The Death of Jaleayah Davis: Accident or Something Else?

Along the banks of the Ohio River, the city of Marietta is a kind of place where everybody knows everybody. It has historic brick streets, riverfront views, and weekend gatherings at local bars create the feeling of a tight-knit community. Just across the river, Interstate 77 cuts through the Appalachian Hills of West Virginia, a stretch of highway that's usually nothing more than a quiet route for truck drivers and late-night travelers heading north. In November of 2011, the air was turning sharp as the cold set in. The trees became bare, and in the early morning hours when the rest of the world was sleeping, the interstate became eerily still, lit only by the headlights and the hum of passing semi-trucks. On November 19th, just before 4 a.m., that silence was shattered by a frantic 911 call. A driver reported a car sitting against a guardrail along I-77 North. The lights were on, it was empty, and something didn't feel right. Minutes later, another call came in, confirming a badly mangled body laying in the roadway. First responders raced to the scene, and what they found would be the beginning of a lasting mystery in the Marietta community, surrounded by years of speculation that still goes on today, dividing a community and leaving one family fighting for a clear understanding for more than a decade. There was a crash report, phone records, witness statements, forensic testing, heaps of information that could have led to a solid conclusion. But when you put all the details together, it becomes really hard to tie this incident with a neat bow and name it an accident. We want to thank Gavin Fish, a journalist and champion for victims of violent crimes, and also their families for providing the complete case files from Jalia's story through his Patreon, so that we can report on the original case information. He sits on the board of a nonprofit that focuses on female cold cases in the United States, And he has worked tirelessly to request and provide every scrap of evidence from Jalea's case. Gavin has done incredible work reporting on cases like Heather Turner and Ellen Greenberg. And we appreciate everything that he's done advocating for victims seeking justice. Before we continue any further, we want to warn you that this story does contain graphic discussions of mutilation. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is the story of Jalea Rose Davis. I'm Ashley. And I'm Ricky. And this is Crime Salad. Jalea was born in Colorado Springs, in Colorado, on November 2nd, 1991. And we actually couldn't find much information on who she was prior to this incident. But we do know that she was a sweet soul with a built-in best friend, her sister, Tabi. Since they were only 18 months apart, they got along extremely well and were very close growing up. Jalea graduated from Marietta High School in Ohio, and she had a job at the retail store, Hollister. Her sister said that she wanted to go on to school to become a cosmetologist, but sadly, that would never happen. This devastating story takes us to a chilly November evening in 2011. At 3.41 a.m., a man driving northbound on Interstate 77, he spots a car sitting up against the guardrail with the car lights still on. And out of concern, he dialed 911. It didn't look like a typical disabled vehicle. As the operator pressed for more information, the caller said that all he knew was that it's a car. The lights were on, and it's up against the guardrail. He said there was something going on over there, but he couldn't see anybody standing around. From his vantage point in the dark, all he could see was a pair of headlights cutting through the night in a vehicle pressed up against steel. And that would be strange because usually if someone breaks down, you'd see hazard lights on or, you know, someone outside the vehicle waving for help. But there wasn't anyone there. Right. So he did the right thing by calling. Now, seven minutes later at 3.48 a.m., there was another call. This caller said that he was at mile marker 181 northbound. and he had seen what he hoped was a deer lying on the road. But as he got closer, he realized it wasn't an animal. It was a person. He told dispatch he was walking back toward the scene. Two other men had already stopped further down the hill. And then in the call, you can hear something that's honestly chilling. One of them says, there's his head and skull right there. See it? That's when the caller clarifies the head was not attached to the body. Wow. I mean, seeing something like that would just stick with you forever. Yeah, this would be extremely hard to process. It would be horrifying. And just a few minutes later at 3.52 a.m., a third call came in. This caller described it as someone who had busted a deer, which really shows how disorienting the scene was from drivers coming up to it in the dark. So at 3.49 a.m., officers were dispatched, and according to the West Virginia Uniform Crash Report, The second caller had been traveling northbound when he spotted something in the passing lane. While still on the phone with 911, he walked back toward the body and started directing traffic. He thought that this was a possible crime scene. And he was trying to prevent other vehicles from disturbing the scene. Another driver stopped to help, and eventually an officer arrived and shut down the roadway completely. So right away, you can already tell that by the time that law enforcement got there, multiple vehicles had already come through that area, which means that the scene is already compromised in some way. Yeah, and as this continues to unfold, we'll learn that it was very compromised. But the crash report statement by the witness, it continues on to say that while he was standing there, two young women traveling southbound stopped and asked if they had seen their sister. And he asked what she looked like, but they weren't able to give a clear description. The caller later noted that one of the girls appeared distraught, possibly able to see the body from across the highway. He said he was able to calm her down and walk her back to her red vehicle before waiting for further instructions from the responding officer. A second crash report details a statement from a second witness traveling northbound. He reported seeing a tractor trailer parked on the right shoulder. That driver was walking with the flashlight toward the oncoming traffic. and to avoid the stopped truck, he moved into the passing lane and suddenly saw a body in the road. He said he didn't have time to swerve and he ran over the body, which to him, he believed it had been struck multiple times. He pulled over ahead of the other truck, got out, walked back to confirm what he had just ran over. And the other driver told him he had already called 911. And it's hard to even imagine what she went through. I mean, this girl was hit by multiple vehicles on the highway. It's devastating. There's no words to describe this situation. What's interesting is when investigators completed the initial crash reconstruction, they categorized it as a single vehicle crash. The official report noted clear weather, a dry roadway, and no environmental factors contributing to the crash. According to that reconstruction, the vehicle was traveling northbound on Interstate 77 when, for reasons listed as unknown, it made an abrupt turn to the right, and it struck the guardrail face along the northbound berm. And from there, this report outlined a very specific chain of events. It states that the driver was forced out of the driver's seat, traveled across to the passenger's interior of the vehicle, so the passenger's side, and was ejected out of the passenger's side window. The reconstruction then claims that during that ejection, the driver's head struck two guard rail posts. The body allegedly landed on the roof of the vehicle as it re-entered the northbound lane. And it rolled off the trunk and ultimately came to rest in the driving lane, where it was then struck by a passing semi-truck and trailer combination. I mean, I kind of see how that makes sense, but I also think that's why this becomes such a hugely disputed part of the case later on. Yes, and again, very specific. The report further states that the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash. Alcohol was suspected, and blood testing later revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.19, which is more than twice the legal limit. So the official contributing factors in the report list driving while intoxicated or impaired, failure to maintain control of the vehicle, and running off the road. There's also a second crash report in the