Transcript
A (0:01)
It's time. Crime Junkies, our fan favorites merch store is now open.
B (0:06)
Yes, we have the iconic T shirts, sweatshirts, accessories, and sweaters that you've loved over the last seven and a half years.
A (0:13)
That's so long.
B (0:14)
And we are bringing them back just this once.
A (0:17)
So whether you're replacing something you have just, like, worn a little too much or you are finally getting your hands on that color block sweater that you remember that one. It sold out in like the blink of an eye. It is time to shop.
B (0:28)
So what are you waiting for?
A (0:29)
Yep. Check out the collection and be sure to grab your Favorites now@crimejunkie.com Merch brought to you by the Capital One Savor Card. With Savor, you earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, and at grocery stores, that's unlimited cash back on ordering takeout from home or unlimited cash back on tickets to concerts and games. So grab a bite, grab a seat, and earn unlimited 3% cash back with the Savor card. Capital One what's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com for details. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh, really? Thanks, Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC. Your personal space should be an expression of who you are. The couch I bought for my first home was from Ashley. It was this little cream sectional that I sat on and wrote 12 different drafts of the very first Crime Junkie episode. I am still writing scripts on a couch from Ashley. This time it's the Elissa Quartz sofa. The machine washable, cushions are clutch, and no matter how many times I wash them, they look great. So trust this Ashley and get furniture from Ashley. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style. Hi, crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers, and I'm solo today. Well, not technically solo. I am with Maggie today. Now, if you're hearing this and not watching this, you might not know who Maggie is. This is your key to go check us out on YouTube. And if you are watching us on YouTube, then you know exactly who Maggie is. But anyways, even though Britt's not here, I didn't want that to stop me from telling you guys this story because the One I have for you today is so wild, it might sound like I'm describing the plot of this year's hottest blockbuster release, but I promise it's all true. And one of the biggest leads in the case came from a crime junkie just like you who trusted their instincts. And we might be just one crime junkie tip away from finally knowing what happened to the now infamous pilot who murdered his wife, his secret lover, and her daughter and then vanished into the wilderness. Did he meet his end in the forest? Or did this man use his survivalist and flying skills to launch a new life? Opinions are split, but we have brand new information that's never been reported before that might finally help determine where in the world is Michael Bullinger. July 12, 2017 is shaping up to be a typical work day for 17 year old Gina Hun. Gina helps maintain and clean campgrounds for her dad's management company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And this morning, she's tasked with weed whacking at the Pacific Creek campground. Now, before she leaves, Gina's dad's like, oh, hey, by the way, there is this abandoned car that someone dumped at campsite four, which I've been meaning to have towed, but, you know, for today, just kind of like work around it. And she does. But there is something about the white car at campsite four that she just can't shake. Part of it is the thick layer of dust on the windshield as if it's been there for weeks. But the other part is the context she has being a local. I mean, she knows this is grizzly bear country. So Gina worries that the owner of the car went hiking and then maybe got attacked in the woods, which isn't unheard of in this area. So after she finishes up all of her work, she walks back over to the car and just peers inside. Now, there's nothing too interesting. She sees a blanket, a hat, a disposable coffee cup. And she can't go snooping beyond that because the doors and the trunk are locked up tight. So, in true crime junkie fashion, because by the way, we talked to Gina and she is a legit listener of the show. I mean, like, not then. We didn't start the podcast till five months after this. But crime junkies, I always say, are born, not made. And by the way, hey, girl. So she snaps some photos of the car and its license plate to take back with her because there isn't a lick of cell service in this campground or really anywhere near it. But when she gets home that evening, Gina hops on the computer. And the first thing she looks up is missing hikers in the area. The second thing she googles is the license plate. And when she types out Utah license plate 129 umpire, her screen floods with headlines. Nationwide manhunt underway. Triple murder victims identified. Suspect in Idaho, Triple homicide. Last seen in Ogden. Might be driving a white Ford Focus. Trust your gut, folks. Sometimes it's nothing, but sometimes you break a case because who knows if anyone would have connected the dots otherwise? So she flags this for her dad, who in turn calls the police. And we don't see this every day, but here, all law enforcement agencies are picking up the phone and talking to one another, sharing information. So by that same night, police investigating a triple murder in Canyon County, Idaho, seven hours west, know that one of the cars they put into NCIC a few weeks ago in connection to their suspect was now has been found. Idaho authorities asked them to secure the car ASAP while they get on the road and start writing a search warrant. And in the meantime, an Idaho detective sends a bullet point memo to the Wyoming authorities to get them up to speed on the crime that they're investigating. And the fugitive that they're looking for, Michael Bullinger. And we actually obtained that memo. It reads, quote, there is not a clear motive, but it appears Bullinger suddenly, uncontrollably and explosively snapped over something. There is a love triangle. Most grisly crime scene he has investigated in 20 years. Bodies were dumped in a pile, all shot in the head, covered in hay in an outbuilding. End quote. Now, there's a lot packed into this memo. So let me break down for you exactly what I've come to learn about the crime scene in Idaho and everything that led up to this getaway car discovery. So three weeks before, on June 