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E032: Ben McDaniel
1.6k Plays5 years ago
When an underwater cavern popular with divers warns that nothing in the cave is worth dying for, most would turn around, but for some a thrill runs down their spine. With only one way in and one way out, what could have happened to an experienced diver to make him never reemerge from the cave’s depths? Was it bad luck, fate, or perhaps something more sinister?
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Transcript
Podcast Intro & Pandemic Reflections
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to Coffee and Cases. Sadly, Allison and I are still practicing social distancing, so this week's episode will be that solo yet again. In my fantasy world, we would have been back to normal by now, but it appears that'll be just a dream for a little while longer. So if you're new to Coffee and Cases, please know that our podcast has changed slightly as our world is adjusting to a global pandemic.
00:00:25
Speaker
While we're being asked to keep our distance from others, to stay inside when possible, and to not gather in large groups, we ask that you bear with us as our podcast has changed a little as well. Until we can return to normal, take care of yourselves. Do something creative today. Take a moment to just breathe, to relax. Call an old friend and catch up. Share a podcast when you do. Write a letter to someone who means something to you. Imagine the joy on your loved one's face when he or she receives that note.
00:00:53
Speaker
It's the small moments of happiness that we can create that puts things into perspective right now. Thank you for bearing with us and for understanding we care about you. Stay united in the human spirit. Stay together. Stay safe. Now onto this week's episode.
The Mystery of Ben McDaniel's Disappearance
00:01:12
Speaker
The Oxford dictionary defines disappear as, quote, to cease to be seen, to cease, to no longer be. It's hard to imagine someone simply disappearing or no longer being seen. One minute he or she is with us, the next they're gone, to be seen no more.
00:01:32
Speaker
As a true crime podcast, we often talk about people who disappear. In the case of Amy Mihalovic, she was taken from an open shopping center. In the case of Lorene Rand, she was taken from her home. You see, what these cases have in common is the fact that disappearing was easy. There were multiple ways our victims could have been kidnapped or simply walked away, out the door, the window, down the alley, behind the ice cream shop.
00:01:58
Speaker
How our case differs today is simple. Our victim went missing from a place with only one way in and one way out. How is it possible to go missing from a place with only one way in and one way out? It cannot be a question of simply getting lost. Even though I have literally no sense of direction and can get lost walking around my subdivision, I think I could find my way out of a place with only one exit.
00:02:24
Speaker
For an experienced adventurer, this type of thing should have been easy. Unlike most of us, our victim today wasn't scared of a tough adventure. In fact, he was described as fearless. He was cave diving in one of the most dangerous caves in the world.
00:02:39
Speaker
When our victim today read the sign warning him to turn back, he swam on. The words, stop. Prevent your death. Go no further. There's nothing in this cave worth dying for. Do not go beyond this point. Didn't stop him. Instead, they sent a thrill through him. This cave held the escape and the adventure he longed for. This is the story of Ben McDaniel.
Host Introductions & Podcast Mission
00:03:38
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:03:47
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
Listener Engagement Challenge
00:04:15
Speaker
Before I begin our show today, I want to remind you guys about the challenge that Allison and I have for you. You all were so awesome at getting us to those 15 written comments so quickly that we thought we would up the ante a little.
00:04:30
Speaker
This one is a lofty goal, but we know we have to set our thoughts high. We want to reach 150 ratings on iTunes. I checked this morning. We currently have 94. So we are so, so close. It only takes a split second. If you're listening to us on iTunes, just click that five star rating. We have listeners from all over the world. So while we know this is something very big to ask you guys, we know that you all can do it.
00:05:00
Speaker
We know it's gonna take a little bit longer, and if you've been listening for a while, you know that it has, but once we get to that 150, we will do another bonus episode for you guys. Just make sure that you follow us on social media, Coffee and Case's podcast on Facebook, or at Coffee Case's podcast on Instagram, or listen in each week to the show to know when that bonus episode will air. Now for real, let's get on to this week's episode.
