Disturbing: They Stood Over Her While She Slept?!

There's something intuitive in [music]. us that if we trust can tell us when. we're in trouble. It's not always an alarm. Sometimes. [music]. it's a quiet feeling warning you of. someone's presence. telling you that you're not alone. That. is the very feeling that woke up. 19-year-old Rachel Hansen from sleep one. June night in 2022. The adrenaline. coursing through her spiked when she. opened her eyes to find someone standing. over her bed staring at her.

Rachel let out a scream and that sent. the person running out of her room and. then out of the apartment completely. without ever uttering a word. And that. should have been the worst thing that. happened to Rachel in that Gilbert, Arizona apartment, but it wasn't. Because the very next night when Rachel. was asleep in bed just after 2:00 a.m. a. dark figure entered her bedroom again. held up a gun and shot her in the. abdomen before fleeing. Was the first.

break-in unrelated? Or was it a warning? A bad omen of what was to come? To this. day no suspects have been named. And if. you read the heavily redacted 338-page. police file that Gilbert Police. Department released in 2024, you'll. learn a whole lot of nothing. But to leave it at that is not exactly. the Crime Junkie nature. So our team did. some investigating. Join us as we. unravel the mystery of who killed Rachel. Hansen.

>> one. Rachel knows that she's in bad. condition, [music] so she wastes no time. when the call connects. "I've been.

shot," she tells them. "Someone broke in. and shot me." In about 5 minutes, first. responders are there at the scene. They. start working on her there before. rushing her to the hospital, but the. bullet that went [music] through her. just did too much damage, and after 3. hours in surgery, doctors couldn't save. her. But here's the tragedy on top of. the tragedy. When Rachel went to the. hospital [music] and while she was in. surgery, her family had no idea. Our. reporter Nicole Kagan spoke to Rachel's. mom, Kim Hansen, and she said that no.

one came to notify the family until 7:00. a.m. after Rachel had died. No one. called them when Rachel was found or. when she was in surgery at the hospital, which still bothers Kim to this day. knowing that her daughter was there all. alone. But that is far from the only. thing that bothers her. There would be. plenty more heartbreak and. disappointment [music] coming. She just. didn't know it yet. Because like so many. people who never have to live the true. crime story, when this all unfolded, Kim.

was under the impression that the. criminal justice system worked, that all. detectives knew how to do their jobs, and that they did them well. Well, that. bubble would burst in a hard [music]. way, which brings me back to the crime. scene. Now, as far as scenes go, Rachel's was simple to process. According to the police file, aside from. the blood on her mattress and in her. [music] bathroom and the bullet and. shell casing, nothing seemed out of. place. In fact, there was barely any. furniture at all in sight, just her box.

spring and mattress. I mean, the only. thing really notable about the state of. the apartment that I can tell from the. police file is the smell because. apparently it like reeks of marijuana. And as officers began canvassing. neighbors, they learned that this smell. had been there for like the last 6. months. And over that time, there were. random people coming and going from the. unit and loud arguments. And those who. lived around unit 3133 assumed that. drugs were being sold out of there and. that the young woman who lived there. clearly had a bad relationship with her.

boyfriend, which they would have gotten. a front row to because when Nicole went. to this apartment complex, not only are. the units pretty close together, but. like just walking the hallway, she could. clearly hear people talking and watching. TV inside their apartments. >> Paper-thin walls. >> Yeah. But here's what's so strange. On. the night Rachel died, they heard. nothing. How? I mean, even if you were. sleeping, I mean, I feel like you would. hear a gunshot. Like that would totally. wake you up. Which Yeah, I mean, could. they have used a silencer on the gun? So, that was my first thought, right? But I don't know if this killer was.

being mindful of noise because while. there were no signs of forced entry to. Rachel's front door, we actually know. from pictures of the apartment that Kim. took after it was cleared by police that. someone kicked the crap out of Rachel's. bedroom door. And this is one of those. details that just like doesn't compute. for me. Like even if Rachel's bedroom. door was locked, you can see from the. picture, I don't know if like you had. those where it's like you can like use a. nail to like Yeah. turn it. So, why go. through the trouble of like kicking it. in and making all that noise? [music].

And what's even weirder still is that. even with the door kicked in, apparently. the neighbors still heard nothing. Like. I personally spoke to the neighbor who. lived right across from Rachel and they. said that they weren't even sleeping. when this happened. They had just gotten. back from bowling at like 1:30 or 2:00. in the morning. They're like fully awake. when the shot would have been fired, which means they would have been awake. when the door was kicked in. If it. happened then, too. And they were awake. when Rachel would have called 911 and. awake when police were showing up to the. apartment and like talking to the people.

who are now across the hall. How did. they hear nothing? Not just like the. stuff I mentioned, but like no hurried. footsteps, no no running away, no no. argument. Yeah, they didn't see anything. either. And a shady person lingering, I. think would have stood out because. despite whatever was going on for 6. months in unit 3133, this was a nice and. safe area, like a gated community, in. fact. >> Does it have any cameras then? Oh, it. does, but kind of like the gatedness of. this community, it feels like it was a.

little all for show. The leasing office. told investigators that there were no. operational cameras anywhere in the. complex. And when Nicole went to the. complex, now mind you, this is like. 3-plus years post homicide, but every. time she went down to check the gate, it's just like wide open. Cool. But. building security aside, one of Rachel's. neighbors did have a working Ring. camera. And this is the first. frustrating roadblock in the highly. redacted records that we got. Nearly all. of what they learned from the Ring.

camera footage is redacted. Some of the. only information that is not says that a. camera caught Rachel on June 3rd, like 5. hours before the shooting, so it'd have. been like 9:15 p.m. And she was with a. long-haired man walking to the east on. the first floor hall. Now, she lived on. the third floor, so this might have been. when she like first gets there. Then, a. different investigator wrote in another. report that at 9:33, quote, "The two are. seen walking away from her apartment.". And that Rachel is dressed in what looks. like a swimsuit when they come back.

