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E085: Monique Michelle Figueroa
1.3k Plays4 years ago
When she promised this was her last drug deal, that she was going to rehab, that she was going to change for her daughter, was it really her last? Did someone stop her from fulfilling the promise she made to her family?
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcasting with Buzzsprout
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, have you ever considered creating your own podcast? Have you been inspired by listening to some of your favorites and thought, I'd love to try this out on my own, whether it's a true crime podcast like ours, a motivational podcast, or maybe one filled with tips and strategies for those interested in the same activities you are?
00:00:20
Speaker
When Maggie and I first decided to start our podcast, we knew absolutely nothing about what podcasting would entail. But when we found that the platform Buzzsprout was one for which we didn't need any special equipment, just a computer microphone, some quiet space, and each other, we knew that this was the way to go. It is intuitive to use, fun to play around with, and so helpful in getting analytical data about our number of downloads to track trends,
00:00:47
Speaker
and from where listeners hail. Best yet, Buzzsprout is affordable, even by our teacher salary standards. Buzzsprout will get your podcasts listed on every major podcasting platform. So, what are you waiting for? Fulfill that dream of yours and start today.
00:01:04
Speaker
If you use our Coffee and Cases referral code, 709-643, linked on Facebook and in our show notes, not only will you help support our show, but you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your second month on a paid plan. It's that easy. Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. Join over 100,000 podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world.
00:01:31
Speaker
Now it's time for the world to hear what you have to say.
The Case of Monique Michelle Figueroa: A Life Interrupted
00:01:36
Speaker
I recently went to the park with my cousin and her two small daughters. I can't tell you how many times I heard them say, one more time Maggie, or this is the last time I promise. Of course, I knew it wasn't the last time and I knew that one more time would turn into 10 more times. In fact, this exchange with my tiny playmates made me laugh. If you've ever coached, especially cheer or dance,
00:02:00
Speaker
You know, when you hear the words, last time, it's the biggest lie you've ever heard. I say it and my dancers roll their eyes, knowing good and well, this is most definitely not the last time. They know they'll likely do this dance about 10 more times. And that got me thinking, how many times have the words, this is the last time, been spoken without sincerity? I called my husband for the third time while he's at work to ask him a question while I'm at Lowe's, but I promise him that this is the last time, but it isn't.
00:02:30
Speaker
As you're handing back papers in your classroom, you hand little Johnny's paperback with no name on the top yet again. He promises this is the last time. It isn't. A drunk husband comes home, he yells, screams, and throws things at you in front of your two small kids. When he sobers up, he says that it's the last time, and it isn't.
00:02:49
Speaker
It seems we all make these promises, what Mary Poppins would call a pie crust promise, because it's easily made and easily broken. Some of those promises have little effect if broken. My husband knows I'll be calling him back at least one more time to make sure I'm getting what he needs to complete a project.
00:03:05
Speaker
You know Johnny won't ever remember to put his name on his paper. But nothing bad happens because I didn't keep my word and made the dance team do their dance a few more times. Nothing bad happened when Johnny forgot to put his name on the paper again. But sometimes we make those promises without thinking. We don't stop and ask ourselves if it really is the last time. If it isn't, could something bad happen?
00:03:27
Speaker
If the drunk husband comes home and continues to scream and throw things at you, who's to say it couldn't escalate? Sadly, this same mentality is true for our case today. When our victim promised this was her last drug deal, that she was going to rehab, that she was going to change for her daughter, was it really the last? Did someone stop her from fulfilling the promise she'd made to her family that this was the last time? This is the story of Monique Michelle Figueroa.
00:04:08
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:29
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. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the case will take those tips to law enforcement so justice and closure can be brought to these families.
00:04:49
Speaker
With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, and to follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast. Because as these families know, conversation helps to keep their missing family member in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive.
Impact of the Podcast and Listener Interactions
00:05:12
Speaker
So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:05:17
Speaker
Before I jump into today's show, Sleuth Hounds, I want to take just a second and thank one special listener for a message that she sent us. A lot of the time, like, and this is surprising, Allison, but I feel like a lot of our listeners are super surprised when we message back. I know. I've seen that y'all message people on Facebook and they're like, Oh my gosh, you responded. Of course we did. It's because we love interacting with you guys. We love like,
00:05:46
Speaker
I guess connecting faces and names to like the numbers that we see for listeners. Yes. And like, I know for me, I always hope that we will continue to stay in touch with the people that motivate us to be here each week. I agree.
