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- [00:00]
Troy Taylor
We're shipping Mother's Day gifts with a rapid fire round of questions. Ready?
- [00:04]
Elaine
Yes. My gift. Can you pack it?
- [00:06]
Troy Taylor
Yep. Ship it? Yes.
- [00:07]
Elaine
Guarantee it?
- [00:08]
Troy Taylor
Of course.
- [00:09]
Elaine
Oh send gift baskets for sure. Protect electronics, dog proof it. Return it if they hate it.
- [00:14]
Troy Taylor
Yes, no and yeah.
- [00:16]
Elaine
Are you the UPS store?
- [00:18]
Troy Taylor
Hey, we have a winner.
- [00:20]
Elaine
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- [01:00]
Troy Taylor
Hey among the missing listeners, I want to thank you for listening and for helping to keep Elaine's story alive. I truly believe the more people who listen, the more people we can get talking about Elaine, the greater chance we have of finding answers. To that end, if you're enjoying the podcast, it would be absolutely amazing if you could take a second to rate or review us on whatever platform you listen on. I also want to let you know that moving forward will be dropping new episodes on Fridays in the US And Canada and Saturdays in Australia and New Zealand. This podcast is fluid as I continue to dig into Elaine's case and there is significant new information being uncovered almost every day. So I need that extra day just to make sure nothing is missed. Because as I think I've said about a million times now, the devil is very much in the detail here. Finally, if you have any questions about any of our episodes or anything to do with Elaine's disappearance, please jump on over to our website at www.amongthemissingpodcast.com and either leave us a voicemail or send us an email. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy today's episode.
- [02:11]
Unknown Artist
My days are simple K Day and what's for Dinner? Then I roll a bleezy up and then get cozy front and center with my mind and listen to vibrations as they enter through my soul. Then to my cerebrum Though I'm still trying to find my own drum this shit was meant for me I'm like fuck em cause I'm a female and it won't be easy to buck em I'm aware of all the extra pressure there'll be But I'm the greatest at this. I'm barely getting started, you see you're looking for me. Starting with I hate Elaine. To help keep yourself sane when you need someone to blame. But it's okay I'll take your pain? Cause my thoughts don't think the same. I know there's levels to this game the few already know my name. I'm from beautiful Cali, it's a small town in the valley? Tried east, took a tally, came back, back to Cali I spoke to stars, they say slow and steady? But now's the time without a beat I'm going in? Cause y'all ready? I've been shown you can't control the cards? You've been deckered. Have faith, start slow. Think chess is not checkers. Perseverance even through the times. Yeah, you look to her light. I thought you knew the hardest battles were saved for the best nights. So show Nori about me and continue walking with stride. You were given brilliance. Your blessings are trying to shine. You see now this is the real key. You gotta see how people see you gotta breathe in the way people breathe. It's all in the psychology, perspective. Respect boundaries. Remember it's safety first. Stay conscious and you'll be found. Have your head as high in the clouds. As long as you keep those 10 down. It's hard to break cycles. But stay consistent, you'll prevail. You gotta be your chain now. No more running round his tail. Don't do wrong by others, don't envy them to fail. Hold your hands with your brothers before you tip them scales. Feeling lost is a part of life. See the beauty in its way. Everything's for a reason. Even how the pieces lay. Either A blessing or a lesson. So please don't be ashamed. Take everything as it comes. The light really does keep them at bay.
