Unsolved but not Forgotten

Episode # 90 - Las Vegas Unsolved Anthology

[Shaun] 

Las Vegas is consistently listed among the cities with the highest rates of domestic violence and domestic violence homicides, but was also recently ranked 13th in the highest rates for all homicides. 

The rate here is lower than in places like Memphis and Detroit, but the rates are four times as high as in a much safer city like San Francisco.

Not only that, but the clearance or solve rate for homicides is lower here as well because of various factors, such as funding and how transitory the population in Las Vegas can be. 

People are always moving in and moving out.

[John] 

Today, we’re going to talk about 4 unsolved murders in Las Vegas that have been open for a while. It's so important that we keep these cases on people’s minds, making it more likely that anyone with information will come forward and help solve them.

It’s 4 tragic and baffling stories of lives lost, and 4 families devastated by those losses. 

(Music - Pause for 8 seconds)

[Shaun] 

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 cases. I’m your host, Shaun

[John] 

And I’m your co-host, John.

[Shaun] 

After our 3-part anthology series on the Lake Mead recreational area, we came across a list of unsolved homicides that have occurred here in Las Vegas, and we decided to take the opportunity to bring them to you in another anthology episode. 

Some of the cases weren't covered in much depth by the local news, something we complain about often, and as a result, we have relatively little information about the victims, but we’ll tell you what we were able to find, and hopefully someone listening will come forward and bring these families the closure they’ve been waiting a long time for 

So, today we’re talking about the murders of Eugene Bell, Celia Luna-Delgado, Brittany Biggs, and John Norris. Do you want to get us started with our first case this week, Eugene Bell?

[John] 

Sure. Eugene Bell was born on October 28, 1984, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was the son of Priscilla Cobbs and Eugene Bell, and had three sisters named Tanica, Brittney, and April.

His family described him as having a loud voice, a big smile, and a great sense of humor, always wanting to make people laugh. They also said he had a huge appetite. He loved to eat. 

According to them, he was just a very caring guy who was never afraid to show it. In the photos his family shared, all of that comes through. His large family seemed to always be having fun and laughing when they spent time together..

Eugene graduated from West Mesa High School in Albuquerque in 2004. He played varsity football there for the Mustangs for all 4 years, and before that, he had played with the New Mexico Young America Football League.

He was also a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and you could often catch him talking football with his friends and family.

After High School, he pursued a degree in Film at Central New Mexico Community College, one of the digital media degrees they offer.

He had two children, a son Dejon Eugene (13) and a daughter Amari (8) who he was very devoted to. He always did everything in his power to make sure they were happy and taken care of. 

There are so many photos of him with the kids, and even videos of him having a dance party with his daughter

When he was a teenager, he worked for the City of Albuquerque in the Thomas Bell community center, which was named for his Grandfather. 

He also worked as a chef at a nearby Sheraton, and according to his family, he often used them as his taste testers for his recipes there, which, I'm sure they must have loved.

Finally, in 2013, he took a job driving an 18-wheeler, which allowed him to travel a lot and, not surprisingly, build up a lot of long-distance friendships as he crisscrossed the southwest. 

He’d visit those friends when he drove through, often stopping to spend time with the people he’d met. One of his favorite places was Las Vegas, and he had friends here, too. His sister April said that “Las Vegas was where he came to play.”

During that time, he kept in touch with his family and especially his kids over FaceTime from the cab of his truck when he took breaks from the long days on the road, being the great dad he was.

When he was home, his friends would know it based on the big rig parked in front of his mom’s house.

For his 33rd birthday in 2017, he decided he was going to spend it in Las Vegas. He came into town in October, and for the days leading up to his birthday, he hung out with friends, drinking in various locations but sadly this visit ended in tragedy and a mystery.

On the morning of October 26th, around 6:20 am, Las Vegas Metro was called to a Terrible’s Gas station at 4150 South Durango, near the corner of Flamingo. 

A woman, who was very intoxicated, had driven to the gas station looking for help because her friend had been shot in the chest. That friend was Eugene.

When the police arrived, they discovered that Eugene was in the back seat of her car, and sadly, he had died. Because of how intoxicated she was, she wasn't able to provide the detectives with much information about what happened, just that they’d been drinking in several places.

They quickly determined that the shooting probably happened at an apartment complex nearby, but there is no information on what, if anything, they learned when they investigated at the complex when they surrounded it that morning and attempted to gather what information they could.