What other cameras they might have been. seen on, I don't know, all redacted. But. listen, we don't need to spiral and. speculate too much, at least about who. this long-haired man was, because once. police finally do notify Rachel's family. of her death, again, 5 hours after she. [music] was shot, they figure that out. pretty quickly. When police knock on. Rachel's parents' door, her dad Todd. answers. Her mom Kim was actually in. Indiana visiting grandchildren. But. officers figure out that the guy with. long hair, that is probably Rachel's.

fiance, Joe Met Bailey. And they learn. something else critical. Rachel had just. moved back into that apartment. June 2nd. was her very first night staying there. So, she's not who everyone thought was. selling drugs and fighting with her. boyfriend. She hasn't been there. No, no. And that's also why the apartment. was empty. Her dad tells police that the. apartment, it was in Rachel's name, but. she had been doing like an off-the-books. subletting thing for like the last 6.

months. >> And who is this subletter? In that. moment, dad's not sure. I mean, it it. wasn't someone she was super close with. So, it like takes a minute to track. [music] that down. Which honestly is. like fine because first things first, detectives want to talk to her fiance, Joe Metheny. Now, the police report says that they. bring Joe Metheny the next day, which. would have been Sunday, June 5th. But, Rachel's mom told us that that's wrong. That they brought Joe Metheny right in. after [music] they talked to Todd. So, this would have been like 8:00 a.m. on.

the 4th. And she's certain of it. We. tried to ask [music] police to verify. this, but a spokesperson for the. department said that they could not. provide clarifying information citing. [music] an active investigation. And Joe. Metheny didn't respond to our request. for comment. But, either way, in this. interview, which lasts about 4 hours, Joe Metheny is super distraught. But, he. readily admits to being with Rachel that. night. He says that he stayed with her. at the apartment until around midnight. when he went home. >> And of course, we can't corroborate that.

because we don't know what else was on. the Ring cameras. >> Yeah, we can't. But, I assume police did. because they end up clearing him after. what Kim described as like weeks of. merciless interrogation. And Kim and. Todd are on the same page as police? Like, they're not suspicious of Joe. Metheny? Well, Kim told Nicole that they. didn't have an ounce of doubt that Joe. Metheny was innocent. I mean, day one. when like, you know, they were fresh and. like the throws of things, Todd did sit. him down and was basically like, "Look, look me in the eyes. Tell me the truth, man-to-man, did you kill my daughter?".

And apparently, Joe Metheny looks right. at him and without even wavering says, "No, I would never do that." And they. believe him. Kim and Todd had gotten to. know Joe Matt really well since he. proposed to Rachel earlier that year. Like they just couldn't see him doing. something like this. And Kim says that. Joe Matt was absolutely destroyed in the. wake of Rachel's death. And for like 6. months afterwards, he couldn't eat. He. had this like tremendous guilt. He. couldn't hold down a job. And he. actually lived with the Hansens for a. good portion of that time.

>> Did he and Rachel live together? No, they didn't. But he did stay with her a. lot. And actually, between him and Kim, they're actually able to give police one. of the most interesting leads in this. whole case because they both knew about. the intruder who'd come into Rachel's. room and stood over her the night before. she was killed. >> Wait, did police not know about that. right away? Well, no, because after it. happened, Rachel didn't call the police. about it. >> What? Yeah, so let me just tell you like. the whole story that got pieced together.

because it is really strange. In the parks [music] and forests you. love, there are stories waiting to be. told. I'm Dilia D'Ambra, the host of. Park Predators, a true crime podcast. that reminds you sometimes the most. beautiful places hide the darkest. secrets. Listen now wherever you get. your podcasts. So Thursday, June 1st, is the first. [music] day that Rachel gets access back. to her apartment in like the last 6.

months. Now she had no idea what had. been going on there while she was gone. So she was pretty shocked to find the. place a mess. Like super dirty and the. smell of marijuana was so strong. Like. replace the [music] carpet strong. So. she knew that before she began moving. any of her stuff back in, she was going. to need to do like a really. >> [music]. >> deep clean of this place. So that's what. she spent Thursday doing. She literally. had next to nothing in the place. Just. her box spring and her mattress. I mean, there wasn't even food in the kitchen. So that first night she ends up staying. with Joe Matt. She comes back the next.

day, does like more cleaning. And that. second day is the first night she's like. staying in her place. And that was the. opening of this story. She is just woken. up by this feeling of someone there. watching her in her room. But when she. wakes up, the person runs. And. afterward, Rachel didn't want to be. alone, so she texts Joe Matt and asked. him to come over. >> I I don't get why she didn't want to. call the police. Because I don't think. she actually believed that she was in. danger. So her door had been locked. So. for this person to get in, they had to.

have had a key. And because they didn't. actually do anything, she kind of. figured that it was someone who was. maybe connected to her subletter, someone who had a key, came in, and then. when they saw that she was someone else, they realized their mistake and just. like booked it. So she's like chalking. this whole thing up to like a. misunderstanding. But here's a weird. little fact I cannot let go of. This. person didn't do anything, didn't take. anything, >> Not much to take. but they did leave. something behind. A jar of pickles. Like.