18, a deputy out in Caldwell, Idaho, had been sent out to do a welfare check on a guy named Gerald Michael Bullinger, who goes by Mike, and his wife Cheryl. Now, Mike's son had called in and said that no one had been able to get a hold of his dad or his stepmom who live in Utah, but they'd recently bought a house in Caldwell. So, Mike, they're thinking maybe they're there, like, could someone go and check? Because it wasn't a quick trip for the son who lives way down in New Mexico. Now, when the deputy pulls up to this house, he sees that there are cars in the driveway, everything looks in order, but nobody answers the door when he knocks. So he leaves. But the very next day, the same department gets another welfare Check to the same address, but this time it's a woman named Tammy calling from Utah. And she said that she was worried about her friend Nadia and Nadia's teenage daughter, Peyton, because no one can get a hold of them. And both have stopped posting on Facebook. And apparently Nadia is like a prolific Facebook poster. So this is cause for concern. Now, Tammy tells police Nadia and Peyton just moved to Caldwell from Utah with Nadia's boyfriend, Mike Bullinger. Now, no one knows what's what at this point. They just send another deputy back out to the house. Again, they knock. No answer. Car's still there. But this time the deputy decides to have a look around the property. And when he makes his way out back near a shed, he gets a whiff of that very distinct odor known to most in law enforcement. Decom. That is enough to at least open the door to the shed. And right away he spots them. Three bodies. Now, because of how decomposed they were, he can't say who they are or even if the people he's looking at are men or women. But of course, detectives are running the license plates of the cars that are at the house and taking into account the welfare check calls. And so they're pretty sure that these three people are gonna end up being Mike's wife, Cheryl Baker, Mike's girlfriend, Nadia Medley, and Nadia's daughter, 14 year old Peyton Medley. Police end up getting a search warrant for the house and the rest of the property, kind of expecting to find Mike's body, too, thinking this is some kind of murder suicide situation. But Michael isn't there. Meaning instead of murder suicide, they have a mass murder and a fugitive on the run, one who has had a big jump on them and who left little behind in the way of clues. I mean, there's no note and no murder weapon, even though it's clear that all three died of gunshot wounds, shot exactly where they were found, and not even the family pets were spared. Family members that we interviewed said that some caged birds found in the house had died, though it's unclear how. But it is clear he shot the family dogs in what Sheriff Donahue with the Canyon County Sheriff's Office believes was an effort to prevent them from attracting any attention to the crime scene. Because even though their house in Caldwell, Idaho, was on the outskirts of town, I mean, it's still within the greater Boise metro area. So there were neighbors to the half acre property. According to past reporting by the Associated Press, one of those neighbors told police that she thought she heard gunshots about 10 days before she Also thought she heard a woman's scream sometime between June 6th and the 10th. And it was like early in the morning whenever she heard it. And that lines up with the timeline that they start to build and what the coroner gives them, which is that the victims, who they confirm are 56 year old Cheryl Baker, 47 year old Nadia Medley, and 14 year old Peyton Medley. The coroner said they were all shot in the head, likely on June 8 or June 9. Now, the other thing that's come into focus through interviewing everyone is that Michael Bullinger was living a double life. One at this house in Caldwell where he moved with his girlfriend Nadia and her daughter and was playing pseudo stepdad. And then another life in Ogden, Utah, as Cheryl's husband, planning a retirement together. And the truth of this shocks everyone when they find out. Cheryl's brother told our reporter that he thought the two of them seemed pretty happy. Cheryl was Mike's second or maybe third wife. I've actually seen police reports that say Cheryl was his third wife, but I haven't been able to find any proof of a second wife. But either way, Cheryl and Mike had been together for like a decade and married about five years. And in that time they enjoyed plenty of hobbies together, like hiking and rafting. They seemed to genuinely enjoy one another. But for at least the last two years, Mike had been secretly dating Nadia. One of Nadia's relatives told us that she had no idea Mike was married. He says they met because Nadia was a massage therapist and Mike had been her client. And Nadia sure didn't act like their relationship was a secret or anything. I mean, everyone in her life knew about Mike. And Nadia had pictures of him all over her Facebook page. Now, cheating, not totally a new concept for Mike. His first wife, Jackie, told the Idaho Statesman that Mike had cheated on her, too. And some believe that Cheryl had even begun to suspect it in the time leading up to her death. And Jackie even made allegations to that same news outlet that Mike had been physically abusive toward her. But still, he doesn't have much of a criminal history to speak of. So how does someone go from affair to murdering three people, one of whom isn't even one of the women you're tangled up with. One of them is a child. I don't know if anyone but Michael will know exactly what happened in that house or in that shed back in June of 2017, but investigators have a pretty good theory. Theory of what happened. According to property records, Michael and Cheryl bought that Idaho house that spring. He sold this to Cheryl as a place that they could eventually move to a place where they could enjoy their retirement, which was right around the corner. But what Mike actually wanted it for was his other little family. Because according to neighbors and Facebook posts, shortly after purchasing it, Nadia and Peyton moved in and they thought they were living with Mike. Now, maybe Mike was going back and forth to keep up this ruse, but, like, how long could this have worked? Eventually, Cheryl is going to want to move in, or at a minimum, visit the house in Idaho. It was inevitable that his two worlds were going to collide. It was just a matter of when. And when came sooner than he ever planned.