the slayings of Sally
[17:02] McNally and Shane Stewart remain officially unsolved.
[17:07] Cold case detectives and Texas Rangers continue to follow
[17:10] leads, and advancements in forensic technology offer new
[17:14] possibilities. Perhaps the most interesting
[17:17] potential new forensic opportunity will come from those
[17:20] cassette tapes. If new technology improves the
[17:24] ability to restore the tapes, these recordings may contain the
[17:27] truth of what happened to the young couple.
[17:32] My own theory is that while John Gilbreath sits in federal
[17:35] custody, investigators are quietly stacking evidence
[17:39] against him and re examining items seized in 2017.
[17:44] Given that he's out of the game for the foreseeable future, the
[17:47] authorities have been gifted the ability to build the absolute
[17:50] strongest case possible against him.
[17:54] Prosecutors have strong incentives to wait until the
[17:56] case is airtight. Cold cases can hinge on so many
[18:00] different factors, and an acquittal triggers double
[18:03] jeopardy protections in almost all cases.
[18:08] Of course, it may be that there's simply no evidence that
[18:11] this guy actually did it, and he may have received these
[18:14] disturbing mementos from the person who did.
[18:18] After all, they all hung out in the same spooky cult like group,
[18:22] so it's very possible that biological material from the
[18:25] victims was distributed amongst the members.
[18:29] Also, Personally, I wonder if Gilbreath is the guy that
[18:34] Shane's dad confronted back in the day.
[18:37] If he's not, I would hope that the cops have paid that guy a
[18:40] visit as well. The quiet calm of a Texas summer
[18:46] afternoon was shattered on August 2nd, 1997, when a
[18:50] passerby stumbled upon a gruesome find on the east side
[18:53] of Lake Arlington. There, near the water's edge,
[18:58] lay the decomposed body of an unknown man.
[19:01] Authorities were called and a baffling mystery began that
[19:05] endures to this day. The victim was a white male,
[19:10] estimated to be between 40 and 55 years old and around 5 foot
[19:14] 10. Forensic analysis suggested he
[19:18] had been deceased for about one to two months, likely since June
[19:22] or July of 1997. There were no signs of any acute
[19:27] injuries and the medical examiner couldn't determine A
[19:30] cause of death from the remains found in a relatively remote
[19:34] spot by the lake. This John Doe raised many
[19:37] questions from the start and his mystery continues on today,
[19:41] nearly 20 years later. The man had medium length brown
[19:47] hair and was discovered wearing casual summer attire.
[19:51] He was dressed in cut off Wrangler denim shorts, white
[19:54] Converse sneakers with red trim, and a pair of Ray Ban
[19:58] sunglasses. Along with his clothing, several
[20:02] personal items were recovered which could serve to identify
[20:05] who this man is. These included a silver colored
[20:09] necklace, a lighter, a folding pocket knife, a purple comb, and
[20:15] a gold tone token emblazoned with a riverboat and the words
[20:19] no cash value. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to
[20:23] find any photographs of these items online on Name Us or on
[20:27] any other sources. This is, of course, a bit of an
[20:31] issue, since silver colored necklace doesn't serve to narrow
[20:35] things down very much. At any rate, these belongings
[20:40] painted a rough sketch of his life, at least to those
[20:44] investigators who were able to view them directly.
[20:47] Notably, the token was what has been described as a generic
[20:50] arcade or casino token. Investigators checked its
[20:54] origin, but that went nowhere since such tokens were mass
[20:58] produced. Personally though, without
[21:00] seeing the token itself, I'd be wary of any such conclusion, and
[21:05] I suspect there may have been some minor distinctions added
[21:08] that could be a clue. Despite the evidence recovered,
[21:13] nothing found with the body gave away the man's identity.
[21:17] Unfortunately, he carried no wallet, no identification, and
[21:21] no other forms of identifying paperwork.
[21:25] Authorities released a forensic sketch as well, which is quite
[21:29] distinctive, but this too led to nothing.
[21:34] Notably, his fingerprints were taken, but they didn't match any
[21:38] entries in law enforcement databases.
