'You'll Probably Kill Me'

Summary

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Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska – Episode: "You'll Probably Kill Me"

Podcast: Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
Host: ABC News (Chris Connolly)
Date: August 19, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode chronicles the dramatic investigation into the death of Dr. Eric Garcia in remote Ketchikan, Alaska. Initially considered to be a heart attack or suicide, the discovery of a suspicious shipment, stolen valuables, and a tangled web of lies points toward something much darker—murder, theft, and a hidden relationship. The chain of events stretches from the desolate Alaskan coast to the shipping yards of Seattle and the quiet neighborhoods of Washington state, unraveling the secrets of Jordan Joplin, a figure with dubious ties and possible sinister intentions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Suspicious Shipment (00:00 – 11:40)

• Introduction to Craig Beyer:
  Craig manages a freight terminal in Tacoma, WA, and describes regular shipping operations between Alaska and Washington.
  “Back in 2017, I was the manager of ABF Freight System Incorporated terminal here in Tacoma, Washington.” (00:25, Craig Beyer)

• Jordan Joplin’s Urgent Calls:
  Jordan repeatedly calls Craig about his incoming shipment from Ketchikan, urging rapid delivery and claiming he’s about to leave the country.
  “I'm leaving for 42 days, you know, out of the country.” (01:32, Kristen Coles Nelson, reading Joplin’s message)

• Police Involvement:
  The Ketchikan Police reach out about Jordan’s shipment; they suspect he may have stolen up to $500,000 of Dr. Garcia’s valuables and want to intercept the cargo before it reaches Joplin.
  “I get a call from the Ketchikan police department. It's very unusual…” (01:55, Craig Beyer)

• Scale of the Shipment:
  Investigators note the extraordinary size and contents, suggesting an entire household’s worth of property is being moved covertly.
  “We're talking a vehicle amount of weight that was placed in three shipping containers.” (03:07, Sgt. Eric Matson)

2. The Breakthrough: Opening the Shipping Containers (06:30 – 10:45)

• Police Interception in Seattle:
  Ketchikan police officers collaborate with local law enforcement to secure the containers upon arrival in Seattle.

• Shocking Contents Revealed:
  Officers are stunned to discover Dr. Garcia’s personal belongings, extensive collections, and luxury valuables packed in the shipment:

  • Gold nuggets, coins, luxury watches (valued at ~$50,000), 911 bottles of high-end alcohol (appraised at $330,000), electronics, passports, cash, and even the power box for Garcia’s home alarm.
  • Evidence also shows the disabling of the home’s alarm system.
    “His entire life.” (07:23, Officer Devin Miller)
    “Twenty full size boxes of alcohol.” (08:06, Officer Devin Miller)

3. The Sting: Luring Jordan Joplin and His Arrest (10:45 – 14:40)

• Police Set-Up:
  Officers create a ruse: Craig Beyer calls Jordan and tells him there’s a paperwork issue with the shipment, luring him to the Seattle yard.

• Arrest on Site:
  Police arrest Joplin when he arrives, using the opportunity to secure his phone and car. Jordan tries various excuses and feigns distress after the arrest.
  “He immediately said he didn’t have time for this...” (13:29, Officer Devin Miller)
  “He started complaining... said his son was missing... then complained about his shoulder... during transport he pretended to pass out...” (14:05, Officer Devin Miller)

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4. The Blindside: Kristen Coles Nelson’s Story (18:45 – 32:58)

• Kristen’s Perspective:
  Kristen, Jordan’s fiancée, believed Jordan was simply close friends with Dr. Garcia, who supposedly had terminal cancer. She describes their relationship, Jordan’s income as a grower, massage therapist, and stripper, and the gifts they received from Dr. Garcia.