one involving the semi-truck driver. The driver report mimics his witness statement, and it's noted that in this crash report that there was sufficient evidence to indicate that the victim had already been killed when the semi-truck ran her over. So on paper, the case was beginning to look like a tragic alcohol-related single-car accident, followed by secondary impacts. So why are we talking about it here? Well, this case has a lot of suspicious parts that we'll go through. Now, later that same day, the investigators, they sought a search warrant for the 2004 silver Kia Optima that was involved in the crash. And this warrant states that a person unknown unlawfully drove a vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of others where it resulted in the death of a person. So at this point, they weren't formally saying that the deceased person in the road was the driver. The language leaves the door open that someone else could have been operating the vehicle. According to the deputy's affidavit, a certified accident reconstructionist responded to a report of a female pedestrian struck on I-77 North. The Kia Optima was found about half a mile from the body, abandoned, still running, and in gear. Which at this point could mean a lot of different things. Right. And the report went on to say that there was damage to the windshield and the roof of the vehicle. And there was a large amount of blood on the rear portion of the car. So not on the windshield, not on the roof, not on the side of the car, but on the back of the trunk part of the car. The passenger side also had extensive damage. The Kia itself was registered to Cynthia Nolan, but it was known to be the vehicle that Julia Rose Davis drove regularly. So this is the first mention that the deceased person in the roadway could be Julia Davis. The car was secured and it was towed to the Wood County Sheriff's Office maintenance garage for processing. Another thing found at the scene was a cell phone with a number that belonged to Julia Davis. So that same day, investigators also obtained a search warrant for Julia's cell phone. And the affidavit for that warrant revealed that investigators had already learned she had been involved in an argument prior to the crash. From the documents we went through, it's unclear who gave them this information, whether it was Julia's sister, Tavi, who arrived on the scene as investigators were processing it, or possibly Julia's mother. But at this point, officers were already aware that some kind of argument took place before the accident. It says in the affidavit that part of that argument had been overheard by family members while she was still on the phone earlier that night. And we do know that the person she was on the phone with was her sister, Tobi. So I would think that they got this information from Tobi. Right. And it also noted that when the crash team members towed the vehicle, they observed a black and white polka dot cell phone inside the Kia. Investigators believed that she was en route to Williamstown to meet her sister. And all of this is in the transcript of their interview with Julia's sister. So I'd have to assume that they interviewed her prior to getting the warrant for Julia's cell phone. The affidavit goes on to state that she was outside her vehicle, acting as a pedestrian, when she was struck by her own car. So at this point, investigators clearly believe that communication that night mattered to what happened. The affidavit wrote that there was probable cause to believe the phone would contain evidence in the form of calls made, calls received, and possible text messages or photos. Later that morning, a detective went to the home of Kristen, someone who had reportedly been with Julia earlier that night. But there was no answer at the door. The detective left a card in the door requesting contact as soon as possible. In that report, it was noted that a black Cadillac was parked in the driveway. Investigators observed fresh frost forming on the windshield, which appeared to indicate that the vehicle had been driven and parked sometime shortly before officers arrived. So this information is important for later. So remember, black Cadillac, okay? And meanwhile, the medical examiner's death investigation report was being compiled. According to that report, Jalea had spoken with her sister by phone shortly before everything happened. During that call, she asked her sister to meet her at the I-77 rest area, and her sister drove there, but Jalea wasn't at the rest stop. So her sister kept driving and eventually made her way onto the interstate. And that's when she located the Kia. The report states that a short distance from the vehicle, approximately 500 feet, Jalea was found, and police at the time, they reported that the Kia appeared to have struck her, hurling her over the vehicle, and that she was then struck by at least two tractor trailers. It says it was unknown who was driving the victim's car. Jalea was laying on the highway, wearing only jeans and underwear, naked from the waist up. Her mother and sister were present at the scene and identified her coat, which had been recovered by police. And her coat was taken into evidence along with her top and her bra. And this part is weird to me because it's not really addressed anywhere that Jalea's top and coat were not on her, but they were at the scene. And that's not really ever addressed in this case at all. And we'll go into it more when we talk about where her coat and top were located at the scene. But for now, let's just say this is weird. Right. So now that we have the official reports, we can move on to the transcripts of the interviews that police conducted to find out what actually happened on this night. So these interviews involved a number of different people that Jalea was hanging out with on this night. So there's a group of friends. And the first was a written statement from Katie Nelson. And according to Katie, the group first gathered around 10.30 p.m. where she was picked up at a Hardee's by Kristen Bechtold, Freddie Scott, Jordan Campbell, and Jalea Davis. And again, there's a lot of different names here, but we're going to do our best to keep it all straight. So from there, they went to Brian Sapp's house and they stayed there until about 1 a.m. At that point, it was just Katie, Kristen, Julia, Freddie, and Jordan. The group then went to a local bar called the Nip and Q, where they remained until approximately 3 a.m. closing time. And Katie's statement continues by saying that when When they left the bar, Katie, Kristen, Jalea, and Freddie left together. They drove to Freddie's apartment so that he could unlock the door for Jordan when he arrived home. So Jordan did not leave the bar with them. After that, they went back to Brian's house to get Jalea's car. Katie said she got out of Freddie's car and got into the backseat of Jalea's vehicle because she thought that they were all about to leave together. But something changed when Kristen and Jalea were still inside Freddie's car and they weren't getting out. So Katie got out of the car and asked what was going on. Katie reportedly told her that she couldn't find her house key and kept asking Jalea where it was. Jalea said she didn't know and she got out of Freddy's car. Kristen then told Katie to get back into Freddy's car and Freddy would take them to her house instead. So according to her account, Jalea is now separated from the group. Katie leaves with Kristen and Freddy and Jalea stays behind in her own car. And according to Katie, Freddie drove them through a McDonald's, got some food, and then dropped Katie and Kristen off at Kristen's house. Katie said she and Kristen went upstairs to Kristen's bedroom, and while there, Kristen was on the phone with Jalea's sister, Tabby. Katie recalled that Tabby told Kristen that Jalea had been in an accident, but wouldn't explain what happened and kept hanging up. Then around 4.15 a.m., Katie said that her ride arrived and picked her up from Kristen's house, and later that morning she woke up and learned that Jalea had died. So that's the first account or timeline of what happened that night, and it leads to the belief that Jalea was alone when that accident happened. So naturally, we move on to Tabby's account of what happened. Tabby, she explained that Jalea had planned to go to Kristen's house that night before going out. The two had known each other for a long time, but had recently started spending more time together in the past month or two. And when detectives asked about communication that night, Tabi gave very specific times. She said her last text to Julia was at 12 a but the last text she