[21:41] Dental records were also compared against missing persons
[21:44] reports, with no success. Years later, ADNA profile was
[21:49] eventually obtained from his remains and uploaded to national
[21:52] databases, but as yet it returned no matches either.
[21:59] It quickly became clear that this case wasn't about to be
[22:01] cracked with 90s forensic technology, so detectives looked
[22:05] at the context in which he was found.
[22:08] He was on an isolated patch of shoreline littered with empty
[22:12] bottles and trash, and there was evidence it was a local party
[22:16] spot. This environmental clue hinted
[22:19] that he might have been there socializing or camping, but the
[22:23] cops were unable to find any abandoned campsite that might
[22:26] have been his. That said, this isn't
[22:30] necessarily unusual given the post mortem interval on this
[22:33] case, and any number of factors could have led to his camp being
[22:37] taken down within that interval. Unfortunately, despite police
[22:43] requests, no witnesses ever came forward to say they saw a
[22:47] stranger in the area in the relevant time period.
[22:50] That said, investigators didn't find his body until months
[22:54] later, and of course, memories had already begun to fade at
[22:58] that point. With each Ave. turning up empty,
[23:03] the case went cold. In the absence of answers,
[23:08] several theories have been put forward about who this man was
[23:11] and how he perished. One theory is that he was a
[23:15] transient or homeless drifter who lived off the grid.
[23:19] Perhaps he had no fixed home and moved from place to place, which
[23:23] would explain why no missing person report ever matched him.
[23:28] He might not have had close family in touch or those who
[23:31] knew him didn't realize he was missing.
[23:35] However, running against the homeless theory is that he
[23:38] wasn't dressed in the layered style that homeless people
[23:41] generally adopt so they can carry their entire wardrobe with
[23:44] them. Another possibility is that his
[23:49] death was a misadventure or a simple accident.
[23:52] He could have been fishing or drinking by the water and ended
[23:55] up drowning or suffering A fatal fall or medical emergency.
[24:00] The fact that the area appeared to be a party spot supports this
[24:03] idea. He might have been out there
[24:06] with others late at night and something went wrong.
[24:10] If he was intoxicated or unwell and collapsed, the people with
[24:14] him might have panicked and left him, especially if they were
[24:17] afraid of legal trouble. Notably, under this theory, both
[24:22] the John Doe and the other people involved may have been
[24:25] partaking in less than legitimate pharmaceuticals.
[24:29] An accident in such a secluded area could easily go unreported
[24:32] and undocumented under these circumstances.
[24:37] There is also the theory of foul play, though evidence for this
[24:40] is limited. The remote location raises the
[24:43] question of whether someone could have slain him elsewhere
[24:46] and dumped his body by the lake to avoid detection.
[24:50] However, without obvious trauma on the remains, there's no clear
[24:55] indication of this actually happening.
[24:57] That said, it's possible he was suffocated, something that
[25:01] wouldn't necessarily leave a mark on bones.
[25:04] But again, this is purely speculative.
[25:07] Investigators didn't have enough information to label the case as
[25:11] foul play, so it remains classified as an unexplained
[25:14] event as of 2025. This John Doe, found on the
[25:22] shores of Lake Arlington, is still unidentified.
[25:26] However, forensic science is advancing rapidly, and there's
[25:31] hope that forensic genetic genealogy can finally crack the
[25:34] mystery of his identity. From there, the cops will
[25:38] theoretically be able to build out the last days, weeks and
[25:42] months of his life and determine what actually happened to him.
[25:49] In July 1971, two boys walking near Route 99 in Woodstock, MD,
[25:55] found a woman clinging to life in a wooded field off a dirt Rd.
[26:00] She was unconscious, badly sunburned and had no
[26:03] identification on her whatsoever.
[26:07] Rescuers rushed her to a Baltimore hospital, where
[26:10] doctors performed emergency brain surgery in an attempt to
[26:13] save her life, but she never regained consciousness to tell
[26:17] anyone who she was. She perished about two months
[26:21] later on what would have been her 47th birthday, her name
[26:26] still unknown. The medical examiner determined
[26:29] that a violent blow to her abdomen had caused a fatal
[26:32] stroke, so her death was ruled a slaying.
