Riley Crossman: Someone in Her Room // 609

Summary

Going West: True Crime – Episode 609

Case: Riley Crossman: Someone in Her Room
Released: May 19, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode covers the tragic and haunting case of Riley Crossman, a 15-year-old girl from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, who disappeared in May 2019. The hosts, Daphne and Heath, explore the intricate details of Riley's disappearance, the community’s search efforts, and the evidence, particularly chilling text messages, that pointed investigators to her killer. With personal tributes from Riley’s family, in-depth discussion of the investigative process, and heartbreaking quotes, this episode paints a vivid picture of the devastation wrought by her murder and the ultimately successful quest for justice.

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MAIN DISCUSSION POINTS & KEY SEGMENTS

1. Background: The Crime & Riley's Life

[03:41–06:40]

• Riley’s Early Life: Riley Crossman, born December 22, 2003, described as creative, loving, stubborn, and vibrant. The eldest of three siblings (Riker and Ryder).
• Family Situation: Parents separated; Riley was living with her mom, Chantel Oakley, her brothers, and her mom's boyfriend, Andy McCauley.
• Relationship: Riley, only 15, in her first serious relationship with Hayden Lacey. Their bond was described as inseparable and full of hope.

"Riley was the kind of child you would hope to have one day. She was kind and gentle and loving and full of life."
— Lance, Riley’s father [05:10]

2. Timeline of Disappearance

[06:40–13:16]

• Last Sighting: Seen by her grandmother around 7pm, May 7, 2019. Chantel arrives home at 10:30pm, sees Andy apparently “fake sleeping” (possibly due to drug use) and her sons asleep in the living room. Riley’s door is closed, light is on, but Chantel does not enter.
• Morning After: By 7am, Andy is gone for work, as are Riley’s brothers. Chantel is surprised Riley didn’t check in with her, but assumes she left for school.
• Discovery: School alerts Chantel that Riley never arrived. Nobody had heard from her. Her phone is off (unusual), and her bag, glasses, and purse are still at the house.

“She would not run away. She loves us. She wouldn’t want us to be upset.”
— Chantel, Riley’s mom [10:01]

• Police Called: Missing person’s report filed the evening of May 8. Police find Riley’s room messy (potentially due to moving) but notice blood and saliva on her pillow and wall.

3. Community Reaction & Suspects

[14:56–18:16]

• Search Efforts: Flyers, search dogs, FBI, state police, and volunteer search parties mobilized.
• Rumors: Theories include a local homeless man (“Skateboard Freddy”), stranger abduction, social media connections, or a recent fight with her friend Kayla — but friends find these implausible.
• Elimination of Suspects: Boyfriend Hayden is cleared despite deleting some messages (routine to avoid parental scrutiny). Recent argument with Kayla dismissed as typical teenage drama.

“Other than this…there was no conceivable reason why she would want to separate herself from her life.”
— Daphne [16:53]

4. Focus Turns to Andy McCauley

[18:30–33:03]

• Alibi & Timeline Issues: Andy says he saw Riley between 9-10pm but contradicts Chantel’s account. His co-worker, Johnny, notices Andy unusually ready for work early on May 8 and missing for over four hours during workday, contradicting Andy’s claims.
• Changing Stories: Andy lies about not leaving work, then admits leaving to get cocaine; further investigation shows this is false, as they already had drugs. Admits to spending hours at a property in Red Hill, not a quick trip.
• Surveillance & Witnesses: Video evidence tracks his movements from the job site toward Berkeley Springs and back, and a witness (his ex-wife) sees Andy’s truck suspiciously backed up to the house. Cameras later capture the truck traveling into rural areas where Riley's body is found.

“Each time he gets caught in a lie, it’s like he digs a little bit deeper.”
— Heath [29:26]

5. Chilling Text Evidence

[33:03–38:08]

• Hayden recovers crucial text messages from his Apple Watch, revealing Riley's fear in the moments before her death. After Hayden fell asleep, Riley sent:

  • 11:01pm: "andy's in my room"
  • "shh, don't say anything about it. so he can hear everything."
  • 11:13pm: "I'm scared" … "babe"

• Hosts discuss what these texts reveal about Riley’s state of mind and Andy’s predatory presence.