Recording Disclaimer
00:05:28
Speaker
Okay, sleuth hounds. So just a little disclaimer before we get into the show today. I do want to let you all know that my house is literally insane today. We are in the process of moving so we're packing up things. So you are very likely to hear doors opening and closing. My dogs are going crazy today. So you might hear barking. You might hear who knows what you're gonna hear. But
00:05:53
Speaker
Remember we're recording from home right now, so things are just gonna be a little different, so I ask that you bear with me.
Vortex Springs & Ben's Adventures
00:06:01
Speaker
Our show today centers around Vortex Springs. Vortex Springs is located in the Florida Panhandle, and is a popular destination in the hot summer months. You see sleuth hounds, Vortex Springs is fed by the cool water of an underground river, and as a result, stays a nice 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the spring is constantly moving, the water stays clear and cool, and as a result, it's a popular spot for scuba divers.
00:06:27
Speaker
This sounds very familiar to an underground sinkhole or cenote. My family went snorkeling in in Mexico a few summers ago. The water was so cool and clear and after walking through the city of Tulum, where the sun was beating down on us and there was no wind, it was exactly what we needed to cool off. So I can see why something like Vortex Springs would attract so many visitors yearly.
00:06:50
Speaker
Vortex Springs offers more than 1,600 feet that's been measured so far of underground cave diving exploration. In fact, Vortex Springs conceals one of the largest known underground caves in the United States. However, the underground cave can be dangerous. The tunnels get extremely narrow and for the inexperienced diver can result in death. In fact, in the early 90s, several divers died exploring the cave.
00:07:17
Speaker
Since moving to Florida in 2010, Ben McDaniel found himself drawn to Vortex Springs. You see, Sleuthhounds, Ben loved adventure. He loved to climb cliffs and to scuba dive, all the things that I would be way too scared to do. But according to the article, what happened to Ben McDaniel unanswered questions, Ben became an open water diver at the age of 14.
00:07:40
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Ben McDaniel was remembered by his friends and family as a fearless individual who was passionate about his hobbies, particularly scuba diving.
00:07:49
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Ben found the open water of the ocean too easy, so he soon took to cave diving. Now, cave diving is not for the faint at heart or the inexperienced. Holding the certification requires about two months training and 125 logged dives with an instructor or a co-certified dive buddy.
00:08:12
Speaker
Welcome to my house. Although Ben had completed over 250 dives, according to his girlfriend, he was not a registered cave diver since those dives had been done solo. In fact, in my research, I found only 1% of scuba divers are registered cave divers. This, however, didn't stop Ben from exploring vortex springs. In fact, he was a regular visitor to the spring, and it wasn't unusual to see Ben resurfacing from a cave dive.
Ben's Last Dive & Search Efforts
00:08:41
Speaker
On August 18, 2010, Ben would enter the underwater cave system at Vortex Springs and never re-emerge. Ben entered the cave just as the sun was beginning to set. We know this because two divers were leaving the cave as Ben began his descent. As I mentioned before, Vortex Springs was dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, that there was a locked gate to keep inexperienced divers from leaving the basin. But this didn't stop Ben.
00:09:11
Speaker
You see, Sleuthhounds, the key to the gate was kept inside the shop and had to be signed in and out by divers. This was how the owners kept tabs on who was inside the cave and when they would come out. But, Ben had figured out a way around this small inconvenience.
00:09:28
Speaker
Ben was actually able to lift the gate up enough that he could dangerously swim underneath the gate, and this is what employee Eduardo Torrin saw him doing on this fatal day. Eduardo had come to known Ben over the past several weeks, and when he saw him trying to get past the barrier, he actually turned around and unlocked the gate for Ben.
00:09:52
Speaker
Now, this seems weird to me, but apparently, according to many of the sites I looked at, was normal for Eduardo to do. In fact, Eduardo did it so often that he would hang around the spring and wait for Ben to resurface before leaving for the night. But something was different because on this day, after getting out of the water, Eduardo actually goes home for the night, leaving Ben alone inside the cave system. I think we all look for ways to escape our reality.
