Why Does the Laura Sweetman Case Raise so Many Questions?

Hi Crime Junkies, I'm your host Ashley. Flowers. >> And I'm Brett. And welcome back. Last. episode I told you about the murder of. Nick Cordova in Gilbert, Arizona. >> [music]. >> In 2020, Nick and his business partner. Dave Sweetman were the only ones at. their office when two masked men came in. and shot Nick execution style in the. back of the head. Dave walked away from. that attack and sought out $8 million. in life insurance [music] money with the. quote-unquote sign-off from Nick's wife.

Alicia. Except she alleges that someone forged. her signature. [music]. And it took years of fighting in court. for her and their kids to see any share. of that life insurance money. Alicia told police that Nick was worried. before his death. Worried about things. like Dave taking money from the. business. First $30,000, then [music]. $15,000. Nick thought someone was. following him. And he half-heartedly. joked to her that maybe Dave was going. to hire a hitman to collect on the. insurance [music] money. But despite.

sharing all of this with police, they. seemingly never considered Dave a. suspect because they had surveillance. video of Nick's murder and it wasn't. Dave who pulled the trigger. So there. was really never much of investigation. done into Dave that we [music] could see. from the redacted files. There's no. mention of the prior civil suits that he. was involved in where he was made to pay. out over $10,000 to various people. And there was no mention of Dave's late. wife, [music] Laura Sweetman, who died 7.

years before Nick. In fact, she didn't come on our radar. even until very late into investigating. Nick's case. And the first thing you. need to know is that the reason we. hadn't heard about Laura's undetermined. [music] death, why almost no one outside. of her small circle has, is because. people seem to be afraid to talk about. it. More specifically, people seem. afraid of Dave and what might happen if. they spoke up. I think that's why this story has never.

been covered in any news sources that we. could find. But we know from our reporting that. Laura Sweetman's family still wants. answers. Her friends want answers. Her. colleagues and former patients want. [music] answers. Because for some of. them and us, something's not adding up. And what I can tell you after [music]. deep diving into this case, is that it. doesn't all point to Dave. This is the story of Laura Sweetman.

So let's start with the elephant in the. room, Dave Sweetman. When we first started poking around. trying to ask questions about Laura's. case, we were surprised by how many. people were afraid to talk to us. They. were afraid of Dave because the. prevailing theory among those who knew. Laura seemed to be that somehow, some. way, Dave was involved in her death.

They didn't have proof, of course, or. they would have gone to police with. that. But what they had were decades of. stories about a man who scared them and. who was scaring Laura right before her. death. So to understand that fear, and before I. ever get into how Laura died, I need to. take you all the way back to the 1980s. when Dave and Laura first started dating. as teenagers at Fallbrook Union High. School in California.

As a junior in high school, Laura was a. future homemaker of America and part of. the swim team and the yearbook club. And. Dave was a varsity football player in. the grade above [music] her. This is. like a real all-American California. dream kind of couple. Now after graduating, Laura went on to. get her master's in biochemistry. She. went to med school, completed her. residency in pediatric neurology, and. then worked at Phoenix Children's. Hospital. And Dave became a small. business owner. Now they got married and.

around 2004 they had the first of their. three sons. So from the outside, everything seemed. picture perfect. But people who knew. Laura knew that that was not the case. Laura's close friend, who we're going to. call Emily, told us that the Sweetman's. marriage was always tumultuous. Laura. and Emily first met around 2009 when. Emily started training Laura at the. [music] gym. And in those early days, Emily said that Laura had like no. confidence. She didn't feel comfortable. in her own skin. But as Laura and Emily.

got closer, Laura started talking about. why. She'd tell Emily about how her. husband would belittle her and make her. feel small. But the more that they. trained together and the stronger that. Laura got, the more comfortable she. started to feel in her own body. And. that's when she really began to open up. Now Dave actually trained at that same. gym with a different trainer. [music]. And Emily said that her and that trainer. would talk about just how different Dave. and Laura were, how there was just. something off about Dave, that he gave.

off quote the creepy vibes. And Emily. told us she couldn't understand why. Laura was with Dave when he seemed so. manipulative. But as they got closer, it. became clear that when it came to. relationships, Laura just didn't know. anything else. Now it's important to. note that while Laura was opening up to. Emily, most other people were still. completely in the dark. And the woman. who nannyed for Laura and Dave's. children, her name Stacy Miller, she. told police that they seemed like a nice.

normal everyday family and she didn't. think anything was off about them ever, really. At least until 2006-2007. In her statement to police, Stacy says. that is when Laura and Dave started. sleeping on different floors of the. house. Neither of them ever spoke about. a change and Stacy said, quote, "It. wasn't any of my business anyway, so I. didn't even ask her what went on." End. of quote. But by April of 2013, there. would be no more keeping their. relationship issues a secret. Because.

according to the police file, that is. when Laura found out about Dave's big. secret. I don't know what drove her into doing a. Facebook deep dive. Surely she was. having some suspicions of something, but. one click after another after another. led her to something that upended her. life for good. Emily was actually one of. the many people Laura opened up to about. this. And according to her, what Laura. discovered is that Dave had quote a.

whole other [music] life. He had been having an affair with a. woman who he had a child with that she. never knew about. And I'm not talking. about like a newborn baby, like oh he. couldn't figure out how to tell her. about this in the last like 9 months. This kid was preschool age, a preschool. aged son. >> And did this woman know that Dave was. married? I don't know if the woman he. was having an affair with knew. I tried. to know. We actually found the woman and. her and Dave are no longer together, so.

I was really hopeful she was going to. talk to us. But if you remember from. last episode when I mentioned that there. was a woman who Dave is in a child. custody battle with to this day in 2026, >> Yeah. that is this woman. Woah. >> So she declined to speak with our. reporter for either episode because of. her ongoing legal situation with Dave. >> Right. But to go back to April 2013, it. is clear from the police file that is. when Laura found out about this other. family and she was like done done and.

telling everyone as much. To Stacy, she. said she quote did not want to stay with. someone who would cheat [music] and lie. End quote. And according to Emily, finding out about this affair finally. gave Laura the push she needed to leave. Dave and file for divorce. And she told. Emily that she had it all planned out. The weekend of April 20th, Dave was. going to be taking two of their kids to. this wrestling tournament in New Mexico. And so she was going to use that time to.

get a new car, to get a rental house, and she planned to move all of her stuff. into that. Now come that weekend, everything was lined up and ready to go. The last step would be to loop in the. nanny because Laura didn't want Dave to. even know where she lived. So she needed. Stacy to agree to kind of be the one to. usher the kids between the houses for. whatever custody arrangement ended up. being made. >> Okay. Now, the dates of the following events are. inconsistent in Gilbert police. interviews. So I'm going to base the.

