The Devil's the One Who Tells You There's No Hope (Blunt Force Trauma Preview)

Summary

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Among The Missing — Episode Summary

Episode Title:

The Devil's the One Who Tells You There's No Hope
(Blunt Force Trauma Preview)

Host: Troy Taylor
Release Date: March 28, 2026

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Brief Overview

This episode serves as a gripping preview for "Blunt Force Trauma," the new investigative series by Troy Taylor and EchoSpace. The main theme: a deep dive into the suspicious 2021 death of 23-year-old Faith Ely in rural Oklahoma—a case quickly ruled a hit-and-run by authorities, but dogged with inconsistencies and unanswered questions, as revealed through interviews with Faith's family and investigation into the evidence. The narrative is richly atmospheric, blending the haunting search for Elaine Park's remains with the dark reality of small-town secrets, police procedure, and personal obsession in the pursuit of truth and justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Scene: Malibu Canyon Search

[00:45–04:45]

• Troy and his friend Rosemary Wheeler recount exploring Malibu canyons searching for bones and evidence in the Elaine Park disappearance.
• The risks and vulnerability of civilian investigators are felt strongly:

  "We've got no weapons, no backup, just cell phones, water bottles and a whole lot of bug spray. In hindsight... something that could protect us from things a little bigger than mosquitoes might have been a good idea." — Troy [01:45]

• A pivotal moment occurs: a mysterious phone call from Oklahoma triggers a new investigation.

Introduction to the Faith Ely Case

[05:08–07:48]

• Troy connects via call/Zoom with Faith Ely's mother, Amanda Langston, and sister, Caitlin.
• The emotional impact of discussing life’s mundanities while dealing with profound grief:

  "It always feels a little strange to talk about the weather with a family who's grieving. But... that's exactly the sort of thing you talk about." — Troy [05:37]

• Initial information suggests Faith's case was treated as a hit-and-run, but Amanda insists otherwise:

  "This wasn't a hit and run... I'm saying there was no truck." — Amanda [07:34]

Eyewitness Testimony & Timeline

[08:48–10:35]

• Details of the night:
  • Fight between Faith and boyfriend Ryan’s mother, Ronica.
  • Faith leaves on foot; Ryan claims to have witnessed her being struck by a passing truck and finds her body 4/10 mile from the house.
  • Multiple witness statements, but details conflict.

911 Calls & On-Scene Accounts

[10:35–15:48]

• Audio from 911 calls (neighbor, Ryan), confusion around who called, sequence of events.
• Bob (“the Cowboy”) stops at the scene, told a Doberman was hit before the truth emerges.
• Discussion of Ryan and Ronica’s attempts at CPR/pulse check, but both were uncertain if Faith was alive.
• Ryan’s behavior raises suspicion; repeated inconsistencies in how events are described to 911 and others.

Law Enforcement Response & Procedural Oddities

[19:09–21:27]

• Nine agencies respond to the scene—including local PD, sheriffs, OSBI, fire, Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police, and DA’s drug task force.
• Despite this, the investigation is minimal:
  • No search for evidence at the scene of the fight.
  • No interviews with party witnesses or neighbors.
  • Case quickly and firmly ruled a hit-and-run by OSBI, despite Highway Patrol's doubts.
• Family's frustration with lack of follow-up.

Polygraph Test & Family Perspective

[22:05–22:27]

• Amanda reveals that boyfriend Ryan failed a polygraph test:

  “He failed. Quickly. They said it... he was even telling the truth about anything.” — Amanda [22:13]

Personal Impact & Internal Reckoning

[22:27–24:23]

• Troy acknowledges the gravity and complexity of the task ahead, realizing he cannot investigate alone.
• Rosemary Wheeler re-enters as a trusted partner in the investigation.
• A sense of mounting obsession and the emotional toll of pursuit:

  "What I’d expected to be a relatively straightforward hit and run was already beginning to look like a hell of a lot more." — Troy [22:27]

Autopsy Report: Red Flags

[25:06–27:30]

• Rosemary acquires Faith’s autopsy and raises new doubts:

  "It just screams that something isn’t right. ... I don’t think this is an accident." — Rosemary [25:16]

• Sister Caitlin details autopsy findings:
  • Broken ribs, lacerated spleen—damage inconsistent with a high-speed vehicle strike.
  • No road rash, bruising, or evidence on clothing/skin of pedestrian accident.
• Medical examiner may have relied on OSBI’s account, not independent evidence.