  • Jordan orchestrates stories, including claiming Garcia’s cancer and gifting expensive items.
    “Eric knew that I loved coffee… so he gave Jordan the old [espresso machine] to give to me.” (22:40, Kristen Coles Nelson)

• The Day of the Raid:
  Police descend on Kristen’s home, searching for evidence. She’s shocked to learn Dr. Garcia never had cancer, and Jordan had manipulated multiple women (cheating with an ex, whom she learns more about after speaking with her post-raid). “My world turned upside down and inside out. I couldn’t believe that someone had done this and that I trusted them.” (26:48, Kristen Coles Nelson)

• Seized Evidence:
  Items from Dr. Garcia’s house (wallet, keys, credit cards, cell phone in a Faraday bag) are found. Police become aware of the secretly romantic and possibly exploitative relationship between Jordan and Dr. Garcia through letters and cards.

  • The Haunting Valentine’s Card:
    “You are my first and only love of my life. I will never let you down. Not kidding. You will probably kill me.”
    (30:08, Officer Mike Purcell reading Dr. Garcia’s card to Jordan)

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5. Uncovering the Truth: The Secret Relationship & The Overdose (28:14 – 36:47)

• Secret Romance Unveiled:
  Police discover romantic letters and cards; evidence points to Jordan and Dr. Garcia as being in a secret long-term relationship.

  • The relationship is hidden from both Kristen and Ketchikan friends.
  • “I think he played a very long, long con with Dr. Garcia, unfortunately.” (33:36, Officer Devin Miller)

• Financial Exploitation:
  Between March 16 and 30, Jordan transfers $30,000+ from Dr. Garcia’s accounts.

• Video Evidence:
  Investigators unlock Jordan’s phone, finding a disturbing eight-second video:

  • Jordan films Dr. Garcia dying on the couch, struggling for breath after a morphine overdose; he makes no attempt to help.
  • “Watching that video, I knew that Dr. Garcia was dying at that moment. He was gasping for air. He was trying to cling to life.” (35:33, Sgt. Eric Matson)
  • The video implicates Jordan at the scene, but doesn’t directly prove murder.

• Lingering Questions:
  The episode ends with police still uncertain: was it murder or suicide? They continue digging into Jordan’s manipulations and relationship with Dr. Garcia.

  • “We're still trying to figure out what this death is. Is it a suicide? Is it a murder? What is it?” (34:03, Sgt. Eric Matson)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Size of the Heist:
  “It was overwhelming. It was a lot. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
  (07:40, Sgt. Eric Matson)

• On Jordan’s Skills as a Manipulator:
  “I realized that he was really good at lying to people and had no problem doing it and kept his lies straight and continually kept us separate. I can’t believe I let him fool me.”
  (31:28, Kristen Coles Nelson)

• On the Eerie Card:
  “You’ll probably kill me. To me, it was eerie just reading that.”
  (30:29, Officer Mike Purcell)

• The Video Discovery:
  “That video was actually of Dr. Garcia laying on the couch in almost an identical position as when the officers located him on March 27th.”
  (34:42, Sgt. Eric Matson)

• On Dr. Garcia’s Character:
  “All I kept thinking was that Dr. Garcia had to have been a wonderful human being, because that’s who Jordan targeted.”
  (37:22, Kristen Coles Nelson)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jordan’s suspicious shipping request: 00:49–02:04
• Police involvement, suspicion, and shipping logistics: 02:04–05:34
• Opening containers, inventory of stolen goods: 06:31–10:45
• The setup and arrest of Jordan Joplin: 10:45–14:40
• Kristen’s perspective and raid on her home: 18:45–27:11
• Secret relationship, cards, and deception revealed: 28:14–32:58
• Financial theft and the crucial death video: 33:36–36:47
• Open questions and emotional aftermath: 36:47–End

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Episode Summary

This gripping episode of "Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska" draws listeners into the detailed investigation of a suspicious death and massive theft. What begins as the story of a remote Alaskan town’s beloved doctor dying under apparently straightforward circumstances unravels into a tale of manipulation, deception, secret romance, and chilling opportunism. The investigative team’s journey from Ketchikan’s quiet streets to the frenetic shipyards of Seattle reveals not only a colossal theft, but the tragic unraveling of trust between Dr. Garcia, Jordan Joplin, and the innocent people drawn into their orbit. The evidence—a trove of stolen valuables, romantic cards, and a haunting final video—adds up to a case where the truth is murky, and the motives may be darker than anyone in Ketchikan could have imagined.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Because Ketchikan, Alaska, is so remote, the easiest way to get things to and from the town is often by boat. Huge barges and ships carry freight back and forth between Alaska and Washington state, making their way over the waters of the Pacific ocean. For more than 30 years, Craig Beyer was part of this enormous shipping operation.