received from Julia was much earlier at 9 p Then came the most important calls of the night So at 3 a Jalea called Tabi and asked if she and a friend could come and pick her up Five minutes later at 3 Jalea called again to make sure that they were on their way. So remember, the first 911 call about the vehicle on the interstate came in about 3.41 a.m. So within 15 minutes of her last call, her car is sitting against a guardrail on I-77. Yeah, and that really makes things confusing. And Tabi told investigators that during those calls, Jalea didn't sound intoxicated, but she did sound angry. She said that she and Kristen had gotten into a fight. Tabi described her as upset, saying that Kristen was a bad friend and calling her names. She said it wasn't unusual for Jalea to find Kristen annoying at times. On the second call, Tabi said that she didn't hear anyone else in the background. But Jalea sounded emotional and began crying. She was kind of hysterical, but Tabi couldn't tell whether she had been drinking. Tabi also told investigators that it seemed pretty clear from their conversations that Jalea was interested in Freddie Scott. But phone records showed there were other people in the picture too. So earlier that night at 11.42 p.m., Jalea called Ryan Ellison, someone she had dated in 2010. She called him again at 11.56 p.m. And Tobi told investigators that this was kind of strange. And immediately after that second call, Jalea called Reggie Sims. Reggie's name, it wasn't saved in her phone. And according to Tobi, this is because she would delete his contact name after arguments. They had just recently started talking again after a prior disagreement about the fact that Reggie didn't want to be exclusively dating Jalea, just a situationship. And a lot of this interview is Tabi kind of clarifying all these calls that Julia was making. And between 1220 and 1 a.m., Julia made numerous calls. She called Chris Latimer five times, a distant friend from school. Two of those calls came later at 312 and 316, just before she called Tabi. And the interview continued with Tabi explaining how Kristen had been texting and calling her, but she hadn't responded. She called Kristen at 3.53 a.m. while she was driving around looking for Julia, asking her what their argument was about. But Tabi ended up hanging up the phone when she arrived at the scene of the accident. Tabi also mentioned that there were girls Julia had previously had trouble with over Reggie. And she had gone into a physical altercation with them in the past. Tabi said that sometimes when this group saw Julia out, they would yell at her or try to fight her. So now, investigators, they are looking at a fight with Kristen that night, ongoing tension involving romantic relationships, a 13-minute window between her final call for help and the first 911 call, and multiple late-night phone calls. And we also have a complete log of those phone calls that Julia made. So let's go through it. 7.53 p.m., Julia called Tabi to talk about going to the bar that evening. 9.46. Julia texts Tabby to tell her that she was hanging out with Freddie and that him and his child were really cute. Julia called Ryan Ellison, who she broke up with about three months before she started seeing Reggie Sims. Ryan and Reggie are friends, so there's one point of tension. 1152, Julia made a call to a man named Dominic Hall, who she had been friends with for a while. She then made a call to a man named Brandon Wilson. At that point, they were just friends. Then at 1154, Jalea called Ollie Stroller, who she used to be friends with until they drifted apart. Tabby told investigators that she might have called since everyone was home from college at West Virginia University that weekend for a holiday, and she may have wanted to catch up. Then at 1156, Jalea calls Ryan Ellison again, and then Reggie at 1157. Then she calls a number that Tabi didn't recognize and wasn't saved in her phone at 11.58. At 12.10, Julia calls Dominic again. And at 12.11, calls Chris Latimer. At 12.26, Julia called Kristen Betchel and called the same unknown number again at 12.28. At 12.29, Julia called her friend Clayton and then went back to calling Chris Latimer multiple times. So that's a lot of phone calls. And then there's a pause because it seems at this point in the timeline, the group is making their way to the bar, the nip and queue. So there isn't another call until 1.46 when Jalea calls that unknown number again. Then at 3.16, seemingly after they left the bar, Jalea called Chris Latimer again, then Brandon Wilson, and finally made her call to Tabi to come get her. So there's a ton of activity on her phone to work with, maybe even too much, because now we have a lot more people that police need to talk to to get an accurate view of what happened. And trust me, the amount of conflicting information is really hard to keep up with. So the next interview transcript that we have is Chris Latimer's, who we know Jalea called multiple times that night. Chris told investigators that he had actually met up with Jalea's group at the Nip and Q that night. According to him, Jalea had been drinking heavily and wasn't feeling well. She couldn't dance and was wearing tall-heeled boots, so she was struggling to stand up and was complaining that her feet were hurting. He said he stayed near her for part of the night because she didn't look steady. Chris mentioned that he heard rumors that Jalea was getting chased by someone that night. Now, he didn't really elaborate much on that, but it stood as the first piece of information that kind of pointed at the fact that it might not have been an accident. Right. He continued by saying that Julia had called him earlier in the night asking him to hang out instead of going to the bar. And he admitted that he mostly ignored her. He also said that Kristen may have been irritated seeing Julia talk to him, especially because his ex-girlfriend, Katie Nelson, was also present. and he still occasionally saw her. Katie Nelson is the first statement that we read who gave the initial timeline of events and was part of the main group of friends that went out that night. So now we've got possible jealousy layered on top of everything else. Katie was the first statement that we talked about and she didn't mention Chris being at the bar at all, which is kind of weird to me. Yes. Chris also told detectives that some of the girls Jalea had previously fought with were at the nip and queue that night, but he said he didn't see anyone having any arguments while he was there. And when it came to Freddie Scott, Chris was blunt. He didn't like him. He called him a punk and claimed that Freddie had three children with different women, didn't take care of them, and had ongoing issues with friends. And that's not necessarily evidence of anything criminal, but it does tell you that there wasn't universal trust or admiration among the group. So obviously because of this, police continued to try to get a hold of Kristen Bechtold. According to reports, detectives repeatedly tried to speak with her, but received no response. This was notable because at the same time, Kristen was allegedly contacting the Davis family multiple times. Later that evening, detectives returned to Kristen's house. This time, her father spoke with them and informed them that Kristen had retained legal counsel, and she would not be speaking with investigators until she had consulted with her attorney. And that's a huge part that people are bringing up on forums and on the Justice for Julia Facebook page. So she was the only one that obtained legal counsel within 12 hours of Julia's accident. And this doesn't mean she's guilty by any means. You should always protect yourself. But we're just reporting on what happened. Investigators also attempted to locate Freddie Scott. When they went to speak with him, they were informed that he had moved. So things were slowing down before they could really even get started. Detectives even did a drive-by at the Nippin Q attempting to gather more information. While they were there, they spoke with an ex-wife of Freddie Scott's, and she told the officers that she hadn't seen him and didn't know where he was staying, but she did provide a phone number and said that she would try to reach him. Meanwhile, Julia's mother, Kimberly Davis, contacted law enforcement to ask whether investigators had been able to speak with Kristen yet. She reportedly shared that her boss, quote, knew people and had heard that individuals at Kristen's school were discussing new details about the case. Kim also relayed that another girl had stated that Jordan Campbell had been out with Freddie Scott that evening