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E268: Brittney Ann Beers
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On the evening of September 16, 1997, six-year-old Brittney Ann Beers vanished just steps away from her Sturgis, Michigan apartment complex. Minutes earlier, neighbors had seen her chatting with a stranger. Then—nothing. Her bike was left behind, her voice gone quiet, and a haunting mystery began. Who was Brittney’s “new friend”? Why did no one see what happened next? And, more importantly, where did she go?
In this week’s episode, Allison traces Brittney’s story from her complicated home life to the desperate search that followed—and the disturbing secrets that surfaced along the way. Could a stranger have taken her? Was someone closer to home responsible? And why do some believe her case may be tied to the convicted killer of another Michigan girl nearly a decade later?
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Transcript
The Small-Town Enigma
00:00:00
Speaker
The afternoon sun stretched lazily across the sky, casting long shadows over freshly cut grass and cracked sidewalks. The steady hum of summer echoed through small-town streets as bicycles sped past fences and laughter punctuated the warm, heavy air.
00:00:19
Speaker
It was the kind of town where parents didn't worry much, where neighbors knew each other's names and evenings were spent watching fireflies dance in the fading twilight. Yet even in places like these, where safety feels guaranteed and dangers seem distant, there's always the silent presence of the unknown, waiting patiently just beyond sight.
00:00:42
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A child's laughter mingling with the rhythmic whir of bicycle tires might feel comforting, almost timeless. But sometimes that comfort masks something darker, something watching from the edge of the shadows.
The Disappearance of Brittany Ann Beers
00:00:57
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On one September evening in 1997, that sense of safety would vanish abruptly, replaced by confusion, fear, and unanswered questions.
00:01:07
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A little girl enjoying her last few moments of playtime would unknowingly become the center of a mystery, one that has lingered for decades, haunting those who loved her, her community,
00:01:20
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and any anyone who's heard her name. This is the case of Brittany Ann Beers. So
00:02:02
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Welcome to Coffee and Cases, where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold.
Sharing Stories for Justice
00:02:07
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My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. 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.
00:02:21
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With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee in Cases Podcast, because, as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive.
00:02:34
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So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week. Well, sleuth hounds, I am hoping that by the time this episode airs, or shortly thereafter, Maggie will be welcoming another precious baby into her family.
00:02:53
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It will be any day now, so she has taken this time off to prepare, and hopefully she is relaxing at home, not trying to get too much work done before this baby comes.
00:03:07
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So please join me in either a timely congratulations or a premature one, but only slightly.
Life in Sturgis, Michigan
00:03:17
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Sturgis, Michigan is a small town nestled along US Highway 12 near the Indiana border, a quiet community that has always maintained a friendly small-town feel.
00:03:30
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Originally settled in the early eighteen hundreds Sturgis grew slowly, shaped by agriculture and later by the railroad lines connecting it to larger cities. By the time Brittany Ann Beers was growing up there in the mid-1990s, Sturgis, Michigan was home to about 10,000 residents, a place small enough that neighbors often knew each other's faces, even if they didn't always know each other's stories.
00:03:56
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Today, the city remains much the same size, holding tight to its quiet charm, and continues to serve as a crossroads between bigger cities like Kalamazoo, roughly 45 minutes north, and South Bend, Indiana, about an hour southwest.
00:04:12
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It was in this quiet town at the Village Manor apartment complex along that busy U.S. Highway 12 that Brittany lived with her mother, Tina Stetler, her older half-brother Joshua, and a younger half-sister Autumn.
00:04:25
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Also living with them was her uncle, James Allen Beers, Brittany's father's brother. Brittany's father, Raymond Beers, lived nearby within walking distance, and so did her older half-sister, Dixie, who shared a father with Brittany but had a different mother.
00:04:45
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The family dynamics were described in my research as complicated, often requiring siblings Dixie and Brittany to meet at the local Geraldine playground if they wanted to play with one another.
00:04:59
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Dixie remembered their meetings warmly, recalling Brittany as being, quote, very shy, end quote, and, quote, so scared and skittish about talking to strangers, end quote, yet also a playful tomboy who loved to be outside,
00:05:14
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collecting leaves or picking flowers.
Brittany's Complex Family Background
00:05:18
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I'm going to pause early here to explain this complicated family dynamic because some of the figures will come back up later.
00:05:28
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Before Brittany's father and mother were together, Brittany's father had a daughter named Dixie. On the other side, Brittany's mother, Tina, had a son named Josh.
00:05:39
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Josh's father was a man named Kevin Folsom. He'll come back up later. Those were the children that Brittany's parents had before giving birth to her on August 1st, 1991.