[Craig Beyer]

Back in 2017, I was the manager of ABF Freight System Incorporated terminal here in Tacoma, Washington.

[Narrator]

As an employee at a freight carrier, Craig was used to getting calls from customers concerned about their shipments. And in March 2017, he got one of those worried calls, this time from one Jordan Joplin.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I'm kind of in this really weird dilemma right now. I got three cubes up to Ketchikan.

[Narrator]

Jordan said he had filled three shipping containers in Ketchikan and asked them to be sent to his home in Washington. He wanted an update from Craig on where the shipment was.

[Craig Beyer]

And so I explained, as far as I can see, it's on the water. Should be here in so many days. Didn't think anything about it except when I was talking with him, he was urgent that he needed to get it. Once it arrived, he was going to be leaving the country.

[Narrator]

Jordan Joplin called the shipping company many more times.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I'm not trying to be just, like, super ridiculously stressed out because, I mean, I'm leaving for 42 days, you know, out of the country.

[Narrator]

At first, Jordan seemed to be just another impatient customer. But in the midst of Jordan's calls, Craig Baier in Tacoma heard from someone else who wanted information about Jordan Joplin's shipment.

[Craig Beyer]

I get a call from the Ketchikan police department. It's very unusual to get a call from the police department.

[Narrator]

The Ketchikan police were reaching out because they had uncovered a paper trail linked to Jordan Joplin, the man who had been calling Craig about his shipment. They had reason to suspect that Jordan had stolen up to half a million dollars worth of valuables from Dr. Eric Garcia. Police had met Jordan when he'd shown up from out of town the day Dr. Garcia's body was found. They knew Jordan had keys to Dr. Garcia's house and truck, and they knew Jordan had made all those welfare check calls in the days leading up to the discovery of Dr. Garcia's body. Since then, using receipts and surveillance footage, investigators had learned that on March 16, Jordan Joplin had gone to Walmart and bought dozens of plastic bins, and that the next day, he loaded up those bins into shipping containers. Sergeant Eric Mattson said the freight receipt listed £4,400 more than two tons of cargo.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

So we're talking a vehicle amount of weight that was placed in three shipping containers.

[Narrator]

The investigators wanted to track down Jordan's shipman, which is why they called Craig Buyer, who told them the shipment is already arriving in Seattle. They wanted to know, okay, what can.

[Craig Beyer]

We do to hold it in Seattle?

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I don't know.

[Craig Beyer]

I have to get a hold of my legal department. I'm not really sure.

[Narrator]

When Craig got off the phone, he was perplexed. In his decades working in the shipping industry, nothing like this had ever happened before. He told a few colleagues about the call from Ketchikan police.

[Craig Beyer]

One of the colleagues gets online and starts trying to figure out what's happening in Ketchikan. Basically, there wasn't a lot of information except that a doctor had passed in Ketchikan. It didn't look like it was of natural causes.

[Narrator]

Craig and his colleagues started to wonder, did Jordan Joplin's three metal cubes sitting on a barge have something to do with the death of Eric Garcia? In Ketchikan, investigators were getting ready to leave Alaska, board a plane to the lower 48, and find out what was in those shipping containers. From ABC Audio and 20 20, I'm Chris Connolly, and this is Cold Blood. Mystery in Alaska, Episode four. You'll probably kill Me. To intercept the shipment and find out what was inside, the Ketchikan police would have to fly to Seattle, where they had no jurisdiction.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

I can think of only one other time that detectives left Ketchikan and went to another city to investigate. So having that and the weight of that and just the unknowns, I would say, you know, it gave some anxiety to what needed to happen.

[Narrator]

The investigators also faced a serious time crunch. They knew that if the shipping containers left Seattle, they'd go to Tacoma next and then be delivered right to Jordan Joplin's home in nearby Maple Valley.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

We were trying to get those containers before anybody else did.