  "There was nothing... not on her clothes... no friction burns... Only the broken ribs and the lacerated spleen." — Caitlin [26:30]

The Small Town Context

[28:28–30:34]

• Atmospheric vignette of Wewoka and Sasakwa: small, close-knit, wary of police and outsiders.
• Social pressures, community fear of retribution hamper witness cooperation.

  "If they’re going to do it to Faith, they’re going to hurt them too." — Amanda [31:41]

New Leads & Community Fears

[31:41–32:45]

• Faith had previously confided:

  "If I end up dead in a ditch somewhere, Ryan did it." — Faith, as relayed to family friend [32:26]

• Law enforcement told, but unable or unwilling to follow up on hearsay.

911 Call Discovery

[32:45–34:12]

• Rosemary discovers a possible missing 911 call, further muddying the investigative trail:

  "It said something along the lines of suspicious male waving flashlights... My head is actually spinning." — Rosemary [33:00]

Call for Public Help

[34:12–end]

• Troy appeals directly to the audience for tips and support in Faith's case.
• Guidance for listeners to follow developments and assist via tip lines and social media.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Troy [01:45]:
  "In hindsight, something that could protect us from things a little bigger than mosquitoes might have been a good idea, but hindsight’s not going to help us much now."
• Amanda [07:34]:
  "This wasn’t a hit and run... I’m saying there was no truck."
• Troy [05:37]:
  "It always feels a little strange to talk about the weather with a family who’s grieving."
• Caitlin [26:30]:
  "No friction burns or anything on her feet. ...You would think something traveling at that rate of speed created far more damage."
• Rosemary [25:16]:
  "It just screams that something isn’t right. ...I don’t think this is an accident."
• Faith (relayed) [32:26]:
  "If I end up dead in a ditch somewhere, Ryan did it."
• Rosemary [33:00]:
  "I’m like, am I reading this right?... Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — and there’s smoke, right?"

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:45] – Search for remains in Malibu; phone call from Oklahoma changes everything
• [05:08] – Zoom call with Faith’s family begins
• [07:34] – Amanda challenges "hit and run" narrative
• [10:35] – 911 calls and timeline inconsistencies
• [19:09] – First responders and law enforcement scene details
• [22:05] – Ryan’s failed polygraph revelation
• [25:06] – Questions from autopsy report
• [31:41] – Witness reluctance and threats/fears in community
• [32:26] – Faith's chilling warning about Ryan
• [33:00] – Discovery of possible missing 911 call
• [34:12] – Call to action for listeners

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Thematic & Tonal Notes

• Language & Atmosphere:
  The episode maintains a somber, reflective tone with moments of dark humor. Troy’s narration is vivid, introspective, and accessible.
• Speaker Dynamics:
  Amanda and Caitlin’s pain and determination are palpable—Amanda tough, Caitlin quietly fierce. Rosemary functions as both empathetic investigator and relentless fact-checker.
• Overall Mood:
  Profound frustration with the limits of official investigation, mingled with hope that persistent questioning and community action can break through surfaces and silences.

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For Listeners

This preview both unravels a highly suspect “open-and-shut” case and illustrates the personal costs and moral responsibilities borne by those who chase truth outside the official narrative. The quest for what happened to Faith Ely—and perhaps to Elaine Park—continues, and the episode leaves listeners both unsettled and motivated to help.

