Podcast Summary: Among The Missing

Episode Title: The Video Don’t Lie

Host: Troy Taylor
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Main Case: The Disappearance of Elaine Park

episode overview

This episode is a meticulous, deeply analytical dive into the last confirmed hours of Elaine Park’s life, focusing on her time with Divine Compère—the last person known to have seen her. Troy Taylor examines the shifting accounts of Elaine’s departure, the reliability of CCTV and digital data, timeline inconsistencies, and the infamous “mystery car.” With a firm commitment to unbiased investigation, Taylor scrutinizes the available evidence, points out the contradictions, and asks the questions that linger around Elaine’s 2017 disappearance.

key discussion points & insights

Commitment to Unbiased Storytelling

• Troy acknowledges the lengthy gap between episodes and his dedication to careful, fair reporting.
• Quote [01:17]:

  “I don't ever want to paint a person in a particular light or push you toward a conclusion I've already made. That's not the point. The point is for me to lay out everything as clearly and fairly as I can and let you, each of you listening, come to your own conclusion.”

The Slippery Nature of Truth

• Taylor reflects on the complexities of truth in missing persons cases, especially as memories, stories, and even data can shift under scrutiny.
• He recounts receiving a crucial tip via email at a personal, disruptive moment—his daughter’s ballet recital—highlighting the intrusion such obsessions can have on real life.
• Quote [03:50]:

  “Is there a gray zone to the truth, a space where one version holds some of it, another version holds some more, and the real answer lives somewhere in the messy overlap?”

Timelines and Data: Elaine's Last Night

• Timeline Sequence:
  • Elaine was supposed to meet Divine around 1 pm, but didn’t arrive until 8:35 pm.
  • A “mystery car” is seen circling Divine’s cul-de-sac as Elaine is at her car.
  • Divine and Elaine take an Uber to see a movie, returning after 1 am; she uses her phone until approximately 3:45 am.
• Version Conflicts:
  • Divine initially claims Elaine left at 4 am, then revises his story to a 6 am departure to fit CCTV footage.
  • Taylor suggests the initial 4 am story may be partly true but mismatched with recorded data.
• Quote [07:58]:

  “What began as one truth slowly became another. And the million dollar question is this. Were those stories shifting to match the facts? Or were the facts being bent and reshaped to fit the story?”

The Problematic CCTV Footage

• Multiple security cameras have conflicting time stamps (suggesting some may have still been set to Eastern Time), introducing confusion around actual times.
  • Divine’s camera shows Elaine leaving at 6:05 am (timestamped as 9:05 am).
  • The gate camera shows a car resembling Elaine’s leaving at 7:14 am (unclear if that’s Pacific or off by “an hour and seven minutes”).
• Taylor’s Analysis:
  • Raw data is reliable, unless manipulated—but even “raw” data here is mired in ambiguities.
  • No one outside a small circle has ever seen continuous footage of Elaine actually driving away.
  • Despite repeated requests, the critical footage cuts off just after Elaine leaves Divine’s front door.

Divine’s Interview: Scripted Language & Inconsistencies

Taylor dissects Divine Compère’s only significant interview (To Live and Die In LA, S2E11):

• Relationship with Elaine: Divine minimizes the seriousness, contradicting emotionally intimate texts (e.g., “I can’t lose you. You’re all I’ve got right now.”).
• Conflicting Sleep/Wake Timeline: Divine varies the story (“I fall asleep, she falls asleep”, then “she falls asleep, then I do”) despite Elaine’s phone showing activity nearly until 4:00 am.
• Defensive/Scripted Phrasing: Divine repeatedly corrects himself to sound more certain—
  • “She pretty much left. No, she left. That was literally the last time I saw her.”
• Lack of Follow-Up: Divine never messages Elaine after her departure, which Taylor flags as suspicious.
• Substance Use Denial: Divine flatly denies any alcohol or drug use, a claim that “just doesn’t fly” given the context.

Notable Quotes from the Interview Segment

• On inconsistencies [24:30]:

  “Each time he starts with softer, more flexible language, then he goes back and tightens it, makes it absolute.”

• On the missing footage [28:29]:

  “That was the last time I saw her. That was literally the last time I saw her.”

