Missing at the Holidays 2

0:00 To listen ad free, visit sinspod dot com slash subscribe starting at two ninety nine a month. You'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show. Many of us are gathering with family this time of year, but unfortunately, many families will be facing the holidays with an empty seat at their table. Some families have been waiting for decades for answers. This time of year, we're making it a tradition to highlight several cases that seem like they need additional coverage in the hopes that someone somewhere can provide the tip that leads authorities to solve these cases. We're keeping the families of these missing people in our thoughts and we hope they can find peace while missing their loved ones.

0:51 Hi and Welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence as well as missing persons and unsolved case. I'm your host Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. In this week's episode, we will be discussing the unsolved disappearances of seven people Tina and Bethany Sinclair, Don Michelle Holt, Marcus Obra, Tyler Christensen, Patrick Carnes, and Everly's Cabrera. Their loved ones are desperately searching for answers, and we will share what you can do to help. The first case that I wanted to share with everyone is the story of Tina Sinclair and her daughter Bethany.

1:36 Around February third of two thousand and one, Tina, who was thirty four, and her daughter Bethany, who was fifteen, vanished from their home in west Chesterfield, New Hampshire under suspicious circumstances. They lived in a remote riverfront house owned by Tina's boyfriend, Eugene Van Bowman, who is forty two years old. At the time, Tina was a home nurse who had recently completed cosmetology school and was planning to open as a hair salon, and she was last seen at work on February second, two thousand and one. Bethany was a sophomore at Keene High School and was last seen that very same day after going out on a date to the movies with her boyfriend. Tina and Bethany's family described them as close and loving. Tina was upbeat and fun, known for her infectious laughter, and she was into hobbies like sewing, crafting, and gardening. Bethany was a typical teenager. She loved music, especially in sync, and was an excellent student and rarely missed school. On February second, two thousand and one, according to Eugene, Tina's boyfriend, he had a heated argument with Tina that day. He claimed he left the house and when he returned, Tina and Bethany were gone. Eugene said that Tina's car had a flat tire, so he had no idea how she left or where she went. Family member and police records suggest a history of abuse. Tina's mother, Mary, recounted a chilling incident where Eugene allegedly poured kerosene on Tina, threatening to

3:11 set her on fire. Eugene also at one point filed a restraining order against Tina. This was in the year two thousand, alleging threats against him that Tina said that she was going to kill him in his sleep if he threw her out of the house. Bethany's boyfriend reported that he had not seen or heard from her since they went out on that date. But on February fifth, an unknown woman called Bethany's high school and left a voicemail saying Bethany was sick and would not be at school that day, but the caller's identity has never been made public. Eugene did not report Tina and Bethany missing, explaining that it was not unusual for Tina to leave. However, her family found it alarming that Tina had left her car, nearly all of her belongings, and even their pet cat behind.

4:02 They all agreed that it wasn't unusual for her to leave, but it was unusual for her not to reach out to her family about what was going on. It was actually Bethany's school that reported her missing, after she had missed an entire week of school, and at that point an extensive investigation into the disappearance started. The home and the surrounding property, including nearby Connecticut River, were thoroughly searched with helicopters, divers, and cadaver dogs. Authorities ruled out the possibility that Tina and Bethany had taken a taxi or a bus or rented a car, and despite these extensive searches and media coverage of the disappearance, no solid leads emerged. Notably, Tina's credit cards remained unused and she never cashed her paycheck.

4:51 Investigators noted that a significant amount of their clothing was missing from the home, an amount that would have been too much for them to just catch if they were walking away on foot. Tina and Bethany's family tried every avenue to locate them. They printed flyers, they held vigils, they hired private investigators, and at one point even worked with a psychic, but no solid leads ever materialized. Mary Tina's mom, told The Boston Globe, It's been pure hell. It's starting to feel like they're probably dead, and I almost think that they are now. About Tina's boyfriend, Eugene, he had a serious criminal history. In December of two thousand, just a couple months before Tina and Bethany disappeared, he was charged with sexually assaulting an eight year old girl, and he was instructed not to contact the alleged victim or a minor with the initials b S, which local reporters believe meant Bethany Sinclair. Bethany family members speculated that this arrest this charge could have fueled that argument that Tina and Eugene had the day she disappeared. Shortly after the two of them went missing, Eugene pleaded guilty to the crimes, and he was sentenced to two to fifteen years.

