Cynthia Hoffman: Killed by a Catfish // 618

Summary

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Episode Summary: Cynthia Hoffman: Killed by a Catfish // Episode 618

Podcast: Going West: True Crime
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman
Release Date: June 18, 2026

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Overview of the Episode

This episode tells the harrowing and deeply disturbing story of Cynthia Hoffman, a 19-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, who was the victim of a shocking murder in 2019. Hosts Daphne and Heath dissect how Cynthia’s murder was the result of catfishing, vicious manipulation, and a horrific betrayal at the hands of someone she believed was her best friend. Through the tragic details, the hosts examine the ripple effects of online predators, broken trust, and the devastating toll left on Cynthia’s family—all culminating in one of Alaska’s most traumatic true crime cases.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Cynthia and Her Life

(02:28–05:00)

• Cynthia “Cece” Hoffman grew up in Anchorage, was close with her large family, had a developmental disability, and struggled to make friends.
• Described as sweet and nonjudgmental, she finally felt she’d made a best friend in Denali Brehmer, who was welcomed into the family.
  • "Cynthia had such a kind heart and was a friend to many people… always seeing the best in everybody." —Daphne [04:06]

2. Early Warnings and Cynthia’s Disappearance

(05:35–08:37)

• Cynthia’s uncle and father were wary of Denali but wanted Cynthia to have independence.
• June 2, 2019: Cynthia left on a hike with Denali and 16-year-old Caden McIntosh but never returned.
• Her father, Timothy, panicked when Cynthia didn't check in, filing a missing persons report.
  • "My niece was… just very drawn to Denali and thought that was her friend when that was not her friend." —Uncle Don (quoted by Heath) [05:54]

3. The Investigation Begins

(11:18–15:22)

• Denali gave misleading information, claiming to have dropped Cynthia at a local park, “Polar Bear Park.”
• Timothy launched his own search as police were initially hesitant due to Cynthia's age.
• Police later found Cynthia’s body near Thunderbird Falls, and Denali quickly confessed that Caden shot Cynthia.

4. Unraveling the True Motive: The Catfish Scheme

(16:35–20:47)

• Denali at first claimed to be an innocent bystander, but evidence suggested otherwise.

• Investigation into Denali’s phone revealed conversations with an online boyfriend, "Tyler" (real name: Darren Schillmiller), who was living in Indiana—Denali was being catfished.

• The relationship, which began as sex work via paid photos/videos, escalated, and “Tyler” promised Denali $9 million to murder someone and provide video proof.

  • "…really this piece of shit was just a neck beard, incel tub of shit. That’s literally—he lived with his parents." —Heath [19:38]

5. The Darker Scope: More Than a Murder

(21:14–25:22)

• Denali admitted that Darren coerced her into acts worse than murder, including sexual assault of minors, evidencing his depravity.
  • “‘Force her, tie her up if you have to... It's cute. Do hotter videos, hold her down and stuff. Fight her, Impress me.’” —Text from Darren to Denali (read by Daphne) [25:11]
• Denali followed Darren’s orders for monetary gain and attention, implicating herself with explicit messages and videos.

6. Betrayal, Motive, and Execution

(30:08–36:03)

• Denali recruited friends with the promise of money. Caden McIntosh agreed to carry out the murder; another friend, Caleb Leyland, provided the car.
• Motive was both financial (the promised $9 million) and personal (recent falling out with Cynthia over romantic relationships).
  • “‘Cynthia is very trusting. Her fault, also very gullible… it'll be easier to get her to agree to coming out.’” —Denali’s notes app passage (read by Daphne) [35:45]
• During the killing, Cynthia’s hands were duct-taped, she was shot in the head, but survived and was pushed into the river.

7. Public Face and Lies

(26:54–39:16)

• Denali, on social media, portrayed herself as a victim, recorded videos denying involvement, and shifted blame to Caden.
  • “‘I’m not an accomplice to murder. I’m a victim too. Okay, you’re a victim of catfish, girl. That’s it.’” —Denali (quoted by Daphne and Heath) [26:54]
• Her mother, Nicole, after initially supporting Denali, went to the police to provide info and testified against her own daughter.
  • “Go mom.” —Heath [40:27]
  • “So many parents will defend their killer children.” —Daphne [40:27]

8. Darren Schillmiller’s Pattern of Predation

(40:54–44:10)

• After his arrest, women came forward about Darren’s attempts to solicit illicit child abuse videos under different aliases, demonstrating a history of predatory behavior.
  • “Not only is this guy a puppeteer loser, he’s also a pedophile.” —Heath [42:01]

9. Prosecutions and Sentencing

(44:11–52:58)

• Four main parties faced separate trials:
  • Darren Schillmiller: 99 years for murder, +30 years for child sexual abuse material [45:00].
  • Denali Brehmer: 99 years for murder, +30 years for child sex crimes [45:48].
    • She later sought sentence reduction, blaming her traumatic childhood, but was unsuccessful.
  • Caleb Leyland: 30 years for providing the car (as an accomplice) [51:32].
  • Caden McIntosh: 70 years (as the shooter and youngest, tried as an adult) [52:16].
  • Denali's troubled upbringing was discussed; her mother’s abusive boyfriend killed Denali’s sister when she was a child.

10. Personal Reflections and Impact on Cynthia’s Family

(55:55–58:11)

• Cynthia’s parents, already devastated, suffered another tragedy when her father Timothy died in a motorcycle accident on the 5th anniversary of her death, during a memorial ride.
  • “My daughter trusted these people. My daughter just wanted friends.” —Timothy Hoffman (quoted by Daphne) [55:55]
  • “‘No matter how stupid you think it is, watch them… I thought I did all that and they still got past me, and they were in my own house.’” —Timothy Hoffman [57:27]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to hear this one to believe it… One of the most ultimate betrayal cases we’ve ever covered.” —Heath [01:59]
• “We almost have here like a catfish on top of a catfish.” —Heath [18:17]
• “The manipulation is so crazy.” —Heath [35:45]
• “You just start to lose… a little bit of faith in humanity… so many people were involved in this case.” —Heath [44:44]
• “If it wasn’t for Denali doing this, then Timothy [Cynthia’s dad] would be alive today, too.” —Daphne [57:13]
• “Let us know what you guys think of this one… Just truly unhinged.” —Daphne [59:35]

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Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:28] Cynthia’s background & family
• [05:35] Concerns about Denali; Cynthia’s new friendship
• [07:31] Day of disappearance & timeline
• [11:18] The false park drop-off; family’s search efforts
• [15:22] Discovery of Cynthia’s body; Denali’s first confession
• [16:35] Catfish revealed, online relationship with “Tyler”/Darren
• [18:58] Denali describes how sex work with “Tyler” began
• [21:14] Investigation uncovers sexual abuse of minors
• [26:54] Denali’s social media defense videos
• [30:08] The $9 million murder proposition
• [32:49] Planning the murder, involvement of friends
• [35:45] Denali’s cold note about Cynthia
• [39:55] Denali’s mother turns her in
• [44:11] Separate trials & mountain of evidence
• [45:00] Sentencing: Darren, Denali, Caleb, Caden
• [55:55] Aftermath for Cynthia’s family; father’s tragic death
• [57:27] Timothy’s sorrowful advice to parents

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Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, Heath and Daphne maintain a conversational yet empathetic tone, frequently expressing their shock and heartbreak over the betrayal and loss experienced by Cynthia and her family. They are unfiltered in their disgust for the perpetrators and their actions, yet respectful and sensitive towards the victim and those left behind.