00:06:06
Speaker
And while all your messages are special to us, last week I got a message that really impacted me. You all know that Allison and I cover all these cold cases with the sole purpose of bringing light to forgotten cases in the hopes that we can work together to bring closure and justice to families. What we don't expect is the impact that we can have in your lives, Luthounds. We share a lot with you guys on this show. Probably too much sometimes, but yeah.
00:06:34
Speaker
We shared the good in our lives the bad in our lives and the ugly in our lives So to know that an experience I have had and shared about on coffee and cases Helped a listener. That's just another amazing aspect of this show Yes, we want families to find closure and we want you know justice to prevail But coffee and cases has become a second family for Allison and I
00:07:00
Speaker
Yes. This listener said in her message that she needed us each week and we need her and all of you too. Absolutely.
00:07:10
Speaker
You're the one, you're what keeps us going. Yes. Each week talking with you, sleuth hounds on coughing cases literally serves as an escape for Alison and for me. There are so many times that the task of researching and writing episodes can be overwhelming, but then to get like away from the bad and the ugly in the world for a few minutes with each other and our listeners makes it worthwhile.
00:07:37
Speaker
Like, I don't know. I mean, I know the cases that we cover obviously aren't good. They're bad and ugly, but like, it's an escape from my personal bad and ugly.
00:07:45
Speaker
Yeah, and and you know what you're saying Maggie is is absolutely true because you know, obviously we're not making millions of dollars on the show. And so our motivation is listener engagement. It is knowing that we can have an impact and even if we're not getting a case solved that we can connect with
00:08:12
Speaker
Those out there who are listening on the other end of this kind of void as we're talking. We really mean it when we say we don't know what we would do without you guys. Absolutely. Okay so enough mushy talk and let me get into this week's episode. You know I'm a fan of the mushy so it's okay. I embrace the mush.
00:08:36
Speaker
Um, Allison, I feel like we have done so many like without knowing kind of similar episodes lately.
Monique's Downward Spiral: From Super Kid to Drug Involvement
00:08:46
Speaker
Um, because this week's episode is also like an, a case from California, which was exactly where we were at last week. Just like April Pitzer. Yeah. And similar to April's case, um, we have a case that involved drug deals, prison sentences, and gangs.
00:09:06
Speaker
Okay, so heavy stuff. Yes. And once you get to know the victim today, I think you guys are going to be really shocked at the detour her life took. So Monique or Mo and that's what I'll refer to her throughout the case because that's what most of her friends and family called her.
00:09:27
Speaker
Mm-hmm was just like she was really just like an all-around like super kid and I know we say that a lot But she really was like from what I read she seemed to be a tomboy. She loved to ride dirt bikes Something that I thought was like Wow, like a wow because I've never done this in school or anywhere else but she actually earned a perfect attendance award for Sunday church service attendance Oh
00:09:57
Speaker
That is good. I know. She was a great student. She lettered in high school because she managed the school's wrestling team and the school's baseball team. OK. So super involved. Yeah, she was super involved just in her community and just kind of all around. As she grew older, she was known for dating guys that drove monster trucks, which kind of pointed me into the like she's a little bit of a tomboy.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah. Um, she was tiny though. She was about five three. She only weighed about 140 pounds. How'd she get into these monster trucks? You know, I didn't read anywhere here. Five three. I don't know if maybe she didn't get into them. Maybe she just liked watching them. Oh, maybe so.
00:10:50
Speaker
But she was half Hispanic and she had brown hair and these big hazel eyes and she was like the definition of pretty. Yeah.
00:11:01
Speaker
Many in her inner circle were surprised when she began dating and then partying with a guy named David. Yeah. Cause this is a girl who won perfect attendance Sunday school service awards. So she had, and I think I'll talk about it later on. So she had like a high school sweetheart that she was head over heels in love with. Like they were supposed to get married. They had like their whole life planned out and
00:11:31
Speaker
I couldn't find how, but he died before they could get married and make all these dreams come true. That had to have been traumatic. Yes. I don't think that David was a rebound for her, but I think David was like,
00:11:52
Speaker
Like I've always read that you have like three loves in your life, like your first love. And then like the person you love that kind of teaches you about who you actually want to love. And then like the person is like the person that you're meant to be with. I've never heard that, but I like it. Yeah. So I'm thinking that maybe like her high school teacher. Yeah. Was supposed to kind of teach her who she wanted to be with.