- [03:38]
Troy Taylor
Watch a movie a day. History, documentary, classics. Do one thing a day that scares you. Diet, exercise. Take Zuko on a walk every day. Write a poem or story or an essay every day. Finish a book every week, or maybe every second week. Save money. Learn something new every day. Minimize space and mind. Take a dance class every week. Those were the New Year's resolutions. Elaine committed to the whiteboard on her bedroom wall at the beginning of 2017. In Elaine's eyes, the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 represented an opportunity for her to kind of reinvent herself. 2016 had been a challenging year for Elaine. For her, it was that year we all hate to think about, but that we all know we had to go through at one point or another. You know, the one where the wonder and endless possibility of youth begins to slowly slip away. And the cold, harsh truth of adulthood and what that really means slaps us hard in the face when we realize that the rainbows and sunshine and unicorns, we don't get those anymore. Those are for the ones who come after us now. For us now we get taxes and insurance debts and medical bills. It's the year we realized that we can do whatever we want, but that whatever we want comes with those things we didn't really have as kids. Real world consequences. And Elaine had to deal with a lot of those. In 2016, she'd been arraigned for possession of marijuana, and her boyfriend at the time, Lolo, who we spoke briefly about in episode one, was arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm. She'd taken the same path a lot of us did in our early days, and she dived headfirst into a world of excess. Anything and everything that could give us that buzz, that escape from reality, that those youthful, fun, safe years were slipping away. And she'd learnt what it meant to get too close to the sun. In that way, she'd come to the realization that some friendships engulfed you in positive light filled energy, and some stood to drag you deeper down a path that was already too enticing to begin with. And on the back of that, as 2016 drew to a close, Elaine made the commitment to love herself a little more, to focus on that positive light, take a step back from the demons that called to her, and to realign herself with the woman she saw ahead, looking back at her, trying to guide the way. The one who was creative and warm, who traveled the world and experienced so many things. The one who had become a loving wife and more so, a doting mother. But it turned out none of that was in the stars for Elaine. There was no shining light ahead, no North Star. When Elaine wrote those resolutions on her whiteboard on New Year's Day 2017, the wheels of destiny were already in motion. And much like the night before, a countdown began. But this one wasn't counting down to fireworks and confetti cannons and ball drops in Times Square. This was the countdown for the last known days of her life on this planet. As she looked at her whiteboard, all of those resolutions full of hope and excitement. Without even realizing it, that clock had begun to tick. 28 days in 28 short days, Elaine would be taken from the world and the world would be taken from her. I'm Troy Taylor, and this is among the missing. If there's one thing I've learned from looking into Elaine's case, it's this. Nothing makes sense in isolation. That's not how life works. Everything connects. Threads cross over. Stories and events intertwine. One small thing over here can have a massive impact over there. And out of context, a duck can look like a lion and a lion like a duck. You can't just take a day here and a day there from Elaine's life and rely on them to give you the answers. If you want the answers, you need to look into all of the days. And in this episode and in my investigation into Elaine's disappearance as a whole, that's exactly what I try to do. Because the answers are there in the detail, hiding between the lines. You just have to step back to see them. So let's grab a coffee, take a step back and get our ducks in a row. After Susan sent me Elaine's Snapchat data, she followed up with more of Elaine's social accounts, in particular Twitter and Instagram. There was a lot to go through. Sure, there were the usual photos on Instagram and tweets on Twitter, but they weren't really what I had my eye on. What I was really looking to dive into was Elaine's direct messages. What I found in there wasn't the smoking gun in Elaine's case, but it did give me a ton of insight into what she was going through, how she was feeling and what her world looked like leading up to her disappearance. And here's what's clear. Elaine sparkled. Everyone around her seemed to light up when she walked into a room. People loved her and she had this presence that just seemed to captivate. She was independent, free spirited and magnetic. Maybe that's why in April 2016, there was a lot going on in Elaine's love life. On April 6, Elaine and her ex, Lolo, you'll remember him from episode one, were arrested in Manhattan Beach. Elaine got picked up for having a small amount of weed in her car. And Lolo, he had an unlicensed firearm on him. When the cops pulled them over and found the gun, Elaine was shocked. She had no idea she'd be driving around with a loaded weapon in her car. Weed, sure, but a gun? That wasn't her vibe. A couple of days earlier, on April 7, Elayna tried to put some space between her and Lolo. She told him she didn't see them as anything more than friends. She cared about him, but it wasn't that kind of love. Not to her, at least. Lolo didn't take it well. In fact, he didn't really take it at all. It was like he decided to pretend the whole conversation never happened. And his feelings morphed from a youthful longing