and that two other people, Nicole and Amy Jo, were also part of the group that evening. So now we have two more people to add to the mix. And all you can really do is hope that these accounts somewhat line up. And luckily at this time, Kristen's attorney did contact detectives to set up a meeting with Kristen to hear her side of the story. And all of this happened on the first day that Julia's case was open, November 19th. It's all a little crazy. Yeah, there's a lot of moving parts in this case. Let's take a moment to talk about sleep. I love sleep. And you know, sometimes it's not even obvious what's affecting your sleep. Sometimes you wake up uncomfortable. Maybe you're too hot, too cold, or you didn't fully rest. That's something I started paying more attention to, and it actually led us to Miracle Made Sheets. They're inspired by NASA technology and use silver-infused temperature-regulating fabric to help you sleep at the perfect temperature all night long. And what I love is that it doesn't matter if you're someone who sleeps hot or cold. They just help keep you in that comfortable middle zone so you're not constantly waking up and adjusting. Another thing I didn't really think about before is how much builds up on regular sheets over time. Miracle-Made uses antibacterial silver technology that helps prevent up to 99.7% of bacterial growth. So they actually stay cleaner and fresher longer, which also means less laundry, fewer odors, and honestly just a better cleaner sleep environment overall. They're also incredibly comfortable. They feel like something you expect from a high-end hotel, but without that high-end price tag. Smooth, breathable, and really just nice to sleep on. And if you have sensitive skin, that's a big one because all that hidden bacteria in regular sheets can actually contribute to breakouts. These are designed to help keep your skin cleaner while you sleep. If you want to upgrade your sleep or even give the gift of a good sleep, go to trymiracle.com slash crime salad. You'll save over 40 percent. And when you use the promo code crime salad, you'll get an extra 20 percent off plus a free three piece towel set. They also come with a 30 day money back guarantee. So there's literally no risk in trying them out. That's trymiracle.com slash crimesalad, code crimesalad at checkout. Hi, this is Rob Benedict. And I am Richard Spate. We were both on a little show you might know called Supernatural. It had a pretty good run, 15 seasons, 327 episodes. And though we have seen, of course, every episode many times, we figured, hey, now that we're wrapped, let's watch it all again. And we can't do that alone. So we're inviting the cast and crew that made the show along for the ride. We've got writers, producers, composers, directors, and we'll of course have some actors on as well, including some certain guys that played some certain pretty iconic brothers. It was kind of a little bit of a left field choice in the best way possible. The note from Kripke was, he's great, we love him, but we're looking for like a really intelligent Duchovny type. With 15 seasons to explore, it's going to be the road trip of several lifetimes. So please join us and subscribe to Supernatural then and now. Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter, some lighter music here? Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jumpstarted all of our love of true crime? I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries. Baby, you will laugh. You will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way. And you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Not are released every Wednesday with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday, you can listen to our True Crime Rundown, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. So by November 21st, two days later, the autopsy of Jalea was conducted. And warning, because we're going to get a little graphic here. They identified that the woman on the side of the road was in fact Jalea through dental records. Julia suffered a near-total amputation of her neck with the absence of her skull and facial bones, which were present in two plastic bags that were delivered along with her body. Julia suffered multiple abrasions, lacerations, contusions, and catastrophic blunt force injuries. She had multiple fractures, lacerations on her liver and spleen, and numerous contusions on her lungs. She did demonstrate alcohol intoxication with a BAC of 0.19 and a vitreous fluid concentration of 0.24. And their findings were that Jalea died as the result of multiple catastrophic injuries sustained as an unrestrained driver of a car that lost control and struck a guardrail. Now, some information from this autopsy didn't cross the desk of detectives until much later, so we'll stick with this information for now. What we did know was that it was Julia, and she had suffered a horrible death. Vitreous fluid is the gel inside the eye. Investigators test it because it breaks down slower than blood after death. So in cases like this, it can give a clearer picture of what her alcohol levels actually were when she died. So as the investigators, they're trying to piece together these testimonies. A man named Justin Knobb came forward to speak with investigators. Justin told detectives that he was friends with Christopher Latimer and had heard a story circulating about what allegedly happened that night. According to Justin, the story going around was that Kristen, Freddie, Nicole, who had been mentioned by Kimberly Davis, and another male were with Julia at the Nip and Q. He said that Kristen had asked Julia to hold her house key and later wanted it back, but Julia didn't have it. He believed that was the start of the fight. And from there, Justin said the rumor was that somehow they ended up on the interstate and that Freddie Scott allegedly pulled Julia out of the car and Kristen began beating her. He then said it was Kristen who was the one who ultimately hit her with the car. But Justin admitted he didn't know how they got away, and he didn't know anything beyond what he heard from others. Now, even as a rumor, it's incredibly specific. We have names, a possible motive, and a sequence of events that, if true, would completely change the understanding of what happened to Julia that night. Detectives asked him a bunch of times where he got this information, but he continued to say that he didn't want to get anyone else involved. He actually said that he couldn't believe that he was the first and only person who had come forward to report this version of events. He said that there were a few hundred people out there that knew the same story. Yeah, and the tension between what's being said and what can actually be proven becomes a pattern in this case. He also told investigators that he thought Kristen was a bad person and she was capable of doing something like this. He questioned why she had retained a lawyer so quickly, and she was seen at Jalea's mother's workplace the next day, implying that being seen publicly could have been an attempt to appear casual or not guilty. But again, this is an interpretation. It's not evidence. But they couldn't ignore it either. And it turned out Justin wasn't the only one who had information like this. One caller to the station alleged that Kristen had hit Jalea with a car and noted that she already had an attorney. Another tip came in that Jalea had been at a party and left because she was getting beat up and that people had followed her afterward. And this gets mentioned again later on this case. So at this point, there's two narratives, a single vehicle, alcohol-related crash, and an altercation that escalated. Meanwhile, detectives were still trying to locate Freddie Scott. And they eventually made a traffic stop on a vehicle they believed to be his. And Freddie agreed to come in for an interview on November 21st. Yes, and Freddie didn't offer much more. He said that Julia had a boyfriend, and at some point during the night, she had been arguing with a guy at the bar, a white man wearing a hat. Though he claimed that he didn't know who this man was, he suggested that his friend Jordan could provide a better description. And of course, my first thought is Chris Latimer, since he claimed to have been with Julia for a big portion of the night. But I mean, it could also be a whole bunch of other people. There's a lot of people in this case. Freddie said that Jordan had been with them and was in the car when they drove to the Nip and Q. He admitted that he himself had been intoxicated while driving earlier in the night. Freddie told detectives that Kristen didn leave with Jalea even