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, among the Missing listeners. The next episode of among the Murder Dogs isn't too far away, but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you a preview of the first episode of our new investigative show, Blunt Force Trauma, about the suspicious death of a young mother in rural Oklahoma. We'll be seeing you again soon. Please note this podcast contains references to physical and sexual assault and graphic depictions of violence. Listener discretion is advised. The views and opinions expressed throughout this podcast are solely those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily align with the opinions or beliefs of the host or producers. Spiky. It's a hot summer's day in Los Angeles. I've been working on the case of a girl who went missing out here for a few years now, trying to understand how someone can just vanish. I'm here with a friend of mine, Rosemary Wheeler, and we're meeting a guy who found bones and a bloodied T shirt out here just a few months ago. Neither of us are detectives, not officially anyway. Maybe semi quasi, but even that feels generous. Now we're about to hike into the canyonlands of Malibu in search of human remains, mindful of the fact that whoever left those bones and that bloody T shirt could still be out here waiting. We've got no weapons, no backup, just cell phones, water bottles, and a whole lot of bug spray. In hindsight, some something that could protect us from things a little bigger than mosquitoes might have been a good idea, but hindsight's not going to help us much now. The trail starts out easy, then it tightens. The brush thickens, the air gets heavier, and before long, we're forcing our way through, our arms stinging and bleeding from pushing past thick bramble and heavy branches. I check the signal on my phone, a single bar. Probably not enough to make a call. Of course, out here if something goes wrong, well, there's no one coming. We're on our own. After about an hour, we find it. A small valley. Dry, hollowed out like water. Used to live here a long time ago. We climb down and start scouring the earth. There's a weight to it, what we're doing. The silence, the isolation, the quiet understanding that we're completely exposed, vulnerable. And the whole thing has me more than a little on edge. So when my phone rings, I nearly jump out of my skin. I glance down at the screen, shaken and a little surprised. The call's coming from an Oklahoma number, and I don't know anyone in Oklahoma. There are moments in life where you make a decision that feels small, inconsequential, you don't think twice about it. But later you realize that was the moment that changed everything. I didn't know it then, kneeling in a dry creek bed, covered in dirt, searching for bones. But answering that call, that was one of those moments. It was the beginning of something else. Something bigger. An investigation that would pull me in deeper than I ever thought possible and forced me to question everything. Because if I thought hiking through the Malibu canyons searching for human remains was as crazy as things could get, well, I was wrong. Dead wrong.

[B]

Hello?

[C]

Troy.

[A]

Hey, Amanda.

[B]

How are you?

[C]

I'm doing okay. How are you?

[A]

I'm all right. I'm all right. Let me just turn the volume up a little bit here. The voice you're hearing, that's Amanda Langston. It's Faith Ely's mum. How's your weekend going so far?

[D]

So far, so good. How about yours?

[A]

And that's Caitlin, her sister. That's good. Yeah, pretty much the same. Pretty much the same. It's cold and raining here. It's not cold here.

[C]

It's just raining.

[A]

Okay, hot and raining.

[C]

72, I think today.

[A]

It always feels a little strange to talk about the weather with a family who's grieving. It feels insincere, almost wrong. Like you're disrespecting the whole reason you're meeting in the first place. But I've come to understand that most of the time, that's exactly the sort of thing you talk about. The loss of a loved one that never leaves your side. But the world itself, well, it keeps turning. Some days it rains, other days the sun shines. Either way, you still talk about it because there's always this need to try to maintain a level of normalcy. I guess there's a comfort in it. In a funny kind of way, that's

[C]

been a little bit nicer than it has been the last few days. Last few days it's been like 90 something degrees.

[A]

Yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah. That's too much. It's mid-2025. After our initial call, we've traded a few messages back and forth, but it's the first time Amanda, Katelyn and I are officially meeting across a zoom call. So sometimes the audio is a little choppy. When Amanda first reached out to me, I was a little hesitant. I'm not a homicide detective by any stretch of the imagination. And from the research I'd done on Faith's case, this seemed like a clear cut hit and run. There was your standard press release from law enforcement seeking information on the driver of a white truck. A Couple of grainy CCTV videos and one, maybe two television news clips. Not being able to help on a homicide investigation was one thing, but trying to help find a single white truck in an Oklahoma sized ocean of white trucks? That was going to be a near impossibility. But despite my assurances that there was little I could do to help, Amanda was insistent. She can be like that sometimes, but in the very best kind of way. This wasn't a hit and run, she said. I asked her if that meant she thought the truck hit Faith intentionally, and her response shook me. I'm saying there was no truck. And that is why I'm here right now. Talking to her about how hot it is in Los Angeles in the middle of summer. Like that's some kind of revelation. I was in LA just over a week ago and we had a couple of days of like 95 or something. It was horrible.