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Final Reflection

This episode stands out as one of Going West’s most staggering true crime stories. The chain of manipulation—from Darren catfishing Denali, Denali exploiting Cynthia’s trust, and the group effort to commit a senseless murder—serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers lurking online, the tragedy of misplaced trust, and the irreparable harm caused by predators and weak-willed accomplices. The loss of both Cynthia and her father amplifies the profound tragedy suffered by the Hoffman family.

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For photos and visual aids, listeners are encouraged to find the show on social media and YouTube. The hosts urge listeners to stay vigilant and never let their guard down, especially online or when trusting others with vulnerable loved ones.

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Transcript

[Daphne]

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What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host, Heath.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

And as of right now with this episode, we are officially on YouTube.

[Heath]

Yes, officially doing video.

[Daphne]

And I don't think that we could be starting with a more unbelievable story. Yes, this one actually comes recommended by Sarah Jessica. Another Sarah and Daniel. So thank you because, oh my God. Like, you have to hear this one to believe it.

[Heath]

Yeah, you guys are going to be so frustrated and shocked by today's story. This is one of the. One of the most ultimate betrayal cases I think we've ever covered on this show.

[Daphne]

So without further ado.

[Heath]

All right, guys, this is episode 618 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In June of 2019, a 19 year old woman disappeared after leaving her home in Anchorage, Alaska with a few friends. But when she didn't return, investigators began unraveling an unfathomable plot involving betrayal Manipulation, assault, and a group of friends concealing secrets from each other, including their true identities. What started as a missing persons case would quickly become one of Alaska's most shocking recent murders, which began as a simple catfishing scheme. This is the murder of Cynthia Hoffman, killed by a catfish. Cynthia Hoffman was born on October 8, 19, 1999 to parents Barbara and Timothy. And although her parents met in Minnesota, her dad actually spent a lot of his childhood in Alaska. So they ultimately decided to settle back in Anchorage, Alaska and raise their family there. Now, Cynthia, who is known as Cece by her family, but we are going to call her Cynthia today, was one of six kids and grew up alongside sisters named Raya, Samantha, Kimberly and Sydney, and then also a brother named Timothy. Cynthia graduated from East Anchorage High School and worked in a series of restaurants. But her true passion professionally was helping out her dad at his handyman business.

[Heath]

That's very adorable.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's really cute. Her dad, Timothy, affectionately called Cynthia his right hand man. And aside from her being so hardworking, according to her family quote, Cynthia had such a kind heart and was a friend to many people. Now she did have a developmental disability that made her aptitude more like that of a seventh grader, ish when she was in high school. And she sometimes struggled to make friends despite her propensity for being a very loving and trusted confidant to all those who knew her. So, you know, she really was such an amazing gal. So her family proudly remembers how non judgmental and genuinely kind she was toward everybody she met. You know, she was always seeing the best in everybody and just wanting the best for them. At the time of her murder, 19 year old Cynthia was working in a restaurant and really enjoying assisting her dad with his business of course as well. And she was also hoping to get her driver's license soon. Her dad, Timothy even promised to give her one of the family cars if she continued to work and you know, get on the up and up with work and life, you know, because she was making them really proud and he just wanted her to keep doing that and then he's like, then I'll give you a car.

[Heath]

Yeah, of course. Well, Cynthia also loved to shop and enjoyed hanging out at the mall whenever she could, which is where she met A new friend, 18 year old Denali, shortly before she graduated from high school. So Cynthia was absolutely thrilled and felt that she had found a best friend that she became inseparable from, which was something that she always wanted. The girls attended a school dance together. They posted together frequently on social media and they spent all of their spare time together, including at Cynthia's family home. So they were often around her parents and siblings, who basically all welcomed Denali as one of their own, which I'm

[Daphne]

sure was really exciting for them, at least at first, that she has a best friend. After she had trouble for years making friends. Especially when you're a teenager and like, when you're in high school, you just want one person that's going to, like, be your buddy. And she didn't have that. And so I'm sure at first they were really excited, like, oh, somebody values her.

[Heath]

Yeah. And she thought that she had finally found that in Denali. And I mean, Cynthia's Uncle Don remembers, quote, she did consider her her best friend at one point. My niece was. I don't know how to explain it. She was just very drawn to Denali and thought that was her friend when that actually was not her friend. So you guys already know where this is going, sadly, and it's going to take a very dark turn. Well, like the rest of Cynthia's family, Uncle Don met Denali at the house multiple times and even admitted to telling his brother that he, quote, couldn't believe a father as protective as Timothy would allow Cynthia to kind of hang around with somebody like Denali, which kind of

[Daphne]

says a lot that the uncle is like clocking Denali.

[Heath]

Yeah, he already clocked it. He's like, I don't know.

[Daphne]

But again, it's like. And that's probably why Cynthia was so invested in Denali as well. It's not necessarily this is the person, but this is a person person or this is a person that is accepting me.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

And maybe her family felt, or her parents at least felt the same way, which is so devastating.

[Heath]

Well, and actually her father Timothy agreed with uncle dawn, but also wanted to give his daughter space as a 19 year old to make these decisions for herself. And Cynthia seemed so thrilled to have made this new friend in Denali. Timothy had always been a loving and very vigilant presence in the lives of his children and even enacted a family rule that his kids check in every three hours or so when they were out by themselves. I mean, this is pretty typical for parents, you know, hey, just call me, let me know what you're doing every few hours. And this was something that Cynthia always adhered to.

[Daphne]

On Sunday, June 2, 2019, Cynthia Denali and a friend of Denali's, who was a 16 year old boy named Caden McIntosh, decided to go out for a hike along the Eklutna River. And this they actually want to go to, like a nearby waterfall called Thunderbird Falls, which is about 30 minutes northeast of Anchorage. It is one of the many, many beautiful waterfalls and hiking trails in Alaska.