sitting right there on the kitchen. counter. Okay, I didn't know what I. thought you were going to say, but jar. of pickles was like very, very far down. on the list. >> It's It's so odd. I mean, so weird that. Rachel pointed it out to her mom and. >> Well, yeah. >> Joe Matt. And I mean, the benignness of. this is probably part of what made her. think that this wasn't some like. knife-wielding maniac and just like a. friend coming to see the wrong person. with a jar of pickles. Anyway, that. night when she texts Joe Matt, they.

decide that like at a minimum, they need. to change the locks, right? Like cuz. even if this person didn't do anything, who knows how many other people might. have keys, right? So Joe Matt grabbed. this spare deadbolt from his dad's house. and installed it on her door that night. Situation handled. Wait, then how would. an intruder be able to get into her. apartment the next night? This is the. part of the story that makes you just. want to like reach back into the past. and like if we could change one thing, maybe everything would be different. So,

so this this night, Friday, June 3rd, we. know her and Jomant are at the apartment. together. And by the time Jomant leaves. around midnight, Rachel was asleep. Now, according to what he told [music]. Kim and his own mom, who we talked to as. well, Jomant woke Rachel up and he's. like, "Listen, I have to go, but when I. leave, I need you to get up and lock the. door behind me." And it was like a. deadbolt, so you had to physically turn. and lock the door. And Rachel agreed, but then when Jomant left, he said he. didn't hear the door lock. So, he.

actually went back inside and told. Rachel again, like, "Listen, you have to. get up and lock the door behind me. Are. you going to get up?" And she said yes, and so he left, but apparently, he never. heard the door lock. So, if she fell. back asleep, uh someone didn't even need. a key. They could have just walked right. in. Yeah, it seems that way. But, they. wouldn't have known that. So, this. person was either planning on using an. old key, which wouldn't have worked, or. breaking in. Yeah, I I mean, I guess so. I don't know what it means. Everything I.

just told you is about the extent of. what you can learn from the police. report. There are a lot of little. snippets of information, but with all. the redactions, it's almost impossible. to piece together anything coherent. And. when we reached out to Gilbert PD to try. and get some clarity, they said that. they, quote, "continue to actively. investigate Rachel's case," end quote, but that was about it. And by the way, this isn't just like all we have to work. with. This is all that Rachel's own. family has to work with. I mean, for the. first 2 years, Kim was meeting with.

detectives every 4 months or so, but she. rarely learned anything new. And she. believed that investigators were working. on her daughter's case because that's. what they kept telling her they were. doing. And she doesn't know how this. works, right? Like, she has to trust. them. But, a lot of trust is lost by the. winter of 2024 when Gilbert PD declares. Rachel's case inactive. And that's right. about the same time that the Hansons. start working with a private. investigator named Justin Yentes. He. said that he kind of went into the. meeting with them more to just like.

listen, see how he could advise them, but after learning Rachel's story, Justin knew that he needed to help. So, he took on the case pro bono and has. been working it ever since. And after. talking with him and Rachel's mom and. Joe Metz mom and others, it is safe to. say that there is. way more bubbling under the surface of. this case than the police report would. lead you to believe. Specifically, these. conversations that we had revealed three. investigative theories. None of them are. perfect, they all have holes, but each.

also has the potential to be the answer. as to what happened to Rachel and why. But to understand each [music] of them, we almost need to work backwards from. the shooting and take them one by one. Starting with the subletter theory. Now, I'm starting with the subletter theory. because if you were looking at this case. from [music] the outside, it seems the. most obvious. So, let's rewind to a year. before the shooting, June 2021. That is. when Rachel moved out of her childhood. home and rented that one-bedroom.

apartment at the Redstone at Santan. Village complex in Gilbert. She was. there for about 6 months when she got. her dream job. Basically, she was. offered to live and work at a horse. ranch less than 30 minutes away in Queen. Creek, Arizona. And Rachel had been. working with horses her entire life. Like this job would allow her to live in. this little casita on the ranch with the. horses literally right outside her. window, plus she could bring her own. horse Dash with her. Like she just could. not pass this up. But that meant that.

she had to find someone to sublet her. apartment and like pretty quick. So, she. posted an ad on Facebook Marketplace and. through that she connected with a woman. named America [music] and they basically. just like work out this deal. So, they. didn't know each other before this. According to Kim, no. Rachel and America. only met like once or twice and then. America moved in. And remember, Rachel. didn't quite go through the proper. channels at her apartment complex to get. permission to sublease. It was very like. off the books, which her parents say. they were not supportive of. Both of. them tried to talk Rachel out of this.

arrangement, but she assured them that. she and America had met everything would. be fine. So for 6 months, Rachel and. America had a strictly business. relationship. So Rachel had no idea what. she was up to at the apartment. But. Rachel's neighbors had their guesses, like I said before. They believed that. there were drug sales happening out of. the unit. But again, Rachel knew none of. that. So it's not like she kicked. America out because of everything going. on or because she was afraid she was in. trouble or going to get in trouble or. anything. >> No, she ended up kicking America out.

because she got fired from her job at. the ranch. And so without her ranch job, she didn't have a place to live. >> Exactly, which meant that she had to. tell America that she needed to like get. out of the apartment ASAP. So everything. moved kind of quick. America leaving, Rachel coming back. And this is the. basis for the subletter theory, which is. that Rachel was the unintended target. That whoever shot her was actually. targeting America and didn't know that. she had moved out 2 days prior. So in. this theory, are the intruder and the.