[26:38] For more than 50 years, the mystery of the Woodstock Jane
[26:41] Doe remained completely unsolved.
[26:45] Police periodically revisited the case, but every effort to
[26:49] identify the woman fell short. Investigators even circulated
[26:53] sketches of her face in newspapers, but nobody
[26:56] recognized her. Finally, in 2024, Howard County
[27:02] investigators turned to Advanced Forensic Technology to crack the
[27:06] case and referred the case to Othrum.
[27:10] Othrum is a forensic genetic genealogy company that has been
[27:14] on an absolute tear in the last number of years helping solve
[27:18] cold cases. Genetic genealogy led to an
[27:22] elderly man in Ohio named Charles Sharkey, who turned out
[27:26] to be a very close relative of the mystery woman.
[27:29] In fact, further testing revealed Charles was her son.
[27:33] Armed with this discovery, detectives located another
[27:36] potential relative, Charles's older sister, Mildred Cantwell,
[27:41] living in Illinois. In September 2025, fifty four
[27:47] years after the woman's death, authorities announced that the
[27:50] Jane Doe had been identified as Sarah Belle Sharkey.
[27:56] She was a Pennsylvania native who had taken the last name
[27:59] Sharkey after marriage in the 1940s.
[28:03] It was an astonishing twist. The victim not only got her name
[28:06] back, but also had two children still alive to learn the truth.
[28:11] Sharkey was the 47 year old mother of two who had vanished
[28:14] from her children's lives in the mid 20th century, only to be
[28:18] found brutally assaulted in Maryland years later.
[28:22] Solving Sarah Sharkey's identity also brought about an unexpected
[28:26] family reunion, as children Charles and Mildred had been
[28:30] placed in an orphanage and adopted into different families,
[28:34] losing track of each other and of their mother entirely.
[28:38] The siblings had been separated since the early 1950s and hadn't
[28:43] seen one another since childhood.
[28:47] Since they were so young when they were split up, they only
[28:50] had vague memories of one another and they never knew what
[28:53] happened to their biological mother.
[28:56] In fact, both Charles and Mildred had spent significant
[29:00] portions of their life trying to piece together their own
[29:02] personal history. That all changed when, 70 years
[29:06] apart, the brother and sister were put back in touch by the
[29:09] cold case detectives. The two began speaking on the
[29:13] phone nearly every day and planned to meet in person for
[29:16] the first time in nearly 70 years.
[29:19] They expressed relief at finally learning their mother's fate and
[29:23] an overwhelming sense of joy at finding each other again.
[29:28] Charles said he had believed he would never reconnect with his
[29:30] family, and Mildred said knowing the truth about her mother gave
[29:34] her long-awaited peace. But of course, this is a series
[29:40] on unsolved mysteries, and the obvious question remains here.
[29:44] The investigation has now been reopened into the slaying of
[29:47] Sarah Sharkey, and detectives are working to retrace her last
[29:51] known steps. They know she spent most of her
[29:55] life in Pennsylvania, which makes her presence in rural
[29:59] Howard County in Maryland perplexing.
[30:02] One theory is that she may have travelled to Maryland with
[30:04] someone she knew and that this person turned violent.
[30:10] The fact that her purse was missing hints at a possible
[30:12] robbery or an assailant's attempt to conceal her identity.
[30:18] Investigators have revealed that they believe she was left in
[30:21] that field on purpose, perhaps dumped there after an assault in
[30:25] a different location. No suspects have been publicly
[30:30] named yet, but knowing Sarah's identity gives police new
[30:33] avenues to explore. They are interviewing any
[30:37] remaining friends, acquaintances and relatives of Sarah to learn
[30:41] about her life in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
[30:46] Unfortunately, as yet, there's been no photograph released of
[30:51] Sarah to indicate what she looked like.
[30:54] However, a forensic drawing has been released, which the
[30:58] authorities hope will jog someone's memory.