[Heath]

Of course, it's Alaska.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So, you know, you can picture it's like surrounded by this gorgeous, lush forest. So pretty. But Denali later explained that the hike was code for going on a walk and smoking weed together, which sounds like pretty nice to be me. This is something that they did quite frequently. They did on occasion. But as the day stretched on with no word from his daughter, Timothy was growing anxious that he hadn't heard from her. You know, like you said, Heath, per their agreement that she would check in on her cell phone every few hours when she was out of the house. By 11:30 that evening, Cynthia still had yet to return and Timothy was beginning to panic.

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[Daphne]

The styles sell out fast, so don't sit on it. That Z e n n I.com podcast promo code podcast15 so then he started texting Denali, asking what the girls had gotten up to after their hike. You know, he's like texting her friend, trying to be casual. Hey, what you guys up to? Yeah, not trying to be like that dad necessarily, but just kind of trying

[Heath]

to figure out what the situation was.

[Daphne]

Yeah. But Denali actually seemed surprised that he was texting her at all, asking these questions. And she told Timothy that she dropped Cynthia off at Polar Bear park that afternoon and that she hadn't seen or heard from her since.

[Heath]

So she's like, interesting.

[Daphne]

Why are you texting me about her? I haven't seen her in hours. So now, in a full blown panic, Timothy contacted the Anchorage Police Department in hopes of reporting his daughter missing. He's doing this right away because he's like, something is wrong. She never.

[Heath]

This is out of character.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's very out of character for her to just be gone and not replying. You know, he's not. Or she's not texting him back. She's not calling her dad back either. But because she was 19 years old, the police seemed reluctant to accept that report, and they actually encouraged Timothy to wait until he heard from her. So they're saying she's an adult, you know, maybe wait a little while. Which he's like, no, you don't understand.

[Heath]

Yeah. And this is something that we see all the time in cases where it's just kind of like chalked up to, well, she'll be back. She will contact you. But Timothy knows otherwise.

[Daphne]

The parents always know that it's more than that. Thus, Timothy launched his own grassroots search, driving from neighborhood to neighborhood looking for his daughter, starting at the park where she was supposedly last seen. I want to kind of paint the picture for you if you're not watching on YouTube, which you definitely should, because then you can see photos. But I'll describe it. So this park is actually called the Russian Jack Springs park. In the Russian Jack neighborhood of Alaska. So it's like a neighborhood park. It's not a big national park, which is what I was originally imagining, as if every park in Alaska is like a huge forest, but it has, has like a, a giant polar bear head as a slide. So it's like a polar bear's body is this whole playground and then you kind of like slide down its tongue, you know. So colloquially it is known as polar bear park. And it also has a lot of like sport courts and fields and a walking path. So it's just, it's that kind of park. But it is along a main highway among suburban homes. So even though it isn't rural, I can imagine that there would maybe be a concern of, you know, was she picked up by somebody along the highway? And by the way, and I already said it's like the, the Thunderbird falls is like 30 minutes outside of Anchorage, but from this particular park it's only about a 25 minute drive. So on their way back into town, Denali is saying, oh, we didn't drop her at home, we actually dropped her off at this random friggin park. And Timothy's like, what? So her dad continued to reach out to friends, family and former classmates of Cynthia's for support and asked everyone who knew her or even knew of her if they had seen her in hopes that somebody knew her whereabouts. But nobody gave any information. The following day, Monday, June 3, 2019, she. She was reported missing again. She's 19 years old and her family already feared the worst. Just knowing that Cynthia would never have just taken off now because she couldn't yet drive and didn't have a car. She was also limited in how far she could have gotten without the assistance of somebody else, which I'm sure just made the fear that she had gotten a ride from some random bad guy even stronger.

[Heath]

Right. Because how far is she really going to get on foot? Foot. And why would she even just take off in an unknown direction anyway?

[Daphne]

Right. If she needed a ride, she would have called her dad.

[Heath]

Sure. Well, two days after she was last seen on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 19 year old Cynthia's body was pulled from the water near the Thunderbird Falls hiking trail. When her devastated father was questioned about what he knew, Timothy told police that he last saw Cynthia with her new friend, of course, Denali. So Denali was brought in for questioning and she folded almost immediately, admitting that her friend, again, this is Kaden McIntosh, who had tagged along with them, had shot Cynthia, which did match her cause of Death.

[Daphne]

Which is crazy that this is happening so fast. She goes missing two days later. You know, they know that she was in the Thunderbird Falls area, so they're looking for her, and they find find her body in the water. So they know very quickly within 48 hours or so that she is deceased. And this isn't matching up because Timothy was told by Denali that she was last at Polar Bear park, not at Thunderbird Falls. So this is already not matching up with what Timothy was told. Yeah, and. And now it's like all on Denali. And now Denali's saying, okay, here's what happened. Totally different story than what she told the dad.

[Heath]

And also, Denali claimed to be nothing but an innocent bystander in this who entire crime, saying that unbeknownst to her or Cynthia, that Caden had brought along a gun on their walk, and it was a 9 millimeter pistol and had shot her from behind, which shocked Denali and its randomness. So Denali is saying, I had no prior knowledge of this. Caden just randomly grabbed the gun and shot Cynthia.

[Daphne]

And he brought a gun on our walk. We were just supposed to be smoking weed and, you know, walking along the falls.

[Heath]

Yeah, but get this. So she claimed that she hadn't come forward immediately because she feared retaliation.

[Daphne]

Of course.

[Heath]

Of course. Now Kaden was arrested for the crime, but he quickly bonded out. Still, police doubted this full account, but pursued a search warrant for Denali's devices anyway, just to try to corroborate it. And what they found was in direct contrast to what Denali's story was. Though 18 year old Denali had already scrubbed her device of any incriminating videos or pictures, detectives were able to find conversations that she'd been having with a man online that would explain exactly who she was and why she had done what she did.

[Daphne]

This is where everything really cracks open.

[Heath]

Everything is about to fucking unravel. So behind her Internet Persona, angel Denali Berman had been instructed to take someone's life in order to appease her online boyfriend, who claimed that his name was Tyler. Now we're gonna find out Tyler is not this guy's real name. And by the way, their relationship began transactionally, but soon it blossomed into something more romantic because eventually they were exchanging I love yous and he was saved in her phone as Babe. But his real name was actually Darren Schillmiller. Darren Schillmiller. Which came as a surprise to Denali, who herself was being catfished. So not only was this shocking to be catfished, but it was Additionally shocking because Denali was kind of catfishing Cynthia in a way as well. Obviously not online, but catfishing her in the sense that she was pretending to be someone that she wasn't.

