Talking Dateline: The Other Side of Paradise

Summary

Dateline NBC: Talking Dateline – "The Other Side of Paradise" Summary

Release Date: June 11, 2025

In the compelling episode titled "The Other Side of Paradise," hosted by Andrea Canning and featuring renowned NBC News journalist Keith Morrison, Dateline NBC delves deep into the true-crime mystery surrounding the tragic death of Sandra Gallas. This detailed summary captures the essence of their insightful discussion, highlighting key points, emotional narratives, and critical developments in the case.

---

1. Case Overview

The episode begins with Andrea Canning introducing the harrowing case of Sandra Gallas, who was found strangled to death in her car. Initially, suspicion fell on her estranged husband, Darren Gallus, due to their tumultuous relationship. However, the evidence at the time was insufficient to charge him, leading the case to go cold.

Notable Quote:

Andrea Canning: "When Sandra Gallas was found strangled to death in her car, her friends and family assumed her estranged husband Darren was responsible."
[01:06]

2. Revival Through Forensic Evidence

Years later, advancements in forensic technology and the meticulous examination of Darren Gallus's personal calendar provided the breakthrough needed to arrest him. The new evidence shed light on the timeline and interactions leading up to Sandra's death, reigniting the investigation.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "The longer that this dragged on and on and on…"
[01:56]

3. Investigative Journey in Paradise

Keith Morrison recounts how the investigation unfolded in the serene setting of Kauai, Hawaii—a place often romanticized as a paradise devoid of such dark events. The story took a personal turn when Morrison and his producer stumbled upon a poster related to the case, leading to ongoing communications and a relentless pursuit of justice.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "Kauai is a lovely place… sometimes it takes a little longer to get something accomplished and… it's a different kind of place."
[03:40]

4. The Human Element: Larry Mendoza's Crusade

Larry Mendoza emerges as a central figure in the narrative, embodying unwavering determination. His personal connection and relentless efforts to uncover the truth kept the case alive for nearly a decade. Despite facing immense emotional strain, including a heart attack, Mendoza's commitment never wavered.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "Larry was tearing up during your interview… feeling that empathy toward Larry."
[04:25]

5. Legal Proceedings and Controversy

The discussion shifts to the legal maneuvers surrounding Darren Gallus. Both Darren and another suspect, Ryan, failed polygraph tests, casting doubt on their innocence but highlighting the unreliable nature of such tests. The new prosecutor faced the challenge of ensuring a fair trial amidst conflicting evidence and public sentiment.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "Polygraphs are not very reliable… they don't necessarily tell you whether they're guilty or not guilty."
[11:17]

6. Sentencing and Aftermath

Darren Gallus ultimately pleaded no contest to assault, a decision met with mixed emotions. While some viewed it as a step towards closure, others, including his sons, staunchly maintained his innocence. The sentencing brought a semblance of resolution, but questions about true justice lingered.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "Larry was on a crusade… he just had to be there."
[16:00]

7. Impact on the Family and Community

The episode underscores the profound impact of Sandra's death on her family and the broader community. Her sons wrote a heartfelt letter supporting their father, emphasizing his role as a loving and committed parent. Despite Darren's impending release in May 2028, the familial bonds remain strained, reflecting the complex emotions surrounding the case.

Notable Quote:

Darren Gallus (via letter): "Our dad has never been anything but loving and caring and should not suffer for something he did not do."
[18:43]

8. Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Andrea Canning and Larry Mendoza reflect on the relentless pursuit of justice and the emotional toll it takes on everyone involved. They highlight the importance of not giving up and the delicate balance between seeking answers and coping with uncertainty. The story serves as a poignant reminder of the human desire for closure and the challenges inherent in true-crime investigations.

Notable Quote:

Keith Morrison: "It's heartbreaking because she was so loved… one wonders what she would be doing now."
[26:13]

---

Conclusion

"The Other Side of Paradise" offers a nuanced exploration of a true-crime case set against the picturesque backdrop of Kauai. Through in-depth interviews and heartfelt discussions, Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison illuminate the complexities of the investigation, the emotional resilience of those affected, and the enduring quest for justice. This episode not only recounts the events surrounding Sandra Gallas's tragic death but also delves into the profound human stories intertwined with the pursuit of truth.

---

For those intrigued by this episode, it is available for streaming on Peacock and can be accessed through the Dateline NBC feed. Stay connected with Dateline NBC for more in-depth investigations and true-crime narratives.