though they had arrived together He thought Jalea was going to leave with the guy she had been arguing with and that he had even tried to set her up with Jordan but that didn work out He said Jordan ultimately left the nipping cue with another girl. And when asked about the argument between Kristen and Jalea, Freddie downplayed it and said that Kristen and Jalea didn't argue about anything significant, just that they were looking for Kristen's keys. He claimed the keys were later found in his own car the next morning. Now, according to Freddie, when they left Julia in her vehicle, she seemed normal and relatively sober, which is interesting because others described her as extremely intoxicated. And Freddie said that the rumors about what happened were juvenile and addressed the other people that were there. He said Nicole did meet them at the bar, but didn't leave with them. And he didn't mention Amy at all. He told investigators that he heard different versions of what happened, but he maintained that he never was inside Julia's car. and suggested investigators check her phone records because she had been on the phone frequently that night, which obviously they already knew. Hopefully you're following us so far, but it seems like the main statements show Jalea being at Brian's house, going to the bar, and asking her sister to come pick her up after some kind of argument or altercation. There have been a couple suggestions that she was at a party and had got beaten up, but that's still unconfirmed. Rumors are saying that Kristen and Freddie did something to Julia, but police don't have any evidence of that yet. And that's where we are right now. So on November 22nd, a detective received a call from Missy Cornwell, who worked at the Walmart Photo Center in Marietta. She reported that a man had come in on Saturday, November 19th, the same day Julia died, to make copies of photographs. According to Missy, the images were disturbing. She said she described seeing what appeared to be an arm and dead dogs in the photos. And she also said the man kept talking about a crash and mentioned that his relative had been involved. The detective immediately requested copies, and Missy agreed to save the images until he could retrieve them the next day. After reviewing them, investigators confirmed that the pictures had been taken after the fact during the daytime. So from what we know now, this could have been Jalea's grandfather who went down to the scene after the fact to survey and take pictures in an attempt to aid the investigation. So it could have been him, but it also could have been someone else. We just don't really know. Yeah, this was a really weird and bizarre situation. So anyway, the next place the investigation goes is into an interview room with Kristen Bechtold. And according to her interview with her attorney present, she and Jalea arrived at Brian's house at around 9.30 p.m. And Chris Latimer, Jordan Campbell, Freddie Scott, and Brian, they were there. And she said that they later picked up Katie at Hardee's before continuing the night. Kristen confirmed that there was drinking at Brian's house before they went out and that Jalea took a lot of shots before heading to the nip and queue. Kristen said that she, Jalea, Freddie, and Katie, they rode to the Nip and Q in Freddie's car. No mention of Jordan Campbell. And while there, she said that Jalea was dancing with Chris Latimer, who happened to be Katie's ex-boyfriend, and that Katie was getting aggravated about it. And when they returned to Brian's house after the bar closed, Kristen said Jalea was on the phone with Dominic Hall, trying to go hang out with him or meet up with someone else. Kristen also said Jalea couldn't find her wristlet and was upset, believing Kristen had done something with it. Kristen said she had actually tried to take it off her earlier because she was getting more intoxicated. She didn't want her to lose her keys. And eventually she said that she located the wristlet and her keys. The plan had been for everyone to go home together and they thought Jalea was coming with them. But instead, she called her sister and asked to be picked up. Kristen said she didn't know whether Jalea was planning to meet up with another guy or go home, but that she wasn't going to sit and wait for Jalea's sister to arrive. Most notably, Kristen said that Jalea wasn't upset when they left her that night. And again, that directly contradicts what Tavi said, since she said she was extremely upset and hysterical even. And again here, there's no mention of Nicole or Amy or that Jordan was ever in the car with them. So it's just weird. Yes, exactly. She sounded really distraught on the phone. And it just gets more complicated as we go. So as the investigation moved into the following weeks, detectives attempted to secure surveillance footage from the NIP and Q, hoping it would clarify who was there, what interactions took place before the group left. On November 28th, management told investigators they were having difficulty retrieving the security footage because the system was old and it wasn't functioning properly. They said they would try to bring someone in to fix it, so the detectives, they waited for that to happen. Meanwhile, on November 30th, investigators interviewed Brian Sapp, the homeowner where the group had gathered earlier in the evening. Brian said he later went to the nipping queue by himself and he saw Jalea there, and he described her as drunk but not unstable. He confirmed that Freddie told him there was an argument between Kristen and Julia over keys, and that this other person, Nicole, was never at the house that night. Around this same time, detectives received a tip from Ben French, who reported being involved with the Justice for Julia Facebook page. According to him, Nicole Diaz had posted conflicting information, first saying that Julia left with someone she didn't know, and later stating that Julia, Kristen, Katie, Freddie, and another male, assumingly Jordan, left together. So here we go. Another mention of this girl, Nicole, that police haven't interviewed yet. And it makes you wonder what her involvement really was. Yeah. So investigators, they had their eye on Nicole. On December 8th, investigators attempted to contact Reggie Sims, Julia's situationship, but his voicemail was full. Then on December 13th, after failed attempts to burn the footage onto a CD, investigators decided to go see the Nip and Q surveillance footage in person. But when they got there, they learned that it had already been overwritten and was no longer available, which is crazy. Then on December 14th, investigators interviewed Brandon, one of the friends that Jalea contacted that night. And he told detectives that Jalea had called asking to come over that night. But he advised against it because girls she didn't get along with were there, the ones that Toby had mentioned during her interview with police. So another mention of this tension with other girls. By mid-December, investigators were dealing with a case that had grown increasingly complicated, but definitely still suspicious. And now a huge missing piece without the surveillance footage. On the same day, the investigators interviewed Nicole Diaz-Wooden. Nicole confirmed that she had been at the Nip and Q that night, but not at Brian's house. And she said Jalea danced with Chris Latimer most of the evening. She also told detectives that Jalea had been practically living with Kristen recently and acknowledged that there had been a fight the previous weekend between Jalea and this group of girls that Tobi and Brandon had mentioned. So ongoing tensions there, but nothing to implicate Nicole or anyone else who was involved. Then on December 28th, detectives received another call from Ben French. He reported that he and another man found a jacket over the hill in the vicinity of the crash scene. And according to French, the jacket was grayish color lying over the backside of the guardrail. And this case is hurting for physical evidence at this point. I mean, there's so many he said, she said different things and so many people involved. Then on January 12th of 2012, investigators received an anonymous voicemail. The caller claimed that a family member was friends with a woman named Julia. And according to the message, Julia knew Julia and had a baby with a man named JD. And that JD and his sister were allegedly the last people with Julia that night. The caller suggested that JD's family had money and he might, quote, get away with it. And to me, I'm just still trying to figure out who this white guy in a hat is. So maybe it's this JD guy or the stranger that Nicole mentioned