[Daphne]

Yeah, she's like, you're playing me, I'm playing Cynthia.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

So it's this weird, like, so we

[Heath]

almost have here like a catfish on top of a catfish fish.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Actually, let's get into this catfish situation. So Denali explained to the police that when they first met, this 21 year old man had introduced himself as Hayden, not Darren.

[Heath]

And also not Tyler.

[Daphne]

And also not Tyler. But when they later exchanged Snapchat handles, he revealed that his name was actually Tyler, which it also wasn't. His name is Darren Denal. But of course she didn't know that. She thinks, oh, he just lied about his name and it's actually Tyler and everything's fine. Yeah. So Denali claimed that they met under the guise of sex work, which is what Heath was just saying, you know. You said it was transactional.

[Heath]

Exactly.

[Daphne]

Yes, because it was for sex work. With Denali claiming that she was willing to exchange videos and pictures for money, which was something that she had been doing frequently with men on dating apps and social media in order to honestly support her drug habit. She admitted, I'm not gonna lie, he was paying me a lot. Well, unlike his Internet Persona and the lies that he had told Denali, Darren was just an average ass 21 year old man living in his parents home in New Salisbury, Indiana. And he was not, believe it or not, he was not the eccentric millionaire from Kansas that he purported to be online.

[Heath]

Yeah, he was telling Denali that he was this, you know, mega wealthy, mega wealthy guy living in Kansas and he was just into some weird kinks and things like that, but really this piece of shit was just a neck beard, incel tub of shit. That's literally. Yeah, he lived with his parents like he was. He was a fucking nobody.

[Daphne]

Like, couldn't even afford his own home, let alone having millions in the bank to do other things with. Oh, God. And this is how messy this is gonna get that we know this information. But Denali, as she is talking to this man, her boyfriend, she doesn't know any of this. So on the day that Cynthia's body was pulled from the water by Thunderbird Falls, 18 year old Denali was arrested and charged with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of second degree murder, and five counts of tampering with evidence. It would take days of holding her in custody and interrogating her to finally get her to admit the full, true scope of what she was responsible for.

[Heath]

Oh, and it's dark.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it turns out it was actually much darker than anyone except for Denali and Darren could have ever known. Considering we spend so much of our lives sleeping and we cherish the time where we can lay our head on our pillow and just relax for a few hours, getting quality sleep is so important. So upgrade your sleep by upgrading your bedding with Boland Branch.

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

Exactly. Just simplify the experience.

[Daphne]

See less carts go abandoned and more sales with Shopify and their Shop Pay button. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com going west.

[Heath]

Go to shopify.com goingwest that's shopify.com goingwest now, following Cynthia's murder, Darren blackmailed Denali into staying silent by threatening the release of incriminating videos of her. Because one of the most shocking developments in Cynthia's murder came when Denali admitted everything that she had done for her catfishing online boyfriend, Darren Tyler, fucking whatever the fuck his name is. Which directly relates to what he meant by incriminating videos. As I'm gonna get into.

[Daphne]

Oh, yeah.

[Heath]

There has been much discourse since the murder about whether or not this was a crime of passion motivated by Denali's love for Darren and her desire to keep him safe from culpability for being this mastermind behind Cynthia's death. However, after speaking to all of the involved parties, as well as a comprehensive search of the apps, social media, and devices that belong to both Denali and Darren, it seems more likely that Denali's selfish thirst for money and revenge was a much stronger contributing factor.

[Daphne]

I'd say, yeah.

[Heath]

Because in addition to gording her into a murderer and requiring video and photo evidence of all of this, you know the act. Darren also paid her to sexually assault a 15 year old as well as a child believed to be just eight or nine years years old. Hang them, and guess what? Denali did exactly what she was told. Although no videos of the assaults were reportedly ever recovered, there were plenty of conversations between Denali and Darren about her misdeeds. In one text exchange, Darren, who, remember, she knew as Tyler actually wrote to her, quote, force her, tie her up if you have to, he then added, quote, it's cute. Do hotter videos, hold her down and stuff. Fight her, Impress me.

[Daphne]

So disgusting. And while she's doing this, she is thinking that. Which does not make it better, by the way, at all. But she thinks that she's talking to this like, millionaire guy. Yeah. And like, oh, he wants me to do this. But what the fuck?

[Heath]

You honestly have to be like pretty stupid to. To believe this guy. Because when you see pictures of Darren, you're gonna be like, what the hell?

[Daphne]

But also, I know, which, yeah, I agree. But also to be the type, I know, like, manipulation is a hell of a thing, but to be the type of person that is sexually assaulting a 15 year old and a potentially 8 year old as an 18 year old girl or woman, and to be that type of person to do that, to follow these orders, to videotape it, like,

[Heath]

you have to have no morals, you have no morality.

[Daphne]

You're the right person to be manipulated.

[Heath]

Yeah, absolutely. And also later, when things got heated, Denali shot back at Darren and said, quote, I literally killed for you.

[Daphne]

Yeah. She's like, is that not enough murder? Well, after Cynthia's murder, but before Denali's arrest, Denali recorded a series of videos coming to her own defense, likely, you know, to get ahead of what the public might say about her in the very short two days between when Cynthia vanished and when her body was found.

[Heath]

Right, the scrutiny.

[Daphne]

Yeah. She's trying to come to her own defense on social media because she's 18 years old.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

So in the wake of 16 year old Kayden's arrest for Cynthia's murder, Denali told her friends and online followers, quote, I'm not an accomplice to murder. I'm a victim too. Okay, you're a victim of catfish girl. That's it.

[Heath]

That's it.

[Daphne]

She later added, quote, I didn't do. He. Caden took my gun from me. He already threatened me a lot, and I don't want to die before I can testify against the who killed my friend. Across the country in Indiana, Darren was brought in for questioning. And like Denali, he actually folded very quickly and admitted to puppeteering. Denali's crimes, like, which I'm.

[Heath]

Yeah, he admitted to it.

[Daphne]

Yeah. I'm shocked. He even admitted that he was also constructing the plot for another murder and the sexual assault of another child.

[Heath]

So this guy just would have kept doing it regardless, because at this point, he thinks he's some sort of like, he's like Temu. Charles Manson, really. Like, he thinks that he is so good and he's such a good puppeteer that, like, oh, I can have other people do these things for me and I'm not gonna get caught because I didn't commit the murder.