shooter the same person? In this theory, that wouldn't really make sense for them. to be the same person because the. intruder would have realized that Rachel. wasn't America on that first night. But. I mean, we know from neighbors that like. people would come and go from there. So. like even if they weren't the same. person, it doesn't mean that they. weren't both there for America, if that. makes sense. Yeah, but don't you think. if they weren't the same person that the. first intruder would have come forward. though? Like and said like, "Hey, like. this happened. It wasn't me the second.

night.". >> Not necessarily. I mean, like as sad as. it sounds, if that person's not the. shooter, they could be afraid of being. pinned as the perpetrator. Or like maybe. they were there to buy drugs and they. don't want to put themselves on police's. radar for that. Especially if, and this. is just a theory, but they especially. don't want to be associated with. anything drug-related happening out of. there if there's any chance the shooter. could have been targeting America for a. related reason. Can you tell if police. ever looked into this theory? We think. so based on what Kim told Nicole. Like. she said that early on in the.

investigation police took Rachel's. devices. So they had access to everybody. she had talked to, and they told Kim. that they were bringing in people for. questioning every day as they went. through Rachel's contacts and got. warrants for her social media accounts, including Facebook, which Kim knows is. how Rachel met America. Now from what I. can make out reading between the. redactions, it looks like at least one. individual who was involved in drug. sales while America was living in. Rachel's apartment was questioned, but.

that seemingly [music] went nowhere. In. fact, all we and Rachel's family know. about America is her first name. We. don't even know what she looked like. I. was just going to ask if she and Rachel. like resembled each other at all. No. idea. Justin the PI said that he's. actively working to connect with. America, but he wouldn't give us any. more information about how. So at least. in his eyes this theory [music] is still. very much like on the table. I feel like. it seems so unlikely that two different.

people would enter the same apartment. two nights in a row. >> I know. And so it's more likely to be. the same person, and if it's the same. person. it can't be mistaken identity. Which. brings me to theory number two. The. horse ranch theory. Now I want to note, this is one of the theories that the. public really ran with after Rachel's. death. But to be upfront with everyone, at least at this point, I think it's the. least likely for reasons that we'll get. into. But I am going to lay it out.

because the context around it is really. important in terms of understanding. Rachel's mental state at the time of her. death. So, let me rewind to before the. shooting in June 2022, before Rachel. ever even moved out of her childhood. home in June 2021. We're going to go all. the way back to Rachel's childhood. Specifically, a period of time that Kim. refers to as the dark years. Kim and Todd brought Rachel into their.

family in February of 2009, and she was. just 6 years old. They were experienced. foster parents active in the system for. about 18 years, and there were about a. hundred kids that passed through their. home. Now, in 2009, they weren't. actively looking to take in any more. kids, so it was a surprise when Rachel's. case worker reached out, but it quickly. became clear that this wasn't just like. a routine call. This was a last resort. because Rachel was in a really bad. situation, [music] and she needed a new. home like right then.

You see, Rachel's bio mom had her while. she was in rehab, and when she got out, she and Rachel went to live with a man. that Rachel assumed was her father or. grandfather, but Kim says that this guy. was actually an unrelated cocaine. dealer. Now, Rachel remembered very. little from this time of her life, but. she told Kim that one night her birth. mom said that she was going to go to the. store for some milk, and then she just. never came back. [music] And from then. on, it was just Rachel and this older.

guy. And it is like during this time. that people seem to know nothing about. [music] These are the dark years. Like, even Rachel couldn't or wouldn't fill in. the blanks. But she was little. All Kim knows is. that one day Rachel came home from. kindergarten to find the man that she. lived with dead on the floor of the. apartment, apparently an accident, and. then 5-year-old Rachel was promptly. taken into a child crisis center in. Phoenix, and then placed into a foster. home with a couple who promised that.

they would adopt her. But, 6 months later, they changed their. minds. So, that is when Rachel's case. worker called Kim. Now, when Rachel got. to the Hansen house, she fit in. perfectly. I mean, there were nine other. little boys and girls, and Rachel like. fell right in the middle, which meant. that there were always like other kids. to play with. Plus, she loved her new. school, but the trauma from those dark. years was like impossible to ignore. And. Rachel ended up being diagnosed with. reactive attachment [music].

disorder. Which meant that like forming, I'm sure you know this, forming healthy. relationships with caregivers was like. incredibly hard for her. And for a. while, nothing seemed to break through. Until Rachel herself suggested something. unexpected. Horses. Oh, like equine. therapy. Exactly. Like 6-year-old Rachel. likely didn't know that equine therapy. was a thing. >> Right. But like Kim says she was just. drawn to horses. Like she would ask to. be around them constantly. So, I mean, Kim's like, "Why not?". >> Yeah. And from the moment that they got.