stuff I'm about to tell you, this. timeline, off of the Highland Justice. Court's report [music] which was taken. on Sunday, April 21st. Saturday, April 20th, Laura told Stacy. her plan. And she asked Stacy to take. their third son, the one that had stayed. home with her, to Stacy's own apartment. for the night so that she could get all. of her things out of the shared house. and into her rental. And she explicitly. told Stacy, quote, "Not to tell Dave. anything." And Stacy asked Laura if she.

was sure about the divorce and Laura. said yes, quote, "Everything was taken. care of." So the next day, Sunday, April. 21st, when Dave was on his way back home. with the two kids, Laura told Stacy to. bring their other son back to Dave's so. that he would be there when Dave got. back. Now according to what Dave told. police, after he got there, Laura put. all three children in the car and told. Dave that she was going to take them to. the store. But she told the kids that. they were going to have an adventure and.

stay at a friend's house. >> Assuming friend's house is code for her. rental. It doesn't say that explicitly. in the police report, but I think that's. a fair assumption. So here's the thing. though, Laura didn't drive off right. away. I don't know why, but she went. back into the house. And what happened. in the hour or so that followed is. different [music] depending on which. Sweetman is narrating. The only official. record we have is that at 8:44 p.m. Laura called the Maricopa County.

Sheriff's Office from a movie theater. about [music] 8 minutes away from Dave's. house. She told them that about an hour. and a half prior she had an altercation. with her husband at their house where he. held her against her will and threatened. to kill her and himself. She said that she tried to leave. multiple times but each time Dave. grabbed her by the throat and pulled her. back into the house. And she said that. he tried to choke her three separate. times. When she finally escaped she went.

to that theater where she was joined by. her friend. >> Wait, where were the kids that whole. time? Honestly, I don't know. It's. unclear if Stacy is still with them or. if they're all still in the car or if. maybe Stacy took them away. I don't know. but honestly they're just not even. mentioned in the Highland Justice. Court's report. All I know is that Laura. is calling from the theater and police. go to their house and respond and take. Dave into custody. But when they do he's adamant that he. did not hurt Laura. He denied holding.

her hostage explaining that during what. she called an altercation she was just. feet from the door able to leave and he. was sitting he says either like on the. ground or across the room from her. But he did admit that he had her car. keys. So she couldn't leave. Yeah, well. at least not in the car it seems. And he. also told deputies that he didn't think. he had threatened to hurt Laura but he. might have said something irrational. when he was upset. >> So it's like a he said she said. situation.

But not quite because there was a. witness in the house. A 1-hour and. 2-minute long audio recording that Laura. captured of the whole incident. Quiet coastal towns may seem peaceful. but they can harbor dark secrets. I'm. Kylie Low host of Dark Down East a. podcast that tells true crime stories. from my own New England community to.

help victims and families get justice. Listen to Dark Down East wherever you. get your podcasts. >> [music]. >> If any copy of this recording exists. [music] anymore we weren't able to find. it. According to the incident report Dave. can be heard on it threatening to shoot. himself several times but he did not say. that he was going to harm Laura. At. least audibly. Right. And Laura did ask. to leave twice but both times Dave said.

no and that he wanted to talk. And one. of those times it sounded like there was. a physical struggle and Laura could be. heard yelling for help. Okay, so. technically Dave didn't say anything out. loud. He just. did something to stop her. Like way to. play the semantics game dude. >> to Dave what they heard wasn't a. struggle. He told deputies that the only. time he put his hands on Laura was to. quote hug her and hold her close. While.

she yelled help me. He says the moment. where she said help me might have been. when they were like deep in an embrace I. guess one of Laura's two cell phones. slipped out of her belt and. >> So she yelled help me. That's what he. said and he says he did. He picked up. the phone and set it aside for her. Now deputies wrote that they didn't see. any marks or injuries on Laura [music]. and Dave later told police quote I'm.

fortunate that I didn't do anything. Which is like He's fortunate? It's a. really weird thing to say. I know. But I'm not sure if Laura like had a. full body examination or if the deputy. just sort of like gave her like an up. and down with his eyes at the theater. because it doesn't state anywhere that. she was like taken to the station or. taken to a hospital. And one of Laura's. friends told deputies that they saw pink. marks on Laura's neck that had just gone. away by the time that police were. actually talking to her but we have no.

way to actually confirm that now. The. incident report literally says quote no. photos were taken because none to take. >> Is this the first kind of call like this. or was there like. I guess I'm I'm asking like is there any. history of violence with Dave in the. past? From what we could find he was. arrested for assault in 2008 but the. charges were dismissed. So I don't have. any details on what that was or who it. even involved. >> Oh. However, in the police file there is.

a friend who said that Laura admitted to. her that Dave was abusive. Quote mostly. verbal and mental abuse and some. physical abuse but not as much as the. mental. End quote. And then another. friend told police that people around. Laura were afraid that Dave would harm. her. >> Like always afraid or just after this. incident? Both but at least from what I. can read no one ever witnessed any. physical violence. Injuries or not. though [music] Dave did get arrested for.

the assault and unlawful imprisonment. and he allegedly spent a night in jail. But according to the police file when. the charges got forwarded to the. Highland Justice Court they were dropped. due to insufficient evidence. So. literally recording what happened isn't. even enough for like the she part of he. said she said. Not enough for charges. Cool. But it was enough to get Laura an. order of protection against David and. full custody of the children. She filed.

for that the day after this incident and. Laura and Dave did not see each other. again for over 5 months. In that time she was living at her. rental house doing her pediatric. neurology work taking care of her kids. spending time with friends and she had. even started to date. But Laura's close. friends knew that this was not an easy. time for her. Emily told police that. Laura was always scared of Dave and then. she told us that Laura did not feel.

safe. On top of that Laura was working. all the time and constantly stressed. particularly. about [music] money. I mean to the point. where Emily said Laura would make. comments about what she couldn't afford. at the coffee shop that they would go to. together. And Laura apparently stopped. going to the gym for personal training. because she could no longer afford. sessions. I know money and like financial support. is a big reason that a lot of people. feel like they they can't leave a. relationship but I'm.

I'm kind of surprised. about that in this situation cuz like. girl's legit got like a good paying job. as a doctor. >> Neurology. Yeah, I'm sure she got paid. well at Phoenix Children's Hospital. I'm. just not clear what other factors were. at play. I mean I know Emily asked her. about it before but Laura would just say. that she had a lot of student loan debt. which like med school that's no joke. >> But she also mentioned some IRS tax. stuff that had to do with Dave. Okay, go. on. I can't. Like we weren't able to.

corroborate anything involving the IRS. with official records so I don't know. what Laura might have been referring to. But what is in the police report though. is this. One of Laura's coworkers at Phoenix. Children's Hospital told investigators. that he and Laura discovered Dave had. started several businesses that she. didn't even know about. He told police that she only found out. when people began calling her demanding. money over bad deals that Dave had. allegedly made.