[Daphne]

Actually, it is very cultish what he's doing, like collecting people to do these deeds, which we're gonna get into, he was doing in other ways. So Darren was arrested and charged with the attempted receipt of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit content and the production of the depiction of minors engaged in sexually explicit content. So for attempted receipt and the production now, by Denali's explanation, she had been bored and lonely and turned to chatting to people and in particular, men online. She met Darren on a dating and social networking app called MeetMe. And they spoke for a few weeks before it became romantic. They very quickly started exchanging pet names and admissions of affection. So again, like we said, it started more off as like a sugar daddy situation.

[Heath]

Right. And then it kind of blossomed from there.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And that was like, wait, I love you. Hayden, I mean Tyler.

[Heath]

I mean Darren. Who are you? We don't know.

[Daphne]

And as they grew closer and Darren felt he could trust her, he offered to let her in on a secret. His real identity, by the way. Not his real identity. I just use air quotes. He told Denali that he was an easily bored millionaire and had too much time and money on his hands and that he had a flair for the depraved.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

So he's like, I like fucked up stuff and I've got too much time and too much money, so I need you to do something for me.

[Heath]

But also what's crazy here is the fact that she didn't even call question any of this. She just kind of like off, off the bat, believed Darren's whole story of I'm a millionaire. Like what? Like you didn't.

[Daphne]

She's not very bright.

[Heath]

No, she's not. And she didn't look into any of it. She wasn't like, hey, you know, I mean, obviously killing someone is already up, but the fact that she wasn't like, hey, maybe I should like look into this and see if it's legit. Because we're gonna get into the fact that he did promise her a very large sum of money.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So, I mean, I think again, manipulation is a hell of a thing. And he was probably saying all the right things and, and giving her affection that she longed for, which is very similar to what was happening, I think, with Cynthia of Denali is saying, your Denali is saying all the right things and being her best friend and being there for her even though she was not a good person, not the, you know, high quality individual you want around you. I know, and same exact thing for Denali. She is also probably very insecure.

[Heath]

And this is what I mean by just the amount of betrayal in this case is just unfathomable.

[Daphne]

It's unmatched.

[Heath]

Well, Darren also had a proposition for her. Like I mentioned, if she murdered someone, recorded it, and then sent him the footage, he would pay her $9 million.

[Daphne]

Like, first of all, that's a lot of money, obviously. And like, what a. What a proposition.

[Heath]

Yeah. And shockingly, or maybe not so shockingly at all, it took very little to convince Denali to start laying down plans to carry out this nefarious deed. Denali got some friends together, promising them a cut if they complied and kept their mouths shut. And actually one friend, 19 year old Caleb Leland, offered up his car so that she could get out to a remote enough location so as to not get caught. And she was Even able to find a friend who was willing to actually pull the trigger for her. This was, of course, 16 year old Caden McIntosh. And Denali essentially just lured poor Cynthia there, who believed that she was going on this nice, you know, nature walk with her best friend. She's going on a hike to this beautiful waterfall, and it was all a ruse. There were also two other teens that were involved who's names have not been released in the media due to the fact that they were minors at the time and were prosecuted as such. Denali told each of them that they would receive a cut for helping her with hers, of course, being the largest. Now, authorities believe that Denali and Darren were plotting the murder for about three weeks prior to carrying out this act. So sometime after she had already befriended Cynthia, she actually began laying down the plans to kill her. Darren later admitted to hand selecting Cynthia from Denali's friends and acquaintances because he thought that she would be easily pliable. So Denali didn't become her friend just to kill her. You know, they were already friends. But essentially Darren said, hey, I think Cynthia will be the easiest person to manipulate into going on this hike with you, so you can take her life.

[Daphne]

It was Darren's choice.

[Heath]

Yes.

[Daphne]

Well, it seems Denali had another motivation to kill Cynthia, specifically because mere days before the murder, Denali claims that she and Cynthia got into a fight over boys that they had been dating by Denali's recollection, quote, so me and Cece had a huge fight and she blasted me all over her social media. We got in this huge argument over a guy because I slept with her ex. She slept with mine. Not proud of it. And, well, Tyler, you know, Darren found out and, you know, kind of played on my emotions and my jealousy hit me again. And I'm not gonna lie, I got petty and I was mad. So that's when Darren posed the possibility of going after Cynthia as their victim, kind of saying, well, you're mad at her anyway.

[Heath]

Yeah, hey, why not just take it to the next level?

[Daphne]

And Denali remembered, quote, I was mad at her and she was mad at me, and I was just over her. And I wanted to make amends. I did, I did want to make amends, but she needed payback for what she did. Which, by the way, what the hell did she do?

[Heath]

You did the same thing, though.

[Daphne]

Yeah, she says she slept with my ex, I slept with hers, but then says that Cynthia blasted her on social media, so she deserves to die. Okay.

[Heath]

Insane.

[Daphne]

I mean, it's true. Again, this is like showing you the way that this person's brain works and who they really are. So Denali then hatched the idea to take her to a remote, secluded location where no one could see or hear what they were doing. And she brought along her own gun. Although, as you said, Heath, she originally claimed that it was Kaden's gun, right?

[Heath]

Yeah, but it was actually hers.

[Daphne]

Cynthia, Denali and Caden set out on their height to the Eklutna river in Caleb's car, who, remember, was in on the plot and would be getting money for it.

[Heath]

Well, supposedly, when actually nobody was getting money for anything.

[Daphne]

Of course not. Denali claimed that she had even brought the duct tape and made the suggestion that they should tie Cynthia up. So after they bound Cynthia's hands with duct tape, Cynthia apparently panicked and threatened to go to the police and report them. And that's when the pair decided that there was no turning back and they carried out their plan. Denali said that despite agreeing to kill her friend for money, she was actually just trying to scare her out of penance for blasting her on the Internet and sleeping with her. Exactly. In her notes app. Around this time, Denali wrote a passage that read, quote, cynthia is very trusting. Her fault also very gullible. Probably a little special, so it'll be easier to get her to agree to coming out. Fuck you.

[Heath]

The manipulation is so crazy.

[Daphne]

Another passage read, quote, I'll record me yelling at her and telling her everything she did wrong to me to deserve being killed. I'll raise the gun and shoot her in the shoulder, making her fall, laughing, enjoying every minute of her pain.

[Heath]

That is so sadistic. Also, you're a fucking idiot because you're literally. You're literally writing all these things down. You're. You're saying these things to friends like you're. You're texting these things to Darren. The police are gonna find all of this. Do you really think they're not going to find it?

[Daphne]

It's insane.

[Heath]

Well, Denali also claimed that at the time of Cynthia's murder, she had heroin in her car and she was concerned about getting in trouble on drug charges, more so even than the kidnapping, assault, and murder charges.

[Daphne]

What? Why?