[31:02] Anyway, if you think you recognize this woman, please
[31:06] reach out to the Howard County Cold Case Unit since they're
[31:09] looking to talk to anyone with any potential connections to
[31:12] Sharkey. Hey everyone, Jimmy here.
[31:18] Just reminding you to hit the like button and the notification
[31:21] bell and turn on all notifications.
[31:23] Also, don't forget to check out the Patreon or the YouTube
[31:26] membership if you want to support my channel further.
[31:32] In the mid 1980s, Japan was a nation at the apex of its
[31:36] economic power. It was a society defined by an
[31:39] almost futuristic blend of technological innovation, social
[31:43] order, and an unparalleled sense of public safety.
[31:48] At the heart of this modern landscape stood the humble
[31:51] vending machine, the Jidohan Baiki, ready to serve any
[31:55] stranger for the right price. And yeah, that's what I wrote
[32:00] while researching this segment while very sleep deprived at
[32:03] 3:00 AM. But I'm keeping it in and you've
[32:07] all got to deal with it. More than just a convenience,
[32:12] these machines were a cultural touchstone.
[32:15] Numbering over 5 million, they dotted every city block and
[32:19] rural crossroads, offering everything from cold drinks and
[32:22] hot coffee to noodles and flowers.
[32:26] They were symbols of a high trust, automated, and profoundly
[32:29] safe society. They were unmanned, unvandalized
[32:33] beacons of convenience that millions of people relied on
[32:37] every single day without a second thought.
[32:41] This implicit trust was the bedrock of a simple daily
[32:44] ritual. But in 1985, an unseen predator
[32:48] would weaponize that trust, turning these symbols of
[32:52] convenience into instruments of a terrifying and indiscriminate
[32:56] evil. The story begins on a spring
[33:01] day, April 30th, 1985, in the city of Fukuyama in Hiroshima
[33:06] Prefecture. A man whose name has been lost
[33:09] to history approached A vending machine for a drink.
[33:14] Sitting on top of the machine was an unclaimed bottle of
[33:17] Oronamin Sea, a popular vitamin fortified, caffeine laden energy
[33:22] drink. To him this wasn't suspicious,
[33:25] but rather it was a stroke of luck.
[33:28] Otsuka Pharmaceutical, the company that produced the drink,
[33:32] was in the middle of a major buy one, get one free promotion to
[33:36] boost sales. Among a younger demographic, the
[33:40] appearance of an extra bottle would have seemed like a winning
[33:43] ticket, a small welcome gift from someone who wanted to
[33:47] improve the day of a complete stranger.
[33:52] And with that, the man took the bottle and drank it, expecting a
[33:57] boost of energy and likely feeling goodwill towards the
[34:00] person who left it. But what followed wasn't that
[34:03] boost of energy, or even a swift demise, but a slow, inexorable
[34:09] descent into agony. He soon fell ill, but the poison
[34:14] inside him worked with the cruel patients for an entire month.
[34:18] His body was systematically destroyed from the inside out.
[34:22] He finally succumbed on May 30th, a full 30 days after his
[34:26] fateful encounter with the free drink.
[34:29] The agent of his death was later identified as Paraquat
[34:32] dichloride, a potent agricultural herbicide.
[34:36] I'll get into the exact mechanism of this poison
[34:39] shortly, but for now, just imagine your lungs being taken
[34:43] over by endless scar tissue until you literally drown in
[34:47] your own fluids. At the time, no one knew that
[34:50] this horrifying, isolated death was the opening act of Esprit
[34:55] that would create one of Japan's most disturbing unsolved
[34:58] mysteries. After the first incident in
[35:03] spring, an eerie silence fell across the nation.
[35:08] For four months, the incident in Fukuyama remained an isolated
[35:12] tragedy unconnected to any larger pattern.
[35:17] The plague returned in September 1985, and it spread with
[35:21] terrifying speed and randomness. On September 5th, a 44 year old
[35:27] executive named Takashi Sakai drank 2 poison vitamin drinks,
[35:32] losing his battle with the poison six weeks after.