00:12:18
Speaker
And she, from everything I read, really did love David. And I think that he also loved her. She ended up giving birth at age 26 to a daughter. I don't believe that this was David's daughter. Like I never read anywhere that it was his kid. Okay. So she could have been pregnant before she met David. Yeah. I think that's what it was, that she was pregnant, had the baby, then she met David. Okay.
00:12:46
Speaker
So she, and I love this, was described as someone who could see the good in anyone. So it's like you, Maggie. Oh, thank you, Allison. You're welcome. It's true. Well, thank you.
00:13:01
Speaker
I read though that like if Mo were to just meet you on the street, like it didn't matter if you were a good person or a terrible person, she would find the good in you and love you for the good in you. That's sweet. I like that. And I think that's like speaks volumes to her character. It takes a really special person to look past other people's flaws and love them for the good in their heart, especially when some people have so little good in them. And you know, as teachers,
00:13:29
Speaker
Most teachers tend to have something of that characteristic because I'm telling you, Maggie, how many times have you and I given people the 50th chance? Yes. Right? And when you're looking at your students, there's no part of you that can be like, oh, well, I'm going to put more effort into this kid or that kid. All of them get the same effort.
00:13:58
Speaker
Yeah. And I feel like every day, no matter how horrible Johnny is in class on Monday, on Tuesday you come in with a clean slate with Johnny, like nothing happened. Yeah. I think that takes like a special type of person. And so Mo was like that. She was like that. And a lot of people were surprised with how
00:14:23
Speaker
Easily Mo seemed to fall in love with David like that's kind of what I gathered from the stuff that I read Because he was a little rough around the edges, but she fell in love with the good part of him okay, and like for her it felt like David was her safe place and he was like
00:14:46
Speaker
almost a sense of empowerment, like he empowered her and she felt confident with him, like she could take on the world. So from the way you're talking, it sounds like David, while she saw the good, she was one of the only ones.
00:15:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think maybe like his family and like the people in his inner circle, but I think from the outside, he would have been kind of rough looking and he would have had like a reputation. Okay.
00:15:22
Speaker
But sadly, the path that Mo would find herself on was not the path that her closest friends and family would have imagined for her. With this new sense of security and empowerment, Mo began both dealing drugs and using meth. Oh no. Yeah, and actually in one article I read, she's quoted as telling a friend only one month after giving birth to her daughter, this friend said,
00:15:47
Speaker
She told me, quote, I can't believe that no one else knew except you. A month after I had my daughter, I was tweaking. How do you guys think I lost all that weight? End quote. So I'm guessing tweaking means doing meth. Yeah, I think so. And her life began to spiral more and more out of control. She promised her family that.
00:16:13
Speaker
She was going to stop. She had plans to stop using crystal meth and check herself into rehab. She had plans that, um, like this drug deal that we're going to talk about in a second was the last like run that she was going to go on. She felt she owed it to the daughter that she loved more than anything to be a better role model for her. Like I think she had realized like, this is not who I am. Like I need to do better.
00:16:40
Speaker
I'm glad that she made that realization. I'm sad that she had to go through what it sounds like she's going through to make the realization, but I'm glad that she's finally able to see it. Yeah. Like you said, she sees the good in everyone else, and I'm glad that she was able to start seeing the good in herself again.
00:17:06
Speaker
And so I'm piecing like bits of a puzzle together because she had a lot of articles on her, but like
00:17:17
Speaker
they were kind of confusing. So I'm trying to like piece together timelines and puzzles for you guys as we go. But it appears that on May 19th, 2015, Mo was planning to visit friends in Florence, a section of Los Angeles, and do her last drug run. And according to the Charlie Project, Mo planned to end her drug involvement in her rehabilitation program that her dad had already like
00:17:44
Speaker
paid for, she was signed up for, she had planned after that to move out of state with her daughter and enroll in college.