Transcript

[Andrea Canning]

What if you could turn your curiosity for true crime into a degree at Southern New Hampshire University?

[Keith Morrison]

You can.

[Andrea Canning]

Southern New Hampshire University offers over 200 degrees you can earn online, including subjects like forensic psychology and criminology. And with some of the lowest online tuition rates in the U.S. southern New Hampshire University makes earning your degree affordable. Find your degree at snhu. Edu Dateline that's that's snhu. Edu Dateline.

[Grainger Ad]

If you work as a manufacturing facilities engineer, installing a new piece of equipment can be as complex as the machinery itself. From prep work to alignment and testing, it's your team's job to put it all together. That's why it's good to have Grainger on your side. With industrial grade products and next day delivery, Grainger helps ensure you have everything you need close at hand through every step of the installation. Call 1-800-granger clickgranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Larry Mendoza]

Hey, everyone, it's Andrea Canning and we are talking DATELINE today. I'm joined by Keith Morrison to discuss his episode the Other side of Paradise. If you haven't listened to this episode yet, it is the episode two below this one on your DATELINE feed. So go there and listen to it or stream it on Peacock and then come back here. To recap. When Sandra Gallas was found strangled to death in her car, her friends and family assumed her estranged husband Darren was responsible. But investigators didn't have enough evidence to charge him for the crime and the case went cold until new forensic testing and the man's calendar proved enough to make an arrest. For this talking dateline, we have a clip from Darren Gallus sentencing from the letter Sandra and Darren's sons wrote in support of their father. Okay, let's talk dateline.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, let's do that.

[Larry Mendoza]

Keith. I found myself just on a roller coaster in this episode. My heart was breaking for Larry. The longer that this dragged on and on and on.

[Keith Morrison]

And it did drag, that's for sure. It's been a nightmare for that poor family, he and his really delightful wife who is not a public person and didn't want to be a public person. But, you know, the two of them together have just gone through hell for quite a long time.

[Larry Mendoza]

Keith, you actually learned about this story kind of in a roundabout way. You're our Hawaii correspondent, I feel like. And so you were in Hawaii and found out about this, right?

[Keith Morrison]

We were doing another story, another really fascinating story there that took us a long time to do as some of these stories do about a polar player. And so we were shooting video around this little part of the island where our subjects hung out and saw this poster on a store window. And it was a poster put up by Larry Mendoza, her father. And it was so curious the way it was posted there, the way it was written. Vince Sterla, my producer, gave him a call. And so began a very long series of communications back and forth over the years. But also, we just followed it for a long time. And because the twists and turns were so extraordinary and so frustrating for all involved, Larry, of course, famously said something about how Hawaii is a paradise if you want to commit a murder.

[Larry Mendoza]

And I remember him saying that if.

[Keith Morrison]

You want to commit a murder, do it in Kauai because you'll never get caught. That was his attitude about it. Not that they weren't trying. The police departments were doing whatever they could. And in fact, one of the key detectives on this case was as dogged as anybody I've seen. He just kept at it and kept at it and kept at it until finally he found what he felt was the key. And you know, the police chief we interview in the story, when he heard about Larry's story, he had just lost his own son. He just identified so thoroughly with Larry that he made a promise that he would do everything in his power to see that the case was solved. And that relationship was fascinating to watch, too. A wonderful guy, this police chief.

[Larry Mendoza]

I mean, he was tearing up during your interview. And he's not just tearing up for the situation and Sandra, but you can see he's tearing up about his own personal situation and feeling that empathy toward Larry.

[Keith Morrison]

Look, Kauai is a lovely place. There must be two or three or four fictional detective stories with titles like Murder in Paradise or something like that. The idea of a paradise where nothing bad ever happens and a murder occurs is a kind of a trope of fiction, but in fact, in nonfiction, it happens, too. And Kauai, which kind of in a way, is like small town America, Hawaiian style, but it's very laid back and low key, and it's not sort of a fancy, big, super duper resort type place, with few, few exceptions, but. But otherwise it's. It's. It's the kind of place where you just wouldn't expect anything bad to happen. But it also is the kind of place where sometimes it takes a little longer to get something accomplished and. Yeah, and often the news travels person to person, as opposed to being a kind of a. An official record that is kept in some central organ so it's. It. It's a different kind of place, and it's lovely for it, but sometimes it makes it harder to kind of drill down on something, like a murder.

[Larry Mendoza]

Yeah, and I felt that way, you know, covering some stories on, you know, the Virgin Islands, Caribbean locations. I have been to Kauai for a day during my honeymoon. I went on the helicopter ride. You know, they shot Jurassic park there.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes.