Rachel her first horse, there was like. no going back. She fell head over heels. in love with being a horse owner, and it. helped her build confidence and just. like blossom as a young girl. >> Horse girl. As a as a horse girl, I'm. sure you know. [laughter]. And listen, this passion stuck with her. through middle school and high school. She ended up graduating early at just. 16. She earned a full scholarship to. Northern Arizona University. And all the. while, in her free time, she was still. riding, still caring for, still working. with horses. First her own, and then she.

was being hired to care for theirs. And after graduating from high school, she decided to make these gigs official. by like starting her own business with. it. >> like a college side hustle. >> No, so Rachel never ended up actually. like going to college. She enrolled, she. made the arrangements, right? She got. that full scholarship. But she was going. to begin her freshman year, and then. like a week before move-in, Kim said. that Rachel had this like panic attack. Like being that far from home suddenly. felt super overwhelming to her. So, instead of going to college, Rachel told.

her mom that she was ready to start her. life now. Like she'd get her own place, focus on her business. Like if she. wanted a degree, like she could go back. and do that later. But I mean it's also. pretty rare to like know what you want. to do that young. So, when Rachel got. the offer to live and work at the horse. ranch in Queen Creek, clearly she. couldn't turn it down. This was her. dream job and it only took her 30. minutes away from home. So, how did. things go sideways? It sounds like it happened gradually. So, the owners of the ranch, Liz.

Robinson and Amanda Krueger, they didn't. respond to us on advice of their. attorney and they wouldn't [music] speak. to Kim and Todd's PI either. But our. reporter Nicole was able to reach their. attorney. So, what I'm going to outline is everything. I know from Nicole's conversation with. their attorney, her conversation with. Kim, and then the little we can glean. from the police file. So, it sounds like. things at the ranch started out great. I. mean Rachel got the impression that the. owners didn't necessarily know a whole. lot about horses, but like she didn't.

mind. Like this is her job. I mean she. loved the work and she was getting paid. to do it. Like this was amazing. But then things started going wrong. In. an interview in the police file, which. I'm going to guess is with Amanda, like. her name I only guess this because her. name was left unredacted one time. Like. I don't know if that was a mistake, but. in this interview it says, quote, Rachel. was not keeping up with the agreement. regarding training the horses, end. quote. What was the agreement? >> Nicole asked Kim and she gave us this.

example. So, there was a young horse that Rachel was. training for riding and if you know. anything about horses, you know that you. can't just like hop on one once it's big. enough and expect to be able to ride it. Like It's like a process. >> Yeah. A long thing. >> Yeah. Like it it takes a while before. someone can get on a horse and like get. on a horse and it be safe. >> Mhm. But Kim says that apparently the. owners felt like Rachel was moving too. slowly. They wanted her to get on this. horse like ASAP. Now, Rachel told her. mom that she knew the horse wasn't.

ready, but she was afraid that if she. refused, she would get in trouble. So, she got on the horse, and within. like 30 seconds, the horse threw her. off. Now, she wasn't injured, but that moment. created a trust fracture, basically, between Rachel and the owners. And it feels like things just went. downhill from there. Like, there was. this one time that Rachel, quote, caused. approximately $10,000 worth of damage to. a horse trailer, end quote. There was. another time that Rachel needed surgery. on her finger after being kicked by a.

horse, which led to a disagreement with. the owners about when she could safely. return to work. But the final straw came. in May of 2022. So, Rachel had helped. broker a sale, like one of the horse at. the ranch in exchange for three other. horses. But, only one horse arrived. And. so, because this deal fell apart, layered on top of everything else, the. owners fired Rachel. And so, this is. right around May 24th, 2022. And this. took a huge toll on Rachel's mental. health. There's actually an incident.

outlined in the police report that says. on May 27th, so this is 3 days later, Rachel took her handgun and drove up to. Sedona, and she called the ranch owners, told them she was thinking about. suicide. Thankfully, they called 911, and police were able to get to her. before she did anything. [music]. And they were able to convince her to. check herself into Verde Valley Medical. Center for treatment. And I want to add. that it wasn't just the job that was. weighing on Rachel. She and Joe Matt. were having relationship troubles, too. And to make everything worse, the day.

after Rachel was admitted for treatment, she learned that the owners of the ranch. were refusing to return her horse, Dash, until they received $5,000 that Rachel. allegedly owed them for services. rendered to Dash while she was living on. the property, like things like vet care, feed, stuff like that. The owners. basically gave Rachel's dad, Todd, their. attorney's number and is like, "Listen, work it out with him.". So, hearing that her horse was essentially. being held for ransom, Rachel decided. she needed to like get out of this. treatment center ASAP. Like, she had to.

sort everything out. Dash's return, her. relationship with Joe Met, moving back. to her apartment now that she had. nowhere to live. So, on June 1st, we're now like right. here. This is the first day she's back. She checks out. As we know, the next day. we get the pickle intruder. Mhm. And. then after that we get the shooting. So, I guess what's the theory that the. owners targeted Rachel? Basically. And. this is this is what I'm saying, like it. it's it's far-fetched in my mind. >> Well, yeah, especially when they were.

the ones to call 911 about Rachel's like. mental health incident. >> but for some reason this is the one. theory that got like a ton of traction. online and even in the news. Liz and. Amanda's attorney said that everybody. was taking to Facebook and like dragging. his clients' names [music] through the. mud, accusing them of Rachel's murder. People started leaving them harassing. messages and like calling investigators. about them. I mean, are these women. dangerous? Like, I don't I I guess I'm. like missing the jump here. So, like.

from what we found, like they both have. criminal records, but like mostly for. driving infractions, nothing violent. >> Okay. And Kim said that Rachel never. felt like she was in danger at the. ranch. It was actually Amanda and Liz. who gave Rachel the handgun that she. took to Sedona. They gave it to her for. protection like earlier on. But because. there was so much negativity swirling. around the ranch owners with Dash and. the job, everyone I think just like kind. of jumped to this conclusion. Now, Liz. and Amanda's attorney said that they.