And one of the men that Laura was seeing. around the time of her death told police. he knew Dave had quote dickered over on. a bunch of money. >> [music]. >> End quote. But he didn't elaborate. According to what Emily told police Dave. would say things to Laura about how he. was going to end up with the money in. the divorce. >> is there even money to end up with? Dude, I don't know maybe in 2013 right? I know by 2020 when his business partner. Nick Cordova was murdered he was. allegedly taking money from the business.

and we know there were like previous. times that he and his businesses were. sued for unlisted reasons and he was. ordered to pay thousands of dollars. Plus if you look at the businesses that. David had at the time Gilbert Air and. Monster Impound and Recovery. online there's still like a number of. negative reviews alleging price gouging. and illegal towing scams. >> And did he own those at the time of the. divorce? The towing company yes but it. looks like actually Gilbert Air was. founded a couple of years later. So. listen, this what I'm saying is I don't.

know what Dave's full financial deal was. in 2013 but you definitely can see some. like red flags at least later. >> And how did these threats about money. even make it to Laura if there's a. protective order in place and he doesn't. even know where she lives? Like I assume. they they weren't even speaking. What I. know is that the order of protection. barred Laura and Dave from having. in-person contact or like talking on the. phone but like texting email was totally. fine. I never like understand these. things. So it's very possible that they. could have been messaging each other.

about the divorce. [music]. But by all accounts Dave really didn't. see Laura or the children even until. October of 2013. This is about 5 months. after the domestic violence call. That is when a judge finally gave Dave. some kind of shared custody where he. would get the boys every other week. Even then Dave and Laura didn't see each. other except for once at their son's. baseball game because remember they had. Stacy to usher the boys back and forth. So it was important to Laura that Dave.

not know where she lived but friends and. family wonder if he found out [music]. because they told police that in the. months leading up to her death Laura was. worried that someone had been following. her. And they believed that it was. either Dave or someone that he hired. So. maybe he could figure out where it was. she was living. To be clear, no one ever. reported seeing Dave at Laura's rental. house, and Dave insisted to detectives.

that he had no idea where she lived. But, there is one detail in the police. report that sticks out to me. On November 14th, this is less than a. month before Laura would be found dead. in her home. One of her neighbors called police to. report a suspicious car parked across. the street from Laura's house. It was a. white Isuzu Rodeo with an Arizona. license plate. He said there was a white.

man in the driver's seat doing something. on his phone, and when he walked up to. ask him, you know, what he was doing in. the neighborhood, the man said that it. was none of his business and basically. cursed [music] him out. Now, our. reporter, Nicole Kegan, was able to get. in touch with this neighbor, a man named. Harry. And he said that this car drove by his. house at least three times that day, and. he called police because he thought the. man driving might have been following. him. Now, he couldn't say exactly how. long the car was in the neighborhood,

but at least a couple of hours, and it. seemed like the driver was looking for. somebody. But then at night, Harry noticed that. the car parked in [music] Laura's. driveway. >> And did this happen more than once? Well, Harry said that was the only time. that he knew of this car being in the. neighborhood. But either way, he said. that police didn't seem to care about. the call, and they never followed up. with him. And he says he remembers. calling them back later himself, and. they just said, quote, "Nothing. further.".

Now, all Harry remembered was that the. guy in the car was a white guy with a. medium build, which like. sure, fits Dave, but also everyone else. >> How many other Yeah, how many other. guys? But here's the wild part. For what it's. worth, Harry did keep meticulous. records. So, when Nicole was talking to. him about this, he's like, "Oh, you You. know what? Wait 1 second. Let me just go. check my crime folder to see if I have. notes from that time." His what?

>> I don't know if this man listens to the. show, but he should. He is a crime. junkie, because what he did reminds me. of when I was young and we would go on. road trips with my family. >> Yes. And while other kids, I'm sure, were like on road trips had coloring. books or like playing I spy, I had this. like little notebook. I'm sure you know. who I am. Who are I would like to see. this notebook. >> I would like take down license plate. numbers of cars that I found to be. suspicious. >> You, like 7-year-old you. It never I. don't like that car. It never came in. handy, but Harry's crime folder might. come in handy. Because when he went to.

his computer, he's like, "Yep, I took. notes about this.". >> Of course he did. >> I took notes of the type of car, and by. the way, the license plate number, which, Brit, we tried so hard to run. this down. I mean, he gave us the. number, >> Yeah. but there's this thing called the. Driver's Privacy Protection Act, which. keeps people who aren't detectives or. PIs from running license plates to. identify a driver. >> Which like makes sense. And listen, that's where we were like, we even were. like, "Oh, we'll just like hire a PI.". But like the DPPA makes it difficult to.

even do that, too, cuz you're you can't. just like be a media company and use. them to like go around it. >> Right, right. But I know for a fact that. Harry gave this license plate number to. the police. What I don't know is if they ever did. anything with it, if they tracked down. this driver, or who that driver was, because there is no further mention of. this tip in Laura's file. Now, we did. FOIA the incident report for Harry's. call, but as of this recording, we still. haven't gotten a response from the. Gilbert Police Department. In fact, when.

you submit a request through their. portal, it says the minimum processing. time is 18 months. Is that even legal? Uh our legal counsel. says she doesn't think so. It's a. constructive denial, which is basically. means that the agency didn't want to. explicitly say no. >> anything but no. Yeah, but like so. they're basically in their actions or. like their lack of actions like does the. speaking for them. So, million-dollar question, what kind of car did Dave drive? Did I.

have no idea? No one we asked remembered. from that time. And this would have This. would have been a super simple question. for police to have answered at the time, but there is nothing in the records. about them checking cars after this tip. came in. >> And was this neighbor's tip in Laura's. file, or is just like records we pulled. from calls placed in the neighborhood? >> it's right there in the file. It's just. not. >> Never followed up on. >> No. But regardless, I don't think it's.

outrageous to speculate that whoever was. in that car, for whatever reason, it might have had to do with Laura. Well, yeah, especially if they're parked. in her driveway. So. That is when she. did something strange right before. Thanksgiving. Laura wrote a prescription and asked one. of her friends, who we're going to call. Tara, for a favor. She wanted Tara to fill the prescription. in Tara's name, but then give it to.