Also, very strangely, some news sources say that the woman who brought Eugene to the gas station for help was cleared and isnt a suspect, and that she was cooperative, but other sources say very specifically that she refused to cooperate with the police and that she “knows more than shes willing to tell”, but she was certainly determined to be a friend of Eugene’s, beyond that, there isnt much info. 

It seems reasonable that if she didn't cooperate, she would have been brought in for questioning, but none of that appears to be the case based on the record. It's frustrating, but you often see conflicting reports like this, which make the details hazy.

It was also reported that by the time the police got to Eugene, he had been dead for several hours.

Eugene was the 186th homicide in 2017, a horribly high number. 

His little sister April has said that she feels like Las Vegas killed her big brother Eugene… her fun, funny brother, who was such a great dad, son, and friend to so many people. 

When she was interviewed, she reminded us that “everyone loved him, and he was caring.. Maybe too caring”. 

She refuses to come to Las Vegas or set foot in the city that she feels took her brother, while she knows his murderer walks free.

It’s been nearly 8 years since Eugene was murdered. His kids, his family, and all the people who loved him deserve answers, and Eugene deserves justice.

Any information, however seemingly insignificant, might be the bit of information detectives need to crack this case. As always, you can remain anonymous and leave a tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 702-385-5555 or by visiting crimestoppersofnv.com, or you can call metro police homicide directly at 702-828-3521

We’ll share photos of Eugene and the car he was found in on our social media, along with a photo of the Terribles gas station where all of this happened, in case that helps jog someone’s memory about the events of that night.

[Shaun] 

The next case we have to share today is the unsolved murder of 24-year-old Brittney Briggs, also in 2017. Brittney was born in 1993. Her parents are Kimberly Briggs and Jon Schaffner. 

She has a younger brother named Austyn Schaffner, and she has a young daughter, who was only 3 when she lost her mom in what you'll probably agree is about the most traumatic way imaginable.

In an interview with News Channel 3, her loving and obviously devastated family talked about her, describing her as a very kind and loving person, and a great mom to her daughter. 

On Feb 8th, 2017, she announced on her Facebook page that she just got a job as a tax preparer at Universal Tax, and was excited about it, and things seemed to be going well for her.

On February 9th, she came back to her home of about 4 years in the 1900 block of Spindrift Court, near East Lake Mead and Mount Hood (that’s in the northeast part of the Las Vegas Valley). 

The next morning, though, she didn't show up for an appointment with a friend. Concerned, her friend came by her house around 11:30 am on the 10th, and knew something was wrong right away

Brittney’s front door was ajar, and she could hear her daughter crying inside the house. She came in and discovered her friend in the main bedroom, murdered, with her daughter in the next room.

Police arrived quickly, and initially noted that they didn't think they saw any “visible signs of trauma”, but the next day the Clark County Coroner determined that she had in fact been beaten and strangled to death, again, with her toddler daughter in the next room. 

To the police, her house seemed like it had been ransacked, but they determined the only things that were missing were her debit and EBT cards and her cell phone. 

Later, her daughter told her grandparents some truly terrifying and heartbreaking things about that night. She told them that someone had come into her room and told her to be quiet, and then put a blanket over her, and in the morning she’d come into her mom’s room and tried to wake her up several times before she was discovered by Brittney’s friend in the morning.

Police were left with a lot of questions about who could have committed this crime. It turned out there were no signs of forced entry into the home, so was it possible she knew her murderer? She was known to sell things online like clothing and other items, so initially, they thought it might have been related to one of those transactions, but if they found any evidence to support that theory, they didnt share it.

Her family believes that her murderer knew her because the home was ransacked, but only took her EBT, Debit card, and cellphone, 3 of the most traceable things there are. 

Their thinking is that her cell phone might have contained text messages or other evidence that the murderer might have wanted to dispose of.

They also have theories about other potential suspects. Brittney had a new boyfriend she’d been seeing for only a few weeks, and her family found his behavior suspicious, but we couldn't find any information indicating he had been investigated or even questioned. They did mention that he seemed genuinely upset over her murder.

Another person they suspected was someone they described as a “creepy guy from her church”. Allegedly, on the very day Brittney was discovered, he posted that “a friend of his had been strangled”, but the coroner hadn’t determined that was her cause of death until the next day. 