[Larry Mendoza]

But, you know, it is. You do see when you go there, you see that paradise side of things. Right. And so I thought the title was very clever. The Other side of Paradise. Because you do see these houses and neighborhoods that you don't see as a tourist, but that people live there, that's their lives, that they have jobs. And so it was an interesting sort of like, pull back the curtain. Right. On paradise.

[Keith Morrison]

So you and Lori Vella went to the same island for your honeymoon, huh?

[Larry Mendoza]

Oh. Oh, Keith. Oh, my gosh. Why does that feel so disturbing right now? You had to, right? You had to. Oh, my goodness. It was beautiful, though. I mean, that, that helicopter ride was magical. It was really incredible.

[Keith Morrison]

It is a lovely, lovely, beautiful place. Yes. In fact, it's one of my favorite places on the planet. And Vince and I have made friends there who will be friends for the rest of our lives.

[Larry Mendoza]

Nice. So the biggest question I have is, when are you going to give up one of your Hawaii stories to me so Andrea can finally go to Hawaii? Well, is that you're. It's not happening.

[Keith Morrison]

Is it the Tuesday you're not giving it up?

[Andrea Canning]

Never.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes, that's right.

[Larry Mendoza]

I mean, it's nice, right? You know, no offense to, like, upstate New York and January, but, you know, kind of. Kind of beats that.

[Andrea Canning]

I used to go to Alaska a.

[Keith Morrison]

Lot, too, and I love doing stories in Alaska, but we are. I haven't been there lately. Do you want to go to Alaska?

[Larry Mendoza]

I. You know, that's the only state in the entire country that I have not been to is Alaska.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Larry Mendoza]

And I would absolutely like to go to Alaska. Yes. It looks so beautiful.

[Keith Morrison]

Lovely.

[Larry Mendoza]

All right. When we come back, we have a clip from Darren Gallas sentencing from a letter Sandra and Darren's sons wrote in support of their father.

[Keith Morrison]

Has your kid asked for help with homework?

[Andrea Canning]

Or maybe your child's ahead of the curve, getting bored in class. Whether your kid is struggling or soaring, IXL can make a real difference. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids really understand what they're learning. It covers math and language arts and science and social studies from pre K all the way through the 12th grade. It's designed to be engaging, personalized and, yes, actually fun, with encouraging feedback that keeps kids motivated. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and Dateline NBC listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com dateline Visit ixl.com dateline to get their learning program at the best price. Spring is the perfect season to grow. If you've ever thought about learning a new language, well, now's the time. Rosetta Stone offers immersive language training in 25 languages to choose from, including Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese, enhanced by Truaccent technology that helps you perfect pronunciation and speak with greater clarity and confidence. Spring into something new with Rosetta Stone and start your language learning journey today. What language are you practicing? How long have you been practicing? What milestone have you achieved? Don't wait. Unlock your language learning potential now. DATELINE NBC listeners can grab Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. That's unlimited access to 25 language courses for life. Visit rosettastone.com dateline to get started and claim your 50% off today. This episode is brought to you by Progressive, where drivers who save by switching save nearly $750 on average. Quote [e-mail] to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.

[Larry Mendoza]

So Keith, is there some talk then that there could be someone else involved in this?

[Keith Morrison]

There is really no talk at this point that there could be somebody else involved. The difficulty with the case was that there were really two possible suspects. One was her boyfriend and then one was her soon to be ex husband. He was estranged and living with a girl. Right. So they'd all, they both moved on.

[Larry Mendoza]

Any thought on why both Ryan and Darren failed polygraphs?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, polygraphs are not very reliable. Well, when I say not very reliable, they're, they're certainly a, we are told repeatedly, an investigative tool that can be very helpful because it tells you, you know, when somebody is nervous about something or is hiding something and it doesn't necessarily tell you whether they're, you know, they've passed or failed and therefore they're either guilty or not guilty. But it leads you in certain directions. But the fact that they both failed could have other reasons. Ryan, for example, who was later convicted of some very serious drug crimes. So what was he thinking as he's been questioned by the officers? What was he thinking when he found her body and didn't report it for, you know, a couple of hours? Was he thinking, they're going to question me, and they're going to find out that I am a drug dealer and they're going to put me in jail for that, And I'm now caught because of what has happened to her. That's going to make a person pretty nervous during an interrogation.

[Larry Mendoza]

The police, you know, given that they believed Sandra's ex husband, Darren, might have had something to do with this, what did they think the motive was?