Laura. Was this something she had done. before? Not that we know of. And Tara. actually told police that Laura had. never asked her to do any favors at all. But she said that Laura was, quote, "Really behind on paperwork and in. desperation" when she asked this. I don't know if she ever did this before. with anyone else. As far as I can tell, Laura was like a pretty by-the-books. person, and this is definitely not. legal. Like it could be considered. prescription fraud. And if there is.

controlled substances involved, >> then it's a huge deal. >> Yeah, I mean, it can rise to felony. charges. It's like the kind of thing. that if found out by the medical board, could cause someone's medical license to. be suspended or even revoked. So, I don't know what was driving her to. do this now. >> And do we know what the prescription was. for? No, it's redacted in the file, and. Tara declined to speak with us for this. episode. [music]. Emily, who we talked to, said that she. believed it was for treating anxiety,

which like given everything that was. going on with Laura at the time, like it. didn't surprise Emily that she might. have taken something like that. So, now. this brings me to early December. [music]. Laura took the kids to San Diego for. Thanksgiving, so when they got back on. December 1st, the boys went to stay with. their dad for a full week, including the. weekend. So, they're with him on Monday, December. 9th, the morning that Laura Sweetman was. found dead. That morning, it was pretty obvious that. something had happened to Laura. She was.

a no-call, no-show for work. And I've. worked with doctors before. For any good. doctor, that is unheard of. So, pretty. early in the morning, one of her. co-workers started making calls to check. on her. When she didn't answer, they. called Stacy and asked her to go check. on Laura. This was shortly before 9:10. a.m. When Stacy got to Laura's, the metal. gate door on the front door, it's like. what we would call like a screen door, right? That was locked and the front. door, both locked as usual. So, she had.

to use her key to get inside. She was. greeted by both of Laura's dogs, but she. didn't see Laura anywhere or hear. anything when she called out her name. Before she could even go up the stairs. to check Laura's room, she saw the first. sign that something was off. Right at. the base of the staircase, the plastic. gate that was usually in place to keep. Laura's smaller dog from getting by was. laying on the floor in this like. diagonal position a few feet away from. the staircase. Stacy actually had to.

move it out of the way so she could get. up the steps. And upstairs, Laura wasn't. in her unmade bed. Stacy found her in the bathtub. unresponsive. Within 5 minutes of calling 911, Gilbert. firefighters are at the scene. And. what's documented is that Laura was. naked, unresponsive, and foaming at the. mouth. And while there was water in the tub, Laura's face wasn't submerged, and there.

were no other obvious wounds or bleeding. that explained what had happened. But there was no hope of saving her, because when the fire captain tried to. move Laura's arm, he realized that she. was already in full rigor, which sets in. after like 6 [snorts] to 12 hours-ish. >> Which would put her time of death at. >> Based on my math, sometime between 9:00. p.m. on the 8th and 3:00 a.m. on the. 9th. But there is no time of death. listed in the police or the ME reports.

So, do we know if anyone saw her in in. that window of time? Well, before I get. to that, I I want to first point out. some things about the scene. To the first detective that arrives on. scene, everything seems in order. Like. there's no obvious signs of a struggle. or forced entry. But according to Stacy, there are some things that are out of. place. That dog gate, for one. But also, when she heard the fire truck. coming, Stacy went to let the dogs out.

in the backyard, and that's when she got. a second sign that something was off. The back door, which Laura always locked. before going to bed, was unlocked. So, someone could have. easily walked right in. Or walked right. out. It also could mean that she died. before going to sleep that night, like. before all of her like nighttime. routine. >> Right, before she got a chance to fully. lock up for the night. And until police. know what caused Laura's death, like. they do have to treat this whole thing.

as suspicious, which means talking to. those who knew her. This is how we have. anything in the police file. And I want. to start with Dave's first interview. with police. Because it's really strange. When a detective calls Dave the day that. Laura was found, he tells Dave that. Laura is part of an investigation and. [music] asks if Dave is able to pick. their kids up from school. A part of an.

investigation? Like they don't tell him. that Laura is dead? Dave asks what's. wrong, but they say that they can't. explain it over the phone. So, they. agree to meet Dave at his house. Here's. where it gets interesting. So, according. to the police file, when Dave greets the. detective outside of his house, he's. already crying. Even though they haven't told him what. happened. Exactly. Did Stacy tell him? No, the detective immediately clocks. this as odd. So, he specifically asks if.

Dave spoke to anyone. and he says, [music] "No." So, why is he. crying? File doesn't say. But when the detective finally does tell. Dave that Laura died, he just like doubles over and starts. sobbing uncontrollably, which the. detective says continues for the. duration of their conversation. And they. speak about Laura's medical history, the. order of protection, the divorce, the.

domestic violence call, and even his. affair. But Dave maintains that he had no idea. where Laura lived or what her life was. like after they separated. From what I. can see, the last time he tells them. that he saw Laura was at their son's. baseball game back in October. And for. all the things they do talk about, nowhere in the summary [music] do I see. the detective asking Dave any accusatory. questions or even anything about where. he was the night before. So, we don't.

know if he had an alibi or not. Not. explicitly, no. But. what his three sons were with him all. weekend. How old were they? Back in. 2013, they would have been like around. six, eight, and nine. And do we know if. they had a sitter at any point or could. he have left after they went to bed? Like that would make for a pretty good. alibi. >> Yeah, I mean, sure. Like Laura's rental. was only 15 minutes away, but there's no.

record of anyone sitting for them. And. we reached out to one of Dave and. Laura's now adult sons for comment, but. he declined to speak and asked that we. not contact anyone else in his family. What I do know is that Gilbert PD did. look at Dave's phone and that showed. that he was at his house from the night. of December 8th through the morning of. the 9th, up until he dropped the kids. off at school between like 7:00 and 7:30. that morning. >> You mean his phone was there. That's his. phone. A phone can be left anywhere.

>> Sure, which is why I'm dying to see more. records. Like was there activity on it. during that time? Like was it normal. activity? Did they look at location data. outside of just that night? Did it ever. come close to Laura's rental? And I. would also really love to ask Dave about. all of this, but he didn't respond to. any of our calls or our messages. So, when all this happened, were people. suspicious of Dave like right off the. bat? Oh, yeah. Laura's dad, her stepmom, one of her coworkers, and Emily all told.

police that they thought Dave had. something to do with Laura's death. In. fact, according to the police file, the. moment Emily heard that Laura died, she. immediately texted a friend and said, quote, "I'm so sick to my stomach. I know David. had to do something with it." End quote. I mean, if we think about possible. motive, with Laura gone, Dave could. avoid the divorce proceedings. He'd automatically get custody of the. kids. Like this would simplify things.

for him. >> what did happen. And some people we. spoke to have suggested that Dave. benefited from Laura's life insurance. policy, though we have not been able to. corroborate that with any official. records. But spoiler alert, Dave has never been. publicly named as a suspect or person of. interest in this case. But also, no one has. Because this case. has never been discussed publicly by the. police department. So, in my eyes, Dave.

does seem suspicious, but it's hard to. tell how much of that is coming from the. evidence [music]. versus like the people in the police. file who were already convinced it was. him. And I'll go on the record as saying. he may not be the only person in Laura's. life who deserves that level of. attention. We know Laura had started to date other. men when she separated from Dave, right? Well, she was in communication with at. least five of them in the weeks leading. up to her death.

And one of those five was the last known. person to see Laura alive. So, the day before Laura died, this. would have been Sunday, December 8th, she invited a man that she had been. seeing named Will over to her place. Will was a trainer at the gym that she. went to. Now, his description of their. relationship when he talks to police on. December 10th is that they met because. of the training, like he trained both. her and Dave at one point, and then they. started talking more, going to lunch.

together, and that they were, quote, basically friends. But Will does admit to being at Laura's. on the 8th, quote, "for maybe an hour.". Okay, like which hour and like to do. what? For some reason I cannot. understand, they never actually ask Will. for the time that he left, which like is. the important part? >> Yes. And we asked Emily if she knew. because she and Will used to be friends, too, and she said that at the time he. told her that he left between 9:00 and.