00:05:52
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Then, afterward, Tina had Brittany's sister, Autumn, with a man named Lonnie Garvey, who reportedly was a good father figure to all of Tina's children while he was in Tina's life.
00:06:06
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But, by September 1997, Tina was now living with James Beers, Brittany's uncle and the brother of mom Tina's ex.
00:06:18
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At just six years old, Brittany was a sweet, bright-eyed child, known for her wide smile that showed the gap from her four missing front teeth. Her blonde hair was usually pulled back into a playful ponytail, a perfect match for her energetic spirit.
00:06:37
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Neighbors, including Carlene K. Frowripe, warmly remembered Brittany as, quote, such a beautiful child, end quote. One who could often be seen riding her bike or skipping around the neighborhood, freely picking flowers to share as spontaneous gifts with her neighbors in the apartment complex.
00:06:55
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By 1997, Brittany had started attending Fawn River Elementary School, a place she reportedly adored. School was her sanctuary, offering the kind of joyful escape where Brittany could be creative and imaginative.
00:07:09
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She especially loved arts and crafts, proudly showing off creations she made at school. One particular piece she treasured was a collage of carefully arranged tree leaves glued onto colorful paper.
00:07:22
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something that she showed anyone and everyone around her with a gleeful pride. Her older half-sister Dixie, about 10 years old at the time, shared a special bond with Brittany.
00:07:34
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Despite living separately due to those family complexities, some of which I mentioned earlier, Dixie and Brittany found comfort in their regular meetups at the nearby playground.
00:07:46
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Joshua, Brittany's older half-brother from her mother's earlier relationship with Kevin Folsom, and Autumn, her younger half-sister with her mother's later relationship, rounded out Brittany's immediate family circle.
00:07:59
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These three siblings, Joshua, Autumn, and Brittany, were often seen together outside the Village Manor apartments. It was a kind of place where children felt safe enough to wander freely, riding bicycles, playing games, or simply sitting together on the bench near the front of the complex to watch traffic zip by on the busy highway that defined the town's southern boundary.
00:08:25
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Brittany's life at Village Manor Apartments, though often chaotic behind closed doors, outwardly appeared as typical childhood days filled with laughter, scraped knees, and endless outdoor adventures.
00:08:38
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While her mother Tina juggled her own challenges, Brittany's visible joy and playful energy masked deeper troubles not yet known to neighbors or police.
The Day Brittany Vanished
00:08:50
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The apartment complex, a central place in Brittany's world, would soon become the setting for an enduring mystery, one that the town of Sturgis would never forget. The evening of Tuesday, September 16, 1997 began as any other late summer night might in a small town like Sturgis.
00:09:09
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Brittany and her older brother Joshua took advantage of the remaining daylight, riding their bikes through the Village Manor apartment complex. It was about 7.30 p.m., the fading sun still warm, casting its golden glow over the complex.
00:09:23
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Around 8.30 p.m., Brittany's mother, Tina Stetler, decided to run a quick errand. As she climbed into her car, she glanced over, seeing Brittany, who was pedaling her bike nearby, happily spinning in circles near their apartment.
00:09:37
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Tina likely thought little of leaving Brittany outside, accustomed as she was to letting the children play unsupervised around the apartment complex, especially because Brittany's brother, Joshua, was also outside, and their mother drove away.
00:09:52
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Shortly after Tina left, Joshua decided to join some friends who were heading across Highway 12 to buy candy at a nearby store. Knowing that she wasn't allowed to cross the bustling road, Brittany dutifully stayed behind, leaving her bicycle propped neatly nearby.
00:10:09
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Instead, she wandered over to a bench, positioned, as I mentioned earlier, near the entrance of the complex where she sat, the evening darkening around her. At around 8.45 p.m., Brittany was spotted by a neighbor still sitting on the bench.
00:10:25
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This neighbor, heading towards the nearby Burger Dairy convenience store, noticed Brittany chatting with a man with short, dark hair, a thick mustache, and aged somewhere between late 20s to 30s, who was seated in a red or brown mid-sized car parked close by.
00:10:44
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Brittany, seemingly at ease, looked up cheerfully at the passing neighbor, her voice bright as she announced proudly, I made a new friend. The neighbor thought little of it at the time, a passing interaction between a friendly child and a harmless stranger, and continued on without concern.
00:11:03
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Tina arrived home around 35 minutes later, just after 9 p.m. She walked into the apartment, immediately noticing Brittany wasn't inside. Unconcerned at first, she called to Joshua, instructing him to find a his sister and bring her inside for the night.