[35:36] Less than a week after that, the attacks reached the capital and
[35:39] 52 year old Haru Otsu picked up a free bottle of Oronamin C Less
[35:46] than three days later, Otsu had perished from the contents of
[35:50] this free drink. Over the course of September,
[35:55] the disturbing incidents spread across the entire nation, and
[35:59] there was no discernible pattern to the attacks.
[36:02] They were men and women, young and old, from different
[36:06] professions and social classes. This total randomness shattered
[36:10] any illusion of safety in this high trust society.
[36:14] Anyone who used a vending machine was a potential target,
[36:17] and the lack of a clear motive made the crimes feel like an act
[36:20] of pure nihilistic violence. By November 1985, at least 13
[36:27] people had perished and dozens more were left seriously ill,
[36:31] suffering lifelong damage. But to fully understand the
[36:37] profound cruelty of these attacks, one must understand the
[36:40] weapon. Paraquat is a commercial
[36:43] herbicide, A mundane chemical used by farmers to control
[36:47] weeds. In the 1980s in Japan, it was
[36:50] dangerously accessible to almost anyone.
[36:53] While purchasers were technically required to
[36:56] demonstrate an agricultural need, the substance could be
[36:59] bought without a formal prescription or identification.
[37:04] The requirement to demonstrate agricultural need was satisfied
[37:07] simply by giving your word that you needed it for pest control.
[37:12] You could simply say that you had a backyard garden that was
[37:15] being overrun with beetles and next thing you knew, you had
[37:19] your paraquat. You didn't even need a backyard
[37:23] or a garden, and there didn't need to be any beetles.
[37:27] You just had to give your word. After all, in a high trust
[37:31] society where everyone assumes the best of their fellow
[37:34] citizen, it seemed inconceivable that someone would obtain
[37:38] paraquat to do what the perpetrator did.
[37:42] Notably, the ultimate cause of death is what makes paraquat
[37:46] poisoning uniquely horrific. As I alluded to earlier, it
[37:51] brings on a condition called pulmonary fibrosis inside the
[37:56] lungs. The chemical generates an oxygen
[37:58] reaction that causes catastrophic cellular damage,
[38:02] leading to the progressive and irreversible growth of fibrous
[38:06] scar tissue. Paraquat poisoning hijacks the
[38:10] fundamental breathing mechanism and turns it against your body.
[38:14] The soft, pliable tissue of the lungs hardens, making it
[38:18] impossible to expand and contract.
[38:22] Victims find it increasingly difficult to breathe, as if they
[38:25] are slowly being suffocated. In the end, they effectively
[38:30] drown in their own fluids, often fully conscious of their
[38:34] agonizing demise. Simply put, the person who
[38:37] launched this assault against society didn't just want to
[38:40] destroy lives. The perpetrator wanted to
[38:43] inflict maximum suffering doing it.
[38:46] They also wanted to be sure that the people who did survive the
[38:50] poisonous assault would be permanently scarred, literally
[38:54] for the rest of their lives. For the victims of the vending
[39:00] machine predator and for the doctors who tried to save them,
[39:04] the most terrible truth was their complete helplessness.
[39:08] There's no antidote for paraquat poisoning, and medical
[39:11] interventions are purely supportive and almost always
[39:14] futile. But with that said, let's get to
[39:18] the manhunt for the perpetrator of this disturbing crime.
[39:24] As the body count rose, a massive police investigation was
[39:28] launched, but it quickly became clear that they were hunting a
[39:31] phantom. The case was a profiler's
[39:34] nightmare, a crime that seemed perfectly designed to defy
[39:38] traditional investigative methods.
[39:41] The perpetrators randomness was their greatest defense.
[39:45] With no connection between the victims, police could not
[39:48] establish A motive, leaving them with no starting point.
[39:52] The perpetrator was also meticulous in their methods.
[39:57] They chose vending machines in low traffic areas, ensuring
[40:01] there were never any witnesses to their actions.
[40:04] The technology of the era also worked in their favour.
[40:07] Surveillance cameras were not yet a common feature of the
[40:10] urban landscape, so there was no video evidence to analyse.