she was leaving with that night. But it's just adding more conflicting evidence to what actually happened. Exactly. But despite all the rumors and tips coming in, the forensic evidence continued to point in a specific direction. Only Julia's fingerprints were found inside her vehicle and blood samples collected from the scene were being processed. So nearly two months after Jalea's death, the investigation was still active with a lot of information and more coming in. On January 18th, Jalea's mother, Kim Davis, she contacted detectives again, and she said that she was afraid someone might try to hurt her other daughter, Tabi. She also made it very clear that her daughter was a fighter, someone who considered crying a weakness. So for Julia to have been hysterical on the phone that night, something serious had to have happened. On January 18th, a woman contacted investigators saying that she had seen Twitter posts from Nicole Diaz on the night and the morning of the accident referencing a party at the Williamstown Hotel. And according to her, one of the posts said, something's getting crazy. And a week later, the tweet had been removed, making Nicole come back into the picture as someone to pay attention to. And another mention of a mysterious party where Jalea was beaten up. The following day, detectives finally got into contact with Reggie Sims. He said that he had last seen Jalea either the day before or a few days before the accident. He knew she was going out that night, but he didn't know where. He also confirmed that there had been an altercation the week before between Jalea and a girl named Tiffany, one of the members of the group that she didn't get along with, but he didn't know what it was about. Reggie said that Jalea had texted him that night of the accident saying, quote, I'm over, you're a loser. So I don't really know what she was saying, but it was probably something like, I'm over you. So she was pretty much done with him. Ah, the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place, or as the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. The Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. Vulgar History's new season is all about the Regency era, the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal. Listen to Vulgar History Regency era wherever you get podcasts. The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world, fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good, because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you. Wait, what? All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog Presents The Chaotix Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. On the case. I'm Mandy. And I'm Melissa. And this is Moms and Mysteries. We're two Florida moms obsessed with true crime. From infamous cases like Ellen Greenberg to shocking Florida stories like the Dan Markell killing. With 55 million downloads, we bring you new deep dives every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen to Moms and Mysteries on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. So at this point, there are dozens of statements. There's dozens of phone records and rumors and reports coming in. So let's just put together a little bit of a timeline based on what everyone said. 9.30, Kristen and Julia, they arrive at Brian Sapp's house together, and others are present at various times. Some of the group gathers at Hardee's at around 10.30 to pick up Katie Nelson. At around 1 a.m., the group reportedly leaves Brian's house for the nip and cue, where Kristen, Jalea, Freddie, possibly Jordan, and Katie ride together. Jalea, she's taking shots, she's having a good time, dancing with Chris Latimer, which might have pissed off Kristen and Katie, and some prior adversaries were present at the bar. But no physical altercation is reported at the bar or anything like that. At 3 a.m., the group leaves the bar, and they stop at Freddie's apartment to unlock the door for when Jordan returns later, since he reportedly left the bar with another woman. They return to Brian's where a disagreement takes place and Jalea calls Chris Latimer to hang out, then Brandon, then her sister Toby to ask for a ride. And after calling her again to make sure she was on her way, some kind of accident occurs that kills her. That's the main timeline that we're working with. So what we're still questioning is who is this Amy girl, whether Jalea was ever at a different location besides Brian's house in the bar. And then what role did Nicole have in all of this since she took some of those posts down after Jalea's accident, allegedly talking about a party that Jalea could have been at. So for now, it seems like this group that Jalea had problems with really didn't have anything to do with anything that happened that night. That's what I'm thinking too. And they still have to match all of this up with the physical evidence that's pending. On February 23rd, more than three months after Jalea's death, investigators received information from someone who had been following the Justice for Jalea Facebook page. And through that page, detectives were put into contact with a woman named Ember Skye, identified in reports as Miss Stafford, who claimed that she had been at the Nippin' Q the night Jalea was there. and she told investigators she did not know Jalea personally and had only met her the night after Jalea asked her to watch her drink while she danced. She reported seeing Jalea with two males and two females at the bar. This could be assumed to be Freddie, Jordan, Kristen, and Katie. And according to Ember, when the group left the bar, Jalea and another female got into a silver Kia and the two men and another female got into a white SUV, described as a navigator. Ember stated that as they were leaving, the men were yelling obscenities at Julia and she reported hearing Julia tell a man named Freddy to shut up. She claimed that in reply, the man told Julia that she was going to regret saying that. Ember also described seeing one of the men physically shoving Julia out the door of the bar and watched as Julia got into the silver Kia with another female and the white SUV pulled out behind her. And that changes everything because up to this point, no witness had ever mentioned a second vehicle. The understanding was that Jalea's car had been at Brian's the entire time. Right, and this is the first time that we're hearing that Jalea's car was actually at the bar. Amber said she followed both vehicles as they left the parking lot and she told investigators that the Navigator was riding closely behind Jalea's Kia. Once they reached the interstate, Ember attempted to pass them, but the navigator cut her off and pulled into the left lane in front of her. She described the female in the passenger seat of the SUV as turned around, appearing to be yelling at something toward Julia's vehicle. She then described a black sedan, possibly even a Cadillac, coming out of nowhere and swerving around her and pulling in front of Julia's car while the white SUV positioned itself behind the Kia. She estimated this to be occurring between 340 and 345. Amber then claimed that she saw the navigator swerve toward Jalea's Kia and that the Kia went into the guardrail and saw Jalea exit the vehicle. At that time, she assumed the people were drunk and messing around and she didn't have a phone with her and she did not call 911. According to her, she didn't watch television and she didn't realize Jalea had died until much later. As a result of this new information, Amber agreed to take a polygraph. And honestly, this is wild. Do we really think she saw this happen? And with everything circulating about the case, how did she not connect it back to Julia? Which is why I think detectives wanted to take a polygraph. So they set the date for her to come in and do that. And by the spring of 2012, the case had moved far beyond what anyone expected. Then on April 23rd, a woman named Thelma posted on the Justice for Julia Facebook page, identifying herself as, stay with me here, the mother of Nicole Diaz's brother's child. So she was the mother to Nicole's niece or nephew. And according to her, Nicole had gone to visit the baby at her parents' house and allegedly left her cell phone there. She claimed Nicole's father found the phone and read text messages from Kristen Bechtold's mother, supposedly begging Nicole not to go to law enforcement. Thelma also alleged that Nicole was a habitual liar and that Nicole, Jordan, Amy, Kristen, and Freddie had all purchased new cell phones after the incident. She further stated that Nicole brother told her that Kristen gave to Freddie Scott Then on May 4th investigators