The Video Cuts – The Missing Evidence

• Footage Extraction:
  • Clips provided to Elaine’s mother, Susan, and later to Taylor, consistently stop just after Elaine leaves the house—no proof she entered her vehicle or actually drove away.
  • The extraction includes “buffer” before and after other significant moments, but almost none on the clip showing Elaine leaving.
  • The compères claim the full system was deleted after the extraction.
• Taylor’s Conclusion:

  “To this day, as far as I know, nobody has actually seen the footage of Elaine driving away that morning. Except maybe Divine, Tonya, Shakim, and possibly Detective Krivak.” [32:43]

• Notable Quote on Data Integrity [34:47]:

  “Despite all the theories that circulate online, there's nothing in those clips to suggest an attack or an ambush. ... What we have is exactly what was extracted from the system.”

The Mystery Car

• Taylor reveals his years-long obsession with identifying a “mystery car” seen on footage as Elaine returns to Divine’s house.

• Through painstaking review and forensic comparisons, Taylor determines the mystery car is not the rumored SUV, but a sedan—a Volvo S60.

• The breakthrough: the Volvo S60 is registered to Susan Park, Elaine’s mother.

• Quote [41:40]:

  "There was only one person in my records who drove a Volvo S60. And that person was Susan Park."

notable moments & quotes (with timestamps)

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|---------|------------------| | 01:17 | Troy Taylor | “I don't ever want to paint a person in a particular light or push you toward a conclusion I've already made… The point is for me to lay out everything as clearly and fairly as I can and let you… come to your own conclusion.” | | 03:50 | Troy Taylor | “Is there a gray zone to the truth, a space where one version holds some of it, another version holds some more, and the real answer lives somewhere in the messy overlap.”| | 07:58 | Troy Taylor | “Were those stories shifting to match the facts? Or were the facts being bent and reshaped to fit the story?”| | 24:30 | Troy Taylor | “Each time he starts with softer, more flexible language, then he goes back and tightens it, makes it absolute.”| | 30:10 | Divine Compère (quoted) | “That was the last time I saw her. That was literally the last time I saw her.”| | 32:43 | Troy Taylor | “To this day, as far as I know, nobody has actually seen the footage of Elaine driving away that morning. Except maybe Divine, Tonya, Shakim, and possibly Detective Krivak.”| | 34:47 | Troy Taylor | "What we have is exactly what was extracted from the system." | | 41:40 | Troy Taylor | “There was only one person in my records who drove a Volvo S60. And that person was Susan Park.” | | 37:00 | Shakim Compère (quoted) | “The video don’t lie.” (Taylor’s response: “Maybe that’s true… I just wish we had it so we could all agree with you.”) |

segment timestamps

• 00:30 – 06:00
  Opening reflection on storytelling, truth, and the difficulty of navigating shifting narratives.

• 06:00 – 20:00
  Detailed walk-through of timeline inconsistencies and data surrounding Elaine’s last night.

• 16:51 – 38:46
  Forensic analysis of the Divine interview, the missing CCTV footage, and timeline breakdown.

• 39:44 – 44:00
  The “mystery car” investigation and the reveal tying it to Susan Park.

episode highlights & takeaways

• The last 12 hours of Elaine’s life remain a puzzle of conflicting stories, unreliable time stamps, and shifting facts.
• Critical CCTV footage (allegedly showing Elaine drive away) has never been seen outside a select group, and extraction decisions around it raise serious questions.
• Divine Compère’s reticence and evolving narrative leave troubling gaps and suspicions, though Taylor is careful not to make explicit accusations.
• A “mystery car” central to conspiracy theories is, in a twist, linked back to Elaine’s family, adding further complexity.
• Taylor’s methodical, human approach underscores the heavy psychological toll of cold-case investigations—for families, for investigators, and even for dedicated outsiders.

conclusion

Taylor ends the episode on a cliffhanger: the revelation about the Volvo S60 upends prior assumptions about the mystery car. He promises more analysis and a return to unresolved leads in the next episode.

overall tone & language

• Reflective, obsessive, meticulous: Taylor weaves deep technical analysis with personal anecdotes, highlighting both the emotional and intellectual strain of chasing elusive truths.
• Non-accusatory, but skeptical: While he avoids direct blame, inconsistencies are sharply critiqued.
• Layered and open-ended: Taylor resists simple solutions, embracing the ambiguity inherent in the case.

recommended for listeners who want:

• Detailed, forensic-level breakdowns of true crime timelines and evidence
• Transparent, methodical, and sensitive investigation of cold cases
• Nuanced, non-sensationalist storytelling that remains open-ended

Next Episode Tease:
Stay tuned for an unpacking of the implications of the mystery car’s true identity and a further whittling down of theories as Taylor and his team continue their relentless search for the truth behind Elaine Park’s disappearance.