6:12 He was paroled about two years later, and based on our research, it appears that he is still alive and is not currently incarcerated and is required to register as a sex offender. In twenty fourteen, authorities re examined the case, searching the Connecticut River and Vernon Dam, which was near where Eugene used to work. They used some updated technology trying to find any trace of the two of them. So while police believe that Tina and Bethany likely died under suspicious circumstances, they've never named Eugene as a suspect, only ever called him a person of interest. The house where they lived was torn down in two thousand and eight, and the property was searched again both before and after that demolition, but no evidence was uncovered. Tina's mother, Mary and her sister Sharon have since passed away, but the rest of the family remains determined to find answers. Tina and Bethany are deeply missed by those who knew and loved them. Tina Sinclair at the time she disappeared, she was five foot two, one hundred and twenty pounds. She had blonde hair, green eyes. She has a butterfly tattoo on her right ankle, and she would be fifty eight years old today. Bethany is taller than her mom. She's five foot seven, one hundred and thirty five pounds, she has brown hair and brown eyes, and she would be thirty nine years old today. If you have any information about Tina and Bethany, please contact the New Hampshire State Police at six O three two two three three eight five six or their Cold Case unit which is six

7:44 O three two two three eight five seven oh or you could call six O three two seven one one two five five. Every little detail could help bring justice to Tina and Bethany enclosure to their family. So this entire episode you will hear us urging you to share information about these disappearances and to come forward with any information if you have anything, because you might be the one who has a piece of information that can help these people be found, help bring closure to their family. So our second case is the disappearance of Tyler Christiansen. Tyler was born June second, nineteen ninety nine, and he disappeared in twenty sixteen when he was seventeen years old, but he would be twenty five years old today. The family lived in muchel Tao, Washington, which is about thirty minutes north of Seattle, and he was last seen in the fifty three hundred block of Picnic Point Road in Edmund, Washington.

8:46 He was a white male five foot eleven, one hundred and forty five pounds. He had brown hair and a buzz cut at the time of his disappearance, and he was wearing a light blue T shirt and dark blue shorts. He also had a half an hour scar on his left ankle. He was homeschooled and was a member of a religious Baptist family, a big family. He had four sisters, two older sisters Liz and Emily Joy and two younger sisters, Rebecca and Rachel, so he was right there in the middle. His parents were named Andrew and Karen, and from everything I could read about him, he was a really nice, well loved kid. He loved hiking. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle.

9:33 He was very hard working, He was very creative, he was very handy. He apparently made furniture. His sisters absolutely loved him. I watched interviews with Liz, who was doing a lot of speaking for the family, and it was obvious they really miss him. And there was no history of mental illness. It's not clear what might have caused him to go missing. The situation around his disappearance is that he said he was going to go for a jog about a mile to a church youth group meeting at his church, which was about a mile away in the forty seven hundred block of one hundred and sixty sixth Street in Maucletaya, Washington, and he never arrived, and it seemed like he never really had planned to go there in the first place. Authorities believed that he left of his own accord and headed south and took a ferry from Kingston, Washington, so that's the Edmunds Kingston Ferry.

10:32 The last person to see him was someone who picked him up hitch hiking. He was dropped off between Palsobo and Sheldon, Washington, and said he had asked directions to Sheldon Washington. He said he was going hiking at Olympic National Park. This all happened on the night he disappeared, so he headed south, made it to the ferry on foot, and then got a ride on the Kitsap Peninsula on his way to the Olympic Peninsula. Sheldon is about eighty miles from Uncle Tao, and it is very much near the Olympic National Forest. So what he said to that person who gave him a ride, that he was going hiking in the Olympic National Forest seems to make sense.

11:12 On May thirteenth, twenty sixteen, just about two weeks later, Tyler's backpack was found near the High Steel Bridge. It contained a pair of sweatpants and a few untouched food items, as well as a couple of used emergency foil blankets, and there was a ferry ticket receipt confirming that he had indeed taken the ferry over to the peninsula on April nineteenth, the night he went missing. The High Steel Bridge is one of the largest and highest suspension bridges over a ravine in the country. It's about four hundred and twenty feet above the southern part of the Skacomish River and there have been numerous deaths at that bridge in the past. It's a well known area where people get tempted to hike down to the river area, but it's not safe and currently all of the trails are closed, but at the time the trails were not closed. So one of the things that one of the theories that people have put forth is that he tried to hike down and might have fallen into the water, and it's a fast moving river, so he could have just been swept away, and that has happened several times. There was an interview with a police officer who said that it's a well known place where three or four times a year people attempt to hike those trails, even though they're closed now from down from that suspension bridge and end up slipping and falling and often dying. So unfortunately and tragically, his older sister, Emily Joy, died by suicide on June fourth, twenty eighteen, two years after his disappearance and two days