[Heath]

Yeah. I don't know. So after tying her with duct tape, Denali says that Kaden pulled the gun from her holster and shot Cynthia in the back of the head. But the shot actually didn't kill her. So Kaden then pushed her into the river, where she was later found. And then they ran back to the car, and Kaden destroyed Cynthia's phone and purse and disposed of the gun. So that first shot didn't actually kill Cynthia. They went so far as to literally push her into the river and let her drown as she's bleeding out from this gunshot.

[Daphne]

It's like this. This is, like, in the most minor way, like, adding insult to injury or. But in the biggest way, like, to be able to do something like that to an innocent person is just beyond.

[Heath]

It takes a very evil individual to even think of doing something like this. Well, Kaden also wanted to destroy Denali's phone, too, but she refused, making her movements exceedingly easy to track.

[Daphne]

Because she's like, I don't want to give up my phone. And that's. That's what had everything on it, and that's what.

[Heath]

And she knew that that's. She probably knew that that's what was going to take her down. Well, Denali recalls the gravity of the situation set in on the ride home, and that she immediately went to tell her mother, Nicole House, what had happened, though she left out the fact that she was the mastermind behind this murder. Now, as we know, Caden was the first to be arrested that same day. So that's when Denali took to social media to post a series of videos to claim her innocence. Denali said, seemingly with no remorse, look, for all of you who are asking, I did not shoot her. And then in another video, she added, quote, I didn't do shit. Honestly. I was held at gunpoint and told to do whatever the fuck he says, and I'll live. So now she's trying to make herself the victim in the situation.

[Daphne]

She's doing this this whole time?

[Heath]

Yeah, she. She really is. This whole time. But I think she's trying to take some of the. Her own guilt off of. Of herself and put that on Kaden. Well, after Kaden was bonded out of jail, Denali posted another video saying, quote, so I just heard that evidently Kaden, Brian McIntosh, the guy that shot my best friend in front of me, and all y' all haters saying that I was involved in it, just got out on bail. I'm actually kind of scared, girl. No, you're not. And yet another video, she went on to explain, quote, I don't want to die before I can testify against the motherfucker who killed my best friend. And y' all saying that I'm fake and that I had some to do with it and that I used her and that he was my boyfriend, that I'm dating somebody else. So, like, that's your defense.

[Daphne]

But again, the fact she keeps Saying, oh, I want to testify against the person that killed my best friend. Yeah, that's not what this is about for you, especially because we know that she was actually involved and she was behind the entire plot. But, like, she is trying so hard to save face in a situation where she merely cannot save face.

[Heath]

Well, check this out. This is. This is one of the craziest parts of the case. So even though Denali's mom, Nicole, can be heard in the background of Denali's videos assuring her that she has guns at the house, if Kaden tries to come after her, she. Nicole, the mom actually called the police the next day to turn her daughter in, believing that her daughter likely bore responsibility, possibility for Cynthia's death.

[Daphne]

And we love to see it.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, this is just like, you know, go, mom.

[Daphne]

Yes. Nicole later told the assistant district attorney, quote, I called them the following day. I honestly thought they were screwing with me. I thought it was all either a joke or some kind of test to see how loyal I was to her as my daughter. The following day, I saw the news report, and I knew that I couldn't in good conscience not come forward with the information I had. And she later actually even testified against her daughter. Like you said, go, mom.

[Heath]

Thank you, Nicole.

[Daphne]

We so rarely see this. So. So many parents will defend their killer children.

[Heath]

Oh, of course. I think, you know, what was it? Ted Bundy's mom believed he was an innocent little boy to the end. Till the end.

[Daphne]

Sick. Well, let's get back to Darren, because his criminal history is even more disturbing than asking somebody to murder for him or asking somebody to sexually assault a child for him. Like, I wouldn't say it's worse than those, but it's, like, on the playing field of those.

[Heath]

Yes.

[Daphne]

I mean, this guy is depraved. So after his arrest, two women came forward to speak with police, claiming that Tyler blackmailed them. Of course, by Tyler, I mean, I should just say Darren. Sorry. Yeah, Darren. One of these women met him on the same app on which he met Denali again, an app called Meet me when he was going by the name Austin. Many faces.

[Heath]

Yeah, he's got so many different names,

[Daphne]

so many terrifying faces. After talking for a few days, Darren admitted that he was going through a hard time. But when she asked what was wrong, he grew cagey and brooding and told her that there were things about him that he couldn't tell her. When she expressed curiosity, he claimed that he would only open up to her about his plight if she sent him pictures and videos of herself changing the diapers of her two young daughters.

[Heath]

So not only is this guy a puppeteer loser, he's also a pedophile.

[Daphne]

And we know he's a pedophile because he wanted Denali to sexually assault a child.

[Heath]

But this is, like, insane.

[Daphne]

And this is what. I've never heard of a request like this. It's so disgusting. So obviously shocked, the woman, of course, thankfully, told him no. Darren then admitted his true identity. Actually, he did this time. And revealed that they had gone to high school together and that he was going by a fake name. So he was like, actually, hey, it's Darren.

[Heath]

Yeah, hey.

[Daphne]

Sorry.

[Heath]

But also, wouldn't that make it even more like. Wouldn't that make it even more weird, the fact that.

[Daphne]

Because why would he do that?

[Heath]

Yeah, the fact that you're like, hey, like, I. I'm. I'm asking for, like, pedophilic content and then being like. And then when she says no, he's like, okay.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's me.

[Heath]

Hey, it's Darren. Remember me?

[Daphne]

I don't. I don't understand what. So, you know, it's. It's interesting and amazing because, yeah, this wasn't like, oh, it's just Darren. Okay? She was like, facebook.com, you know, goes online to warn other women against chatting with him, saying, of course, this guy Darren goes by Austin. This is who he really is. He's.

[Heath]

Do not talk to freak.

[Daphne]

Yes. So Darren then reconnected with someone else from his past, an ex girlfriend that he had ended things with about three years prior. But after they chatted a bit, he began asking her for a picture of her young son while she changed his diaper. He's using the exact same, like, weird request on a different woman.

[Heath]

He's so disgusting, this guy.

[Daphne]

Disgusting. When she refused as well, he made an account under another name. This time it was Tyler, and attempted to ask her again.

[Heath]

So he did this twice, but no

[Daphne]

way she's going to think, wow, two different guys are asking.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

What? When police spoke with this woman, she shared that they had actually broken up three years prior because he sexually assaulted her.

[Heath]

Because of course he did.

[Daphne]

So, you know, that's part of why he's going under a fake name with her as well, because he doesn't want her to know that it's actually Darren, the guy who assaulted her three years earlier. And then she finds out anyway. And both women, by the way, did admit that they were afraid of him, and that's why they didn't originally report this to police.