[Keith Morrison]

They'd been fighting over custody for a long time. There was no love lost between them. A very tense situation. So that's where the motive came from. And the way the calendar comes into it is that Darren, the ex husband, kept a very careful record of every time he picked her up. If she was late by five minutes, he could mark it down. She was late that day, all of those kinds of things. And. But it was blank the last morning that she went over there. And the detective finally figured out that what happened there was that, you know, she went over, they had an argument, she left without taking the kids, and then somebody followed her. Was it Darren? That was what the prosecutor decided until the new prosecutor came along and said, we can't really prove it.

[Larry Mendoza]

The. The new prosecutor that came on. I realize being a prosecutor is not an easy job.

[Keith Morrison]

Right.

[Larry Mendoza]

I realize that, you know, they want to have the right evidence and strategy to win, but, I mean, did he do the right thing? I'd love to know your thoughts on that.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, you know, I looked, the interview I had with him was pretty contentious, and I, you know, I challenged him repeatedly because, you know, you and I have both dealt with prosecutors who would take on a case that difficult every.

[Larry Mendoza]

Day, absolutely have any trouble with it 100%.

[Keith Morrison]

But he was just especially cautious, and he felt that because some evidence could point to another person who, by the way, had an alibi, but maybe it was a manufactured alibi, you know, that kind of thing, that there was just the chances of an acquittal were strong enough that he felt that he should hold off. And in the end, he wound up offering this deal, which was to plead no contest to assault.

[Larry Mendoza]

So you plead no. What is it? Was it no contest?

[Keith Morrison]

No contest. It means you're not pleading guilty, but no contest is kind of a gray area in between. You know, you're not going to challenge Their assertion that you committed a certain offense. You're not saying you did it, you're not saying you didn't do it, but you're not gonna challenge it.

[Larry Mendoza]

You know, the sentencing in these cases, you're always on a little bit of pins and needles. This one in particular, when we were waiting on the judge to give, you.

[Keith Morrison]

Know, the sentence, to decide what the sentence would be. Yeah.

[Larry Mendoza]

For Darren and I, you could just feel it, like you could.

[Keith Morrison]

That was one of the pressure. One of the more tense days I've ever encountered. It was quite something.

[Larry Mendoza]

And when she said 10 years, I just. All I could think about was Larry.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Larry's still around, and the. You know, Darren will be out soon, and they'll have to figure out how to get along. That's all. You know, I don't suppose they'll see much of each other, but.

[Larry Mendoza]

Or don't talk to each other. One of the difficult moments of the story was when Larry had a heart attack.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes.

[Larry Mendoza]

And I thought, oh, no, please tell me that Larry's not going to die before he sees the end of this.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Larry Mendoza]

And that really had me on edge.

[Keith Morrison]

I think getting to the end of this was really what kept him going in that whole difficult period. He just had to be there. He certainly was the center of this and the heart. Heartbeat of this story.

[Larry Mendoza]

So he absolutely was. It was such an incredible journey that you went on with him.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. And for a long time. I mean. Yeah, just about 10 years.

[Larry Mendoza]

Oh. And the. The moment where Larry, you know, says that he fulfilled his promise to Sandra, you know, even if it didn't turn out exactly the way he hoped, it was pretty much there.

[Keith Morrison]

Right. At some point, you have to accept what you can get, and I think that's the way it was. But he had done his very best for her, and that is, in the end, what mattered. I think he was able to. I'm not sure what the right word is, but absorb it and go on with his life a little more. With a little more ease than he otherwise would have been able to. Because certainly he was tormented by it for so long.

[Larry Mendoza]

Right. Because sort of, you know, what else is left for him to do at that point? Right. He was on a crusade.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes, he was.

[Larry Mendoza]

And then the crusade was essentially over with. With that plea.

[Keith Morrison]

What they would have liked, mind you, was to have some contact with their grandchildren and.

[Larry Mendoza]

Oh, yes, I was going to ask you about that.

[Keith Morrison]

That didn't happen. As far as I know, it's still not happening. But that's terrible. Yes, it's very sad, and it certainly is something that they wanted to have happen.

[Larry Mendoza]

We see that a lot, you know, in these stories. You've seen it. I've seen it. Where the children take sides or, you know, they've been told one thing by the, you know, that's Darren is the only parent they have now. Right. Because Sandra is gone. And they don't want to lose Darren, too, you know, and you don't want to believe that your father would be capable of killing your mother.