12:45 after his nineteenth birthday. She was only twenty one years old. And there have been no updates in a long while on the Fine Tyler website. The page hasn't had any updates since twenty twenty one, but of course his family has never given up hope that he'll come home. There has been some work to age progress his photo and we will share that, but the family has no idea why he would choose to run away. There was no history of mental illness, and the case remains unsolved. If you have any information about Tyler, his whereabouts or what might have happened to him, please contact the Snowmish County Sheriff at four two five four oh seven three nine seven zero. The next story that I wanted to share is about the disappearance of Don Michelle Holt. On April twenty fifth, nineteen ninety six, twenty year old Don Michelle Holt was last seen at the Howard Johnson's motel in Waldorf, Maryland.

13:41 She had been staying with her sister in Florida, but returned to Maryland to visit her estranged husband and their two young children. That day, she contacted her husband to arrange a meeting for her to visit with the kids, but she never arrived and has not been heard from since. Don's mother reported her missing on June twelve, nineteen ninety six, approximately eight weeks after her disappearance. At the time she went missing, Don was five foot four, She weighed one hundred and ten pounds, and had blonde hair and hazel eyes. She has a scar above her left eye, a small tattoo of a bird on her left wrist, and a heart tattoo with the name Sam on her right shoulder.

14:22 Her navel is pierced, and she had previously fractured her collarbone. She was last seen wearing a large red winter jacket and white sneakers size eight and a half. According to her family, Don had occasionally dropped out of sight before, but never for that long. Authorities suspect foul play in her disappearance, but her former husband is not a suspect. Despite ongoing investigations and tireless and passionate work by the Light the Way Missing Person's Advocacy Project, Don's case remains unsolved. The Maryland State Police continue to seek information that could lead to answers. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maryland State Police Laplata Barrack duty Officer at three oh one three nine two one two zero zero or the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit at four to one zero two nine zero zero zero. Five zero, and all callers can remain anonymous. Don's family continues to seek closure and justice. A Facebook page, Justice for Don Michelle Holt, has been established to raise awareness and gather information. We hope that by sharing this information and Don's photos, we can help bring her home and provide her family with the answers they have been seeking for nearly thirty years.

15:37 The next case we wanted to highlight is the disappearance of Patrick Francis Carnes, whose nickname was Pat. He was an eighty six year old World War II veteran who had served in the Navy in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between nineteen forty two and nineteen forty six, and who at the time lived in Reno, Nevada. He was born on January thirtieth, nineteen twenty five, in Cleveland, Ohio, and had a dog named Lucky. Lucky is a brown Akita mixed breed dog who was slightly overweight then, weighing between eighty and one hundred pounds, and Patrick never went anywhere without him. Pat was proud, active, adventurous, and especially considering his age. He was retired and widowed, but very very independent. He was one hundred and sixty five pounds five eleven fit and excellent health, and he didn't have any signs of cognitive decline. In early April of twenty eleven, when Pat was eighty six and Lucky was eight, the two embarked on a road trip coming from Toledo, Ohio, where he had visited family. He was there looking at retirement communities and considering moving there to be closer to his family. They took the trip in Pat's two thousand and five Subaru Forester and planned it such that he'd get back to Reno on April fourteenth. On April thirteenth, they were heading home. After driving nearly eighteen hundred miles together, he made it all the way into Nevada, and around nine pm, he was stopped near Wells, Nevada by a highway patrol officer for failing to move over for a

17:07 stop truck. He told the officer he was planning to stop in Elco to get some sleep, and that was only about fifty miles further than Wells on Interstate eighty and that road at that time of night is very heavily traveled by long haul truckers. In fact, he told the officer that he was following a particular truck, saying I'm following this truck. He'll get me there. The officer said that Pat sounded clear, polite, and coherent, and just gave him a verbal warning reminding him to move over for stopped vehicles. That entire exchange with the officer was caught with audio on the officer's dash cam, and nothing at all seemed to miss with Pat or the officer or the incident. So Pat drove off into the night and was never seen again. Sometime between nine pm and six am that next day, both Pat and Lucky just disappeared.