[40:15] Most importantly, the perpetrator left nothing behind
[40:17] whatsoever. DNA analysis wasn't yet a tool
[40:21] in the forensic arsenal, but even if it had been, there was
[40:25] nothing to test. With the police investigation at
[40:30] a standstill, the responsibility for public safety shifted
[40:34] dramatically. Unable to catch this silent
[40:37] predator, authorities and corporations were forced to try
[40:41] and prevent the next attack. This led to an unprecedented
[40:45] public safety campaign that transformed the daily life of
[40:49] the nation. Warnings were posted on over 5
[40:52] million vending machines, a massive logistical undertaking
[40:56] that brought the threat into the public's immediate view.
[41:00] These notices, issued jointly by police, vending machine
[41:05] operators and soft drink companies, urged the public to
[41:09] adopt A new defensive position. While at these formerly friendly
[41:14] machines, customers were warned to carefully inspect beverage
[41:19] caps for tampering, to check dispenser slots for any unusual
[41:23] items, and, most importantly, to throw away any drinks they
[41:27] found. In the absence of evidence, all
[41:32] that remained was speculation. Criminal psychologists note that
[41:36] poisoners, particularly those who attack anonymously, often
[41:40] fit a specific profile. They tend to be cunning,
[41:44] methodical and emotionally immature, driven by a deep
[41:48] seated sense of inadequacy for which they compensate with a
[41:52] desperate need for power and control.
[41:55] Poisoning is the ultimate remote control crime.
[41:58] It allows the perpetrator to feel God like and omnipotent
[42:02] without the mess of a direct confrontation.
[42:05] Further, the perpetrator's rage is often not directed at a
[42:09] specific individual, but is a nihilistic fury towards
[42:13] existence itself. At the time, Japanese experts
[42:19] offered theories that tried to place the crimes within a
[42:21] national context. A professor of criminal
[42:25] sociology in Tokyo suggested the attacks could be a twisted
[42:29] manifestation of the pressures of Japan's intense and work
[42:32] oriented society. He speculated that for an
[42:36] individual living under tremendous stress, attacking
[42:39] others indiscriminately could become a disturbed outlet for
[42:43] frustration. Meanwhile, A forensic
[42:47] psychologist who was helping the National Police Agency with the
[42:51] case proposed a more chilling motive at the time.
[42:54] He argued that the perpetrator was likely motivated by the
[42:57] adrenaline rush and the sense of superiority that came from
[43:01] imagining the suffering of their victims.
[43:04] In essence, the perpetrator enjoyed a secret power they held
[43:07] over the lives of complete strangers.
[43:10] Other theories would flourish in the years after the attacks, but
[43:14] I'll get to those in a quick moment.
[43:18] The attack stopped as suddenly as they had started in late
[43:21] November 1985. And with that, the Phantom
[43:25] vanished permanently. In 1986.
[43:28] In direct response to the crisis, the Japanese government
[43:31] took action. It severely restricted the sale
[43:34] of paraquat and mandated that the chemical be reformulated
[43:38] into a less concentrated, less toxic version, even when sold
[43:43] for legitimate usage. One theory surrounding the
[43:47] paraquat poisonings is that they were linked to yakuza extortion.
[43:52] The logic behind the suspicion rests on how the attacks
[43:56] coincided with Japan's booming beverage industry.
[44:00] During this period, vending machine operators and drink
[44:03] manufacturers were making enormous profits.
[44:06] Organized crime groups had long infiltrated legitimate
[44:09] industries through protection rackets, forcing businesses to
[44:12] pay for, quote UN quote, safety. In this light, the poisonings
[44:18] may have been a demonstration aimed at beverage companies that
[44:21] resisted such demands by contaminating products placed on
[44:26] vending machines. The culprit created widespread
[44:29] fear, tarnishing consumer trust and damaging corporate
[44:34] reputations. The randomness of the victims
[44:37] would have amplified the terror, ensuring maximum pressure on the
[44:41] companies rather than targeting specific individuals.