[Keith Morrison]

Right.

[Larry Mendoza]

So I do think in some cases, it's. It's easier to believe that or accept that. Now, in this case, we should just. Again, you know, Darren pled no contest to assault. Darren was not convicted of murder. So there's that. But there certainly are people who think Darren killed Sandra.

[Andrea Canning]

There are?

[Keith Morrison]

Yes, indeed. And no matter what they think, he will be getting out of prison quite soon.

[Larry Mendoza]

Speaking of the sons, Keith, they wrote a letter in support of their father, which was read by Darren's attorney at sentencing. Let's take a listen to that.

[Darren Gallus]

We're writing to you with regards to my father, Darren Gallus. We would like you to know the kind of man he is and has been to us throughout our life. The one thing we could say that would describe our dad as role model. Our entire life, we've looked up to our father as someone who inspired us to be kind, humble, and committed. We fully understand the situation we are in and the devastation that has caused our entire family. Yet through all, our dad is committed to his family and shows unconditional love for his two sons, three stepsons, daughter and wife. Our dad has never been anything but loving and caring and should not suffer for something he did not do.

[Keith Morrison]

You know, it is a fascinating story simply because of these uncertainties, and that's what makes stories interesting. And certainly you can identify with Larry Mendoza and you can identify with the other people who took part in this story and tried to solve it and believe that they found the right answer. That's like justice on the move finally, after so many years of trying. But then you listen to, you know, the kids of this person who's been accused, and they've heard a different story for all that time. You know, the. I think if I ever said this before, and probably going to sound dumb.

[Larry Mendoza]

When I say it, but never Keith.

[Keith Morrison]

I can't. I cannot remember which ancient Greek philosopher it was, but it's one of my favorite expressions, which is opinions are toys for children. Dangerous toys. Because, you know, you. Your whole attitude about life, about justice about everything can be is skewed and altered simply because you've got a frickin opinion which may not be right.

[Larry Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

Quite possibly wrong.

[Larry Mendoza]

Well, so it's human. We're humans. Right. Like it's everyone's different. Everyone brings different life experiences.

[Keith Morrison]

Sure.

[Larry Mendoza]

To their opinion. You know, there's all think about all the factors that go into an opinion.

[Keith Morrison]

A lot of factors. But that doesn't mean my opinion is going to be any better than yours.

[Larry Mendoza]

I'm sure. I'm sure we have probably some similar opinions and then probably some different opinions. I've actually had some conversations with you where we've had different opinions about things.

[Keith Morrison]

Really? I don't believe that. I've forgotten all about those.

[Larry Mendoza]

You don't remember yelling at me when I tried to save my thought? No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Keith could never yell at anyone.

[Keith Morrison]

Oh, that's nice. Thank you very much.

[Larry Mendoza]

We should say when he's getting out. He Darren actually had his sentence reduced by six months by the Hawaii Paroling Authority, so his current official release date is currently May 1, 2028. Up next, remembering Sandra.

[Andrea Canning]

This episode is brought to you by WhatsApp. On WhatsApp, no one can see or hear your personal messages. So the calls with your mom, chats about the latest work drama, late night voice messages and all those photos and videos of your dog. Every personal message stays private because no one, not even WhatsApp, can see or hear your personal messages. WhatsApp message privately with everyone you know it doesn't belong in your summer plans. Getting burned by your old wireless bill? Make the switch to Mint Mobile. With plans starting at 15 bucks a month, Mint Mobile gives you premium wireless service on the nation's largest 5G network. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text. The coverage and speed you're used to, but way less money. Ditch overpriced wireless and get three months of premium wireless service from Mint Mobile this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless [e-mail] stateline that's mintmobile.com dateline upfront.

[Keith Morrison]

Payment of $45 for three months.

[Andrea Canning]

5 gigabyte plan required, equivalent to $15 a month new customer offer for the first three months only. Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. When everything else keeps getting pricier, like paying the bills or buying groceries, Goodrx can help keep your prescription costs low. From diabetes to allergy relief to heart health, save up to 80% on prescriptions for you and your family pets, too. Check GoodRx before every trip to the pharmacy for big savings on both brand and generic medications. GoodRx is free, easy to use. Just search for your prescription on the website or the app, compare prices, and get a free coupon to show your pharmacist. Use GoodRx to save at over 70,000 local pharmacies nationwide. Remember, GoodRx is not insurance, but works whether you have insurance or not. And it could beat your insurance copay price, beat high prices at the pharmacy, and save up to 80% with GoodRx. Go to goodrx.comdateline that's goodrx.com dateline.