17:55 There's no evidence he ever stopped to rest, no records of a hotel stay in Elco, no sightings of his car on the side of the road in the area. Nothing. Pat's car was discovered just before six am the following day, abandoned near Interstate eighty exit two oh five by the Pumpernickel Valley exit, well past Elco. Neither Pat nor Lucky were anywhere to be found. The car was about one hundred and fifty miles past where he was stopped by the Highway patrol. The car was high centered on some sage brush, meaning that he somehow drove his car onto the sagebrush, so the wheels no longer touched the ground, so he couldn't drive it away, and it was facing the interstate, leading the police to think that there might have been an accident. All of Karn's personal belongings, including his checkbook, were inside the vehicle. The car had plenty of gas and seemed otherwise perfectly operable. There were no indications of a struggle, and there was a single set of footprints leading away from the scene. The car also was found on the eastbound side of the road, and pat would have been traveling west to get home, so they thought he might have turned around for some reason.

19:00 That exit on the highway is only four hours from Reno, so it didn't make a lot of sense that he would have realized that he had passed Elko and turned around that way. He would have had to backtrack eighty five miles just to get to Elco. He had a limp in one leg, so his family feared he wouldn't make it far in the desert, even though it's not very hot at that time of year in that area. He also typically used cash and had no credit cards, making him almost impossible to track. In a weird coincidence, this exact same exit off Interstate eighty was the location where another person named Judith Casida's vehicle was discovered after she disappeared in two thousand and six. There's no evidence the cases are related in a way, but it's a really weird coincidence. Authorities launched a search for Pat but he and Lucky weren't found. Several theories have been put forward, such as the typical wandered into the desert theory, possible foul play of which there's no evidence, maybe an medical episode causing him to lose control of the car, and possibly after he tried earned around at Egsit two o five to go back to Elco, or maybe he lost track of how far he'd come. Paw was wearing a tan jacket, a blue plaid shirt, tan or beige pants, tan canvas shoes, and a Toledo mud hen baseball hat.

20:16 He has gray hair, blue eyes, and wears glasses, and he would be ninety nine years old today. The podcast Where Are They covered this case in great detail, and to hear a more in depth description, we really recommend that you listen to that episode. We'll share that link in the show notes. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at seven seven five six two three six four one nine. This next case is a story of a recent disappearance and another case that I learned about because of the incredible work of light the way. Thirty seven year old Marcus Ubrey was last seen on video at a Walmart near the Louisiana State University LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, around nine thirty PM on August twenty third, twenty twenty three, so almost a year and a half ago now. That evening, Marcus reportedly told others he was going away for a few days before leaving in his white two thousand and six Honda Accord with Louisiana license plates. Later that night, at approximately eleven PM, his vehicle was discovered crashed and abandoned near Louisiana Highway thirty two thirteen and the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Saint John. The Baptist Parish authorities believe Marcus was driving at the time of his accident, but he was not at the scene when officers arrived. His family officially reported him missing on August twenty seventh, twenty twenty three. Despite investigations by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's office and the Saint John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's office,

21:47 his whereabouts remain unknown. The mother of Marcus's teenage daughter, Schwan, gave an interview to the Sipping on Some Crime podcast in March of twenty twenty four. We'll have a link to that in our show note. During the interview, Siwan told host Aaron Reed that while Marcus's car was found, his wallet, his keys, and his phone have not been recovered. Police have also not made the images or the video from the Walmart public at this time, so even though there is video images of his last known moments, the police have not released that to the public. Efforts to locate Marcus have been extensive. Lamar Advertising of Baton Rouge donated billboard space across the city to raise awareness about his disappearance. These billboards highlight his case in hopes of generating new leads. Marcus's daughter, Shaniah, described him as a deeply religious man who always carried his Bible and was known for his generosity and dedication to his family. She shared how he consistently made efforts to spend time with her, driving eight hours each year to visit her on her birthday and also during the summer. He is everything to his family. Chawan shared that Shania was extremely close to her dad and the two of them enjoyed baking and dancing together. We will share a video that fifteen year old Shanaiah made this summer on the one year anniversary of her father's disappearance. Marcus is described as an African American male, five foot seven, weighing two hundred pounds, with short,

23:18 black hair and brown eyes. He is missing an upper right molar or pre molar. His family continues to search for answers and is urging anyone with information about his disappearance to come forward. If you have any details that could help, please contact the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office at two two five three eight nine five thousand or the Saint John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office tips line at nine eight five three five nine tips. His family remains desperate for answers, hoping to uncover the truth about what happened to Marcus. You could help by sharing his missing posters and pictures, and especially if you have any connection to the Louisiana and the Baton Rouge area locally.