00:10:22
Speaker
I honestly think it's a natural defense in our brain. When the world gets too hectic, I think we find ways to escape reality by jumping into something we enjoy. For me, that is jumping into a new book. When my brother died, I actually read the entire Harry Potter series in two months. I think we all look for a way to cope, a way to escape. And I honestly think scuba diving was that escape for Ben.
00:10:50
Speaker
Sadly, the early 2000s had not been easy for Ben or his family, and his move to Florida had been his chance to start over. According to the TV series disappeared in the episode called The Vortex, Ben had been a successful contractor in the early 2000s, but like many others, suffered the loss of his business when the economy fell. On top of that, his marriage had fallen apart,
00:11:14
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And then, on top of that, his younger brother, the person who went on all of his adventures with him, suddenly died from a stroke. So to say the least, Ben's world had been turned upside down.
00:11:28
Speaker
When Ben's parents offered him their family condo in Florida, he jumped at the chance to start over. He had a new girlfriend. He'd rescued a dog named Spooner from the shelter. Spooner was his new partner in crime and went everywhere Ben went. He took up scuba diving again, enhanced the story of Wartek Springs.
00:11:46
Speaker
Remember that Ben went to the underground cave system on August 18th. Well, two days after, the Holmes County Sheriff's Office is called when Eduardo notices that Ben's truck is still parked in the same spot it was the day he went into the cave.
00:12:02
Speaker
When police take a closer look at Ben's truck, they find his wallet with about $700 inside and some rented scuba diving equipment. Divers volunteered to look for Ben's body. In fact, according to what happened to Ben McDaniel, three teams of 16 divers accepted the call and searched for the body of Ben McDaniel for 36 consecutive days.
Findings & Oddities in Disappearance
00:12:23
Speaker
The only thing they found, you ask? Two decompression tanks discovered at the cave's entrance. Okay, so if you're like me, you have absolutely no clue what decompression tanks are. So, of course, I googled it. And according to Wikipedia, it is essential that a diver decompress using these decompression tanks. Wikipedia says, quote, when a diver descends in the water, the hydrostatic pressure, and thereafter the ambient pressure, rises.
00:12:52
Speaker
Because breathing gas is applied at ambient pressure, some of the gas dissolves into the diver's blood and is transferred by the blood to other tissues. An art gas, such as nitrogen, continues to be taken up until the gas dissolves and the diver is in a state of equilibrium. While the breathing gas in the diver's lungs, I wish the point the diver is saturated for that depth and breathing mixture, or the depth, and therefore the pressure is changed. During a synth, the ambient pressure is reduced.
00:13:21
Speaker
and at some stage the inert gases dissolve in any given tissue will be at a higher concentration than the equilibrium state and start to diffuse out again. If the pressure reduction is sufficient, excess gas may release in the form of bubbles, which may lead to decompression sickness, a possible life-threatening condition. It is essential that divers manage their decompression to avoid excessive bubble formation and decompression sickness.
00:13:47
Speaker
So that's a lot of science, but what I can tell from that, basically they have to get their gas levels back to normal or there could be serious consequences. So many assume that Ben never left the cave since his decompression tanks were found. Though all was searched, nothing was found besides those tanks. According to several reports I read, experienced divers would have been able to tell if Ben had been in the cave because any disturbances he would have made
00:14:16
Speaker
while inside the cave would have taken a while to return to its previous state. Sam would have been disrupted, scuff marks would have been found on the rocks, etc, and there was nothing like that. Ben also left full air tanks that were discovered outside the entrance of the cave, which was perplexing to investigators for two reasons. The first was that the tanks were filled with like regular air, like stuff we would breathe
00:14:42
Speaker
like here on land, which is inconsistent with what Ben would have learned by reading up on cave diving. And his parents actually insisted that he had been doing that because cave diving often requires a special mixture of gas depending on certain factors such as the depth you're going. Secondly, cave divers place extra air tanks along their way inside the cave so that they are within reach if the divers should need them when they're in the cave. So this is odd.