00:17:52
Speaker
So was this last, and you might not have ever read this anywhere, but was this last drug run, was it like whoever she's dealing the drugs for, it's kind of like, like given a two week notice kind of thing, like, hey, I'm getting out of this, but I'll still do this one thing for you. Like I'm wondering why she didn't just like quit completely. Like why she built the need.
00:18:20
Speaker
I'm thinking this was already planned because she delivered $20,000 in cash to a drug associate in that final deal. I think she already had this and she had to do this, but then after that, she wasn't taking any more jobs. $20,000. In my head, I was thinking, I don't know how much money
00:18:49
Speaker
You know, switch his hands and normal drug deal, but I'm guessing it's not $20,000 worth. Yeah. Like there's a lot of big, many exchanges in Mo's story. Well, in her, I guess in her, the lot in her life, there were several exchanges of a lot more money than I see in one sitting ever. Right.
00:19:16
Speaker
So she pulled out of her driveway at 4 a.m. And sadly, that day, she would never be able to go down the course that she had picked out. She would never check into the rehab facility. She would never start her life over again. In an article published on the Daily News, it appears that the day after Moe left on her way to Los Angeles, her father said that he got a text message from her that read, quote, had to leave Be Home Soon.
00:19:45
Speaker
but she never made it home. So she goes to this drug deal on the 19th. He gets a text message from her on the 20th that says like I had to leave I'll be back but she never comes back. So do we think whatever happened to her happened on the 19th or the 20th? I guess the 20th like I'm guessing we're assuming that that text actually came from her. We do not think that that text actually came from her. Okay.
00:20:11
Speaker
Yeah, we think that was from someone else. Okay. It actually wasn't until her abandoned Mercedes Benz was found on May 30th off a road, like in a neighborhood that was only 11, no, not 11, seven miles away from her home, that authorities finally issued a missing persons bulletin. Wow. So we're talking like 10 days after the last
00:20:42
Speaker
I'm using air quotes in every episode now, just FYI. Just so you guys know. After the last air quote text message sent, I mean, it's a text message, but not that she didn't send.
00:20:58
Speaker
Yeah. So her car is found like 10 days later. It's only seven miles away from her house. And it appears that she was actually like, we have assumed that she was ran off the road. Like that's the condition that her car was in. Like it had scratches down the side.
Investigative Challenges: Community Distrust and Gang Influence
00:21:16
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. So clearly somebody else has been involved in whatever happened.
00:21:24
Speaker
Yeah. So at this point, like we're kind of thinking she's missing or abducted because we can tell she's been ran off the road. Right. But who would want to murder her and why? So like, who is it? And why would they want to murder her? Because like, she's just a young mom.
00:21:48
Speaker
she's kind of involved in maybe something she really shouldn't be, but like I didn't read anywhere where she had like prior drug arrest related to drugs or like a speeding ticket or anything like that. But I'm thinking, I mean, even if you're dealing drugs, if you give the person the drugs that they want, and then you give the person who you owe the money to, the money to them, I wouldn't think that anybody would necessarily be angry in the transaction.
00:22:19
Speaker
Like angry enough to murder. Yeah. And I talk about this like later in the episode, but I think Mo's problem came because she had her hand in too many fires. Oh. So I feel like it's important to talk about some of like her past run-ins with gangs and like some involvement with law enforcement.
00:22:50
Speaker
to kind of piece together who these people in her inner circle might be or who we could possibly think would have done something to her okay investigators believe that they know who's responsible for her disappearance and her death i didn't read were they ever actually named someone in the articles that i read they have now switched this from like she was just abducted to it's now a homicide we just don't have a body oh so
00:23:21
Speaker
they think that she has been murdered. Yeah. So like at first they're just looking for a missing person, but then as time goes on and I don't really think it took them that much, Sean, I didn't read when they were like, okay, she's dead, but that classification now is, this is a homicide. I would think that would be hard to like make that switch from missing person to homicide if you don't have a body.
00:23:51
Speaker
Like, I wonder what kind of details they would have to have. You know, because that's kind of hard. Yeah, I think they have more than what we're reading about from the core. Okay, so maybe it's one of those things where they're just not releasing details because only the people responsible would know them.