spoke with Nicole parents and they told detectives they had heard Nicole had given Kristen an alibi, claiming she was at the bar and that Julia left alone. There were also claims that Freddie had obtained a new vehicle shortly after Julia's death. Now, allegedly, Nicole had told someone she initially covered for Kristen and later wanted to come clean. Nicole's parents also confirmed that Nicole did change her cell phone and take down her Facebook page shortly after Julia's death. That's a really suspicious sequence of events if it's what played out. And again, we're not accusing anyone here, but it's hard to ignore, especially since the parents backed it up. And investigators thought the same thing, so they followed up with Nicole. But she didn't budge. She stuck to her story and called Thelma crazy. Right. So now, with so many conflicting stories, the police went back to where they started, with Katie. Katie clarified that Freddie had been driving a black sedan that night, which could match the vehicle seen at Kristen's residence the morning of the accident, the one that, from the frost, seemed to have been parked there pretty recently. But that's just speculation. Katie stated that Jalea was not fit to drive by the end of the night, and her biggest regret was leaving Jalea behind in her car at Brian's house after they left the bar. And when asked about Ember's statement, you know, the white navigator and the pursuit, Katie said the story sounded like something was made up by someone on drugs. That didn't happen. There was no SUV. And Katie agreed to take a polygraph to prove it. So on June 6th, Ember came back in for her polygraph examination. And during questioning, she mentioned someone named Donna, who she said was Nicole Diaz's aunt. Investigators contacted Nicole, who denied knowing anyone named Donna. Detectives noted that Ember was extremely emotional during the interview, which was strange since she had only met Jalea once. So that made them question her credibility. So, detectives confronted her with this information and they asked her if there was something else she knew that was making her so emotional. And that's when Ember provided more information. She said that she had been at the bar in Marietta on her birthday and had overheard Kristen telling another girl what happened to Julia. According to her, Kristen noticed her standing nearby and asked what she had heard, warning her that she better not have heard anything. Ember said Kristen was a bad person and had claimed that she had seen her beat up people before but couldn't provide names or examples. She told investigators that this overheard conversation was what motivated her to come forward and why she was so emotional. But that unraveled pretty quickly, too, because Ember's birthday party was actually the day after she first came forward to the police, which means that alleged stairwell conversation couldn't have been the catalyst for her original statement. When detectives confronted her with this inconsistency, reportedly she said that she was tired and didn't want to talk anymore, so they had to reschedule the polygraph for the next day. And Ember never showed up to that appointment, and her story was completely discounted. But if you think it ends there, it definitely doesn't. By early June of 2012, the investigation had taken on a life of its own in the community. On June 5th, detectives received a voicemail from Kristen's attorney stating that she was being threatened because of the rumors. Two weeks later, investigators met directly with her lawyer, who advised that Kristen couldn't go out in public because of the harassment she was receiving. Law enforcement agreed to release a statement warning against harassment and emphasizing threats wouldn't be tolerated. But it was definitely putting pressure on their investigation. On July 24th, DNA results came back and investigators confirmed there was no foreign DNA inside the vehicle. Everything identified belonged to Jalea. There was a mention of foreign mixture of fluid of an unknown donor. but it was determined to be insignificant, noting it could have been deposited on another day in time. So no physical evidence tying anyone else to the scene. And furthermore, investigators determined that the passenger's side airbag didn't deploy. And based on that, investigators believe Jalea was alone in her vehicle at the time of the crash. Which doesn't address the theory that Jalea was already out of the car when someone else hit her with her own car. But, okay. By late August of 2012, someone else had contacted authorities, a man named Tyler Fornash. He reported that Freddie Scott had come to his place of employment and made contact with him. And according to Fornash, Scott approached him casually, acting like they were buddies, and refused to leave. He also claimed Scott had come to his residence. Tyler explained that he had been involved in the Justice for Julia Facebook page since the accident, after Ben French contacted him and asked whether he knew Freddie, Kristen, or Nicole. Tyler also mentioned that he was a criminal justice student with aspirations of becoming an investigator, which was part of the reason he became involved with the page. Fornash said that he received information that a friend of Amy Jo, the person that hadn't been mentioned since the beginning of the investigation, that Kristen and Julia had a physical altercation before going to the nipping queue at Amy's residence. He stated that Amy lived with Nicole and Katie Nelson. And according to him, Kristen, Freddie, and Jordan were yelling at Julia. He also alleged that someone messaged him on Facebook saying that Freddie had been involved in an altercation and was removed from the bar recently, and during that time was heard saying he got away with murder. And remember that this is all rumors, but he also said that people were afraid to go to the police, that Freddie liked to carry a weapon, and that Freddie was making death threats towards him. So we're going back to Freddie somehow being involved, just through looking suspicious from his behavior following the incident, and that he had allegedly gotten a new vehicle and a new cell phone after the incident as well. And he moved. So it's all just really suspicious. By mid-September of 2012, the forensic side of the case was still being examined. And the forensic lab confirmed that blood testing revealed no other identifiable DNA besides Julia's. A week later, investigators received another public service call, reporting that three to four weeks earlier she had been at Uncle Mike's bar when a confrontation broke out between Freddie Scott and another individual. According to the witness, Freddie punched the man and both were removed from the bar. During the altercation, she claimed Freddie yelled, Go ahead, call the cops. The cops are behind me. I've already killed once and I got away with it. The witness also stated that a female who was with Freddie told him to be quiet and get into the car. So matching what Tyler Fornash had reported, interesting. But there was nothing concrete to actually do anything about these statements, according to the police. The case stayed pretty silent until November 13th, almost a year after Julia's death, when Ember Stafford was arrested on an unrelated matter. While in jail, she reportedly told another inmate, someone connected to the Davis family, that she didn't lie about her eyewitness account and that she knew Julia personally. However, Kimberly Davis, Jalea's mother, stated there was no way Ember knew her children, which circles back to the credibility issue, since Ember told investigators that she had only met Jalea that night. In February of 2013, investigators received the finalized autopsy report and death certificate. According to those findings, Jalea died as a result of multiple catastrophic injuries, sustained as an unrestrained driver of a vehicle that lost control, struck a guardrail, and ejected her from the car before she was struck by two tractor-trailer trucks. Alcohol was listed as a contributory condition to impairment, and the manner of death was officially ruled an accident. So on March 21, 2013, Julia's family was informed that the case was being closed, and investigators stated that there was no indication of foul play. They acknowledged that the accident scene contained a unique set of circumstances, factors that appeared suspicious, but that misinformation and speculation had fueled public confusion. But they said that after reviewing all forensic evidence, statements, crash reconstruction data, toxology results, and DNA findings, they determined that the case could be ruled an