to. To something a little more stalkerish. He kept messaging her using whatever channel he could, and when she blocked him, he'd just create a new account and start again. By mid May, Winolo was still acting possessive, continuing to create new throwaway social media accounts and trying to pressure Elaine into talking. She'd finally had enough. She reached out to him and told him once and for all to leave her alone, that they had nothing more to talk about, and that all they could ever be is friends. Period. And by May 17, it seems he finally got the message and he stopped harassing her on Twitter and Instagram, at least. What Lolo didn't know, if you rewind back to early April, is that he wasn't the only one catching feelings for Elaine. There was also Darius. He first messaged her on April 4, played it cool for maybe half a minute before calling her honey and baby. And by April 6, he's dropping the I love you bomb. I know you're the one for me. I fell in love with you at first sight. She never says anything like it back. And by April 13, she stops replying altogether. And then there's this guy. We'll call him Caden. That's not his real name, but it'll do for now. Elaine and Kayden started talking on April 4, too. By April 6, he's calling her baby. And by April 8, it's Good Morning texts, digital flowers, and yup, telling her he's in love with her, that he can't stop thinking about her. But by April 13, she's ghosted him, too. Yes, you heard all of that, right? Elaine had Lolo, Darius, and Caden all messaging her at the same time. All of them calling her baby, all of them telling her they were madly in love with her, and all of them hitting her up for whatever she's got to offer. So, yeah, when I say everybody loved Elaine, I'm not exaggerating. Or at least they told her they did. Here's the thing. I'm not just laying all this out to give you a rundown on Elaine's love life. The point is, across the board with Lolo, Darius and Kayden, their messages are all kinda the same. Like they're all Reading from the same tired playbook. It's that same mix of let's hook up, got any drugs? And I'm so in love with you. Over and over and over. You're the love of my life. I can't stop thinking about you. You're my whole future. Well, I don't buy feels less like love and more like love bombing to me. Promise the world to the girl who just wants to feel loved. Maybe get some hookups, maybe get some drugs. Take whatever she's willing to offer. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe these dudes just fall head over heels really fast. Like 48 hours kind of fast. Like it seems maybe Divine did. He and Elaine met on November 4th at a house party. They clicked instantly, exchanged Instagram details, and later that night, he messaged and asked her to hit him up via text. From there, things took off fast. They were in almost constant communication with each other, just like a loving new couple would be. But the language, it felt a little familiar. Let's link. What are you on tonight? I'm trying to get lit. And that wasn't the only thing that began feeling familiar. By November 9, just five days in, they're already calling each other babe and baby, right in between talking about hooking up and doing drugs. On November 19, Divine invites Elaine to chill with his friends and drink a little lean. That's codeine mixed with cough syrup for those of you who are just as clueless as I am about 2017 drug slang. Elaine says she's not really into it, but she'll come and hang out regardless. The next morning, she texts Divine and she's not happy, accusing him of swerving her the night before. Swerving according to Urban Dictionary because it turns out I'm too old to understand any kind of slang, apparently means straight up ignoring someone. A whole eight hours later, Divine replies and apologizes for not paying her any attention. He says he was poed out. And apparently this whole episode is brought to you by Urban Dictionary because I also needed them to explain to me that that meant he was completely off his face. Elaine doesn't respond, so he sends another message at 5pm, then one at 6.19pm, one at 8.08pm, asking her to call him, and finally one at 10pm and still nothing from Elaine. Eventually, of course, they sort it out, and on December 23rd, divine messages Elaine. Good night, babe. And for the first time since they started talking, I love you. Elaine doesn't quite match his level of energy, opting for the classic, you're so special to Me over the more contemporary I love you, too. Fast forward to January 2nd. Divine checks in with Elaine and asks if she's okay. She says she wants to win, but she wants to win with him. He tells her he thinks the worst when she doesn't answer his calls, that he worries she doesn't take his feelings seriously. And for the first and only time, Elaine tells him she loves him back. Then he opens up. He's struggling with his parents. Says he keeps screwing up. Thinks they might kick him out. That's why he explains he stays in the guest house, not the main one. And then he says he can't do this anymore. He's not happy. It's not her, he says. But his mind is back in a dark place and he's thinking about death again. But there's something not right about their relationship, even in this early stage. Because while he's pouring his heart out to her, Elaine's in her bedroom in lingerie, taking modeling shots. Wherever he's at in their relationship, she's not there with him. He's unloading his deepest, darkest thoughts. And she's distracted. She's already pulling back. And it's not because she doesn't care. It's just because she's heard it all before. And if it wasn't immediately clear where Elaine sat on their relationship, she made it crystal clear the next day on January 3, when she ended things with him.