00:24:12
Speaker
Yeah, and investigators have said that putting together like a solid case is going to be hard because this specific case is complicated. It's hard because this is a small community. And as we talked about last week, this community
00:24:32
Speaker
Mean like yeah, there's law enforcement there, but really like the enforcement of this community are different gangs so there's a deep-rooted distrust in police so people are kind of weary of speaking to authorities and then they also have like the like thought in the back of their mind like I can't say anything because Like while I might be saying it to the police like I know that such-and-such gang
00:25:01
Speaker
would come after my family if I speak on this. Right. There's a lot of threats that happen in this case. And I think that's kind of why police are saying that it's going to be super hard to actually pin down at like concrete, like invested, like to get all that concrete information that they would need for like a trial.
00:25:23
Speaker
So there's an extremely long and detailed article called, love drove this mom to selling meth and then death. And it has kind of an insider's view of most drug running activities. So this person in this article is like literally called unnamed source. And they're like, well, yeah, I guess you wouldn't want to, you know, give your name and you're giving away.
00:25:47
Speaker
Right like they're quoted throughout this article a lot and it's literally just like unnamed source because again nobody's gonna say your name when you're glad you found this because You know, you mentioned that she's running drugs, but I honestly have no idea what that means so according to this unnamed source in this article mo and I think that
00:26:12
Speaker
this is what it means by running drugs, right? She would buy meth from one of her gang connections and then she would turn around and sell it to people in another gang. And that's kind of like for a profit, right? So she was like, I guess buying, this is a very poor comparison, but buying like wholesale. And then selling it retail. Yeah, selling it retail.
00:26:42
Speaker
Got it. Well, she was playing both sides and the names were actually said she was playing two different cards. And that kind of, I think crept up on Mo in a way that she wouldn't have expected. So do they mean like, she's pretending like she has each side's best interest?
00:27:06
Speaker
Well I think it was she was buying from gang A and then selling to gang B and something happened that's like the roles kind of switched and then she's buying thing being B and selling it to gang A. Yeah. OK. That's kind of how I took it. And this is coming from a very
00:27:30
Speaker
Like naive perspective of what it means. Right. But soon threats began pouring in on Mo. Right. So it's not only threats to her, but it's threats to her daughter as well. Oh no. Yeah, that's bad. Yeah. She became terrified. So her boyfriend, David.
00:27:56
Speaker
is connected with a gang. So she has like, and I'll talk about this later on, that's where her allegiance lies is with his gang. Right. Because she's dating with him. Yeah. Yeah. She's with him. So from
00:28:11
Speaker
Again, my totally, I don't know perspective. I'm assuming these threats were coming in from like rival gangs. Okay. I mean, that would make sense. Right. I think that she had maybe angered in some way. Um, these threats are in my opinion, I think what pushed her to realize that she needed
00:28:37
Speaker
like to re-examine her life. Like re-examine her life. And get out of the game. Yeah. I don't think that she ever though intended on leaving David. And in an interview that I read with David's mom, she talks about, she thinks they both realized that things in their life needed to change. But I think David was just too far in for that to be a reality for him.
David's Gang Involvement and Emotional Turmoil
00:29:07
Speaker
So like Moe's family and friends deleted all of her daughter's pictures off social media. That was smart. They don't mention her online. Her daughter was forbidden to play outside her fence stand backyard. And even when she was in the yard playing, she was supervised at all times. Like this is how serious the threats were. Yeah. Wow. That is super scary.
00:29:34
Speaker
So the family took every precaution with Mo's daughter, but sadly Mo was unable to remain hidden inside her house. She's a grown woman, so she has things to do in places, you know. Right. Yeah. She can't stay inside the same way they could keep her daughter inside. Right. And many believe that her disappearance was a threat made in, made into reality.
00:29:58
Speaker
Who could have seemingly abducted this young mother just as she was about to turn her life around? Who could this have been? We know she's running drugs. We know that her boyfriend is involved in a gang, but where are we placing the blame on this? Right. I'm guessing boyfriend ruled out because they always say go to the closest, the person who's the closest.
00:30:27
Speaker
So in my opinion, well, two things. Yes, boyfriend is ruled out for actually doing it because boyfriend was in jail at the time that she's, she disappears. Okay. So yeah, I mean, if he's in jail, then he's not, there are some people like in her family that believe that he knows who did it.