[Larry Mendoza]

We do a lot of stories where the families don't give up. It becomes their life's mission.

[Keith Morrison]

Right.

[Larry Mendoza]

Larry is almost the poster child for that. I mean, he, he, wow. Like, he is just so impressive. What do you think Larry did that was so right? You know, in his crusade, he, he.

[Keith Morrison]

Went about everything in a legal way. He did not, you know, he. He didn't go crazy and go and try to kill somebody, although he certainly said he wanted to. He felt like doing so, but he didn't do it. And, you know, he said, I would have if the opportunity presented itself and they had not done the right thing. Well, I don't think so. But he, he did doggedly put up flyers everywhere. He did continue to follow the case. He did continue to make investigative calls. He did. He just. Every day, every week, every month, every year. He worked at it, did what he could, did what he could that was legal. And, and that's really what the secret is. It's just a kind of a feet on the ground, away you go, you know, but it's.

[Larry Mendoza]

Yeah. Keeping the case alive. That's exactly putting it out there. Thankfully, with the, the date lines we do, usually, you know, the families not giving up pays off.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Larry Mendoza]

You know, and that's what makes a great Dateline story.

[Andrea Canning]

Right.

[Keith Morrison]

And so the, the families that never give up and never get an answer are there, too. And yes, probably more of them than the ones that do get an answer.

[Larry Mendoza]

Unfortunately. Yes.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. It's heartbreaking stuff.

[Larry Mendoza]

Those are the hard ones where they just. Yeah. They can't get that traction. You just could feel the love that Larry and his wife had for Sandra. I mean, that is, that is just. It was so obvious how much they cared about her.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. Yeah. And when we learned about her, we kind of felt the same way. She was obviously a very lovable person.

[Larry Mendoza]

She was and beautiful. And her kids, you know, they were so cute. You know, the pictures with Sandra and her boys, they were just adorable.

[Keith Morrison]

That's right.

[Larry Mendoza]

And, you know, and in closing, you know, what's so sad is that, you know, on Sandra's dashboard, you know, if you watched the episode, it says island girl, you know, and that's, that's really, you know, she was an island girl, you know, she, she was a beautiful island girl.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Larry Mendoza]

And she was a mom and a friend and a daughter and all these things. And she was starting this new chapter, you know, and it's just, it's so heartbreaking because she was so loved.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. One wonders what she would be doing now.

[Larry Mendoza]

But we know what her parents are doing. They have the Sandra Gallas Golf Tournament every year held in her, her memory. And it raises money for the YWCA's mission to end domestic violence. And this year it will be taking place on, actually on my daughter's birthday, August 3rd.

[Keith Morrison]

Really? That's your daughter's birthday?

[Larry Mendoza]

Yeah. She will be turning 13. Keith, thank you for this. Thank you so much. I mean, this is really one of, this is one of your best stories. And I mean that in the way that just you connecting, you know, with.

[Andrea Canning]

Thank you.

[Larry Mendoza]

That's with Larry and just like how much you cared about him, about Sandra, about the story, about all of it and just the trips you made going back and forth to really get this story right and to keep it alive for them, you know, that's, you were a big part of that.

[Keith Morrison]

Thank you. That's very nice.

[Larry Mendoza]

That's it for talking DATELINE this week. Remember, if you have any questions for us about our stories or about Dateline, you can reach us 24. 7 on social media media @datelinenbc. Have a question for talking Dateline, leave it for us in a voicemail at 212-413-5252 for a chance to be featured on a future episode. Plus, an all new season of Josh Mankiewicz's podcast Missing in America debuted this week. The series takes a deep dive into the country's most perplexing unsolved missing persons cases. Catch new episodes every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, we'll see you Fridays on DATELINE on NBC. Thanks for listening.

[Keith Morrison]

Hey, I'm journalist Sam Sanders.

[Sam Sanders]

I'm poet Saeed Jones.

[Saeed Jones]

And I'm producer Zach Stafford. And we are the hosts of a podcast called Vibe Check.

[Sam Sanders]

On Vibe Check, we talk about everything.

[Keith Morrison]

News, culture and entertainment and how it all feels.

[Saeed Jones]

That's right. We talk about any and everything on our show, from real life issues like grief to music and movie critiques. And that barely scratches the surface.

[Sam Sanders]

Yes, indeed. And it doesn't stop there. We have got a lot to say, so join our group, chat, come to life, follow and listen to Vibe check wherever you get your podcasts.