[44:47] However, no direct evidence ever tied the yakuza to the paraquat
[44:51] cases, and criminologists note that this doesn't fit the
[44:54] pattern of their crimes. While they're known to engage in
[44:58] corporate manipulation, they generally do so in a discreet
[45:02] way so as not to involve the authorities.
[45:06] The level of attention and heat that would have been brought
[45:09] from engaging in a mass poisoning event is unprecedented
[45:13] for the yakuza. Further, and perhaps most
[45:17] importantly, skeptics note that there was a total lack of
[45:20] demands and no ransom note was ever issued.
[45:24] This suggests the crimes may have instead been the work of a
[45:28] lone poisoner driven by nihilism rather than profit.
[45:34] However, perhaps the most disturbing theory related to
[45:37] this case has nothing whatsoever to do with a lone nihilist out
[45:42] for revenge against the world. There's the theory that the
[45:45] attacks may have been orchestrated by the North Korean
[45:48] state to inflict terror upon the Japanese populace.
[45:53] Now, those of you who are unfamiliar with this period in
[45:55] history may believe that this is a fringe conspiracy theory with
[45:59] no backing to it whatsoever. Well, that's where you're wrong,
[46:03] because during this time, North Korean agents were literally
[46:07] pulling up in submarines and kidnapping Japanese citizens,
[46:10] amongst other crimes. However, skeptics have a
[46:16] difficult time squaring the poison used with this theory.
[46:20] North Korea has access to much more powerful chemical agents
[46:24] that can guarantee virtually instant results.
[46:27] They claim that had this been a campaign by this state, actor
[46:30] Paraquat wouldn't have been used.
[46:34] That said, the counterpoint to this is that North Korean
[46:37] sleeper agents may have simply had to work with the poisons
[46:40] they could obtain locally. The case of the vending machine
[46:45] poisoner remains completely unsolved at this point.
[46:49] No potential perpetrator was ever identified, and the motive
[46:53] remains a subject of speculation.
[46:55] Notably, in 2010, Japan abolished the statute of
[46:59] limitations for severe crimes such as this.
[47:03] However, the abolition of the law isn't retroactive, so even
[47:07] if the poisoner was caught today, they wouldn't be able to
[47:10] be prosecuted criminally. In August 2000, a routine
[47:18] construction dig in Ocala, FL, turned into a crime scene when
[47:22] workers uncovered a human skeleton hidden inside a red
[47:25] sleeping bag. The remains were buried on SW
[47:29] 12th St. alongside discarded alcohol cans and bottles.
[47:34] It was a shocking find, a makeshift grave in the heart of
[47:37] Marion County, and it marked the beginning of a mystery that
[47:41] endures to this day. This anonymous victim, soon
[47:45] dubbed the Marion County John Doe, has remained unidentified
[47:49] for over 25 years. The Ocala Public Works crew that
[47:55] found the skeleton immediately alerted police.
[47:59] The fact that it was wrapped in a sleeping bag and deliberately
[48:01] covered with soil raised immediate suspicions of foul
[48:05] play. Forensic examination determined
[48:08] the deceased was a white male, around 45 to 60 years old and
[48:13] stood about 5 foot seven. He had no identification on him,
[48:17] so examiners had to rely on physical clues.
[48:20] Notably, he was missing most of his teeth and had a distinct gap
[48:24] between his upper front teeth. This unusual dental profile was
[48:29] publicized in case it matched someone's long lost relative or
[48:32] friend, but no hits have been made so far.
[48:38] The skeleton also showed evidence of past injuries, which
[48:41] the authorities believed could be used to identify the man.
[48:44] Several ribs and the nose had been broken at some point, and a
[48:48] foot bone had a healed fracture. Notably, these injuries were
[48:53] healed, and for the broken nose, it was likely that he had sought
[48:57] medical intervention. Notably, investigators didn't
[49:02] find any evidence of any significant acute trauma on his
[49:05] remains. However, given the clandestine
[49:09] burial, the Ocala Police Department treated the case as a
[49:13] likely slaying right from the start.