00:30:58
Speaker
Or, you know, maybe he somehow could have orchestrated it from behind bars. I do not, do not believe that. Um, and I want to tell you why I don't believe that as we talk about her boyfriend. Okay. Yeah. Cause she, you said earlier that she saw him as like the person who kept her safe. Yeah. So she,
00:31:27
Speaker
told people that David was her protector, like, you know, everything to her. And despite what you're about to learn about him, I really do think that he was her protector and that he did love her. So we now know that David is responsible for at least three murders. One happened about... Yeah, there's that. I wasn't expecting that.
00:31:57
Speaker
I was expecting bad. Hmm. Yeah. So when I read that he was in jail, I was kind of expecting it to just be, you know, like he was found with drugs in his possession, but that's not his case. About two years from when I've gathered before Mo's disappearance, apparently David and this other man, um,
00:32:23
Speaker
We're fighting in the street from what I read, like David comes out of the house. There's this man in the street. They started exchanging words. Um, it turns physical and David actually pulls a gun on the other man. He fired his gun and actually shot the man through the throat and then from the autopsy report, shot him again in the back. Oh.
00:32:48
Speaker
so there's that okay but you don't think he's guilty i mean you don't think he's guilty about mo right no i think he definitely killed this guy but i don't think that he killed mo or had anything to do with her disappearance
00:33:05
Speaker
Um, he actually didn't turn himself in, but police knew that it was him. He left like his eyeglasses were at the scene in the crime. His DNA was everywhere. Um, so they had enough to walk him away and they eventually found and arrested him. And he did plead guilty to that murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. But the crazy thing is while police were searching for him in relation to this man's murder, his name actually was connected to a double homicide.
00:33:35
Speaker
So...
00:33:37
Speaker
David and another gang member so one of his friends were involved in a robbery that went bad according to police reports and to The website the Daily Beast this pair plus another unnamed assailant and I never found this person's name Okay arrived at like another individual's home and they were you know in the garage and it appeared that
00:34:06
Speaker
this was a drug exchange that didn't go down the way that it should have because David and the other two allegedly gagged the homeowner and the other person with him and then fatally shot them both. So I also read that there may have been a third victim who was like able to get away and was like driving away with like bloody wounds. Although I don't know
00:34:35
Speaker
If this person came forward as a witness, but I do know that David is now in jail in connection to these three murders. And I guess what it does tell me okay so I know we've said before, like, if you've committed a murder.
00:34:53
Speaker
then I'm more likely to believe that you could commit another. But from the sounds of it, if in the first instance, you know, he leaves physical evidence behind that shows it's him. And in the second instance, there's a potential witness who is
00:35:17
Speaker
leaving and knows what happened. That to then go from those two cases to a case where there's literally nothing and no evidence seems a bit of a leap. Yeah, because I feel like the two cases, the two homicide cases have been like, like spur of the moment, like emotional things, like you're gonna argument and you pull your weapon, your
00:35:47
Speaker
maybe exchanging drugs with a rival gang and something happens and it goes, something goes wrong. Like I don't think, I mean, people died either way, but like, like you said, I think it's different than like, you're running someone off the road and you're kidnapping them and you know, it's like, it's different. And both of those involved, yeah, both of those involved guns and I don't know.
00:36:16
Speaker
It's a different crime. Yes. And according to the Daily Beast, Mo and David actually kind of live like fugitives were a little while after the robbery. They were like
00:36:28
Speaker
kind of on the run and then they were finally spotted hiding out in a tent in like a home like in the yard of a home owned by one of David's relatives. They were actually both arrested at this point. David was arrested in connection to those three homicides and then police actually arrested Moe because they found her to be in possession of meth and her dad paid bail and she was released.
00:36:55
Speaker
Oh, and so that happened right before what was supposed to be her last run and she was out. But David's still in jail. Yeah, this is a march that they arrested and then she, her incident was in May.
00:37:07
Speaker
Okay. And David is still from what I've read in jail. Okay. So the police obviously did not need Mo to be like an informant for them. They already had enough evidence to lock David away for both of those or all three of those murders, but they did think that she would cooperate with them, but they were like,
00:37:28
Speaker
dead wrong She was not cooperative She refused to tell police anything about David or any of the members of the gang that he was in like she had so she's fiercely loyal Yes, she is fiercely loyal to his gang and she actually told several of her friends like She knows that the people in this gang have her back if anyone ever tries to hurt her because like
00:37:56
Speaker
I know that this may sound really weird or strange to people that have never been exposed to gangs, but they are, you know, they in a sense, fill a void of those that don't have family. So they become a family. So she knew that the people in that family would protect her. Right.