both spoke to investigators within the. first few days of the murder and they. were cleared based on alibis. And he also said that he thought the. police files were over redacted, which. like. same. But in his case, if Liz and Amanda. really were cleared right away, then I. would think that there are lines that. could actually like prove their. innocence like in the file. Like why. wouldn't we and I think they would even. want that. >> Yeah, and with the files being so. redacted, it's just keeping Liz and. Amanda under public suspicion. >> Exactly. Did the Hansens ever get Dash.

back? I don't want to like force them. too hard. >> Yeah, no, they did. So, Liz and Amanda's. attorney said that the fee was paid and. that the Hansens were able to get Dash. back like I think it was like a month. after Rachel was killed. So. This brings me to my third theory. The Gary Bailey theory. AKA. Joe Metheny's dad. What? So, remember how I said Rachel and Joe. Metheny were having relationship trouble.

around the time she was fired? >> Yeah. Well, a lot of that tension centered. around Gary, his dad. By all accounts, he and Rachel did not get along. Joe. Metheny was extremely close with his dad. [music] and Nicole actually spoke with. Joe Metheny's mom, Ava, for this episode. and she said that Joe Metheny didn't. have many friends because he and Gary. would just like do everything together. Like to the point where Ava actually. felt bad for her other son. Now, things.

were fine at first when Rachel and Joe. Metheny got together. But their. relationship progressed pretty fast. Like 8 months after they met, they got. engaged. And the closer Rachel and Joe. Metheny got, the more Gary had someone. to compete for Joe Metheny's attention. And Rachel told her mom, Kim, that she. felt like Gary was disturbed by the. possibility of losing Joe Metheny. So, he intentionally would try to cause. conflict between them. And to make. everything worse, right around the time. Rachel and Joe Metheny were getting.

really serious, Ava filed for divorce from Gary. Something that she'd been wanting to do. for a. long time. And may I take you on a quick. side quest? >> [laughter]. >> You never have to ask for permission, but of course. >> So, I need to tell you about Ava and. Gary's relationship. So, back in 2015, she told us that she. had been suspicious Gary was cheating on. her. So, she put a recording device in his. work truck every day for a month. He ran a landscaping business, spent a.

lot of time riding around his truck. So, if something was going down, she knew. this is where she would catch him in the. act. Girl got more than just wind. >> [laughter]. >> She got recordings. of Gary. on tape. >> Mhm. cheating on her with the men he. employed. What? Yeah, so she went to. Gary with these recordings being like, I. know what you've been doing. I want a. divorce. Literally, you can have. everything. I just [music] want the. kids. But freaking Gary, he's like, oh,

that's not me cheating. I knew you were. recording, so I staged all of this. I'm. sorry. >> [laughter]. >> I know. We tried every possible way to. reach Gary for this episode, but he. never got back to us. But I know from. Ava that in response to her request for. a divorce, Gary apparently said that he. wanted to take Ava to court over it. So, not wanting to lose her kids, Ava. promised herself that she would stay. with Gary until all the kids were. adults.

Whoop, which brings us to September. 2021. Ava was ready to end it, and she texted. her bishop to like let him know. But what she didn't know is that [music]. when she texted her bishop, she made a. group chat with. bishop and Gary. That's like constantly my worst. nightmare. >> And when Gary received that text, dude. lost it. Apparently, he had this major. personality shift, and he started acting.

really strangely. Him and Ava started. sleeping in different rooms, and Ava. said that she heard that Gary was. badmouthing her all over town and at. church. Nicole actually spoke to one of. these church members. Her name's. Jennifer Simmons. And she said that. Gary's whole temperament [music] changed. so much. Like he was just angry all the. time and constantly ranting that they. started referring to him as scary Gary. >> [music]. >> and like avoiding him at all costs. And. things just escalated from there. In.

November 2021, there was this one day. where Gary recorded himself barging into. an apartment that Ava was staying at. saying like awful things about how she. was cheating on him and that he was. there to catch her having sex. Mind you, Ava was like fully clothed watching TV. in her bedroom. And she called the. police after this, but not before Gary. sent the video to their entire family. and like people from church. >> A video of her watching TV? Yeah. [laughter]. Dude, you're the only one who looks bad.

in this video, scary Gary. >> I know. So after this incident, that's. when Ava got an order of protection. against him. Then in December, there was. an instance where the Hansons actually. had to kick Gary out of their home. because of the way he was speaking about. Ava at their dinner table. That was like. the first and only time that he was ever. in their house. And right after that, Joe Matt proposed to Rachel, which apparently just like sent Gary off. [music] even more. He started conflating the two women in.

his head. Ava said that he started. calling Ava Rachel and Rachel Ava. And. according to what Kim said happened. next, it sounds like things might have. finally come to a head. On April 27th, 2022, this is like just over a month. before Rachel would be murdered. Everything boiled over. So Rachel was at. a point where she was like fed up with. Gary inserting himself into her. relationship with Joe Matt. So, according to Ava, Rachel texted Joe Matt.

an ultimatum. It is either your dad or. it's me. The conversation spiraled. Joe Matt. messaged back that he was tired of life. and that he was experiencing suicidal. thoughts. So, Rachel panicked, tried. calling him, but he like wasn't. answering. Wasn't even answering for his. mom, either. So, Rachel drove to Gary's. house to see if Joe Matt was [music]. there. He wasn't, but Gary was. He was actually. in his car in the driveway. And at this. point, Rachel might have actually been. happy to see him because she knew if Joe.