24:00 The last case we wanted to highlight is the disappearance of Everlease Cabrera. Everleas Cabrera was born on January twenty sixth, two thousand and four, to her parents named Marlena Olivas and Ernsto Cabrera. They came under scrutiny from the Clark County Department of Family Services DFS after Everlease's brother tested positive for drugs at birth. As a result, Everlease and her younger brother were placed in the care of foster parents, Vi and Manuel Carrascal, who lived in the sixty five hundred block of Diamond Point Court in North Las Vegas. Everlease was last seen on June tenth, two thousand and six by her foster parents. They say that they checked on her at one am and she was asleep in her bed, but the next time they checked at eight am, she was just gone. They thought that it was possible that she stood on a chair, unlocked the front door of their home and wandered out. But if you're wonder ving how a two year old moved a chair to a door, climbed onto it, unlocked the door, and escaped into the night. You aren't alone. The police and everyone else in the community had that same question. It's also worth noting that they didn't report her disappearance to the police until noon, four hours after they realized she was missing.

25:20 Everlic's parents had last seen her on May fifteenth, and when they saw her, they noticed that she had a burn on her hand. They asked her foster mother for an explanation, but the Kira Sculls gave them no sufficient answer. Alarmingly, a previous foster child of the Cairascals had also previously sustained second and third degree burns and was taken to an emergency room eight hours later, where he had to spend the night in the hospital. V claimed that time that he had been burned by hot soup. Although she and her husband were not accused of abusing the child, he was removed from their home. That wasn't the only incident with this foster couple. They failed to complete the required training and for some reason demanded the removal of several children that were placed in their care, which raised questions about their commitment to fostering, but despite all of that, their foster home license was renewed just two months before Everlease's disappearance. One of the detectives on the case at the time, Detective Stephen Weiss, described an extensive search that included community volunteers. Everlease's biological parents joined the search as well, handing out flyers and frantically trying to find her. Police searched the surrounding area and the desert, but found nothing and no one had seen her. He also noted that the foster parents suddenly stopped cooperating with the police, and said the last time that the foster family spoke to police was the day of her disappearance. In September of two thousand and six, her parents filed a lawsuit against the Karrascals and the Clark County Department of Family Services,

26:51 alleging negligence in protecting Everlease. It really served to highlight the problems with the foster system, including the seemingly non existent vetting of the Cara Scales as foster parents. The car Skills eventually settled for three hundred thousand dollars, the maximum payout under the foster family's insurance policy. The settlement didn't do anything to provide answers. It just helped protect the foster parents from any further civil litigation. They later relocated, and recent news articles relate that they haven't been able to be tracked down for comment. Everly's Cabrera remains missing. At the time of her disappearance, she was two years old, stood two feet six inches tall, weighed twenty five pounds, and had black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing pink shorts, a pink shirt, and no shoes. Today, Everlease would be twenty years old. We will be sharing an age progress photo to help the public recognize her as she might look now. Her case underscores the crucial need for accountability and foster care systems, and the relentless pursuit of justice for all these vulnerable children. Anyone with information is urged to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at seven oh two six three three nine one one one.

28:03 I want to add that John and I are sending love to all the families who are coping with loss this year, including the families of cases we've covered Camille Dardan Stotson, Tiffany Booth, Tabitha Tozi, Pokeo and her children, Mason Dominguez, the Princes, Brandon Durham, Samari Norris, Johnson, Jay Smith, Jamie Sheldon, doctor Gwen Amsrala, Mikaela Reiner, Leslie Pelasio, Mari Orkey, Tomayo Cruz, Nara and her children, and so many more. We appreciate all the new connections we built in twenty twenty four and want to say thank you to our podcast colleagues who are passionate about justice for families and keeping those names out there and supporting these families in their darkest times. And to all of our listeners who make the show possible and help families in their quest for answers and justice. Thank you for all you do.

28:54 John and I will be taking a break next week, but we will be bringing you already gone's episode on the disappearance of Old Tamman from Miami University in Ohio. We so appreciate Nina Instead for allowing us to share Ronald's story with all of you. This is one of Nina's greatest episodes yet, and I know you all will enjoy it, So be sure to listen to that next week. So as we say what happens here happens everywhere. Thanks as always for listening, and we wish you the best in twenty twenty five. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod dot co, slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad free.

29:50 Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcas cast platform of choice. You can contact us at Questions at Sins and Survivors dot com. If you are someone you know as affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, Sins and Survivors dot com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research, written, and produced by your hosts Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us.

30:31 Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website Sins and Survivors dot com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.