[C]

Yeah, and ours was gonna get worse, so we're just waiting on it.

[A]

Oh, great. Enjoy the rain while you can. Amanda is tough as nails. She's got a super strong bullshit radar. She could spot a lie straight through an Oklahoma storm. She started asking questions the day Faith died and she hasn't stopped for a second since, regardless of the fact that answers haven't even been remotely forthcoming. Caitlin, on the other hand, she's a little softer around the edges. She's cradling a small baby, hushing him and singing a lullaby, trying to get him to sleep as we talk. But you can still see her mum's fire burning strong behind her eyes. They're a hell of a team. Look up good cop, bad cop, and I swear you'll get a picture of the two of them together. If you're ever in any kind of trouble, these are the two people you want in your corner. And conversely, if you're the one who did wrong, well, you better hold onto your hat because they're gonna grab you by the collar and drag you kicking and screaming all the way to your pen.

[C]

Based on statements by the boyfriend, his mother, to OSPI that night they went to the husband's house and had a cookout.

[A]

The boyfriend she's referring to, well, that's Ryan and his mother. Her name's Veronica, or Ronica for short. The husband? That's Ronica's husband? Well, most people just know him as Smurf.

[C]

There was drinking involved, There was an altercation. My daughter and her boyfriend were having a verbal disagreement. She had grown beer in his face, got up and walked out of the house. His mother took off after Faith, outside of the house, grabbed Faith and turned her around. And that's when the physical altercation had started that night. He stated that Faith had taken off out of the driveway from where the scuffle had ended and took off walking down the highway. He's sitting on his mom's. The tailgate of his mom's truck when he saw a truck and trailer go by. And then he heard what sounded like a speed bump and he took off walking down the road to go find her. And that's when he found her laying on the side of the road 4/10 of a mile from their house in a span of about 10 to 15 minutes, according to him. He stated that he did not own a cell phone at that time. But he started hollering, waving his arms around passerbys. The gentleman that did make the 911 call, it was his daughter that heard the screaming and went and said something to her dad. And he came out and realized that there was some. Something had happened.

[A]

Faith's body was found at around 8:30pm on the southbound shoulder of Highway 56 a few miles south of Wewoka, just down from the driveway of one of Smurf's neighbors. After his daughter heard screaming and raised the alarm, the neighbour went to his front porch and saw Ryan there signalling with a flashlight.

[E]

He immediately raced back inside and called 9113-2820-2120-3418. What's the address of your emergency?

[B]

Ohio 56. Give me the blanket. What's going on? There's a lady out in front. I'm on. On the highway, been hit almost in front of my house. Yeah. You have the address? It's just beside the highway.

[E]

Vehicle?

[B]

There's a guy. Yes, a gentleman. We heard screaming outside and he's trying to flag over cars. They haven't stopped for him. But he said that she's on the side of the road. I see somebody laying there.

[E]

Okay, I'm gonna get them headed that way. Okay. Did he tell you if she was breathing or she was alive?

[B]

No, she did. He didn't. I'm grabbing a blanket, my car and I'm gonna run up the road.

[E]

Okay. I'm gonna get them headed that way. Okay. And if you can get to her and get. Call me back with any. Any injuries, I'd appreciate it.

[B]

Okay? Okay.

[E]

But I'm getting help headed that way.

[B]

Okay. Thanks. You're welcome.