00:11:21
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Joshua stepped out into the darkness, calling Brittany's name and scanning the familiar places around the complex, including the bench where he also had last seen her.
00:11:31
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But he didn't find her. He did find her bicycle, now quiet and abandoned. When Joshua returned empty-handed, panic began to creep in.
00:11:46
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Tina's anxiety grew rapidly as minutes ticked by without any sign of Brittany. At 10.30 p.m., overwhelmed by fear and unable to find Brittany anywhere, Tina made a frantic call to the Sturgis Police Department.
00:12:01
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Police arrived swiftly, quickly grasping the urgency of a six-year-old girl missing in the dark, her bike eerily abandoned. Detective Jeff Smith, then early in his career, vividly remembered that initial frantic night.
00:12:15
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Quote, that first night was about 20 hours long, he recalled, describing how searchers grabbed short, restless naps before returning desperate and determined. Quote, we slept for about four hours and we were back at it.
00:12:30
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It was like that for a couple weeks." end quote Search teams, aided by flashlights and police dogs, scoured every inch of the immediate surroundings.
00:12:42
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Fields, empty lots, railroad tracks, storage sheds, expanding their search over 40 acres. A bloodhound picked up Brittany's scent, tracking her path to a nearby convenience store parking lot that was frequently used by interstate travelers.
00:12:59
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But there, the trail went suddenly cold, leaving searchers frustrated and baffled. No one reported seeing a young girl at the store, and there were no surveillance cameras to capture any details on video.
00:13:14
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So, law enforcement started at the beginning, her apartment complex. Neighbors, deeply unsettled, began to recount the evening's details to investigators.
00:13:25
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Carlene K. Froewe, a resident of the complex, the one who recalled Brittany as, quote, such a beautiful child, end quote, mentioned Brittany's habit of playing outside alone that had always worried her.
00:13:39
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Neighbors spoke openly now about the visible neglect they'd noticed. Brittany and her siblings, often dirty, poorly dressed, wandering unsupervised.
00:13:51
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One neighbor recalled Brittany once confiding that she was regularly locked out of her apartment by her mother as punishment, left alone and unsheltered in the elements.
00:14:02
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Remember, she is only six. These troubling reports of neglect and frequent unsupervised play raised urgent new questions about Brittany's vulnerability.
00:14:13
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Suddenly, the friendly, quiet apartment complex seemed less safe. the idyllic facade of neighborly comfort revealing cracks that had been there all along.
00:14:25
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Despite the mounting questions, the search continued around the clock, with volunteers joining police hoping to bring Brittany safely home. Then, even more details surfaced.
00:14:40
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It is at this point, Sleuth Hounds, that I would like to give a warning. Content that I'm about to share may be disturbing to many listeners.
00:14:51
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If you are triggered by stories of physical and sexual abuse, particularly those against children, please be aware of the content to follow.
00:15:03
Speaker
You may want to skip the next few minutes of this episode.
Family Troubles and Dark Revelations
00:15:20
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Right around the time Brittany vanished, her uncle, James Allen Beers, who lived with the family, was arrested on domestic violence charges after throwing a bottle at Brittany's mother, Tina Stetler, during a violent argument.
00:15:33
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The severity of the incident alarmed authorities and provided a glimpse into the turmoil that Brittany and her siblings likely witnessed daily, hidden behind closed doors at Village Manor Apartments.
00:15:47
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Following Brittany's disappearance and the assault, Child Protective Services took immediate notice of the family's troubling environment. Concerned for Brittany's older half-brother Joshua and younger half-sister Autumn, authorities warned Tina that she would lose custody of her remaining children unless she left James and ensured her children's safety.
00:16:10
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The situation was clear. Her relationship was endangering her children, and decisive action was required to protect them. Yet despite the clear ultimatum, Tina chose to stay with James, unwilling or unable to separate from him, even if it meant permanently losing custody of her other children.
00:16:31
Speaker
This heartbreaking choice deeply disturbed authorities, who felt they had no choice but to intervene for Joshua and Autumn's safety. St. Joseph County Family Court Judge Thomas Shoemaker expressed the court's stern stance unequivocally, quote, I'm not going to return the children to her with James Beers around, knowing her son is afraid of him, knowing what he's done to other children, end quote.
00:16:57
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Tina's decision ultimately led the courts to permanently remove Joshua and Autumn from her custody in January 1998.
00:17:07
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But even this devastating revelation paled when further, darker secrets about Brittany's own experiences emerged. Authorities uncovered chilling details of sexual abuse Brittany endured years before her disappearance.