00:38:18
Speaker
And this is what makes me believe that David was not involved in her disappearance because when he was told, say, remember he's in jail and he's like 30 some years old, right? Any gang member.
00:38:37
Speaker
bad things happening. Yeah. And he is in jail because he killed in connection to killing three people. Right. So when they tell him, investigators come to him and say that she has disappeared and she is believed to be dead.
Theories and Suspicions: Rivals and Retribution
00:38:53
Speaker
And the articles that I read, every one of them said that he broke down in uncontrollable sobs in jail. Wow. Yeah. So here's this guy who like has to always look tough and he's willing to show his vulnerability. Yeah. And in a place you wouldn't ever want to show how vulnerable you are. That's true. Good point.
00:39:20
Speaker
like you're taken advantage of if you were considered weak. And I read that he promised police that he would do whatever he had to do to help them find out who was responsible for killing though. He would cooperate in any way. So he's like devastated. Yes, I will cooperate with you. Like I'll do whatever to figure out what happened to her. But when police come back a second time, he actually recants that statement.
00:39:49
Speaker
And his mom told reporters that she knows that he loved Moe, but that he actually received a letter in prison that had photographs of his daughters and her in it with threats against their lives in this letter. And then that's when he was like, you know, like, I love Moe, you know, but I,
00:40:16
Speaker
But at the end of the day, these are my kids. So like, I'm not, I'm keeping my mouth shut. Oh my gosh. What a horrible decision to have to make either way. Yeah. And I'm like, I read mom said, you know, this is something that he still talks to like talks about is that he wishes that he could bring justice, like help bring justice to her, but that he just can't. Right.
00:40:44
Speaker
And so honestly, in my heart, I don't think that it's David. I also don't think that his gang had anything to do with most disappearance. You know, I could be missing something, but from that one article alone where it talked about him sobbing when he found out, like, you had to be a really skilled manipulatus to be able to cry like that. Like, I just don't think you can pretend that way. Agreed.
00:41:10
Speaker
Like and like Mo, I want to see the good in David because most of us that are listening I'm assuming have been very blessed to grow up in areas of the United States or elsewhere where gang activity isn't really prevalent. But a lot of people can't say the same thing and I've recently watched a documentary on another girl that was murdered in California in this very similar situation.
00:41:35
Speaker
And several former gang members were interviewed in this documentary. And for many of them, like I said, like this just feels, it feels a void that they have from like broken homes, parents that weren't there for them. And like, I honestly don't believe that just because you're in a gang that like immediately makes you a bad person. Oh yeah. I literally grew up.
00:42:02
Speaker
three minutes away from a motorcycle club, which essentially you could say is like that, right? Like it's a group of people that are there for each other. And I don't know that they, they kill people, but you know, from the outside that I think they would have similar reputations as to the people we've talked about today, but most of them are actually super amazing people. Like when we lost power for 11 days,
00:42:29
Speaker
When I was in college one winter, like they said the people in my neighborhood, like cooked dinner, we could go there if we needed somewhere warm to stay. I think, you know, I choose to see the good in them, just like Mo chose to see the good in David. So I'm choosing to see the good in David. Yes.
00:42:52
Speaker
So then my brain goes to, could it have been a rival gang responsible for what happened to Moe? And most of me feels like this is probably what happened to her. We know that she was selling meth to different gangs. She had her hand in several different fires. Could she have
00:43:11
Speaker
gotten caught up in this gang robbery could her disappearance perhaps be a punishment for David like did he make someone mad but because he's in jail like they went to the next person closest to him right they threatened his family
00:43:26
Speaker
That could be. Yeah. So could this be a message to him. In another article that I read most father was interviewed in the article and he says he believes that some of those gang acquaintances feared that Mo would be a witness against them. And that's why she was kind of I guess quote unquote dealt with. So this is a lot like the April Pitzer. Yeah.
00:43:53
Speaker
Yeah. So another possibility could just be that Mo just ran away, right? Like we already know she'd been talking about leaving, kind of starting a new life, but like, I don't think that's the case. No.