[A]

After making the first 911 call, the neighbor drove his car down to the scene, placed a blanket on Faith and angled his car so that the headlights would illuminate her body. When he arrived, he found another man, dressed in chaps and wearing a 10 gallon hat, had parked his pickup truck near the scene and was speaking with Ryan, a man by the name of Bob, who we sometimes refer to as the Cowboy for obvious reasons. Bob had been heading northbound up Highway 56 and he stopped when he saw Ryan calling out for help. He says that Ryan told him a Doberman had been hit and to go get Smurf. And later he reported that he'd only passed a single other vehicle on the highway heading southbound that night, a small commuter car that didn't appear to be damaged. As Bob was jumping in his truck, the neighbour asked Ryan what had happened, and Ryan told him someone had hit Faith and driven away. After attempting to render aid, Ryan checked Faith's pulse and couldn't determine whether it was his own pulse he was feeling or Faiths. Ultimately, he made the determination that she was no longer alive, which led the neighbor to place a second 911 call.

[E]

March 28, 2021, 2037, 18 Seminole County, 91 1. What's the address of emergency South Highway 56?

[B]

I just called in an emergency. She's 66.

[E]

Okay. She's. She's not breathing or anything?

[B]

No, no, she's deceased.

[E]

Okay. I still have EMS headed that way. Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[E]

And was the mouse. Was the subject, was he struck by the vehicle too?

[B]

Yes, yes. He's extremely shook up, but he said that a truck hit her. I heard the thump down the street

[E]

and I said, come walk down here,

[B]

check and see if she's all right. And I find her laying on the side of the road.

[E]

Okay, and were you hit by the vehicle?

[B]

No, he was not.

[E]

Does he know her name? Does he know her.

[B]

What was her name? Going. Faith. Faith Ely. Faith Ely.

[E]

Can you spell that for me, sir?

[B]

Sir, can you speak to her? To.

[E]

Hello? Sir, were you. Were you struck by the vehicle?

[B]

No, I was. I was down the road. She took off walking from my mom's husband's house and she walked down the road and I sat there for a little while and then I took off the walking to see if she was okay. And I get down. I took a flashlight with me and I get down the highway and she's on the side of the road and I heard the truck that hit her. I heard the thump from down the road and it sounded like they had a trailer on there. I don't know what color. I don't remember what color the truck was, but I know I know it's the truck with the trailer.

[E]

Could you tell. You couldn't tell what color it was? Just that it was a truck with a trailer.

[B]

I don't remember. What. I don't remember what color it was, but I know it was a trailer on the truck because that was the last one I seen drive by before I heard that noise. It was about maybe a half a mile down the road or so.

[E]

Okay. Can you. Can I get your name, sir?

[B]

My name's Ryan. I'm her boyfriend.

[E]

Can you spell Faith's last name for me? E L, Y, E, L. Yes. Okay. Do you know her date of birth for me?

[B]

Ryan, I'm sorry. I don't know.

[E]

It's okay. I gotta help. Headed that way. Okay.

[B]

Okay. Yes.

[E]

Hold on just a second. For me.

[B]

Okay. Okay. This is the caller. Man, he's been. Yeah, he tried to flag over car for a minute, too. There'd be a couple people go by. I was trying to get out here.

[E]

Okay. Did he.

[B]

Does he know how long ago or

[E]

how long ago he's been out there?

[B]

Just happened. I mean, my daughter heard him. Window was open and heard him yelling. I'm. I'm probably like 10 minutes ago. Okay.

[E]

Can you tell she's white, Native American,

[B]

African American, she's Caucasian. Man, this highway is so dangerous.

[E]

I. I do have deputies and troopers and EMS still headed that way.

[B]

Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you very much.

[E]

You're welcome. And if anything changes, just give us a call back, okay?

[B]

We will. All right.

[E]

Thank you, sir.

[B]

Okay, bye.

[E]

Bye.

[A]

As they were talking to the operator, another car pulled up to the scene and a woman got out. She asked if there was anything she could do to help, and Ryan said, no, it was too late. Faith was already dead. In the meantime, Bob arrived at Smurf's house to tell him that Ryan had sent for him after finding a Doberman had been hit and was dead on the side of the road. Ronica, Ryan's mum, apparently interpreted it that Ryan himself had been hit by a car. She grabbed her keys, jumped in her pickup and raced down to the scene. Did anyone see her driving it up, though? Like, did anyone see that car coming up?