00:17:24
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Abuse committed by Kevin Folsom, the father of her older half-brother Joshua. Brittany had been just three years old when the abuse was discovered.
00:17:36
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A tiny child thrust into unspeakable trauma at the hands of someone who should have protected her. The abuse was revealed one evening when Brittany's babysitter attempted to bathe her, only to find the little girl panicking, crying, and desperately refusing to undress.
00:17:56
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Gently questioning Brittany, the babysitter learned the horrifying truth. Brittany told her that Kevin had touched her inappropriately during baths. Brittany's innocence had been stolen at a terribly young age, casting a shadow over her brief childhood long before she vanished.
00:18:16
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When confronted by authorities in 1995, Kevin Folsom admitted to the sexual abuse, describing with chilling detachment how he had become aroused while bathing Brittany and acted upon those feelings.
00:18:31
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His confession led to his imprisonment until 2008, but the damage inflicted on Brittany was irreversible, leaving deep emotional wounds far beyond what anyone initially realized.
00:18:46
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For neighbors and community members who learned of these grim details, profound sympathy grew, not only for the missing Brittany, but also for Joshua and Autumn, forced to cope with the trauma inflicted by those who should have loved them most.
00:19:01
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Law enforcement were hopeful of reuniting all three children, even if not with their mother. And after Brittany's disappearance, more than 1,000 leads were followed in this case.
Exploring Theories and Leads
00:19:13
Speaker
When considering the disappearance of six-year-old Brittany Beers, several theories naturally arose, each with varying levels of plausibility. One theory proposed was that Brittany may have chosen to run away.
00:19:28
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And could anyone blame her after all that she had endured? However, this theory seems highly improbable given her young age, merely six years old at the time.
00:19:41
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coupled with the fact that she left her bicycle behind, a prized possession no child would likely abandon voluntarily, and, if the plan were to run away, something that she would desperately need.
00:19:53
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Her young age and vulnerability make the theory of a runaway scenario highly implausible, as Brittany would lack the necessary resources or skills not just to survive alone for any significant length of time, but also to cover her tracks.
00:20:10
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and all of her normal play areas were rechecked with no sign of Britney Beers. Another theory speculates that Britney could have been taken by someone with altruistic intentions, someone who believed they could offer her a better life, particularly in light of her documented difficult home environment, characterized by both abuse and neglect.
00:20:34
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Indeed, neighbors and family acquaintances often noted her frequent unsupervised play outside, and some of them knew of the reports of mistreatment within her household, making it understandable why some might hope that she had been spirited away to safety.
00:20:50
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However, playing devil's advocate, even the best-intentioned individual would face considerable risk abducting a child, which makes this scenario questionable.
00:21:01
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Moreover, if such an act were genuinely altruistic, one might expect Brittany would eventually have surfaced as an adult decades later.
00:21:12
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Yet she remains missing without a trace. The grim reality that Brittany might have met with foul play remains the most widely accepted theory. For many, Brittany's disappearance shares unsettling parallels with the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman, whose kidnapping occurred just one year earlier.
00:21:34
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Amber's case is one that we covered on our show back in episode 65.
00:21:41
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Amber, like Brittany, was taken while riding her bicycle near her home in Arlington, Texas. However, Amber's body was tragically found days later, which starkly contrasts with Brittany's continued unknown fate.
00:21:57
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Despite the similarity of the abandoned bicycle, geographic distance significantly lessens the likelihood that the same perpetrator targeted both girls, even though the crimes took place only about a year apart.
00:22:13
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Arlington, Texas, and Sturgis, Michigan, are separated by hundreds of miles. The reason why people talk about Brittany's case and Amber Hagerman's in the same breath is that the comparison highlights the tragic vulnerability of children abducted in public spaces.
00:22:33
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Both cases underscore the haunting speed with which such abductions occur and the devastating aftermath left in their wake. In 2000, one potential lead developed.
00:22:47
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A man in St. Clair Shores, Michigan was arrested after more than 2,000 child pornography images were found on his computer. Amongst all the images were several, more than a dozen, of a young girl who looked just like Brittany and looked to be around five or six years old.
00:23:08
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Law enforcement wondered if it may have been Brittany. However, the girl in the photograph was later identified, and it was not Brittany Ann Beers.
00:23:20
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The most compelling potential connection to another case arises not with Amber Hagerman, but with the case of Jodi Perrick.
The Jodi Perrick Connection
00:23:28
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11-year-old Jodi disappeared on November 8, 2007. Even though Beers' case was years earlier,
00:23:39
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The crime in Jody's case happened in Constantine, Michigan, merely 15 miles from Sturgis, where Brittany vanished. In contrast to the still-missing Brittany, Jody's body was later discovered in a local cemetery, having been bound and suffocated.