[Heath]

Well, sadly for Cynthia's family. The case was drawn out for years because there were so many people that were involved and all four of the main players. So again, this is Denali, Darren, Kaden, and Caleb had their separate trials.

[Daphne]

This poor family not only having to deal with the. The trash of it all, like just these trash people and horrible, depraved people, but having to go through that more than one time, sit through those trials, and hear the same story over and over again about what happened to your daughter. Yeah, I cannot imagine.

[Heath]

And you just. You just kind of start to lose, like, a little bit of faith in humanity. The fact that so many people were involved in this particular case, you're just like, wow, all of these people in one circle.

[Daphne]

But it's crazy because there was over a hundred thousand pages of evidence in this case. That is how much there was to go.

[Heath]

Oh, yeah, they were sifting through a lot. Well, Darren was sentenced first in January of 2024 after being extradited to Alaska to stand trial. Now, he received 99 years in prison, the maximum possible penalty, along with 30 years for the child sexual abuse material charges which were added from the federal government. Denali was the next person to be sentenced, and her trial concluded in February of 2024. And just like Darren, she was sentenced to 99 years in prison and was also given 30 years from the federal government on child sexual abuse material charges as well. She later penned a lengthy letter to the judge pleading for a lighter sentence that would allow her eventual release. But so far, her attempts have been unsuccessful.

[Daphne]

Of course, she wrote a lengthy letter.

[Heath]

Yeah, and you know what? Don't release her. Don't do it.

[Daphne]

They won't.

[Heath]

So Denali blames an admittedly traumatic childhood for placing her on a particularly violent path. So Denali was actually born Alexandria Baker, One of Nicole's five daughters, and her first born, when she was just 15, was given up for adoption. But she had attempted to maintain custody of the subsequent four, which included Denali. When she was about two years old, she was joined by twin sisters Gabrielle and Corinne. Then In September of 2002, when the twins were just two months old, Nicole's boyfriend, a guy named Sean C. Duncan, got fed up with their crying. And by Denali's account, he, quote, bashed their heads together and then threw the twins on the ground.

[Daphne]

Beyond.

[Heath]

Yeah. Now, this piece of shit later admitted that he was fed up with being broke and unemployed and having to stay home with the couple's four daughters while Nicole worked, and that he was also resentful of an affair that she was having with a local prison inmate. So. Oh, poor boohoo. I have to stay home while my girlfriend goes and works.

[Daphne]

Shut up and take it out on the two month olds.

[Heath]

Yeah, insane. Well, Corrine did manage to pull through from her injuries, but sadly, Gabrielle did not. Gabrielle actually did pass away at the hands of Sean. So Sean was arrested and all three of her remaining daughters were removed from her care.

[Daphne]

So Denali was placed with a foster family and given a different name in hopes of getting a fresh start. But instead, she turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. Her middle or her middle sister, Brenna, said, quote, we all had really hard lives, and I feel like she took the wrong road with the wrong people who didn't care about her. And now she is paying the ultimate cost.

[Heath]

Yes, she is. She's probably never getting out of prison.

[Daphne]

And before we move on, Heath, I want to read you and everybody else Denali's profile on Caged Ladies dot com. Have you heard of Caged Ladies dot com?

[Heath]

Oh, my gosh. I just know this is going to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[Daphne]

You can hate it, by the way. Caged ladies.com is. It's like a. You know women in prison who want a pen pal.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

So she says, quote, which I'm like, girl, you wrote this. It's like, you know, in the third person. Born in Alaska, she has traveled a bit before coming to prison. She's five foot eight and a half inches tall. She's a total nerd, and she owns it.

[Heath]

Whoa, boss girl. Whoa.

[Daphne]

She is obsessed with dragons. She loves them. She loves them.

[Heath]

She loves them.

[Daphne]

She also likes lions and she loves stitch and skulls. I don't know what that means.

[Heath]

Stitch and skulls, I think is like a. Like a brand.

[Daphne]

No, I looked that up.

[Heath]

No. Oh, okay. Well, I have.

[Daphne]

I thought it was like Stitch, like Lilo and Stitch, but this is riddled with typos, by the way, and Stitch was not capitalized. So moving on. She loves to read. She's read adventure, fantasy, fiction and magic series books. She likes playing video games and PlayStation is her chosen system. She likes watching movies. Her favorite genres are action adventure and horror and suspense. She is a total Marvel and DC comic fan. She loves anime. Her favorite shows are Tokyo Ghoul and Black Butler. She is super into the zodiac, astrology, the cosmos and the universe. She's a Leo who loves listening to alternative, rock and roll, pop, and some rap. She's picky with rap. Oh, she likes to draw. She's all Right. Not a pro yet. Her favorite colors are black, red, blue, and purple. She is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. I'm sorry for all you Buccaneers fans out there. Her favorite flowers are dahlias and roses. She has a total sweet tooth. Especially for chocolate, toffee, peppermint, mint, and cookies. She's looking for friends. Sugar daddies, of course. No. Why? Still looking for sugar daddy.

[Heath]

Still looking for a fucking sugar daddy at this point. Girl, you're in prison.

[Daphne]

Yep. Good connections and genuine conversations. Write or text her, she will answer.

[Heath]

I was right. That was the worst thing I've ever heard. Well, Caleb Leyland was the next to be sentenced, and his trial concluded in August of 2024. The prosecutors told the court that he had been offered $500,000 by Denali for his role in Sarah Cynthia's murder, which obviously, he was never gonna get anyway. District Attorney Patrick McKay announced in court, quote, Mr. Leland was supposed to receive money. He provided the vehicle. He provided the ability for Mr. McIntosh and Ms. Brehmer to actually go and carry out their plans. Now, his defense pleaded for leniency based on the fact that he was only 19 at the time, but also claimed that this was not the first time that he had loaned out his car to Denali, that he was just trying to be a good friend to her, and that his alleged status as an accomplice to murderer was a mere oversight on his part.

[Daphne]

I wasn't gonna get 500k, which it's

[Heath]

like they're trying to make the defense of. Well, he's used Denali. Or, Sorry, Denali has used his car before. So this is just that. But it's like, okay, borrowing it.

[Daphne]

He didn't know why.

[Heath]

Maybe that would be the scenario if he didn't know or think that he was going to get $500,000. You know what I mean? Come on.

[Daphne]

But they're trying to say he didn't know he was going to get that money, which he wasn't going to get anyway. You know, I mean, they got to try.

[Heath]

Yeah. And they were not good enough. Well, his defense attorney, Dina Kale, maintained, quote, Ms. Brenner is his friend. He's known her forever. He's lent the car to her before. So in his mind, again, not thinking so, Caleb was given 30 years in prison for his role in Cynthia's murder,

[Daphne]

which kind of shocks me. I mean, I guess I understand that he would have known about it ahead of time, which makes him an accomplice. And he could have stopped it.