[D]

Yeah, a lady who specifically pulled over. She was pulling up and getting out

[C]

her vehicle, per the statements of both the homeowner and the other lady who pulled up. According to them, the entire interaction that she witnessed, not knowing anybody. Veronica pulled up after she had stopped to render aid. She got the vibe that it was all very suspicious. Ryan was hollering and he had started to make a statement, and Veronica told him to stop talking. What also struck a lot of people is that he wasn't hollering for help. He was hollering, she was already dead.

[A]

How did he determine that she was dead?

[C]

Ryan stated that he checked her pulse, thought she had a pulse, but wasn't sure because his was racing. And then Mom. Mom says the same thing. She says, well, I tried to check her pulse, but I couldn't tell she had one because of my own pulse.

[A]

Veronica, who's medically trained, is said to have moved Faith's body and also used a flashlight to check if Faith's eyes were responding to light. And unfortunately, they weren't. At 8:43pm an ambulance arrived, followed by the Wuwoka Fire Department and a trooper from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

[C]

They were the first ones on site because when the 911 call came in, it was the site of a highway that's under their jurisdiction. So when they got there, they were like, no, they recommended to the we woke a sheriff to contact osbi.

[A]

Roughly five minutes later, an officer from Wewoka Police Department, two deputies from the Seminole County Sheriff's Department, another trooper, and three lieutenants from Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Shannon Smith, the Seminole county sheriff himself arrived on site, and then a representative from the medical Examiner's office, and then two representatives from the District Attorney's drug task force. At some point, and among all of it, Amanda tells me Seminole Nation Lighthorse police also attended the scene. Sheriff Smith took the lead and in consultation with the Highway Patrol, made the decision to call in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or OSBI for short. And just in case you weren't counting between the first responders and law enforcement agencies, that's a total of nine different departments who either responded to the call or were independently called out. Special Agent Miles Keane from the OSBI was assigned the case as the lead investigator. He arrived on scene shortly thereafter, and Faith's sister Caitlin and her husband Casey got there around the same time. The OSBI became the primary investigative body on Faith's case, and they appear to have very quickly made the determination that Faith's death was a hit and run, despite the fact that Highway Patrol didn't agree. Ryan, Ronicker and Smurf were all interviewed that night, according to Caitlin, within earshot of each other, and each one of them told law enforcement the same story, which did include the physical altercation between Faith and Ronica earlier in the night. And yet nobody ever went to Smurf's house to investigate. They didn't check for blood. They didn't check for damage. There were a handful of other people at Smurf's house for the cookout. And on that night, at least not a one of them was questioned. It was around midnight when Faith's body was transported to the Oklahoma City medical examiner's office, and the last remaining law enforcement agents from the Seminole county sheriff's department cleared the scene at around 3am

[C]

we kind of feel like they decided upon arrival that night they didn't think that her life had enough value. Regardless of the statements of the boyfriend and his mother that night, pretty just decided they just weren't going to investigate it. They didn't collect evidence. They didn't document anything. They just one that we finally met up with them two days later, three days later, they had already decided it was a hit and run.

[A]

Just before we finished on the call, Amanda hit me with one more thing.

[C]

What I didn't get a chance to tell you before is Ryan actually did do a polygraph test.

[A]

Did he pass?

[C]

No. He failed. Quickly. They said it. There was like a minus two, that he was even telling the truth about anything. Anything, Anything.

[A]

After the call with Amanda and Katelin, I sat there for a while, the weight of it all setting in. What I'd expected to be a relatively straightforward hit and run was already beginning to look like a hell of a lot more. The more I turned it over in my mind, the clearer it became. This wasn't going to be simple. There were too many threads, too many questions, and far too much left unresolved. I wasn't going to be able to do this alone. And so I phoned a friend.

[F]

Hello?

[A]

Hey, how are you?

[F]

How are you?

[A]

I'm really, really good.

[F]

What's happening? What's going on?

[A]

I have a question for you. How much free time have you got right now?

[F]

You know, that's always a good question.