[Narrator]

So Mattson and his colleagues rushed to Seattle. On the way, they reached out to local law enforcement. They needed help getting the one thing that could stop Jordan's shipment from reaching him. A search warrant. When the Ketchikan officers touched down in Seattle, they hurried to the shipping terminal. They'd been able to secure a warrant in time, so Jordan Shipman had been put aside for them by the barge company. The Ketchikan officers, as well as officers from the Seattle port Authority, stood in front of the enormous cubes packed by Jordan Joplin. Each cube is meant to fit an entire Room of belongings and furniture. So Eric Matson and Devin Miller were eager to find out what could possibly be inside.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

We cut the locks that were secured on the containers and started to open them.

[Officer Devin Miller]

Oh, my God. There is everything and anything in here. You could just see everything. Everything imaginable.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

All the officers that were there had a moment of just utter surprise and almost disbel and how much it was.

[Officer Devin Miller]

It was a bombshell moment.

[Narrator]

Looking in, officers saw gold nuggets and silver coins. They had a ladder so that they could climb into the shipping containers and get deeper and deeper into each one. Officer Miller said The bulk of Dr. Garcia's worldly possessions seemed to be packed into the three cubes.

[Officer Devin Miller]

His entire life.

[Narrator]

His passports, his checkbooks, his computers, laptops and iPad. Sergeant Matson realized quickly that the many missing valuables from Dr. Garcia's various collections were here.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

It wasn't until that moment when we started to go through the boxes that I realized the value and the amount of property that was removed from Dr. Garcia's house. It was overwhelming. It was a lot. It was like nothing I've ever seen.

[Narrator]

Among all the stuff, booze, a whole lot of it. According to officer Miller, there must have.

[Officer Devin Miller]

Been 20, 20 full size boxes of alcohol.

[Narrator]

There were also dozens of bottles wrapped up in hundreds of hard rock cafe t shirts that Dr. Garcia had collected.

[Officer Devin Miller]

And then just box after box after box of coins.

[Narrator]

Suitcases with Dr. Garcia's name still on the luggage tanks were full of even more collectible coins. And there was just a whole bunch of random household stuff.

[Officer Devin Miller]

There was five hour energies. There was vitamins. There was. There was everything from toilet paper to coffee to gold coins to alcohol. It was like there was a free for all through a grocery store or something where somebody just emptied off the shelves and just packed it up.

[Narrator]

Officers also discovered that Jordan had packed the power box for Dr. Garcia's home alarm system into one of the cubes. Officer Miller said this was itself a valuable piece of evidence, showed us that.

[Officer Devin Miller]

Mr. Joplin disabled the alarm system.

[Narrator]

Eric Matson said they had to sort through everything carefully. The boxes were overflowing.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

They were so full and heavy, we were afraid to move them. At times we thought that we would drop one and lose thousands and thousands of dollars.

[Narrator]

By the time they finished digging through the overstuffed containers, investigators had pulled 67 boxes out of the shipping containers. They took inventory of everything inside them. One officer spent more than 12 hours a day for six straight days on the task. The final inventory included luxury watches, later appraised at around $50,000.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

There are watches that, if you collect watches, is something that you could only hope for.

[Narrator]

The inventory also included 911 bottles of alcohol from 2007 Jameson, rarest vintage Reserve whiskey to Don Julio 1942. Tequila and vodka, rum and liqueurs from around the world. An appraiser valued the bottles at around $330,000. At this point, investigators were ready to arrest Jordan Joplin for theft. But they wanted to know more. Had Jordan taken even more from Dr. Garcia? Did he have something to do with his death? They got a warrant to search Joplin's home in Maple Valley, Washington. But they were worried Jordan might have guns or other weapons inside. So they wanted to make sure he wasn't home when they arrived. The officers figured why not use Jordan's obsession with the shipping containers to their advantage. They concocted a plan to lure Jordan to Seattle, where officers would be waiting to arrest him. Then they could send the other officers to Maple Valley to pull this ruse off. Someone needed to give Jordan a compelling reason to make the hour long drive to Seattle right away. The officers knew who might be able to convince Jordan. Craig Meyer, the shipping manager in Tacoma. One of them called Craig to fill him in and ask for his help.