00:24:01
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Initially, in Jody's case, suspicion wrongly fell on a local police officer, Raymond McCann, who was aggressively pursued by investigators for several years, despite a lack of concrete evidence.
00:24:14
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It wasn't until 2015...
00:24:18
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Eight more years after Jody's case, after a failed abduction attempt of another young girl, that a man named Daniel Furlong emerged as the true perpetrator in Jody's case.
00:24:32
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The 10-year-old victim of the failed abduction managed to escape and lead authorities directly to Furlong, whose subsequent arrest unveiled his horrific crimes.
00:24:45
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As a result of that failed abduction, DNA evidence conclusively tied Furlong to Jody Perrick's murder, leading to his arrest and subsequent life sentence.
00:24:58
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Furlong chillingly admitted to choosing Jody at random. highlighting his predatory nature and raising unsettling questions about his potential involvement in other unsolved cases, including that of Brittany Ann Beers.
00:25:15
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Furlong resided alarmingly close to Brittany's hometown of Sturgis, with one of my sources stating that Furlong also had siblings who lived in Sturgis.
00:25:27
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But there's something else. he bore a striking resemblance to the composite sketch that had been created of the eyewitness account of the man seen speaking with Brittany from the car shortly before her disappearance.
00:25:46
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The proximity and resemblance make Furlong an undeniably compelling figure in Brittany's unsolved case, at least someone worth considering.
Daniel Furlong: A Person of Interest
00:25:59
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Furlong's confession to Jody Perrick's abduction and murder opened new lines of inquiry, with investigators revisiting Brittany's disappearance in search of connections.
00:26:10
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Sturgis police explicitly labeled Furlong as a person of interest, driven by both circumstantial proximity and his unsettling capability to commit such heinous crimes.
00:26:24
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However, despite these troubling connections, Furlong consistently denied involvement in Brittany's disappearance until his death in prison in 2024.
00:26:36
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His refusal to confess, despite readily admitting guilt in Jody's case, introduces an element of doubt. Why confess to one crime but vehemently deny another, particularly when already sentenced to life imprisonment?
00:26:54
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This lingering question complicates efforts to definitively link him to Brittany Beers. The search for answers regarding Brittany continues to haunt the Sturgis community.
00:27:07
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Although compelling connections to Daniel Furlong provide strong leads, Without direct evidence, her fate remains tragically uncertain. Brittany's unresolved disappearance continues to underscore the importance of vigilance and persistence in the search for missing children everywhere.
00:27:28
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Brittany and Beer's disappearance transformed the safety of small-town streets from a comforting reality into an illusion Now, every shadow carries the silent weight of uncertainty.
00:27:41
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Every unfamiliar face a whispered question. Could this person know something? Could this be the lead that we have prayed for? If you lived near the Village Manor apartments on US Highway 12 in Sturgis on that September evening, perhaps you hold a piece of the puzzle without even realizing it.
00:28:04
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Maybe you saw Brittany, bright-eyed and eager, talking to someone she called a new friend. Perhaps a passing glance captured something insignificant at the time, yet critically important now.
00:28:16
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An unfamiliar vehicle, a peculiar interaction, a subtle detail waiting patiently in the back of your memory. As of the recording of this episode, Brittany would be 33 years old.
00:28:29
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However, for those who knew her, Brittany remains forever six years old. Forever that playful child on a bicycle. Forever just beyond their reach.
00:28:41
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But the story does not need to remain unfinished. Answers are still possible. You could help write a new ending. One that finally brings peace. One that brings Brittany home.
00:28:54
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At least in spirit. To those who love her.
Call to Action for Public Help
00:28:58
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In a 1999 interview for WNDU.com, Eugene Alley, the Sturgis police chief at the time, stated, quote, we know with the passing of time people forget, and we want the public and the family relatives to know that law enforcement has not forgotten, end quote.
00:29:18
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If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please reach out. contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1-800-THE-LOST. That's FBI office.
00:29:31
Speaker
eight four three five six seven eight the sturgis police department ah one two six nine six five one three two three one or your local fbi office As the evening shadows lengthen again, remember Brittany, the laughter and innocence of childhood, and let that memory fuel a renewed commitment to uncovering the truth.
Engagement with Coffee and Cases Podcast
00:30:03
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 Cases Coffee, on Instagram at Coffee Cases Podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcast at gmail.com.
00:30:22
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. Stay together. Stay safe.
00:30:35
Speaker
We'll see you next week.