- [17:01]
Divine
I love you enough to let you go and see you do good for yourself. I need this year to really invest in myself right now. So I'm gonna grind and spend time alone until I can get myself real right. We can both improve and do better. You know, I appreciate everything you've done for me. You really taught me a lot about myself and showed me my value when nobody else did. I'm never going to forget that. I wish you knew how I see you through my eyes. My heart has a real special place for you.
- [17:28]
Troy Taylor
It's a kind, thoughtful and loving goodbye. But make no mistake, it is a goodbye. Divine doesn't take it well. He pleads with her to reconsider, tells her she is all he has, and promises to fight for her. But it's too late. Elaine is done. Eight days later, on January 11, she deletes the last part of him that still exists on her iPhone when she quietly removes him from Find My Friends. And then, as quickly as things had begun with Divine and Elaine, they ended. Divine leaving with his tail tucked between his legs and Elaine feeling well, the same way she always did. Happy. The Thing is, when Divine and Elaine hit it off on November 4th and they fell hard and fast, it might have been this huge thing for him, but it wasn't really anything new for her. That happened to her everywhere she went. I used to look at their messages and think, wow, they really loved each other. They promised each other the world. She told him once that she loved him and he told her that she was the love of his life. But so did Lolo and Darius and Kayden. You could easily be forgiven for thinking she and Divine were madly in love. But when you really began to break down the language and analyze the positioning, look at the way things ended with Elayne pulling back, you're really only left with one possible conclusion. This whole thing just looks like a slightly longer version of exactly what happened with Lolo, Darius and Kaden. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this time was different. But then again, maybe it really is just the same old story playing out again. This time just on a grander scale. But let's take a closer look at the 28 days leading up to Elaine's disappearance. By early January, Elaine had cut a lot of people out of her life. She'd stopped talking to old friends like Daisy and Elizabeth, and she completely cut ties with Divine. It's clear she wasn't just thinking about changing her life. She was actively trying to do it. In her messages, there's barely any mention of drugs, little to no mention of parties or clubs, and certainly no talk of new guys on the horizon. Most nights she'd hang out with Sadie. They'd grab food, have sleepovers, and later in the month, they even started planning a trip to Disneyland. A trip that sadly never happened. But her issues from the troublesome year prior were still lingering like a bad month long hangover. She had to contend with a $220 fine and a date with a judge in court. The result of an incident involving speeding and driving without insurance from September the year before. Remember way back in episode one when Susan warned Elaine not to get caught by the cops when she broke down on the freeway? Well, this is why, by the time Elaine broke down on the freeway, she still didn't have insurance and she was up to her eyeballs in debt. She certainly couldn't afford another fine. Her bank account was almost always a negative, and what felt like everyone under The sun, from PayPal to speedy loans, were chasing her for money. She didn't have a job. She'd been let go in November from her gig at Dave and Busters, and she hadn't found the motivation yet to try to find a new one. So she'd found herself in a position where she'd become reliant on borrowing money from others. Susan gave her money every second day, as did her dad, Ray. She owed money to her brother Dustin, and to both Sadie and Daisy. The pressure bore down on her, but she never let it stop her. Most days she'd get out and do things. She'd find herself exploring the Pacific coast highway or heading out to visit Salvation Mountain with Sadie. And she made plans with Bubba, her tattoo artist, for him to put down new chewing on her arm. It was a daily struggle for Elaine, but things were starting to feel a little more positive, a little less out of control. But like most of the monsters in the closet, sometimes things rear their heads even when you don't want them to. On January 20th, Elaine and Sadie and their friend Emily decided to get dressed up and head out for a party for the first time in what felt like forever. But pretty much as soon as they arrive, things start slipping. Less than an hour after getting there, Elaine finds herself thinking about Divine, and she texts him to see if he's home. He