[49:16] Along with the bones, detectives collected the man's clothing and
[49:19] belongings for clues. The John Doe was found with
[49:23] multiple layers of clothes on his body, including black
[49:26] sweatpants, blue jeans, and a pair of green sweats.
[49:33] The odd combination of wearing several pairs of pants suggests
[49:36] he may have been living outdoors and carrying his entire wardrobe
[49:39] on his person. If you're a regular viewer of my
[49:42] channel, you'll probably already know this practice is often seen
[49:46] among homeless individuals who wear all their layers both for
[49:50] warmth and convenience. Notably, a generic Wilson
[49:55] wristwatch was still on his wrist, and the red sleeping bag
[49:59] likely served as his bedding. These personal items paint a
[50:02] picture of a man living rough, camping out in an empty lot, or
[50:07] perhaps living out in the woods. Based on the condition of the
[50:12] remains, experts estimated that the man died anywhere from 8
[50:16] months to five years before he was found.
[50:18] In other words, he likely perished sometime in the mid
[50:22] 1990s through late 1999, a massive span of time that gave
[50:27] the perpetrator a huge head start.
[50:30] Whoever buried him in that unused plot managed to keep the
[50:33] secret until development work unearthed it by chance.
[50:38] Notably, DNA analysis, often the trump card in modern cold cases,
[50:43] has been problematic. Here, no usable DNA profile
[50:47] could be obtained from the remains due to severe
[50:50] degradation. Without a DNA profile, advanced
[50:55] forensic genealogy techniques can't be applied yet to hunt
[50:58] down relatives. Instead, investigators have
[51:02] relied on traditional detective work and public outreach.
[51:06] Over the years, forensic artists created composite images
[51:11] reconstructing the man's face, and these have been circulated
[51:14] through media and police channels.
[51:19] Notably, it's unclear to me if the John Doe's remains have been
[51:22] preserved and sent for modern forensic testing.
[51:26] This would allow the authorities to search the CODIS database at
[51:29] the very least. If successful, this would give
[51:32] the decedent his name back and would serve as a better starting
[51:36] point for actually solving the crime against him as well.
[51:42] Without solid leads, several theories have emerged about who
[51:45] this man was and how he met his end.
[51:49] The prevailing idea is that he was a homeless individual who
[51:53] fell victim to violence. Perhaps he was camping on that
[51:57] property and encountered trouble, such as a robbery or a
[52:01] altercation that turned into something way more serious.
[52:06] The empty liquor bottles at the scene suggest alcohol might have
[52:09] been involved, though given the passage of time, it's possible
[52:13] that these were simply incidental.
[52:16] That said, it's easy to imagine two people drinking together in
[52:20] that secluded spot and a fight breaking out, ending in tragedy.
[52:26] In such a scenario, the assailant may have hastily
[52:29] buried the body to conceal the crime.
[52:34] Another possibility is that the case doesn't actually involve
[52:38] any foul play at all. If the John Doe passed away of
[52:41] an overdose while with companions, those people might
[52:45] have panicked and buried him to avoid legal trouble.
[52:48] Alternatively, he may have simply perished due to natural
[52:52] causes and the people with him may have done their best to give
[52:56] him a burial with what they had on hand.
[53:00] This could explain the lack of overt trauma on the remains.
[53:06] More speculative ideas have also been floated by amateur sleuths.
[53:10] It does always remain possible that a serial predator targeted
[53:13] this John Doe. Unfortunately, people living on
[53:17] the outskirts of life, like the homeless, are often targeted by
[53:21] these predators simply because, in general, no one will notice
[53:26] that they've gone missing. If a homeless person vanishes,
[53:30] they're generally assumed to have moved on to greener
[53:32] pastures, even by their own friends from the streets.
[53:36] Further, even when they're reported missing, generally by
[53:40] other homeless people, the police generally don't sink any
[53:43] investigative efforts into the case.
[53:48] For now, the Marion County John Doe remains nameless, but he's
[53:53] not forgotten. The hope is that one day this
[53:56] man's identity will be restored and the full story of what
[53:59] happened to him will finally come to light.

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