“I think about what was happening during that 12, at least 12-minute window that she is texting Hayden, essentially asking for help.”
— Daphne [45:08]

6. The Investigation & Arrest

[40:06–43:58]

• Cadaver Dog Evidence: Cadaver dog alerts to Johnny’s truck bed.
• Body Discovery: Riley’s body found on May 16, 2019, off Sleepy Creek Road, a remote access point. Screws and drywall also link back to Andy’s truck and occupation.
• Autopsy Findings: Severe decomposition; unable to determine cause of death or confirm sexual assault, but circumstances point to suffocation.
• No Evidence of Others’ Involvement: Both Chris (Andy’s nephew) and Johnny (truck owner) cleared by alibis; only Andy’s movements and access line up.

“He’s the only one who can tell us what happened to our daughter. Because of what he did, we didn’t even get to give her a kiss on the forehead or say goodbye.”
— Chantel, Riley’s mother [47:42]

7. Trial, Sentencing & Aftermath

[44:24–50:52]

• Trial: Andy McCauley convicted Oct 5, 2021, of child abuse causing death, concealment of a body, and first-degree murder. Sentenced to life without parole, showing zero emotion and declining to testify.
• Family Speaks: Riley’s father and mother give passionate victim impact statements, condemning Andy and pleading for no mercy.

“Mercy was nowhere to be found in this crime. And I ask that no mercy is given in this sentence.”
— Lance, Riley’s father [46:26]

• Appeals Denied: In 2024, Andy's conviction is upheld by the West Virginia Supreme Court amid defense arguments of insufficient evidence and pretrial publicity.

8. Legacy and Reflections

[51:11–52:17]

• Role of Text Evidence: Hosts emphasize the importance of Riley’s messages in earning a conviction.
• Enduring Grief: Riley’s family and community continue to mourn her loss while acknowledging the crucial impact of digital evidence.

---

KEY QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• "It was impossible to put into mere words how wonderful Riley was." — Daphne (paraphrasing family, [05:32])
• "He was a huge piece of shit to talk about today." — Heath, referring to Andy (early episode, [02:16])
• "She only got 15 years. That’s all she had. 15… Where was the mercy when he attacked her? … Mercy was nowhere to be found…" — Lance Crossman, Riley’s father ([46:26])
• "I just wanted to mention that earlier when Hayden was talking about the fact that Andy really didn't have any urgency during the search parties, it's because Andy already knew where Riley was..." — Heath [48:02]
• “F this guy in every way. Like, what do you mean you're not going to get any leniency? You have done nothing but bad shit.” — Daphne [46:20]

---

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• [03:41] — Case introduction: Riley’s disappearance and background
• [09:10–13:16] — Discovery that Riley is missing; police investigation begins
• [14:56–18:16] — Community reaction, rumors, ruling out friends and boyfriend
• [18:30–22:00] — Andy McCauley’s inconsistent timelines and growing suspicion
• [27:23–33:03] — In-depth examination of Andy’s lies, his alibi, and physical evidence
• [33:03–38:08] — The recovered text messages from Riley to Hayden — pivotal evidence
• [40:06–42:54] — Investigation leads to discovery of Riley’s body and forensic links to Andy
• [44:24–46:26] — Trial, sentencing, and Riley’s family confronting Andy
• [49:09–50:52] — Details of Andy’s failed appeal and reaffirmation of his conviction

---

EPISODE CONCLUSION

The episode closes with deep empathy for Riley’s family and condemnation of her killer, Andy McCauley. The hosts reflect on the importance of listening to young people, the key role digital evidence can play, and the devastation wrought by preventable violence. Riley’s voice, preserved through her texts, ultimately brought her killer to justice—offering a poignant mix of heartbreak and hope for truth.