Matt was going to answer the phone for. anyone, it was going It was his dad, right. But she asked Gary to call him and. Gary's like, "No." He refused. Why? Gary's like, "Well, you know, I don't I. like basically he said he didn't take. the suicide [music] threat seriously.". But like Rachel still was. So, she. blocked the driveway with the car that. she was driving and refused to let Gary. leave until he would call his son. And. what happens next happened fast. Gary. put his car in reverse, backed into the. car that Rachel was in, tried and failed.

to pull her out of it, and then like. gave up and drove away right over the. front lawn. Now, when this happened, Rachel called police, and then shortly. after they arrived, Joe Matt was found. He's safe. But Rachel, understandably, is like totally shaken up. >> Yeah. According to the police report, officers found her crying in front of. Gary's house, and she recounted the. whole confrontation to them. Including another chilling detail. She. said that day Gary sent her a text that. read, "If I ever see you in my house.

again, I will shoot you in the head.". And she said that he had been. threatening her for a while. Now, no. charges were filed after this. And then, Rachel was killed. And what is Joe Matt saying about all. this? Like whose side is he taking? He. seemed to have been torn down the. middle. Like I said, he never got back. to us for this episode, but what I do. know from his mom, Eva, is that he and. Rachel's relationship got so rocky after.

this that they actually called off their. engagement. And then, as you know, Rachel gets fired, her mental health. declined, she spends some time in that. facility, but her first night out, remember she goes to clean her. apartment, but then rather than staying. there or going to her parents, she. actually went to Eva's to stay the night. with Joe Metheny. And Eva said they. basically just like. she called it like hitting the reset. button. They talked everything out and. got to a really good place. So, that's. June 1st.

>> June 1st, yes. And Eva said the next. day, June 2nd, legal intruder. Yes. That. day, one of her daughters told Gary that. about the rekindling, that they're like. back together. >> Oh. And Gary is pissed. Then, there is a part of June 3rd that I. haven't told you yet. So, the night of the shooting, Joe Metheny. is with Rachel, right? >> Yeah. And he's there till like midnight. Well, here's the interesting part. He wasn't planning to leave. He was.

actually sleeping shortly before he. left. The only reason he left was. because he got a call from his dad. telling him to come home. >> [snorts]. >> What? Mhm. Wait, what he. like. why did he tell him to come home in the. middle of the night. on the same night that Rachel got. murdered? There is no explanation in the police. records that you could see. But, we.

found one somewhere else. So, remember. that woman, Jennifer, who went to church. with Gary? The woman who gave us the. scary Gary moniker. >> Jennifer. So, she said that Gary told the whole. congregation why he called on the. morning of June 5th at church. So, apparently it's scary Gary showed up to. church by himself, went up to the pulpit. to you're going to love this phrase, give testimony. And he allegedly said of the night. before, quote, I called Joe Matt to come.

home because the Holy Spirit told me so. and it saved his life. End quote. So, So, he called Joe Matt home because he. had some kind of revelation? >> That's what Jennifer said, yeah. I still. don't understand the reason for the call. though. Like did he just say, come home? And Joe Matt is just so. loyal to his dad still that he. leaves no questions asked? Or was it. something like. I know something bad's going to happen, get home, and then Joe Matt just left.

his fiance to fend for herself. Like and. if that's it, like this would have been. after an intruder had been there the. night before. >> change the lock? >> Right, like when she's already scared. and like. maybe needs someone there. Also, if it's. really the Holy Spirit speaking to Gary, why didn't he mention anything about. Rachel? Literally, Jennifer said that she asked. him that and he said, I only received. revelation about my son, not her. Yeah. Okay. Listen, the more.

conversations people at church had with. Gary, the more suspicious they became of. him. We haven't been able to corroborate. this, but Jennifer said that many of the. women in her ward called the police to. report him acting strangely. So, then. that means the police looked into him. I. mean, he's actually mentioned on the. second page of the police chronology. report from the night of Rachel's death, which in the timeline is before Rachel. even had been pronounced dead. An. officer noted the death threats from. Gary that Rachel had reported weeks.

before. But get this, according to Kim. and Ava, to this day, Gary has never. been brought in for questioning. Now, Nicole asked like how they knew this and. Kim said that she had asked the chief of. police face-to-face [music] why Gary was. never interviewed and he said, "Because. we can't force somebody to talk." Have. they tried? Kim said that the police told her that. they left a phone message, they've tried. to follow him, they've reached out in. all these like different ways and he's.

just never responded. Much like, by the. way, we reached out to him in all these. different ways and Gary has never. responded to us. And we tried phone, mail, text, Nicole. even stopped by his church in Gilbert, but we have not been able to make. contact with him either. I mean. if you have nothing to hide, why not. clear your name? Especially because. according to Ava, Gary couldn't have. been the one to pull the trigger. What. do you mean? So, she told us that Gary [music] was. home with their daughter the night of.

the shooting. All night? I don't know, but like that's what Ava. told us. And listen, I don't think she. has a reason to want to give this guy an. alibi. So, I don't think she's covering. for him. In fact, basically in the same. breath she was saying he couldn't have. pulled the trigger, but she was also. telling us that Gary had a history of. talking about hitmen. And Jennifer from. his church backs this up, too. They both. told us that he would go around. basically telling people that if you.

ever want to like off someone, the best. thing to do would be to hire someone who. is really hard to track and like the. case would just be impossible to solve. Cool. Cools. So, let me just play this out for a sec. If Gary hired someone to kill Rachel, where does the intruder the night before. come in? All I can put together is that. maybe the first night was like. a trial run or like a super. inexperienced hitman. Like one that. would use a silencer, but then kick down.

a door. Yeah, like maybe I I maybe the. first one wasn't even like a hitman at. all. Maybe the first one was someone. Gary knew, then like they go in. Well, they realize they're not a hit. man. >> Yeah, Rachel wakes up and they're like, yep, yeah, in over my skis, but also. brought pickles. Dude, the pickles. I am. obsessed with the pickles. I was trying. to look up like, was this a symbol? Like, what could this mean? Like, I even. made Nicole find out exactly what kind. of pickles? [laughter] Like, and Kim.