[A]

It's a leading question. I mean, I'll just put that out there. Oh, my gosh. I just had a call with a mother in Oklahoma, believe it or not, who is looking for some help. She had a daughter who was killed on March 28 in 2021. She was found on the side of a highway there.

[F]

How old was she?

[A]

She was 23. She had two kids, you know, a son and a daughter. Law enforcement initially determined it was to be a hit and run. Looking at everything around this, it doesn't seem like a standard hit and run to me. I think there's a whole lot more to this. And I thought there is no way I can do this on my own.

[F]

I'm there. I'm in. Absolutely.

[A]

I will send you through a whole lot of information and you can catch up.

[F]

Oh, great. Go from there, okay?

[A]

Okay. Thanks, Rosemary.

[F]

You bet, Troy. On whatever's coming. I'm ready.

[A]

Thank you for that.

[B]

I'll.

[A]

I'll shoot some stuff over and we'll go from there.

[F]

Sounds good. Thanks, Troy.

[A]

Okay. Rosemary had been with me a couple of weeks earlier, hiking through the canyons in Malibu. We'd spent years working together, picking apart the disappearance of Elaine park, following leads that went nowhere, sitting with details most people would overlook, learning slowly how to read between the lines. And if there was anyone I trusted to dig where others wouldn't, to find what wasn't meant to be found, and to see the gaps in a story and start stitching them back together, it was her. And when it came time to put that to the test, she didn't disappoint. You have one unheard message.

[E]

First unheard message sent yesterday at 7:15pm

[F]

Right after, you know, our last message. I managed to get a copy of Faith's autopsy report, and things aren't really

[B]

adding up for me.

[F]

I mean, I have a lot of questions, and I am no medical professional, but it just screams that something isn't right. I was wondering if you knew if the family or anybody have gotten an independent review of this. I mean, I think when you sit down and you look at this, you'll see it yourself. I don't think this is an accident. I just don't think it's an accident.

[C]

According to the medical examiner's office, they determined that the cause of death is blunt force trauma. The manner of death was pedestrian versus vehicle accident. From what we have been informed, the medical examiner's office labeled that manner of death because that's what the OSPI had told him it was. There was no evidence on the crime scene, not on the road. There was nothing on her clothes. There was no foreign objects found in her body. A transition friction analysis was done on her clothing, which found nothing but soil and the blue lint from the blanket that that gentleman had covered her body up with. Her injuries were five broken ribs in her back, four in the front, and a lacerated spleen from a vehicle traveling 65, 60 to 65 miles an hour. She doesn't have injuries. Even if it was the gate of a trailer? Even if it was a trailer. He had no road rash. She was barefoot. There was nothing. No friction burns or anything on her feet. The only cause of death injuries were the broken ribs and the lacerated spleen. There was nothing wrong with her arm. It was fully intact. Her collarbone, her shoulder blade, her spine, her hips. All of her bones were intact except the ribs, which you would think. I don't know. I'm not a. I'm not a professional. But you would think something traveling at that rate of speed created far more damage.

[A]

Have you had anyone independently look at the autopsy report? I've got a me that I work with that has looked at a few autopsies for me. I can get her to take a look if you want and see if she can find anything in there that jumps out and I can come back to you on that. She's done a few for me and she's pretty thorough.

[B]

Hello. No one is available to take your call. Please leave a message after the tone.

[A]

Oh, hey, so I've got this new case I'm looking at. I'm wondering if you can do me another massive favor and just take a look at a medical examiner's report for me. It's. Yeah, just. Just if you get a chance, if you can have a look and just let me know your thoughts on it.

[C]

Thanks.

[A]

I really appreciate it. Talk to you soon.

[C]

Bye.

[A]

The tiny town of Wewoka, to the southeast of Oklahoma City is kind of quite quaint. It's got that old industrial town vibe to it that a lot of small towns in the Great Plains of America seem to have. It's this feeling that you can't quite put into words.

[C]

It was pretty rural.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

And Sasakwa is. I don't know, it's probably maybe a hundred people. But it's also a town that has each other's back.