00:44:08
Speaker
She had long-term plans. Exactly. And the whole reason she's doing all of this is to make a better life for her daughter. Yeah, so why would she leave and not take her kid? Yeah, I'm not buying that. Yeah, she was going to rehab. Her spot was already paid for. She was going to college. She was moving away. And like you said, why would you run away if there's already a plan set out to start over and you leave behind the person you're doing all this for? Right. Doesn't make sense. Yeah.
00:44:37
Speaker
Investigators actually question people that
00:44:42
Speaker
had contact with Mo, they check her cell phone records, they check her bank records for clues. There's no trail of cell phone calls or credit card usage following her disappearance. And homicide detectives received a tip in 2016 that Mo's remains may be buried off a highway. The detectives searched this highway with cadaver dogs. The coroner comes and they found absolutely nothing.
00:45:11
Speaker
Something I did think was weird. And I didn't see anywhere where there was like a specific time that was given. So like, I don't know if this was weeks after, days after, years after, but a friend actually received a call from most telephone number. Oh.
00:45:29
Speaker
Gosh, that would be creepy too if that happened. You know what I mean? Like whether it's days or weeks or years. Yeah. So like, okay, obviously not to this, I've never had a murdered person's telephone number show up on my phone, but one of my best friends, her mom passed away and obviously like I had her mom's phone number saved in my telephone, right?
00:45:58
Speaker
And so one day I get a phone call from her, like the number shows up on my phone. Like with, it was literally like her name in parentheses, blah, blah, blah, mom. Oh my gosh. It sent pills. Yeah. And like, I immediately got sick to my stomach. Yeah. When I answered it, like it was my cousin and she had gotten a new phone number and that was the phone number they had given her.
00:46:27
Speaker
Wow. And so it's crazy. Could that have happened? Possibly. I just feel like that's so rare though. Right. Like I've never heard of that happening to anybody else. I just think that's really weird. So could she still be alive or do we think just someone's being super cruel and calling from the number. Her dad, according to AV times, actually
00:46:58
Speaker
like learned, you know, that someone had been using her phone. The friend tried to call back the user, but there was no response. And for some reason, her dad wasn't able to relay this information to detectives until like, this happened on like a weekend until that Monday. And so by the time the investigators said it was too late to track the phone and that it appeared the phone had been shut off by the user. See, I don't, I don't see how it can be too late to track it.
00:47:28
Speaker
Yeah. And her dad actually says that he kind of think investigators didn't do a very good job. Yeah.
00:47:38
Speaker
Most friends believe like most that she's now deceased. One unnamed interviewer told police that they and Moe had a code word that they shared. So I think this is like really brilliant. So I think Moe was smart enough to realize that she wasn't always in the safest situations, right? And so they had this code word that if she had to hide out for a couple of days, she would text that word to her friend
00:48:06
Speaker
And then we'll be like, Oh, we don't need to alert the police. That's super smart. You know, she's safe. She just right. Yeah, she just can't be here right now. Yeah. And, you know, she never sent that code word. And this informant said, well, we had a rule and I told her,
00:48:27
Speaker
i will freak out about you if i don't hear from you in 24 hours she would message me it meaning the code word and i would tell myself okay cool she's going to be away for like 24 hours except on may 19th the source said she didn't send me any text messages oh so then they know it's not it yeah she didn't go into hiding right and she didn't send a text
00:48:53
Speaker
Right. And to this day, we still have no idea where Mo is or what truly happened to her. Wow. Yeah. This is, now I know why you said the case is so complicated because there's not, there's an assumption of what happened, but there's not a lot of evidence to back anything up. This case was kind of hard for me to write because like I,
00:49:19
Speaker
didn't really know how to put it all together so that it would make sense you know and like i would write a paragraph and then delete it so hopefully slu-towns you guys were able to haul along most father has not given up he's determined to find out what happened to her so many times we promised the last time but we don't really mean it but i really think mo did
00:49:44
Speaker
When she promised her father that she would go to rehab and get her life straightened out, I really think she meant it. I wish that Mo had gotten to see life past her last time. I wish that she'd gotten to live life with her daughter and been loved like she loved others. She saw the good in everyone, and the world needs more people like that. People that can link past a reputation and past flaws to see the very best in every person.
Call to Action: Seeking Information and Community Engagement
00:50:10
Speaker
Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 323-890-5500.
00:50:23
Speaker
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00:50:45
Speaker
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