[Craig Beyer]

He's asking me if I can get Jordan Joplin to come to Seattle. And I say, okay, I'll give you a call back.

[Narrator]

Remember, Craig was in charge of the last step of Jordan's shipment. Getting the containers to Tacoma and then to Maple Valley. So he came up with a plan.

[Craig Beyer]

And I gave Jordan a call, and he happened to answer the phone, and he wanted to know if his shipment was in. I said, no, there's snafu. You didn't sign some paperwork. And so they can't transfer it to me from Seattle to Tacoma. You'll have to go into Seattle and sign the paperwork.

[Narrator]

Jordan said he was headed over and would be there in an hour.

[Craig Beyer]

And then I turn around and call the Ketchikan police detective and let him know he's on his way.

[Narrator]

The police officers prepared for Jordan's arrival. They waited in the shipyard.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

It's fenced. It's a secure location and one that we can have a position of advantage if and when he shows up. We always want to have the upper hand when we approach a suspect sitting.

[Narrator]

In an unmarked car. They watched for Jordan Joplin's gray Toyota truck. And right on time, Jordan's car rolled into the shipyard.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

We saw the pickup enter the parking lot and recognized Mr. Joplin exit the vehicle.

[Narrator]

A Seattle officer pulled up next to Jordan and identified himself. Devin Miller said Jordan seemed irritated and.

[Officer Devin Miller]

He immediately said he didn't have time for this, he needed to go in and sign for some documents.

[Narrator]

The officer explained that investigators from Ketchikan wanted to talk to him about Dr.

[Officer Devin Miller]

Garcia and at that point he stated that he needed to talk to an attorney before speaking with us.

[Narrator]

But the officers already had what they needed to arrest him. They seized Jordan's cell phone, fifteen hundred dollars of cash from his car, placed him under arrest for theft and put him in a police car.

[Officer Devin Miller]

The moment he was placed in restraints, he started complaining about I can't do this now, my son is missing. And then when that didn't get the reaction he wanted, he complained about his shoulder from a six year surgery ago and he complained about pain from that and that was dealt with. We put him in the vehicle and then during the transport he pretended to pass out and it was just kind of dramatic for him.

[Narrator]

But Jordan had no idea that something much more dramatic was happening. While Miller and Mattson drove him to the Major Crimes Unit in downtown Seattle, another set of officers knocked on his door about an hour away in Maple Valley. Behind that door they'd find a woman who thought she knew Jordan well but had been blindsided all along.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

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[Sergeant Eric Matson]

More champagne for me, Pete.

[Narrator]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Narrator]

Fired from the director of Meet the Parents. You're a failure. Women don't like that.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Narrator]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Narrator]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Narrator]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Sergeant Eric Matson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

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[Sergeant Eric Matson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

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[Craig Beyer]

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[Kristen Coles Nelson]

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[Officer Devin Miller]

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[Narrator]

In March 2017, Kristin Coles Nelson was getting a master's degree in athletic administration and working as a server at Red Robin. She lived in Maple Valley, Washington, on an acre of land with her fiance, Jordan Joplin. Kristen and Jordan had met about a year and a half earlier at an EDM concert in Seattle.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

When I saw Jordan, I was attracted to him. Built, jacked like, very worked out. Definitely a lot.

[Narrator]

They talked at the concert and stayed in Touch. They started dating soon after. And in summer 2016, Kristen moved into Jordan's house. She says she found out he was growing marijuana on the property. At that time, recreational marijuana was legal in Washington, but growing it at home was only legal if you had gotten medical authorization. And if you had authorization, there were limits on how many plants you could grow. It was illegal to grow marijuana at home for commercial purposes. Still, Kristin says she didn't mind that Jordan was growing it and says she even helped him with the marijuana plants.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

We ended up putting in a whole new hydro system.

[Narrator]

Kristen said Jordan made money from growing marijuana and from being a massage therapist and stripper, often for bachelorette parties.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

A few times I went to the parties with him, and, yeah, a lot of people were supportive that I was there and thought it was awesome that I was okay with it. I'm like, well, he's not doing anything, so I'm good with it.