tells her he's not. He's in Utah with his dad, but he really wants to talk to her and get a few things off his chest. He tries calling her a few times, but Elaine doesn't answer. So he texts again, telling her he's worried about her, as he always is when she won't answer his calls. But by now she's having fun at the party, so she simply tells him she's good and she'll talk to him tomorrow, which doesn't end up happening a few days later. On the Sunday before her disappearance, Elaine and Sadie take an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. She only has $2.36 in her bank account, but she'll be damned if she'll let that stop her. Neither would a text from Divine in which he says he's all over the place and his head's feeling all messed up. They came through while they were on the road. Elaine just chooses to ignore it. So they leave la Crecenta around 5pm and by midnight, they're drinking Red Bulls and riding the Aria Express tram between the casino and the shops at Crystal's. It seems like they had a truly wonderful night, smiling and laughing, and in one video, Elaine rests her head lovingly on Sadie's shoulder as the tram pulls to a stop. It was a moment of peace and one of, if not the last, happy moment. Elaine and Sadie got to spend together before Elaine vanished. They leave Vegas early that same morning and arrive back in LA just in time to see the sunrise. And somehow, maybe thanks to the Red Bull, Sadie actually manages to get to work that morning. A couple of days later, on Wednesday night, a few days before she goes missing, Elaine attends a party in San Dimas with her friends Nick and Cody. It's a good distance from her house, about 45 minutes to an hour, and she ends up leaving to head home at around 1:15am later that morning she ends up stranded on the freeway merge heading eastbound in the direction of Taylor Campos House. Later that morning, she ends up stranded on the 210118 freeway merge heading eastbound in the direction of Taylor Campos House. And we loop right back around to the timeline we explored in episode one, starting at 3:40am with Susan and Jeff helping her get moving again and ending at 6.05am on Saturday, January 28, when Elaine is last seen on CCTV, and at 6.07am when her car is seen for the last time exiting the gates of the Compare family's gated community. It'll be the last time anyone would see Elaine's car again until February 2nd when it was discovered on Pacific Coast Highway. Well, as far as we know at this stage anyway. But that's for another episode a little further down the line. There's one thing I failed to mention a little earlier when we were talking about Elaine and Divine. Remember when I said he invited her to a party with his friends to drink Lean and it seemed to end in a fight with Elaine, accusing him of swerving her and then ignoring his messages for the rest of the day? Well, that was that night. The one with the video of Elaine and Devine on the couch with Ben Kim in the background. When I'd spotted BK in that Lean video with Elaine and Divine, I was honestly flawed up until that point. As far as I knew, bk, or at least Michelle's version of him, wasn't even real. And now suddenly, here he was, not just real, but hanging out with both Divine and Elaine partying with them. And it turns out there actually was a fight that BK was privy to. The whole thing left my head spinning. As it turned out, Michelle wasn't lying. Her version of events line up way too well for her to have made it all up. Maybe she messed up with the dates, or maybe BK lied to her about when it all happened, but either way, as crazy as it seems, there is something real there. As for the whole drive to Utah and get rid of the body Part. Well, that still feels like a huge stretch. But did Michelle make that part up, or was that something BK had fed to her, too? And if it was why, it was a question I needed to ask bk. So I went all in, trying to track him down. I looked everywhere, ran background checks, combed through what felt like hundreds, if not thousands, of Ben Kim social media profiles, and even started doing the thing I thought Susan might have done, calling random bkims from out of the phone book. But nothing. I came up completely empty. So I shelved it, threw it into the same circle back later pile where I temporarily tossed leads like stony baloney. The stuff you don't toss out altogether, but you don't have enough to chase yet. But it turns out I didn't have to wait that long. I was just sitting down with a cup of coffee when a Facebook message from Susan popped. I clicked into it, and I had to spend the next few minutes cleaning up the coffee I'd spat all over my screen. This call is being recorded because Susan had finally managed to get bk, the real bk, on the phone.