Kim's like, it's a medium-size standard. jar of pickles, kosher dill, in case. you're wondering. Got it. And it didn't. look like they had been opened. >> Wait, so Kim saw the pickles herself? Oh. my god. I have it. I have to tell you about this part. So, I think this encapsulates so well why. Kim, Rachel's mom, has lost so much. faith in the investigation and those. leading it. So, Kim knew about the. pickle jar because after that person. came into Rachel's apartment the first. night. >> She's like, "Hey, Mom, this weird thing.

happened and also they left pickles.". >> Yeah, here's a super weird detail. Well, Kim said in the days after the. shooting, when her and Todd were told by. police that they could finally go get. Rachel's things from the apartment, they. opened the door and the pickle jar is. just like sitting right there on the. counter. Police didn't collect it. I mean, Kim and Todd at the time assumed that. they must have like at least like. fingerprinted it or something cuz by. then they told police the story of the. person who came in the night before and.

left the pickles. >> Mhm. So, they're assuming police, you. know, did the bare minimum. Yeah, did did. their job. >> Right, like fingerprinted it to see what. strange person was in her place. >> Right. So, Kim just like took it home. along with Rachel's clothing, which by. the way was also left behind. And the. jar sat in her garage for a while until. she ultimately decided that it was time. to throw it away. But Kim has come to. regret that now because she told Nicole. that in one recent conversation with.

police she asked them about the pickle. jar. And they looked right at her. And they said, "What pickle jar?". You've got to be kidding me. Nope. They said that they never saw a pickle. jar. What do you mean never saw one? There. was nothing else in the apartment. It. was literally just her bed. and pickles. >> Which this started to make us feel like. maybe we were losing our minds or like. the whole pickle thing got conflated. with something else over the years. Like.

maybe people are mistaken. Like we just. couldn't make sense of it. Why would you. not take the one thing that might be. evidence in an apartment where you have. barely anything to work with. >> nothing. So, [clears throat]. our amazing reporter Nicole culled. through everything that we have from. Gilbert PD. Files, blurred body cam. footage, and there are no mention of. pickles at all. Except. God bless this tenacious little. reporter. There is one barely audible.

offhanded comment caught at the very end. of one officer's police body cam as he's. walking through Rachel's apartment. And. I've got it here for you to see. Oh, watch the blood on the floor.

Very empty. Guess the store was closed. I don't know. All right. That's kind of weird. Kind of a weird thing to ask for, huh? I don't know what that. >> No pickles.

No pickles. No pickles. Now, here's the tricky part. I don't. know the date of this video. And Gilbert. PD. wouldn't give us the date. >> [laughter]. >> But it must have been after the Hansens. took the pickle jar home because Kim. said that in the empty apartment, it was. [music] like impossible to miss. And. yet, we're here. Was it I don't even know how. important [music] the pickle jar is to.

this investigation. But now we will never know. I mean, at. the very least, it could have helped. identify the first intruder. Yeah, and. by the way, speaking of other. identifiable things, when the shooter kicked in Rachel's. bedroom door, they left a pretty clear. partial shoe print. Like, did police do anything with that? I mean, they left the door. There's not. like they took it. So, I don't know. And. listen, this is my call out to all the. sneaker heads. Like, come out and tell. me if you recognize this pattern on the.

door. But you can see like all of this. it like this is what makes Kim worried. that she'll never know who killed her. daughter. Kim said Gilbert police told. her that they have exhausted every lead. But even Justin the PI doesn't know what. Gilbert PD is up to with anything. And. he is probably the closest with the. department of anyone that we spoke to. According to him, if this case is going. to be solved, it's because someone. courageous is going to come forward with. information, which is why Kim wanted us. to share Rachel's story with Crime.

Junkies. Coming up on 4 years, Kim's. greatest fear is that Rachel's story. will be forgotten. It's actually why she. created Rachel's Rescue, which is a dog. and puppy rescue in her daughter's. memory to keep Rachel's story alive. We're actually going to link out to it. in the show notes. If you're in Arizona. and looking for a new furry family. member. Kim wants people to keep talking. about Rachel, to know her case, and most. importantly to speak up if they know. something, anything, about her murder.

So, if you have even the smallest bit of. information that could help move. Rachel's case in the right direction, listen, there are a lot of ways you can. come forward. [music]. You can reach out to the Gilbert Police. Department at 480-503-6500. Or if you want to remain anonymous, you. can call Silent Witness [music] 480-. 948-6377. There is a posted reward for information. that's now up to $20,000. [music]. And listen, if you feel more comfortable.

or have any trouble reaching Gilbert PD, you can reach out to Justin Yentis at. Arizona Investigative Associates by. calling 602-252-2474. [music]. You can find all the source material for. this episode on our website. crimejunkie.com. And you can follow us on Instagram at. Crime Junkie Podcast. We'll be back next. week with a brand new episode.