00:15:12
Speaker
to me. If you all listen to The Boy in the Chimney, you know that I'm literally petrified of drowning. Snorkeling in Mexico definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I did it. But there's literally no way on god's green earth that I would scuba dive into a cave and have to rely on emergency oxygen tanks. But I do envy people who are brave enough to take those chances of adventure.
00:15:34
Speaker
Now, according to the show I quoted earlier, Ben had been setting up on how to properly cave dive. Remember Sleuth Hounds, he had 250 dives under his belt, according to his girlfriend. Apparently, Ben had also been mapping vortex springs on his previous trips of exploration, and those entries were also found by police.
00:15:52
Speaker
Cadaver dogs picked up a scent along the bank of the spring as well as one in the water, but when the county health department sampled the water, they found no indication of a spike in bacteria consistent with decomposition.
Failed Search by Expert Divers
00:16:06
Speaker
Apparently, fish and eels would be attracted to the smell of decaying flesh and would gravitate towards that area of the cave, but when divers went to the furthest reaches, there were no fish present like there would have been if someone were decaying in the water.
00:16:20
Speaker
As I mentioned before, dozens of divers explored the underwater cave in the hopes of finding Ben, and all of them turned up empty-handed. Finally, on August 22nd, Ed Swarson, often referred to as the best diver in the world, arrived at Vortex Springs. Now, according to Ed, 99% of diving rescue missions turn into recovery missions, meaning that the likelihood a lost diver will surface alive is around 1%.
00:16:48
Speaker
At the time when Ed arrived at Vortex Springs, he had a pretty extensive resume. According to Wikipedia, Ed began diving in 1995 and within a few years expanded to cave diving. In 1999, he joined the International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery as one of their original members and later founded Cave Adventures in Florida in 2003.
00:17:10
Speaker
He had extensive knowledge of the cave system inside Vortex Springs. Ed later became a hero in 2012 after four rescues that year.
00:17:20
Speaker
For his efforts, he was awarded the Divers Alert Network Hero Award, heroic merit awards, and instructor trainer of the year from the Professional Scuba Association International. He also aided in the rescue of the soccer player stuck in the cave system in Thailand not long ago. Despite the fact that several divers mourned Ed against heading into the unknown parts of the cave.
00:17:44
Speaker
He decided to take on the challenge anyways and search for Ben. That loud noise that you heard was my cat falling off the bed. According to the article, diver vanishes without a trace in an underwater cave, but it may not have been an accident by Tom Carlson. The diving expert made three separate dives, going further into the caves than anyone had gone before. He found no body,
00:18:06
Speaker
nor any evidence that anyone had ventured further in the cave than he had. There was no way he declared that Ben was still in that cave. In fact, he said the sand was quote pristine when he got far back into the cave, further solidifying that Ben had not been that far into the cave. All the while, Ben's parents were holding on to the hope that his body would be recovered. I can only imagine their heartache when the diver
00:18:33
Speaker
resurfaced empty-handed and then yet again another diver would resurface empty-handed. Even with experts like Ed telling the family that Ben was not inside the cave, the family refused to face the facts that something else might have happened to Ben. They began offering rewards to divers who were willing to go into Vortex Springs and look for Ben.
00:18:54
Speaker
The family hired the man who first met the caves to look for Ben and to record his findings. He too found nothing. In the Tom Carlson article, he says that they offered $10,000 to anyone who could find him inside the caves. When nothing turned up, they upped the reward. They offered $20,000 for someone to find Ben in the cave.
00:19:14
Speaker
still nothing, then $30,000 and that is when tragedy struck Vortex Springs once again. In one search for Ben, a diver named Larry accidentally died inside the caves.
00:19:27
Speaker
Guilty, Ben's family pulled away the reward offering and lashed instead to a new theory, one far more sinister than Ben being lost inside the cave system.