[Narrator]

About a year into their relationship, things were going well.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Hayes was very nice, bubbly, always had a big smile on his face.

[Narrator]

Kristen believed they were a good match and pushed each other to be better people.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I brought him home to Hawaii to meet my family, and that's when he proposed me on my favorite beach. We had beers already at the beach, so we celebrated it. And then he had a bottle of champagne, too.

[Narrator]

The morning of March 31, while Jordan was on his way to Seattle, Kristen was getting ready for her shift at Red Robin.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I looked out our bedroom door. There was a bunch of unmarked cars, police officers with bulletproof vests on, and I'm, like, completely naked. I'd just gotten out of the shower, and I was like.

[Narrator]

She got dressed as fast as she could while they knocked on the door, and I was.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Like, I'll be right there. I'm getting dressed. Like, please don't come in right now. And so then, yeah, I answered the door. My heart was pounding. I was sweating like crazy because I didn't. I have never had. That was my only main interaction with so many cops. Like, I was terrified that I was going to get in trouble because we had a bunch of weed grow.

[Narrator]

Kristen says some officers began searching the house. Others pulled her aside on the front porch to ask questions. But the questions were not about marijuana. They were about her fiance and Dr. Garcia. Kristen believed Jordan and Dr. Garcia were close friends. In fall 2016, less than a year before Dr. Garcia's death, the three of them even spent an afternoon together walking around Pike's Place in Seattle and getting lunch.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Eric was super friendly. Like, we talked about Life and just our interests and what he did.

[Narrator]

Kristen had also experienced Dr. Garcia's generosity firsthand.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Every time Jordan would come back from a trip, he would have gifts from Eric. Eric knew that I loved coffee and that I really wanted an espresso machine, and he was getting a new one, so he gave Jordan the old one to give to me.

[Narrator]

But for the most part, Kristen only knew Dr. Garcia through what Jordan had told her about him. And she says Jordan had told her that Dr. Garcia had terminal cancer. Kristen thought that was why Jordan was visiting Ketchikan more and more.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Eric being older, it didn't seem out of the ordinary for me, so. And him wanting to be there definitely just showed me that Jordan wanted to support him and was a good friend.

[Narrator]

Dr. Garcia seemed to be a good friend in return. In late February 2017, Jordan told Kristin that Dr. Garcia was going to ship them a couch and some alcohol. Jordan said they'd need a few shipping containers to get it all packed up and sent to Washington.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Him getting stuff from Eric wasn't out of the ordinary for me.

[Narrator]

Eric had already gifted them coins, cash, and a new bed before. He'd even helped fund supplies for Jordan's marijuana growing. To Kristin, who kept busy with school and work, all of this seemed normal enough. But in late March 2017, Jordan told her he became worried about Dr. Garcia. Kristen said Jordan also told her that Dr. Garcia's cancer diagnosis had made him suicidal. But now Jordan was saying he could not get a hold of him. Kristen became worried as well. She even made her own welfare call to the ketchikan police.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

We haven't heard from our friend, and we just need. He was talking about suicide, and we just want to know if he's okay.

[Narrator]

It made sense to Kristen when Jordan decided to go up to ketchikan and check on Dr. Garcia himself.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

He told me that he was taking his sister because he wanted support, and I totally understood that. I was unable to go because I had other responsibilities.

[Narrator]

Once he got to Ketchikan, Jordan broke the news of Dr. Garcia's death to Krista.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

He called me when they got up there. They were with the police, and they had found him dead. And he was concerned, but also told me that the cops were acting weird.

[Narrator]

He said they were not sharing much information with him. Jordan headed back to Seattle, and Kristin picked him up from the airport. She said his eyes were red, like he had been crying.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

He was concerned, like, upset about his friend and a little worried about the shipping containers, but, like, just seemed like he was grieving about his friend. Like everyone grieves in their own ways.

[Narrator]

When Kristen gathered with the officers on her front porch, this was the story about Dr. Garcia that she thought was true. The police shattered it with a single statement. Eric Garcia never had terminal cancer. Jordan headline.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

And then my brain went. Started going through things and was trying to piece it together.