accident. They extended their thoughts to the family, acknowledging how devastating it is to lose a child. But while the circumstances were unusual, the evidence supported one conclusion. But years after the case was officially closed, discussion didn't stop. In June of 2019, public forums began dissecting physical mechanics of the crash, particularly the ejection in the clothing. Julia's car was struck by the guardrail on the right side of the highway. The airbag deployed, she was unrestrained, meaning that she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and she was ejected through the passenger side window. Now during the reconstruction, during the ejection, her upper clothing came off, even her bra and her shirt and her coat. That's the part people struggle with. Online posters questioned how the clothing could have come off largely intact, and that removing her jacket, her top, and her bra without shredding them would have required a specific angle of force. They also pointed out that the sleeves of the jacket were right side out, so it wasn't like an inside out coat kind of thing, and the clothing was found on a guardrail post, not the one believed to have caused the fatal head injury. From there, people speculate that the clothing may have been moved before police arrived, placing all three clothing items stacked on top of each other on the same guardrail, the bra being underneath the shirt and the coat. Some forums referenced deposition comments noting limited visible blood on the passenger window area, questioning how an ejection occurred without more obvious transfer there. Others suggested that she may have been leaning towards the passenger side reaching for something when the crash occurred, which is why the internal lights would have been on. And people struggled to picture a driver being ejected from the driver's seat through the passenger side window, flipping upward onto the roof of the car, then rolling down off the trunk, particularly when there was limited visible blood around the passenger window area. But people also struggled to conceive a homicide scenario, especially since there was only 15 minutes between her last call to her sister and the first 911 call. But most hold the theory that someone hit Jalea with her own car and used a getaway car, possibly removing her clothes to indicate some kind of assault, and placing all the items on the same guardrail. As the years passed, the conversation around Jalea's case never truly stopped, especially on the Justice for Jalea Facebook page, where her mother, Kimberly Davis, continues to share her perspective. In December of 2022, the original Facebook page was hacked. But despite that, the online presence continued. In March of 2023, Kimberly released a series of posts discussing her own examination of the crime scene photos and testimony, including statements from the first truck driver who struck Julia. According to her post, she described acceleration marks leading away from the pool of blood where Julia's body was found. She pointed to what she described as blood leading from one of the acceleration marks to Julia's body, referencing testimony that her body skidded. She argued that those acceleration marks couldn't have been left by the semi-truck because the marks were on the right side of the road while her daughter's body was on the left. So basically someone accelerated to hit her and accelerated again to drive away afterwards. Then on March 22nd, Kimberly's father passed away, and she wrote about the emotional impact of losing a parent who died believing his granddaughter had not received justice. She connected that loss to the recent release of a documentary, expressing anger at what she called the untruths presented in the film. She wrote that she was beyond pissed, and she said that she planned to release additional details she had previously held back. She referenced thousands of screenshots and photos on her phone and intended to defend her daughter and father's memory. In September of 2024, Kimberly wrote that she had waited 12 years for someone to come forward. She believed someone involved that night provided a false alibi. And she addressed that person directly, saying she knew more than they thought she did. She claimed she knew who picked that individual up, where they were taken, and how they returned home the following day. Even if they weren't driving Julia's car, providing a false alibi would make them an accessory and obstruct justice. She urged that person to tell the truth. And we can make guesses of who that person is, but we'll leave it to your imagination. In November of 2024, Kimberly wrote that the young people involved that night had struck Julia with her own car. She alleged that someone wiped their hands on Julia's coat before it was placed on the guardrail on top of the rest of her clothing. She asked them what it must be like to live a normal life after that night and wrote about the pain of not hearing her daughter's voice or laugh for 13 years. So the most recent post is from November of 2025, the 14th anniversary of Julia's death. She wrote about the pain that never fully leaves, about learning to function but never truly healing. She said she takes the day off work every year because she doesn't want anyone to see her on that day, as the grief still overwhelms her. She believes that one day Jalea will get justice, and that she will continue fighting for her. From an official standpoint, nothing has changed since 2013. The case remains closed, but emotionally for her family, Jalea's case is never closed and justice hasn't been served. And until that changes, the conversation around Jalea Rose Davis will likely still continue. All of the information that you heard today is from the original case file documents provided by Gavin Fish. And we want you to take this information and decide, did Jalea truly get justice for what happened on November 19th of 2011? Investigators spent over a year examining the evidence, but ultimately, the only conclusion they could come to was accidental. But that didn't provide any kind of closure for Julia's family. Our thoughts are with Julia's family. We can't imagine what it's like to lose a child. And if you have verified information about this case, you can contact the Wood County Sheriff's Office at 304-424-1834. Thank you so much for listening to Crime Salad this week. And please feel free to leave us a positive review. It really helps our show. and please share this episode with a friend or someone who should hear Julia's story. We will see you next time. Ever open up your podcast app, scroll forever, and still not know what to listen to? And there are millions of podcasts and most of them, they just don't grab you. That's why I created Something You Should Know. Every episode is built around surprising, useful, and fascinating ideas. We're consistently ranked in Apple's top 200 with thousands of five-star reviews. But more importantly, people come back because they learn something interesting every time. If you're tired of searching and you just want something good to listen to, try one episode of Something You Should Know right here on the platform you're listening on right now. There are vampires out there. They walk among you, shoulder to shoulder, in the dark. Heading to work, heading home, going to the bar. It's a life just like anyone else's. And I have grown used to it. To the darkness, to the moon, to the taste of blood on my tongue. But vampires are dying out. We are a fading kind, and I am the first one created in so long. And that is a dangerous thing to be. Those who came before me, elders of all stripes, they do not want to see our kind gone, and they will do anything to keep their power. And for myself, and for Grace, who created me, that is a sword that hangs above our heads. And the worst person of all carries our secret, and he will use it however he sees fit. Who do you look to when things are at their darkest? From the creators of Park Delhaunt comes Woodbine, a podcast about monsters dreams and changes those you want and those you never saw coming season two arise september 24th distributed by realm if bravo drama pop culture chaos and honest takes are your love language you'll want all about terry h podcast in your feed hosted by roxanne and chantelle this show breaks down real housewives reality tv and the moments everyone's group chat is arguing about roxanne's been spilling bravo tea since 2010 and yes we've interviewed housewives royalty like Countess Luann and Teresa Giudice. Smart recaps, insider energy, and zero fluff. Listen to All About T-Rage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes weekly.