11:00 p.m. But I can't find anything to. corroborate that and it doesn't seem. like he explicitly says. like what he was even there for. Or at. least if he does say that, it doesn't. make it into the police file. So, when. he left, what they were doing, I don't. know. Now, he says that when he left at. whatever time that was, Laura was. completely fine and he says that she. didn't mention anything about anyone. else coming to the house that night. But. even he adds that he knew Laura was.

afraid of Dave and that he really hoped. she died of natural causes. I mean, for. his sake or hers? That is a great. follow-up question that was not asked. What the detective does seem to ask Will. is [music] if he still has any text. messages with Laura from Sunday on his. phone. And he says, "No.". That he deleted them because he had a. girlfriend and he didn't want her to. know about Laura. But I thought he and.

Laura were just friends. >> Buddies, right? Yeah. I I think it's. safe to assume that it could have been. more than that because when Will. consents to give his phone over to. police, which he does, he prefaces that. there are, quote, images of Laura on it. Whatever that means. Now, along with his phone, Will gives. his DNA, though I don't know what for. because there is no mention in the. redacted file of anything that they. might be wanting to compare this to. I.

know investigators did do a sexual. assault kit on Laura, but none of the. files that we received mention the. results of that. And do they ever just. straight-up ask Will if he had anything. to do with Laura's death? >> Not that I can see. And like Dave, there. is no information whatsoever about an. alibi. Actually, at least with Dave, we. have phone data. We don't even get that. for Will in the file. We don't even know. for sure if he like did leave Laura's. place. Well, I mean, we know he wasn't. there on Sunday when Stacy got there in.

the morning. >> that's all we know. That's all I can say. for sure, right. And our reporter. reached out to Will for comment, but as. of this recording, he hasn't gotten back. to us. But like I said, Will wasn't the. only man that Laura was seeing at the. time. In fact, he's not even the only. man she saw that weekend. Through analyzing Laura's text messages, police were able to determine that on. Saturday, December 7th, Laura went on a. date with a man named Shaheen. And on. Sunday, she texted multiple men to try. and make plans for that night.

She asked a man named Ameka to see a. movie. She was going to spend the night. with a man named Darren, but he. canceled. So, that night she ended up. having dinner with a man named Bruce. And then after that dinner is when Will. must have come over. Do these guys know. about each other? Well, Will tells the. police that he didn't know about anyone. else. As for the other guys, we tried to reach. all of them because as far as I can. tell, police never did. But as of this. recording, we have not been able to.

connect with any of them. I mean, you want to talk about motive? Like. who's to say what one of these guys. didn't like find out about the rest, get. jealous? >> Right? Like what if the car that Harry. saw, the neighbor, was one of these. guys? >> Which like I was going to ask like did. any of them have like a medium build and. were white? But like like we said. before, that could be any of them. >> Yeah, I couldn't find any photos of. Darren, Ameka, or Shaheen online. But I. mean, Will and Bruce could fit that. description. >> And like what if one of them saw Will. leaving the house and like confronted.

her? The problem I have with a theory. like that, no matter who like it would. involve, is that feels like a crime of. passion, right? And those usually have a. clear-cut cause of death. That is not what we get here. Which brings me to the part of this case. that has been keeping me up at night. Laura's autopsy report. We were able to. get the medical examiner's report and. the toxicology report completely.

unredacted from the Maricopa County. Medical Examiner's office. And let's just say they raise a lot of. questions. So, our reporter Nicole. reached out to the medical examiner who. performed Laura's autopsy. His name is. Dr. Mark Shelley and she consulted an. outside forensic pathologist who has no. ties to this case to go through. everything line by line and make sure. that we understood exactly what the. findings were. The first thing of note. is that Laura had no internal injuries.

But there is evidence of trauma on her. body. Dr. Shelley notes surface-level bruises, scrapes, and redness on Laura's head, back, breast, elbow, forearms, wrist, hand, leg, and knee. But according to the pathologist that we. consulted, it's hard to know what what. like these might be [music] from. Like. there's no description of any particular.

patterns. >> And they were all like fresh or or. recent? >> So not all of them cuz this is the other. thing, some appear to have been at least. a week old. And Will told police in his. interview that Laura bruised easily and. would have bruises in random places, specifically like her shins and her. arms, but he didn't know how she got. them. He said it never looked like she. had been beaten up or anything like. that. >> Okay, did police specifically ask him. that because to them it looked like. she'd been beaten up? It's honestly not. totally clear from the file like what.

prompted that information out of him, but it also could have come up when they. were talking about her workout routines. since I mean right we know he's a. trainer cuz I actually know that Dave. told police Laura {quote} works out like. an idiot. And the pathologist that we. consulted said that all of these. injuries could have been sustained. during frequent workouts except for the. signs of trauma to her head. There is a contusion around the size of. like a business card on the top of.

Laura's head and then another near her. left temple. Neither of these were lethal injuries. But I don't could they have knocked. Laura unconscious? The pathologist says. it's not likely, but it is possible. And. were those injuries recent? I would. assume yes because they're not noted as. healing like some of the other bruises. are. But I can't say 100% for sure. I mean. without photos or more detailed report,

the bruises and the contusions are hard. to explain. And what's somehow even. harder to explain is the foaming at the. mouth. And this is where things start to get. really weird. According to the. pathologist, foaming at the mouth is. common in drowning because when water. enters someone's lungs and they try to. breathe, the air mixes with the water. and this thing called surfactant, [music]. which is a natural soapy fluid. And like. this mixing creates foam.

But Dr. Shelley wrote {quote} there was. no definitive evidence of drowning. End. quote. Which. also sounds like there was no definitive. evidence that she didn't drown. The. pathologist told us that given the. bruising on Laura's arm, it's possible. that someone could have held her. underwater and drowned her. But without [music] seeing the scene. photos or photos of her body, he just. can't say anything with certainty. And.

Gilbert PD hasn't released any of that. >> But was there any water in her airways? Dr. Shelley doesn't note any water. specifically, but there was {quote}. moderate amounts of blood and frothy. fluid. End quote. And that was like in. her lungs. And I wish Gilbert PD would release more. or talk to us because to me, the number. one question I have is how was she. positioned in the tub? Same because like.

we know her head wasn't submerged, but I. mean did the water drain out a little. bit? Right like you would think that. like if her nose and mouth had been. underwater for like a longer period of. time, I would I would imagine that it. would be like foamy. Like maybe that. would wash away. >> that, yeah. And like actually how much. foam was there even? I don't know. Was. she laying down like she was just like. enjoying a bath? How cold was the water? I have 4 million questions that the. autopsy report alone does not answer. Now, I know from talking to Emily that.