- [26:38]
BK
Hello?
- [26:39]
Susan
Hi, It's a little better.
- [26:41]
BK
Susan? Yeah, I can hear you.
- [26:44]
Susan
I'm a little calmed down now. So I need to talk to you about the huge fight when I went to visit you on Tarzana Rehabilitation. So you knew about that?
- [26:57]
BK
Yeah, I knew about that.
- [26:59]
Susan
Why didn't you come out?
- [27:01]
BK
I wasn't feeling well. I was going through my own problems. And I know you were offering a reward, even a cash reward. I know that Michelle mentioned. Honestly, I do apologize for not coming out to see you, but I wasn't comfortable at that time. Michelle mentioned a few things. She had mentioned that you guys had a good idea where she was, where her body was or something, if I remember.
- [27:24]
Susan
I didn't. No, I don't know. I have no idea where she is.
- [27:30]
BK
Yeah, that's. That's what Michelle had mentioned to me.
- [27:34]
Susan
No, she was saying something about driving to Utah and that Lance and Divine may have driven towards the Utah and.
- [27:45]
BK
What are the questions that you have?
- [27:47]
Susan
I need to see if Michelle's telling me the truth, if she has spoken to you. And the huge fight that Divine and Elaine had at your place in West Hill.
- [28:03]
BK
There wasn't a huge fight. I was. It was actually at Divine's house where we were hanging out over there, and Divine got a call from Elaine saying that she's on her way. So she basically asked us to leave at that time. So I'm not exactly sure where that huge fight that you're Talking about happened.
- [28:24]
Troy Taylor
I found this particular comment from BK pretty interesting. In the conversation, he basically says he doesn't know what Michelle's been saying, suggests that she's a liar, and even suggests a bit later that maybe she just made it all up for the reward money. But here's the problem with that. If Michelle was just making things up, how did BK know exactly what she told Susan without anyone telling him first? So let's take stock. We've got a video showing Elaine and Divine doing lean at a house in West Hills with BK in the background. West Hills is where BK used to live. We've got proof there was some kind of argument. Maybe not on the night in question, but still with Divine ignoring Elaine for most of the night and Elaine not replying to him the next day. And now we've got BK basically admitting to Susan that he knew what Michelle had said at least about him being at Divine's place the night before Elaine went missing. No prompting, no guesses, he just knew.
- [29:20]
Susan
That's what Michelle said the night before she went to see your that she was. She got into a car battery problem on the night before she went to see divine on 3:30am and I think that's the time. I think that's the time she was at your house the night before she went to see Divine.
- [29:44]
BK
At my house in West Hills?
- [29:47]
Susan
Yes.
- [29:48]
BK
No, she wasn't there. I'm sorry, she wasn't. She's been there maybe one time, but that night she was not there. I don't think. I think you got the story where basically we were at Divine's house and she called saying that she was on her way and Divine asked us to leave.
- [30:09]
Troy Taylor
So I keep circling back to the same question. Did Michelle make it up or was she just repeating exactly what BK told her? Sadly, we don't get a clear answer. Susan was caught off guard in the moment and instead of pressing him with the key follow ups, she implores him to listen to the audio recording from the meeting with her, Rosemary and Michelle.
- [30:27]
Susan
I don't know. I don't know. What? So why is Michelle saying that there was a huge fight but you never said. But Divine never said anything about that at your house. About jealousy.
- [30:41]
BK
Jealousy.
- [30:42]
Troy Taylor
Okay.