[Heath]

Sure.

[Daphne]

But still, I don't know I guess because we cover so many cases where actual killers get less than that, I'm almost surprised that they went with a 30. But I'm sure he won't serve the whole term anyway.

[Heath]

Yeah. I mean, you know, again, this just goes back to the. The thought process of him thinking that he was going to get this. I mean, he knew. He knew that a person was gonna be murdered, and he chose to supply the vehicle to Denali and Caden.

[Daphne]

And without the vehicle, it might not have been able to happen.

[Heath]

Right. Caden McIntosh was the last person to be sentenced, and his trial concluded in November of 2025.

[Daphne]

So very recently.

[Heath]

Yeah, very recently, he was tried as an adult despite being the youngest of the four key players in this scenario, probably because he actually pulled the trigger and he was given 70 years in 20 prison. So. Yeah. Judge Andrew Peterson concluded in court that Kaden, quote, showed no real remorse and has never fully admitted his conduct. This was not an impulsive act. This was a planned, premeditated act.

[Daphne]

It never helps when you don't show your human side.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

When. When you're like, I didn't do that and I don't care. They're going to be like, well, f you then.

[Heath]

Well, in that cell 70 years, buddy.

[Daphne]

Which, you know, says a lot if you can sit through that trial and not. Not show any emotion for what you did.

[Heath]

Yeah. Because again, this was a horrific crime. And none of these people. It seems like none of these people actually showed any remorse at all.

[Daphne]

No, I mean, they're. I mean, they're all terrible. Which is why it's so sad that after so many years of Cynthia going through high school, that it took until the very end of high school, as she is entering adulthood and starting a life of her own in her own way that she found somebody she thought was a friend. And actually she met the worst person she could have met.

[Heath]

I know. It's absolutely terrible. Summer's the perfect time to rethink what clothes you're reaching for every day. With the warm weather, you want lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment you put them on and look effortless. And that's where Quint's comes in.

[Daphne]

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[Heath]

Oh, my gosh, their candles are incredible.

[Daphne]

Like every scent you could want, we burn them in every room of our house. I can't even tell you how many more candles I'm going to buy from Quince. Also, their shoes, their clothes in general, you can always find classy clothes for every occasion. So in my next candle order this week, Heath and I are also stocking up on gorgeous new summer clothes.

[Heath]

Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com goingwest for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too.

[Daphne]

That's Q-U-I-N-E.com goingwest for free shipping and 365 day return.

[Heath]

Quince.com goingwest Heath and I just went

[Daphne]

to Crimecon and we got the most amazing custom postcards for our booth that some of you may have even gotten a snag. They were so beautiful and we couldn't have gotten them from a better place than Zazzle.

[Heath]

Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you can take basically any product, a mug, a tote bag, a card, a phone case, and make it mean something.

[Daphne]

Yeah, you're not buying a gift, you're making one. Browse millions of designs or start from scratch like we did and build something completely your own. Either way, you get to be the designer.

[Heath]

And the best part is that everything is made on demand, so there's no out of stock. Pick it, customize it. Done.

[Daphne]

And it was so fast. I designed three different postcards using their template, like their custom template. And we got them so quickly in the mail. And that's why Zazzle has over 30 million customers that trust them with their most important gifts. Yours is next.

[Heath]

Right now, save 25% on your first

[Daphne]

order at zazzle.com that's 25% savings on your first [e-mail]. go make something. Zamazing. Zazzle.com the year following her daughter's murder, Barbara Hoffman could barely bring herself to leave the house. Her dad, Timothy, of course, I mean, Cynthia's dad, Timothy, Barbara's husband, said with disdain, quote, my daughter trusted these people. My daughter just wanted friends. And this is really devastating because Cynthia's father, Timothy, who is of course, as you guys can probably tell, one of her greatest advocates after her death, passed away in 2024 on the five year anniversary of Cynthia's death. And it's so sad how it happened. Basically, Cynthia's family organized a memorial fundraiser motorcycle ride to commemorate Cynthia's life on the five year anniversary. And during that ride, Timothy lost control of the motorcycle and crashed. That's how he died.

[Heath]

This poor family has gone through. This poor family has gone through so much. I feel so sad for them.

[Daphne]

Well, actually, Cynthia's mom, Barbara, was on the back of the bike and she was badly injured, but she survived. And Tim, like, just the worst possible tragedy that could happen on that day.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

And, you know, you just think back, if it. If it wasn't for Denali doing this, then Timothy would be alive today, too.

[Heath]

I like to think that Timothy is somewhere taking care of Cynthia right now, 100%.

[Daphne]

Timothy's brother Don, you know, Uncle Don, as we mentioned earlier in this episode, remembered, quote, he passed doing what he loved, riding his Harley Davidson to raise awareness for his daughter. In an interview he offered before his death, Timothy said sadly, what I say about your children is, no matter how small it is, listen to them. No matter how stupid you think it is, watch them get names, get parents names, get phone numbers. I thought I did all that and they still got past me, and they were in my own house. Well, when I let go of that rope, I don't have a child now. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this very devastating episode of Going West. You know, my heart goes out to Barbara and the rest of the family, everybody that loved and knew Cynthia. If you want to see photos from this case, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram, goingwestpodcast. We're also on TikTok as well as Facebook. We have a discussion group, and we're

[Daphne]

here on YouTube, if you guys are watching on YouTube.

[Heath]

Yes. So make sure, if you want to see us sitting here telling you this, go check us out on YouTube. And, yeah, we love you guys.

[Daphne]

Yeah, please, please check us out. YouTube is going to be a great way for you guys to, you know, ingest these stories because you can see as, you know, as we unravel this whole tale, you can see all the people were talking about the locations that we're talking about. Just a really great way to listen, I would say, you know, instead of putting on your true crime TV show at night to unwind, like, put us on your tv, watch us instead. That's a great way to. To listen in a new way to Going West. And, yeah, just what a devastating story. I mean, truly, I feel like, you know, we've said this a number of times, of course, but, like, one of the craziest stories we've ever covered because not Only. Only is it so horrific and devastating that this happened, but it's just truly unhinged. Like, it's. It's actually unbelievable that that Denali fell for all this and it was like, girl was never gonna get any money.

[Heath]

No, like, yeah, that's just the catfish on top of the catfish, you know.

[Daphne]

So let us know what you guys think of this one.

[Heath]

Yeah, please let us know.

[Daphne]

And we'll see you on Tuesday.

[Heath]

All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the

[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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