[Narrator]

Kristen had a feeling Jordan was cheating on her with an ex girlfriend. She had actually thought about moving out for about a month, and now she was learning that Jordan had told her a big, strange lie about Dr. Garcia. Looking around at the officers from Ketchikan and Seattle raiding their home, Kristen understood that Jordan was being implicated in something really bad, something criminal. She says she didn't know what to tell police. She was in shock.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

The best way I describe how it like what I felt like is that my world turned upside down and inside out. I was distraught in the sense that I couldn't believe that someone had done this and that I was trusted them. And I was naive, blinded by love, and wish I had seen more red flags.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

Kristen obviously was pretty surprised. She wasn't very talkative.

[Narrator]

Officer Mike Purcell searched the house with a team of officers while Kristen grappled with what she had learned.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

We must have had at least 10 officers there.

[Narrator]

They seized several guns, ammunition, and.54 marijuana plants. In the master bedroom, on top of a cluttered dresser, Purcell found Dr. Garcia's wallet, which had his ID and credit cards. He also found the keys to the doctor's red Ford pickup. Kristen told police she didn't know these things were in the house.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

And also inside that master bedroom, Underneath another dresser, was a black bag. We call it a Faraday bag.

[Narrator]

A faraday bag is supposed to block signals coming from electronic devices, including cell phones.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

Inside that was a cell phone, which we later learned was Dr. Garcia's cell phone as well.

[Narrator]

Now, to police, it really seemed like Jordan Joplin had stolen basically anything he could get his hands on. But Purcell found more than just further evidence of theft. During the search, investigators had questions about the relationship between Jordan and Dr. Garcia. It seemed strange to them that a man from out of town, who Dr. Garcia's friends in ketchikan didn't know much about, had keys to his house and so much access to his life. When officers searched Dr. Garcia's house, they found letters from Jordan in a file drawer. The letters seemed romantic. In them, Jordan professed his love for Dr. Garcia. Investigators had begun to think that maybe Jordan was enmeshed in Dr. Garcia's life because the two were more than Friends. In Jordan Joplin's bedroom, Officer Purcell found two cards that further cracked open the mysterious relationship. Both cards were from Dr. Garcia to Jordan Joplin. The first card was dated November 2016 and referred to something that happened the last time they saw each other.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

Based on what happened during our last visit, I'm gonna. I'm going to end our relationship. Obviously, they reconciled after that because he had visited again.

[Narrator]

The second card was from Valentine's Day in February 2017. It looked like a classic Hallmark card with a pre written greeting inside. But Dr. Garcia had added his own message. He wrote this about a month before he died.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

You are my first and only love of my life. I will never let you down. Not kidding. You will probably kill me. But know that I will never let you down. And then it was signed with the name Eric on it.

[Narrator]

You'll probably kill me.

[Officer Mike Purcell]

To me, it was eerie just reading that.

[Narrator]

The two cards seem to confirm that Jordan and Eric Garcia had a romantic, intimate, long distance relationship. A relationship they had kept a secret. After investigators left, Kristen Coles Nelson was shaken up. She stayed the night at a friend's house. Her friend encouraged her to speak with Jordan's ex girlfriend. That conversation confirmed what Kristen had feared. The ex girlfriend said that Jordan had been dating her as well. In fact, Jordan had been cheating on Kristen the entire time they were together. The ex girlfriend, not Jordan's sister, was the woman who accompanied Jordan to Dr. Garcia's house in the red Ford pickup.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I realized that he was really good at lying to people and had no problem doing it and kept his lies straight and, like, continually kept us separate. I can't believe I let him fool me.

[Narrator]

The next day, Kristen agreed to an interview at the police precinct. She says she wanted to explain why she was reluctant to talk during the search.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

You know you're not under arrest, right?

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Yeah. I was just so overwhelmed with everything. Was like, I can't keep my mind thinking straight. I'm just not going to say anything.

[Narrator]

The officers used the interview to learn more about how Jordan seemed to operate. How had he been getting away with all these lies to his own fiance? They also wanted to see if Kristen knew anything about the cards they had found in the master bedroom. Like the Valentine's Day card signed Love, Eric.