Laura was a bath girly. Take it from one. who knows. Particularly loved taking. baths at night. But did she go into that. tub on her own? That is my question. and I don't know the answer. But. let's say for a second that this wasn't. a drowning. There is something else that can cause. foaming at the mouth and that is a heart. attack. But this is truly a whole. 'nother can of worms because according. to the ME's report, Dr. Shelley says.

that he received Laura's medical history. which included {quote} a prior. myocardial infarction. End quote. Which. is medical speak for a heart attack. But. the pathologist that we spoke to said he. wants to know where Dr. Shelley got that. medical history from because the autopsy. report states that there was no. scarring, no abnormalities of the heart. or cardiovascular system at all. Which. he says there typically would be if. there was a previous heart attack. But I.

mean I know Shelley isn't just like. pulling this out of thin air. He's not. That information is backed up in the. police report. In interviews, Laura's. friends and family and doctors state. that Laura did have a heart attack in. September 2011. This is 2 years before. her death. She had it while training for. a marathon and she would have been like. 39 at the time. [music] And to their. credit, Gilbert PD went to Laura's. cardiologist who said that when she came. in in 2011, she {quote} did not have any.

significant blockage and there were not. any additional interventions. >> [music]. >> needed. So she had a heart attack, but. there was basically no physical evidence. of it? I guess so. That cardiologist. said that they placed Laura on this like. short-term medication until she took a. stress test which showed that she was. fine. And actually in May 2013, almost 7. months before her death, Laura saw her. cardiologist who said that she was. asymptomatic with no complaints. They.

also did a blood workup at that time. which showed that there was no. underlying cause for the initial heart. attack. So it's like if you take. everyone at their word, Laura had a. heart attack. But if you look at the. evidence. >> her heart. >> her actual heart which you can only do. in an autopsy, she didn't. So. Okay, what like I'm like spiraling on. this. Was she like misdiagnosed? Was it. just like severe chest pain or like a. panic attack?

>> Without like actually seeing her medical. records myself, I don't know how they. came to the conclusion that it was a. heart attack. Like I'm I'm assuming. there had to been some kind of testing, right? She's a doctor, too. Like. I don't Maybe it was so mild that it. didn't leave evidence? I mean is that is. that possible? Is that even a a thing? I. mean we asked Dr. Shelley, he said that. every case is different and it would. depend on the exact intensity of the. heart attack. >> Which I guess makes sense. >> Yeah, and and he says that's information. he doesn't remember from her medical. records and like I said, we don't have.

them. But he remembers that there was no. evidence of a new heart attack, but he. couldn't remember if there was evidence. of a previous one. And I mean if. there was, I think he would have. recorded it. Correct. Maybe it was as. undamaging as any heart attack could be. because Emily did tell us that Laura. bounced back really quickly after this. and just kind of like almost played it. off. Like oh, no big deal, just like a. heart attack, whatever. But if there was. anything wrong with her heart at any. point, there was something Dr. Shelley.

noted in his report that could have. contributed to her heart stopping. He. says that a prescription stimulant. medication was found at the scene. Like. stimulant like Adderall? Could have been. anything like that, right? Like. Adderall, Ritalin, sure if Laura had. And today, Dr. Shelley didn't remember what the. specific medication was. >> But he's saying it was at the scene. Was.

it in her system? That's the catch. There is nothing in her system. Laura's. toxicology screen came back completely. clean. There's no alcohol, no common. drugs of abuse, no prescription. stimulants, or even anxiety medication. >> So it couldn't have contributed to her. heart stopping if she didn't take it. Like finding at the scene means nothing. Yeah, or at least she didn't take it. recently if she had before. Like not. that not that day, right? >> Right like but who was the drug.

prescribed to? The report doesn't say. But I mean as we know, a basic drug. screen only rules out the most common. drugs of abuse. >> they're looking for something specific. >> Yeah. Like I mean it's like right, it's. like probably weed, cocaine, like. stimulants. It doesn't mean. that there couldn't have been like. something else in Laura's system. It. just means that those hypothetical drugs. or like those like common drugs. were not there. And [music] Nothing else. was tested for. >> Right, nothing else was tested for. And.

because the toxicologist didn't include. a methodology in the report, there's no. way for us to know what sorts of. instruments were used and what. quantities of like drugs that they could. detect. >> And is that something that's usually. included in those reports? You know, I'm. finding that it really depends on the. specific lab or the person performing. the autopsy. >> Great. But the pathologist that we spoke. to said that the reports that he's. familiar with usually does include that. stuff. And you know, this is one of like the.

biggest surprises to me as I've learned. about how homicide investigations work. I am shocked at how few standards there. are and like what is optional? Like with. any other profession where you have. people's life and death in your hands, there are strict rules about training, certification, continued education, oaths and expectations. Think about what. like Laura probably had to go through to. be a neurologist. >> Oh, yeah. But if your loved one is. murdered, you got to just hope and pray. that your detective knows what he's.

doing and that the lab has the right. people running the right tests and then. you cross your fingers. And like I'm. honestly done with people coming to me. and talking about like underfunding. I. know the guys in the trenches can't help. it and they don't have a say, but our. government is out here spending like. $200 million on a Homeland Security ad. saying like don't come here in English. and based on Pentagon estimates reviewed. by lawmakers by mid-March, we already. spent 11.6 billion on a war that I'm.

pretty sure none of us want. And you're. telling me we don't have money for. justice reform? >> like a little bit of justice reform. >> have to start a nonprofit to pay out of. my own pocket to solve cold cases. because we can't afford it. Like give me. a. break. What should be done with our tax. dollars can be done. You can solve cases. with your vote, you guys. Just remember. that. But I will get off my soapbox and back. to this autopsy report that apparently.

can include or exclude whatever it wants. because there are no rules. There are. few rules and it's optional to follow. them. So, another thing that the pathologist we. consulted with pointed out was that. there is at least one test result that. is discussed in the ME's report that is. not mentioned in the tox screen. It's a. sodium level test on fluid from Laura's. eye which apparently shows an unusually. low number. And that, he says, is something that you.

could see in association with fresh. water drowning. It's not definitive evidence [music]. of drowning. The pathologist said that. you could also see that in someone who. like binge drinks water, but it does raise the question. What. else was tested that might have been. left out of the report? All in all, the. pathologist said that what he can see. from the reports seems to be reasonable, but if he were doing the autopsy, there.

are a few things that he would have done. differently to try and get more. information. He said that he would have. wanted to do a detailed neuropathy. examination or dissect Laura's cardiac. conduction system, which Dr. Shelley. says that he might have done and is just. not mentioned in the file. But like he. doesn't remember now. The consultant also would have wanted to. do some genetic testing to see if Laura. had any inherited conditions that could. have caused sudden death because of a. heart problem. Like there is this thing. called long QT syndrome Which we talked.