Of course, we should note that it’s possible this could have just been a guess on his part, and that person hasn't been charged.

The family has also called out Metro for not doing a DNA analysis, looking for DNA under Brittney’s fingernails. They said there’s no way someone is strangled to death without fighting back, and it makes sense to collect DNA evidence, and of course, we agree with that, given all of the DNA solves we’ve covered in the past two years, but unfortunately, we don't know if that’s a part of the investigation. 

It's entirely possible they have that evidence, but Metro isn't sharing that.

The apparent lack of progress in the investigation has led Brittney’s mom to say that she believes the police aren't interested in solving her murder.

Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, Brittney’s daughter’s bio dad has moved to California and taken his daughter with him, and cut off all contact with Brittney’s family. 

She’s their last tie with their beloved Brittney, and they would very much like to know how she’s doing, and we truly hope they get back into contact.

It's been more than 8 years since Brittney’s murder, and it’s not clear to us if this is considered a cold case. Some sources indicated it was, but the contact on the Metro website is still listed as the homicide division. 

As we’ve talked about before, though, Metro does have an active cold case unit, including Detective Terri Miller, who said it's still an ongoing investigation. 

Anyone who has any information about who could have been responsible for Brittney Briggs' murder should contact metro homicide, the Cold Case Division, or Crime Stoppers. All of the contacts for those are in our resources at sinspod.co/resources 

[John] 

The next case we have for you seems very random.. The police even described it as the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time, with tragic results for her and the loved ones that she left behind.

Celia Luna Delgado was born in 1962, and she was the matriarch of her family. She has three adult children named Shela Padilla, Carlos Perez Luna, and Isao Felix Jr, and she has 3 grandchildren, not to mention brothers and sisters, and as her family tells it, “a never-ending number of friends who have turned into family.

From everything we read about her, family was the most important thing to Celia.

Before 9 am on January 11th, 2018, Celia, who was 55 at the time, went to work as she had for the previous 3 years, at the “Express Check Cashing” location at 1411 North Jones Boulevard, near Vegas Drive. 

Company policy was apparently that only one person opened the store, so Celia was alone.

As she was opening the store, she was confronted by two young men in their early 20s or late teens, who, according to police, had likely been casing the location, waiting for an employee to arrive.

Just after Celia opened, they forced her into the back room of the business and demanded that she give them all the money in the safe. 

This Express Check Cashing wasn't in the safest area, and other nearby businesses had been robbed in the past, so this was something Celia had thought about. 

Her family was worried about her, especially since it was a check-cashing business that had a lot of cash on hand and she had talked about that with her daughter, Shayla, and told her that she’d never risk her life for this business because she valued her own life over the business, which is the right way to think about it. 

She said “They’re insured” and she “wasn't going to play at being brave”. Also, we should note that before the robbery, Shayla said her mom never felt threatened or scared at work.

When the young men forced her into that back room, she did everything they said, but they got frustrated and enraged when they found out she couldn't get into the safe because it was a time-based lock.. She had no control over when it opened.

The two men must have panicked because they ended up shooting her in the back and fleeing the scene. Celia was able to call 911 and tell them she’d been shot. 

First responders arrived quickly, and she was transported to University Medical Center, but unfortunately, she passed away just two hours later.

Considering it was a check-cashing store, and it was 2018, you might expect they would have a great or at least functional surveillance system, but it turns out that their cameras weren't working at the time. 

Police pursued various leads, including surveillance video from nearby businesses, but no identification could be made. The two young men had fled into a nearby residential area, and no one could be located who had seen them. They even left a piece of clothing behind, but 8 years later, no suspects have been found and no arrests have been made.

Based on research that Celia’s family has done, It’s likely that the two assailants, identified only as “two young black males” ran toward the town homes on Pebble Beach Blvd and Jones

Ray Spencer, a detective with Las Vegas Metro Police, said it was one of the cases that bothered him the most from 2018 because it was just so senseless. Celia did exactly what they said, and she had no ability to give them what they wanted. They had no reason at all to shoot her. 

He said that in crimes like this, someone ALWAYS talks about it, so it's very possible someone here in Las Vegas knows something about who did this. 

The police and her family have pleaded with the public to come forward with any leads they might have, however seemingly small or insignificant.