[Officer Devin Miller]

Did you ask Jordan about that?

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Yeah, he showed it to me. He told me about it, and he was like, I just kind of blew it off, like. And I just thought it was a guy that was lonely and wanted someone to care about him. And that's the paint picture. Jordan Painted for me.

[Narrator]

By this point, the officers had lots of evidence that Jordan had stolen Dr. Garcia's physical belongings and financial assets. They had learned that between March 16th and March 30th, Jordan transferred over $30,000 out of Dr. Garcia's bank account. But talking to Kristen Coles Nelson and getting a look inside Jordan Joplin's personal life added a new dimension to the case. To investigators like Devin Miller, Jordan now seemed to be a thief and a liar, a cheater and manipulator.

[Officer Devin Miller]

I think he played a very long, long Kong with Dr. Garcia, unfortunately.

[Narrator]

But investigators still did not know if Jordan had killed Dr. Garcia. The toxicology report showed that the doctor had died from a morphine overdose. But Sergeant Eric Matson says investigators didn't know how the lethal dose of morphine had gotten into his system.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

We're still trying to figure out what this death is. Is it a suicide? Is it a murder? What is it?

[Narrator]

Matson says Jordan Joplin did not answer investigators questions while he was in jail. But investigators were able to unlock his phone. And in it, they found a disturbing eight second video, a video that would stay in their minds for the rest of the case. The video was taken by Jordan, and it placed him in the room with Dr. Garcia as he seemed to overdose and die.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

That video was actually of Dr. Garcia laying on the couch in almost an identical position as when the officers located him on March 27th. Dr. Garcia in that video, was trying to cling to life. It sounded like he was death gasping. He certainly was not close to. I'm sorry. Watching that video, I knew that Dr. Garcia was dying at that moment. He was gasping for air. He was trying to cling to life.

[Narrator]

The video is difficult to watch. Jordan directs the camera right at Dr. Garcia's face. It was recorded close enough that you can hear his shallow, desperate breaths.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

When we were able to get into Jordan Joplin's phone and discovered that video, there was a bit of a sense of accomplishment in that moment. You know, there's no words being spoken. There's no other content or texture. But I think it really talks highly or describes and depicts the person that sat there and videoed that and did nothing.

[Narrator]

The video placed Jordan in the room with Dr. Garcia, but Matson knew it didn't prove that Jordan killed Dr. Garcia.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

It's one thing. What does this one thing mean? More questions that arise when you watch the video and a little bit more motivation to find everything you can to complete the story.

[Narrator]

To complete the story, investigators would have to dive still deeper into Jordan Joplin's web of deception and find out how he ended up in Ketchikan, Alaska, dangerously embedded in the life of a beloved, respected surgeon.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

All I kept thinking was that Dr. Garcia had to have been a wonderful human being, because that's who Jordan targeted.

[Narrator]

Mystery in Alaska is a production of ABC Audio and 20 20, hosted by me, Chris Connelly. Produced by Camille Peterson, Shane McKeon and Kiara Powell. Edited by Gianna Palmer. Our supervising producer is Susie Luke. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Liz Alessi, Katie Dendas, Janice Johnston, Joseph Reid, Gary Wynn, Xander Samaras, Chris Donovan, Michelle Margulis, Tom Berman, Sandy Evans and Pat lalanne. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Laura Mayer is our executive producer.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

The top stories, biggest headlines, entertainment, buzz and viral moments. You give us less than 10 minutes and we'll give you what you need to know. Your new daily must have habit. Start your day with what you need to know. Now streaming on Disney Fridays, Project Runway is back in dramatic fashion. This is more stressful than Cinderella at the ball.

[Sergeant Eric Matson]

Welcome to the Runway.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

Heidi Klum returns as host.

[Narrator]

One day you're in, and the next day you're out.

[Kristen Coles Nelson]

I'm here to show them who's the queen with Christian Siriano. I'm excited. And judges Nina Garcia and Law Roach. I hated your dress. Hate is such a big word. It's a short word. It's only four letters. Project Runway new episodes Fridays stream on Hulu and Disney.