- [30:42]
BK
Can you tell me what Michelle actually told you?
- [30:45]
Susan
Okay. Have you. I tell you what, I tell you what, why don't I send you a link to audio recording between me, Michelle and Rosemary. You listen to it and tell me your thoughts if you can help me out. We're not saying you're not. You're involved in her disappearance. We're just saying that you have some information that there was a huge fight and Divine never said anything about that huge fight. And I wanted to talk to you about that. Unfortunately, Michelle passed away and she was very vocal, she was very out there and I don't know Michelle. And she overdosed and passed away. So that was coincidence. Suspicious when she's all vocal and out there why she passed away. So only hope that I have is to get in touch with you.
- [31:41]
BK
Can you tell me?
- [31:42]
Susan
Let me send you the link. Okay. It's a long thing and I have text strings, I have audio recording. So let me send you the link of that audio and you can listen to it and tell me if that's all false or some are true and some are not, or how you could help me link with.
- [32:02]
BK
I could help you clarify it right now.
- [32:04]
Susan
I need you to listen to the audio, please. Why don't you listen to it, what she said? And also, let me say another thing. What do you think happened to Elaine?
- [32:17]
BK
I have no idea what happened to her.
- [32:19]
Susan
You have no.
- [32:20]
BK
What do you think? What do you think happened to her? I would like to know myself.
- [32:25]
Susan
So you have no. Not even any suspicions about Divine?
- [32:31]
BK
No, I. Not at this time. I never know. I didn't. I don't know what happened. I would like to know myself.
- [32:38]
Susan
Let me let you listen to the audio. I'll send you the link, you listen to it. And please call me back when you are free to talk. But only way.
- [32:51]
BK
Could she be making this stuff up? Is that a possibility?
- [32:55]
Susan
I don't know. Obviously she knows you. Obviously she knows you.
- [32:59]
BK
Money or give her any money about? I. Yeah, she does know me. I met her in rehab.
- [33:05]
Susan
So why would she make it up? She knows you.
- [33:08]
BK
Did you give her any money by a chance?
- [33:11]
Susan
No money whatsoever. She did not even bring it up.
- [33:15]
BK
That's interesting because she kept asking me to take the money. She said that basically you offered it to me in cash and I don't know if that was reward money or. So you were gonna just pay me cash for what?
- [33:28]
Susan
Information that leads me to find. Yes. I need to know if you have any information, if you know anything about. I don't even want to know who's responsible at this time.
- [33:41]
BK
Okay?
- [33:42]
Susan
That's all I'm asking. And we could keep this anonymous. If I find her, no questions asked, I will personally give you $25,000 cash and I will drop where you want the money to be.
- [33:57]
BK
I just don't have the information. I Don't know what to say. It sounds like Michelle has been giving you information and I really don't know anything. So as much as I do want help.
- [34:09]
Susan
This is not helping. I'm asking you to listen to the audio. Can you at least do that as a Korean to Korean helping me out, please?
- [34:17]
BK
Sure, sure.
- [34:19]
Susan
Thank you so much, Ben.
- [34:20]
BK
I'll listen to the recordings. If I do hear anything that I can help you with, I will let you know. Other than that, I have nothing to do with this. I don't know what can help you.
- [34:31]
Susan
You have more closer connection to Divine comparison than me obviously. Maybe ask him questions, ask him something and then let me know. And they trust.
- [34:43]
BK
We were good friends. But it's been couple years at least since I've spoken to you.
- [34:48]
Susan
Yeah, I get it. I understand why too. But there's so much I need to ask you. All I'm asking you is if you could help me investigate and help me because you're closer to Divine and help me out and then leave me. That's all I want to do is find Elaine. I'm not trying to get someone arrested or like you're responsible, but this and that. I'm just trying to put dots together. I know I'm going on and on. This is six years of trauma.
- [35:19]
BK
I understand. If I hear anything on the link or the recordings that you have that may help, I will let you know.