Her devastated family knows that finding the people responsible wont bring Celia back, but they’ve said, and we agree, that she deserves justice

Because of the outrageous incompetence of the business for not having a working alarm system, security personnel, or a surveillance system, the family brought a wrongful death suit against them in 2019. While this also won't bring Celia back, it is important to hold companies accountable.

The most important part now for her family is to find the people responsible for this senseless crime. If you were in the area of Jones and Vegas Drive on January 11th, 2018, or you have any information that could help with the investigation, please call metro homicide or CrimeStoppers to remain anonymous.

[Shaun] 

The final case we have for you today is another very frustrating one with relatively little information to go on beyond the location where the crime occurred.

Alton, Illinois native John Norris was a 51-year-old Navy veteran living in Las Vegas in 2009. His family described him as a jokester and a dedicated fan of the St Louis Cardinals. He was extremely close to his younger brother Matt, who he spoke to nearly every day.

He moved here around 2005 for a reason we’ve heard before: to make a better life for him and his teenage daughter Whitney, who was 19 in 2009. He was putting himself through massage therapy school and working two jobs to pay rent and make ends meet.

Just a few years earlier, Las Vegas was absolutely booming. Cranes dotted the skyline, building new high-rise casinos, and new neighborhoods were springing up all over the valley overnight. Real estate prices were sky high, and it had never been easier to get a mortgage. There were people who you’d consider middle class, who were buying several homes.. Way more than their income could really pay for, with no scrutiny at all.

In 2009 though, Las Vegas was at the center of one of the worst economic collapses in US history… that housing bubble burst, and we entered the great recession. Home prices collapsed, people lost their jobs, and foreclosures were extremely common. There were layoffs in construction (obviously), but also in real estate and hospitality

In a given neighborhood, sometimes half the homes were abandoned, foreclosed on by the bank, or worse, occupied by squatters. The previous owners often left in the middle of the night, leaving most of their belongings and even their dogs and cats. They just walked away. Streets were like ghost towns. It felt like the fabric of the entire community was unraveling. 

Burglaries, property crime, and theft skyrocketed that year, and homicides were up.

At the time, people thought Las Vegas would cease to exist, as crazy as that sounds.

The unemployment rate was 11% in 2009, but it went as high as 14%, the highest in the country, because, of course, when the entire economy collapses, tourism is one of the first things to go.

In the midst of all this, in 2009, when it was getting worse, one of John Norris’ jobs was delivering Pizza for Pizza Hut, and on January 24th, 2009, it was a work night like any other, hustling and delivering pizzas. 

[John]

At 7:30 that evening, Metro police responded to a report of shots fired in the 5800 block of Rose Sage Street near Ann and Camino al Norte in the north end of the valley. 

When police arrived, they found John, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He’d been shot. The house he’d been delivering the pizza to was abandoned, so the theory was that he was ambushed, possibly as a part of a gang initiation ritual. He was identified the following Monday.

One of the side effects of all the foreclosures was that there were fewer witnesses to crimes. Police said they thought that his murder was the result of a robbery, as we said, these crimes were up at that time.

In the aftermath of his murder, police circulated a photo of an individual they thought might have been in the area, which we will share, but there have been no arrests in the case. 

As his brother rightly said, John’s murder became cold right away because there was no motive. Whoever murdered John had no idea who would be delivering the pizza, so there are no avenues of investigation there. 

John was laid to rest in his hometown of Alton, Illinois. He’s survived by his daughter Whitney, who was 19 at the time, and 25 today. His family had a celebration of life for him, including a video presentation his friend Mike Jacobs put together, and a balloon release. 

The celebration wasn't a fundraiser per se, but they did raise $1800, which was donated to help Whitney.

There are $22,000 in rewards available for information leading to the arrest of John's murderer. $10,000 from Pizza Hut, $10,000 from Meadow Gold, and $2000 from Crimestoppers.

If you or anyone you know has any information, please reach out to Crimestoppers or Metro Homicide’s Cold Case division. This is another case where it's likely there’s someone out there with information that can lead to this case being solved.

Unsolved and cold cases like these can be frustrating, but it's important to keep talking about them so there’s a chance we can get some resolution for the victims' families. 

We appreciate you listening, and if you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. 

These positive reviews really help us get these episodes out to a wider audience and increase the chances the right person will hear them, possibly leading to closure.

Until next week, we remind you that what happens here happens everywhere.