Theories on Ben's Disappearance
00:19:39
Speaker
Ben's family actually begins to believe that he was murdered at Vortex Springs. According to the article, The Missing Diver, Ben McDaniel, an article by Emily Thompson, the McDaniel family hired Leon Marie Carty, a private investigator.
00:19:54
Speaker
While investigating, she found some unsavory characters associated with Vortex Springs. The former owner, Lowell Kelly, was charged with driving an employee into the woods and accusing him of stealing money and then literally beating him with a baseball bat. The ex-employee managed to escape into the woods, but was left so shaken and so upset that he moved his family out of town and swore he would never return.
00:20:20
Speaker
On the evening, Ben disappeared and inebriated Kelly showed up at the spring and asked if it was too late to go diving. Too coincidentally, Kelly died under suspicious circumstances. Two years after, Ben disappeared. He was found unresponsive at his home after suffering blunt force trauma to the head.
00:20:40
Speaker
Nevertheless, police refused to treat it as a homicide, much to the dismay of Lynn Marie Cardie. Police do question Eduardo because there is suspicion that he was paid off to let Ben inside the cave and leave without waiting for him as he had done every other time. But he passes the lie detector test easily. And that ends the line of suspicion. However, his test was odd.
00:21:05
Speaker
He was only asked three questions while a normal test lasts hours and the suspect faces repeated questions. Ben's father believes that the true story of what happened to Ben died with Kelly. Another theory is that Ben may actually have died in the cave but the owner did not want bad press for his business so he actually disposed of the body on his own.
00:21:28
Speaker
Yet another theory that has gained some ground is that Ben faked his own death. Remember Sleuthounds, Ben had lost a successful business and as a result he actually owed the IRS $50,000.
Family's Continued Search for Answers
00:21:41
Speaker
Many think that he did enter the cave.
00:21:43
Speaker
but waited just at the edge of the gates long enough to let Eduardo and his friend leave the spring. This type of submergence wouldn't have been considered deep water and didn't require decompression or anything like that. Many speculate that Ben filled the tanks with normal air to have them there knowing that he wouldn't need them. This could also explain why there was no oxygen tanks along his way back. Many speculate that when the coast was clear he left the basin and is hiding somewhere in Mexico.
00:22:13
Speaker
As you can all gather, Ben's story has gained worldwide attention. In fact, a renowned cave diver named Jill, and she's actually a film producer, contacted Ben's family wanting to produce a documentary about the mystery. Jill and her husband, Robert, have produced four documentaries, one of which was called The Water's Journey and it aired on PBS.
00:22:36
Speaker
Jill's initial motive for visiting Vortex Springs was to take footage of the cave dive to present to Ben's parents in an effort to demonstrate the dangers of cave diving and help them to get closure. But after reading Ben's log books, Jill discovered that he was mapping the cave and had made at least one dive to its furthest reaches. Since then, she changed her mind about their approach, concluding that there wasn't sufficient evidence that he wasn't in that part of the cave.
00:23:03
Speaker
leading her to the decision to make the documentary focused on his disappearance and to call it Ben's Vortex. And sadly, Sleethounds, this is where the story ends. We know nothing else. Nothing about Ben's whereabouts. Nothing about Ben's body. Nothing at all. When all avenues have been extinguished. When all routes explored. What happens next?
00:23:27
Speaker
Does the family give up hope or continue searching for answers and closure?
Call to Action for Listeners
00:23:32
Speaker
With our victim today, I know his family keeps hunting for answers as they search for peace. Ben loved adventure. Ben was fearless. Ben had his entire life in front of him.
00:23:44
Speaker
His family has started a support group. They help other grieving families. They lean on each other for support, but they still long to know what happened to their son. Maybe you hold the missing piece of this puzzle. Maybe you can help turn this case around. If you have any information about Ben McDaniel, please check out the Facebook page, Ben McDaniel, missing but not forgotten, or contact the Holmes County Sheriff's Office.
00:24:10
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com.
Outro & Next Week's Teaser
00:24:30
Speaker
Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:24:40
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
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