[C]

We walk. I mean, this was just right outside of. We walked. This was a state highway that is a thoroughfare from Wewoka to Sasauqua. Cattle ranchers would sometimes, when they're trying to sell cows or horses or whatever, would use that highway to get to the Ada cattle sales. That kind of a rural highway.

[A]

Originally established by the Seminole nation in the mid-1800s, it eventually became a trading post and regional centre for the movement of key goods and services. And by the mid-1900s, after the railway came through, Roland H. Smith drilled the town's first commercial oil well and the population of the town exploded. After World War II, however, oil production floundered. Eventually the Wuwoka well closed up shop and the population began to dwindle. Manufacturing and farming continued in the way of bricks, packing houses and clothing factories and cotton, corn and Cattle. But none of that could replace the velocity of the oil years. These days, with a population of just over 3,000, you can still feel the energy of what was once a bustling, vibrant regional town. But now that energy feels confined to the old ghosts that linger in the rundown facade and empty buildings. There's a grocery store, a couple of diners, and because the town is located on the Seminole Nation Reserve, a hotel and casino. It's the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and people are always watching. It can be a wonderful thing living in a town like that. But when it comes to something like this, well, it becomes more of a brick wall than a celebration of community.

[C]

There's a lot of things that's happened that we just like. Well, that doesn't make any sense. Why didn't they do that? Why didn't they go ask about this? You know, they didn't interview any of the other neighbors around that house that night to see if maybe they saw or heard something. They didn't interview any other other residents living along that highway even after that who maybe saw something.

[A]

They have. Has anyone since then been out and asked any of the neighbors if they remember anything from that night or anything they heard anything or.

[C]

My son in law does he worried?

[D]

Yeah, my husband, okay. My husband takes out that area on. And so all of them know who he's, you know, who he's related to because he's talked to everybody. Those are his people down in sa so they all keep their eyes open. But as soon as, as, I mean if anything happens or said or they hear something, they'll. They'll tell my husband if they hear anything. But he stays in that area for that reason.

[C]

Well, don't mind telling us what they know but they have a problem with talking to law enforcement because they don't want their name to get out there. They don't want that family to find out that they did talk to police about what they were told and what they heard and what they saw. And they felt like if they're going to do it Faith, they're going to kill hurt them too. We've had a devil of a time trying to get people pass their fear of that happen and people friends of hers that have come forward and one of the, the people that came forward, she said, you don't know me, but I will tell you that Faith did tell me about 18 months ago that if she ends up in dead in a ditch somewhere, Ryan did it.

[A]

You told. She told her that.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And I let, we let law enforcement know that. That they can't do anything with that.

[F]

You're not going to believe this, but I've been doing a little bit of digging, and I found something regarding the 911 calls. You know, the neighbor, his first two calls are clearly listed, and they're there. However, it appears that there might be a call from another caller. And those two that we initially thought were the first call from the neighbor are actually not the first call. It said something along the lines of suspicious male waving flashlights, trying to fly people down. And this phone number appears to be a landline two hours away. My head is actually spinning. I couldn't even sleep last night. I just. I couldn't believe this. And I'm like, am I reading this right? Am I seeing this correctly? I don't want to make assumptions at this point, but I really think that there's. There's something going on. What's the thing where there's smoke? There's fire and there's smoke, right?

[A]

Faith's case is still open, and her killer or killers have not yet been brought to justice. If you know anything about Faith, her death, or those who may be responsible, we'd like to hear from you. Please visit EchoSpace Media Tips and either leave a voicemail or send us a message. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at Bluntforce Trauma Podcast. If you're enjoying this podcast, please consider our subscriber option on Apple Podcasts or [e-mail] Echospacepodcasts where you get access to early episode drops and free episodes and bonus content across all of the Echo Space shows. If you'd like to keep up to date with progress on Faith's case, please visit and follow the justice for Faith Ely Facebook page. You'll find a link to it in the episode notes. Blunt Force Trauma is a production of Echo Space, written and hosted by Troy Taylor. Executive producers are Troy Taylor, Mark Tarulli, and Fred Scherzer. Our main theme song is Lose My Mind by Maya Davidoff, and the show also contains audio content from Moby Gratis.