about before. It was in the Lauren. Spierer episode way back, but that's an. inherited heart disorder that can cause. sudden fainting, seizures, or cardiac. arrest, particularly when the heart. beats in an irregular way, like during. exercise or stress. Now, Dr. Shelley. says that he doesn't remember if the. genetic testing for that was available. back in 2013. >> But it's not like Laura was exercising. in her bathtub. True, but we know she. was extremely stressed in the months. leading up to her death and, you know,

when Will was there, I don't know what. these buddies were doing when they were. hanging out. Listen, like the. pathologist we talked to said that he. doesn't know if any of those tests would. even yield anything. [music]. But like what if they did? >> Right. He said that the way Laura was. found suggests to him that she drowned. But what he can't interpret from the. reports is why might she have drowned? >> Mhm. Did someone hold her under the. water? Did she have a seizure? Did she. fall and get knocked unconscious? Did.

she overdose on something on purpose or. by accident and it's just a drug that. wasn't tested for in the tox screen? >> I mean, the fall question is really. interesting because I feel like the. thing that doesn't fit into any of this. is like. the dog gate being at the bottom of the. stairs. Like I know. >> It it's like I don't know what to make. of that. >> Right, it's notable, but but I don't. know what it means. >> Right, did someone like rush out and hit. it? Did she trip over it and hit her. head? >> And I I think if she had done it, like. she would have put the gate back up.

Like it was there for a reason, it's her. house, right? >> Maybe. Without further investigation like. like I we have to guess because all we. have are these reports which don't. explain any of that. And I don't know. what to think based on just reviewing. these reports. Dr. Shelley said it looks. like a typical autopsy and though he. doesn't remember what he was thinking. back then, he would make the same. undetermined conclusion about the cause. and manner of death today with the. information he has. Which he he says is.

not a common finding that like in the. medical examiner world, but quote it. happens. And this is an interesting. part, whenever it does happen, the case. has to be reviewed by at least one other. pathologist. >> And was this one? I couldn't tell you because there's no. documented evidence of a review in the. ME report and when we asked Dr. Shelley. if that happened, he said it likely. would have been reviewed, but quote 2013.

resources are different from 2026. resources, so my best recollection is. that we would have done everything we. could have in 2013. End quote. So, here's an example of us. having a rule in place, but no one has. to show proof that they're following it. That is. if they're even following it. It would. be really great to have someone other. than just Dr. Shelley to look to in this.

case because. there's something that I haven't told. you yet. Something that we were not. prepared for. So, Brett, >> [laughter]. >> when we were reporting on this case, I. get this call from Nicole and she's. like, I have to tell you something. And. she's like I don't even I can't even. tell you. I need you to just like hear. this clip that I just found from Channel. 12 in Arizona.

I wanted to play the clip for you. We. could not license it. The fees were like. outrageous for the 19 seconds that I. wanted. But the clip starts and there's this. newscaster and they're like a doctor. takes a dead Marine's brain home with. him and then allows his kids to hold it. and take pictures [music] with it. What? [laughter] And then the anchor pops in. and he's like, yeah, a decision that led. to this doctor being reprimanded. But it. didn't keep Maricopa County from hiring. that very same doctor to work on some of. the most high-profile criminal cases.

>> [laughter]. >> Okay, sorry. I'm like letting the shock. like wash over my body. That's Dr. Shelley. Okay. >> [laughter]. >> Okay. And this is before he did Laura's. autopsy. >> Yeah. Before Maricopa County hired him. Wendy Halloran did a full investigation. into Dr. Shelley's past which revealed. that in December 2011, when he was a. military medical examiner in Portsmouth, Virginia, he was performing an autopsy.

on a Marine Corps sergeant who was found. dead in his home. Afterward, he was meant to take the. brain, considered evidence, Right. >> to a naval hospital in Virginia for. further examination. But as I just told. you, that's not what he did. [music]. Instead, he took it to his house, took. it out of the stock jar, and handed it. to his young kids to feel while his wife. took pictures. I'm sorry. I'm like. literally.

>> [laughter]. >> speechless. I have like zero words, but. all the questions. >> And Dr. Shelley he did bring the brain. to the hospital the next day, but the. Virginia Medical Board found out about. his like little detour from an anonymous. caller and then they launched this like. whole investigation. >> Yeah, I feel like those pictures have to. live on like the wife's cell phone. somewhere. >> to imagine someone saw the pictures and. that's what prompted the call. I don't. know. Trust me, we scoured the internet. for these pictures if they're anywhere. out there, zero luck. Now, the Virginia. Medical Board ended up reprimanding Dr.

Shelley. They slapped him with a $2,500. fine. That's it? Well, yes and no. because according to Channel 12, the. Navy had also launched their own. investigation and though it was found. that Dr. Shelley's. show and tell didn't affect the brain. examination in any way, he was put on. desk duty, his hospital privileges were. suspended, and he was not allowed to do. anything clinical. Great. I feel like. this is all semantics. Was he fired or. not?

The commanding officer of the naval. hospital in Virginia quote recommended. that Shelley's privileges be revoked. End quote. >> That's not an answer. >> I know, I'm getting there. But the. surgeon general they had to give the. final sign off before that could happen. though, Shelley was offered this job. with the Maricopa County Medical. Examiner's office in Arizona. >> He got out before he got fired. >> Yep, isn't like I've seen this in like. departments you can resign first, right? All he had to do was go get his Arizona. medical license approved. So, to. facilitate that, he wrote this letter to.

the board about the indiscretion and I'm. actually going to have you read the part. where he describes what it is he did. like in his own words. I told my children that I had done an. autopsy and retained the brain so that. an expert could examine it. My older son and my stepdaughter. expressed an interest as they always. have with my occupation. So, I showed. the brain to them and explained what the. different parts of the brain are and how. it works. I also allowed them to gently. feel the brain while wearing plastic.

mittens? I emphasized respect for the decedent. the entire time we examined the brain, which was no more than approximately 3. minutes. >> 3 minutes. Okay, like. in this context, can we like define what respect means? I. thought you were going to say plastic. mittens because I want to know what. plastic mittens are. And I don't It. might be a medical examiner thing that. I'm unaware of, but like I'm imagining. like oven mitts. Yeah. >> But I don't know.

Listen, when questioned about his own. past, cuz we had to ask him about this, Dr. Shelley told us, quote, "All the. articles speak for themselves and I. don't have anything to add.". End quote. Either way, he got his Arizona license in a 5-2. board vote. So, in June 2013, Maricopa. County hired him. And then 5 months onto. the job is when he performed Laura's. autopsy. There really like aren't any. actual real rules, are there? I have not. told you the half of it. So,

my spicy little soapbox speech might. have seemed maybe out of left field, but. it's because like I've been living in. this. You're going to get there. So, Shelley is the only person we have. documented as signing off on the ME. report. The guy who signed off on Laura's. toxicology report was someone else, Norman Wade. And surprise, surprise, he has a. checkered past, too. According to Channel 12, in the early. '90s, before Norman was the laboratory.

director at the Maricopa County ME's. office, he was a crime lab manager for a. sheriff's office in California. And while there, he took a gun and. another item of evidence out of the. evidence room and sold them at a pawn. shop. What? >> He got convicted of grand theft of a. firearm in 1995, served 30 days in jail, and was placed on probation. But here's. what's wild. Maricopa County hired him. as a forensic toxicologist in 1994.

while that criminal investigation was. unfolding. And then after his arrest, Norman. resigned from his post, but 5 years. later, in 1999, he applied to come back to Maricopa, this time as the lab director. Which is. like a a promotion. On his application, Norman checked a box saying that he had. never been convicted of a crime other. than minor traffic violation.