- [35:26]
Susan
Thank you. I know it's on you. It's heavy on your shoulder as much as it's heavy on my shoulder as well.
- [35:32]
BK
Thank you.
- [35:33]
Susan
Thank you. Bye.
- [35:35]
BK
Okay, talk to you later. Bye bye.
- [35:36]
Susan
Bye. Bye.
- [35:38]
Troy Taylor
Right after the call, Susan sent BK the link to the audio recording. She was hopeful, waiting for him to get back to her so they could go over what Michelle had actually told the truth about and what, if anything, she might have made up. She waited and waited and waited some more. But Susan does not like waiting. Eventually she gave up and decided to call him back. Just to check in. First call, straight to voicemail. She waited a couple of days and then tried again. Still voicemail. She followed up with an imessage. Nothing. She called again. Then again. Still nothing. After about the sixth call, something changed. Her calls weren't going anywhere anymore. And those imessages, they weren't blue anymore. They'd gone green. BK had blocked her. And just like that, he was gone. 20 minutes of vague conversation and then nothing vanished. Never to be heard from again. I've tried to reach out too. I checked Facebook and Instagram. He's active on Both, so we know he's still around. But just like Susan, I hit a wall. I've messaged him through messenger, sent texts, tried calling, sent him DMs on Instagram. Not a single response. So here we are again. Yet another person who doesn't want to talk. And once again, I'm left sitting here asking the same question. Why? Why won't anyone say anything? Why won't anyone even try to help clear things up? Or at the very least, rule out stuff that isn't true? Honestly, it's enough to drive a guy to drink. But like I've said before, since launching this podcast, some doors have started to open. A lot of new information has started coming in. Most of it is pretty standard stuff. Psychics who all claim to know exactly where Elaine is, only to all say completely different places. People who watch grainy CCTV footage and come to the conclusion Elaine was attacked by nine guys hiding out in Divine's mum's Range Rover for 10 hours overnight. And of course, the ever helpful crowd that just says, why are you even doing this? Everyone knows the mum did it. But every now and then, something real shows up. Something solid. And after last week's episode aired, something very real did land in my inbox. One of the people I'd been talking to about Elaine's case reached out to share something they'd found. It was in Michelle Westervelt's autopsy report. Not the electronic version, the one I mentioned last week. That says Michelle died of the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity. In other words, a drug overdose. But the original documents. One from the hospital where Michelle was first admitted and another handwritten from the coroner who'd performed the actual autopsy. I started with the hospital report and I could not believe what I was reading. It said Michelle told the nurses she was a frequent user of fentanyl and meth. She wasn't just some first timer. She knew what her limits were. But that wasn't the shocking part. I tossed the hospital doc aside and quickly scooped up the coroner's report. And there it was, handwritten in black and white, signed off by a Dr. Eisman. Autopsy of Michelle Westervelt performed at Olympia Medical center on the same day as her death. Case number 2020-02-604. Physical injuries, none. Clinical history. Asthma and drug abuse. Cause of death, Cyanide, Poison.
- [39:35]
Unknown Artist
I get nothing more to give.
- [39:43]
Troy Taylor
But that's next time on among the Missing. Thanks for listening to among the Missing. If you know anything about what happened to Elaine, or where she is. A Reward fund of $25,000 cash is still on offer. If you'd like any more information on the reward or you have any information relating to Elaine's disappearance whatsoever, please visit our website@ among themissingpodcast.com where you can send us a message or leave us a voicemail. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at among the Missing Podcast. If you've got any questions you'd like to be addressed in our Q and A episodes, please visit our website at among themissingpodcast.com and either send us a message or leave us a voicemail. Among the Missing is a production of FTM Media, produced by Troy Taylor, Mark Tarulli and Fred Scherzer, written by Troy Taylor. Our theme song is Lucid Symphony by Dirty Freaks. Elaine park is still a missing person and her case is still open with the Glendale Police Department. If you have any information about her whereabouts, please contact them on 818-548-3135 and mention Elaine's case number 171512.