Even though a fingerprint check revealed. his record and the information was sent. to the medical examiner's office, he started the job anyway. He went on to testify in major cases for. nearly two decades until his [music]. past resurfaced. Resurfaced, but it was. there the whole time. Yeah, he was. investigated for failing to disclose the. conviction and ultimately. he retired in 20. >> AKA just got out before he could get. fired.

>> 2016, and Norman did not respond to our. request for comment. Two comments here. Weren't you living in Maricopa County. during this time? >> I was. Like how hard up for people. is Maricopa County? Literally, that was. my first thought and obviously other. people's, too, cuz Channel 12 like asked. them for a statement about all this back. in 2017. And they said, quote, "The Maricopa. County Office of the Medical Examiner. faces the same challenge that ME offices.

across the country are encountering, a. shortage of forensic pathologists. The. pool of qualified medical examiners is. approximately 500. Maricopa County alone has 15 positions, 11 of which are filled. We expect to. fill those remaining positions with. exemplary talent. No employee is. perfect. We do not expect perfect past. What current management does expect is. integrity, hard work, and. professionalism from the moment a person.

starts working here." Which like Listen, I get I didn't realize like things were. that dire. I think this is a good. callout for our crime junkies. Like. there are some great openings for great. people. But I. to me it's wild that you can have like a. conviction like that and they're just. like so desperate that they're like we. might we're willing to risk all these. future cases. I don't know. >> cuz like I feel like everyone we've. talked to in this job in our history, like law enforcement sources always tell. us the best indicator of future behavior.

is past behavior. >> is past behavior. And like this is. pretty clear past behavior to me, at. least. Listen, it is absolutely possible. that Laura's autopsy was done according. to protocol with the highest integrity. But everything I just told you is. enough, I think, to call that into. question. >> Yeah. And so if the reason that this. case isn't being investigated is because. of the ruling undetermined undetermined, and that was made while Laura's body was. at this medical examiner's office, I. think that at the very least, that work.

should be double-checked. Wait, is that. the reason they stopped investigating. like once the autopsy came [music] back? Yeah, the autopsy came back in May 2014, and then 4 months later the case was. ruled inactive. Though the file doesn't. like it doesn't explicitly make that. connection. The concluding report says. that based on gathered facts and the. undetermined medical findings, the case. would no longer be actively. investigated. I guess nothing I've heard. today has convinced me that we can trust.

the systems that are at play here. Like. it's not just the ME's office, right? Like in last week's episode, you. mentioned like allegations about Gilbert. PD destroying police records illegally. >> Yeah, so back in February, the Attorney. General's office was reviewing those. claims and they haven't made any public. statements since. Obviously, we reached. out to them for comment, but as of this. recording, haven't heard back on that, either. So, here is what I want people to take away. from this story. I think in the absence of an. investigation, all people have been left.

to do is point fingers at Dave. There is. an alleged prior history of abuse. There. is an order of protection, a pending. divorce, all good reasons to be. suspicious. But I am also kind of. suspicious of a lot of the people in. this case who were just never looked. into. Police never interviewed any of. the guys that I told you Laura was. seeing, other than Will. They never. searched their phones. They never looked. at their locations or asked for alibis. If Dave didn't do anything, he should be.

pissed off, too, because perhaps a. better investigation could have answered. all of the open-ended questions that we. have, and no one would be talking about. him or his wife's death 13 years later. It is not too late to take another look. at this case, but that's not happening. It never has. Laura's nanny told us that she called. Gilbert PD almost every day in the wake. of Laura's death to ask if there was. anything at all that they could tell. her. And she was always turned away.

And at a certain point, she was told. that Laura had a heart attack. Even. then, she didn't know if they really. looked into that or if they just were. like making that assumption. And Laura's. neighbor who called in the suspicious. vehicle told us that he remembers seeing. all of the police tape up around Laura's. house, but he didn't even know what it. was like for because police never. knocked on his door to ask him anything. at all. He didn't even know Laura's name. until our reporter told him. Which is. bonkers, especially when you think about.

the fact that you have Will who is. telling you he was right there with her. that night right before she died. Like. did you see him leave? Did you see any. other car? Did you hear anything? >> I know it is wild to me. And by the way, I'm not even sure how. thorough the few interviews that Gilbert. PD did were because Emily told us that. her call with them only lasted like 10. minutes. A call? They didn't bring her. to the station? No, they called her. while she was at her training studio and.

then they just never followed up again. So, she told us she felt like they kind. of just pushed Laura's case to the side. Even Laura's dad told us that he has an. extremely small amount of first-hand. knowledge as to what actually happened. to his daughter. [music]. He didn't want to do a formal interview. for this episode, but he told us that he. does want to see justice in her case. You think Gilbert PD would have at least. taken another look 7 years later when. Nick Cordova was murdered and the same. man's name is starting to get like.

thrown around again in conversation. You. would think, but like I said, there is. no mention at all of Laura in Nick's. case file. So, I want to end by saying. that I cannot give any explanation for. why the police seemingly did so little. work on Laura's case. But I can say that. in the cases of Rachel Hansen and Nick. Cordova, both stories that we've. recently covered on this show that are. also out of Gilbert PD,

pressure from the media did get them to. release additional records, and both of. those cases reportedly remain active to. this day. So, this is where we need the. help of our crime junkies. You guys, it. is time to break the 12-year silence on. Laura Sweetman's case. One glance at her memorial Facebook page. and it's clear to see the starring role. that she played in so many people's. lives, especially the children that she. saw in her practice who lost their. dedicated doctor. She never let any of the stressors in.

her life keep her from enjoying it. In. fact, her presence was so bright and so. positive that her loved ones decided to. wear colorful clothes to her funeral. instead of black because [music] they. said that's what Laura would have. wanted. So, please, take to social. media. Tell your friends. Tell your. neighbors. Tell your local news people. Let's get people talking about Laura. Sweetman. And let's get the Gilbert Police. Department to take notice. Laura's case is no longer being. investigated by law enforcement. So, if.

you're hearing [music] this and you have. any information that you want to pass. along to us, you can email. tips@audiochuck.com. You can find all the source material for. this episode on our website, crimejunkie.com. And you can follow us on Instagram. @crimejunkiepodcast. We'll be back next week with a brand new. episode.