---

For photos and more on this case, check Instagram @goingwestpodcast, TikTok, and Facebook.

Transcript

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[Daphne]

Foreign.

[Teeth]

What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host, Teeth.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Teeth]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Thank you for tuning in. Big shout out to David for recommending this case. This one is actually very close to home for him because as a fire chief, he almost joined in on the search for Riley. So thank you for all that you do, David, and for sending this one in. We have some very disturbing text messages associated with this case that play a huge role in the evidence against the perpetrator.

[Teeth]

Yes, we have a huge piece of shit to talk about today. But before we get into today's story, I just want to remind everybody that we're going to be in Vegas for Crime Con at the end of May. That's going to be the 28th through the 31st. Get your tickets right now at crimecon.com use our code goingwest10 at checkout for a discount and we would love to see you guys there.

[Daphne]

Yeah, we're Gonna be joined by a bunch of other amazing true crime creators. So yeah, come hang out with us. We're gonna have a bunch of really fun merch that's free. Like we made some fun key fobs and like cards. It's gonna be really cool.

[Teeth]

Yeah, it's gonna be a great time. There's gonna be a lot of guests, speakers, investigators, I mean, basically everybody who's relevant in the true crime world. So come on down and hang out with us in Vegas. Alright guys, this is episode 609 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In May of 2019, a 15 year old girl vanished from her West Virginia home one night after sending a strange string of chilling text messages to her boyfriend with the name of a potential culprit. In one of the texts, investigators knew exactly where to begin looking. But what they found would be more disturbing than her shocked family could have ever imagined. This is the murder of Riley Crossman. Riley Grace Crossman was born on December 22, 2003 to parents Chantelle Oakley and Lance Crossman, who later had her two younger brothers, Ryder and Riker. She was born and raised in West Virginia, starting out in Martinsburg and then settling in the safe, historic tiny town of Berkeley Springs. And I mean tiny population about 700.

[Teeth]

Yeah, that is small.

[Daphne]

It's like hard to wrap my head around how small that is. So her parents divorced about five years before her disappearance and her dad remarried, bringing Riley, a stepmom named Jessica and a sister named Jade. But her parents did share custody of the three kids. Again we have Riley, Riker and Ryder. So three rise. But at the time of her disappearance, she was staying with her mom, her two brothers and her mom's boyfriend Andy. Now Chantel started dating Andy, his name was Andy McCauley toward the end of 2017. So when Riley was about 13 and within a few months she and Andy were moving in together. But let's talk about Riley. So according to her friends and family, Riley was a gift to those who knew her. Her dad Lance remembered, quote, riley was the kind of child you would hope to have one day. She was kind and gentle and loving and full of life. She was also known to be naturally creative. She loved to sing in her school's like show choir and she was a talented dancer. Her family shared that she was, quote, helpful, caring, intelligent, stubborn and as dramatic as teenage girls come. Riley was a beacon of light and love for her family. She was loving and kind. It was impossible to put into mere words how wonderful riley was. At 15, Riley was in her first serious relationship and had been dating a fellow Berkeley High student named Hayden Lacey for the last eight months and they were totally inseparable. So according to her friends, she regarded him as her first love and was really looking forward to their future together.

[Teeth]

Now at the time of Riley's disappearance, her mom Chantel was working multiple jobs to support her kids, including working at the office of a solar company and tending bar at a local restaurant. And then Andy was working in construction. So anyway, Riley's grandmother was the last person outside of her household to see her and claimed that she had been home on Greenway Drive in Berkeley Springs, which by the way is along the main highway that goes through town just a few blocks from downtown around 7pm that evening. So that very evening, Tuesday, May 7, 2019, Chantel came home around 10:30pm After a long day of working shifts at both of her jobs and remembered seeing her boyfriend Andy hanging out in the living room, sitting in a chair and then on the couch and also on the recliner were her sons Ryder and Riker. And apparently they were asleep at this time. So by this point Riley's grandmother and mom had been out of the house for three and a half hours, leaving Riley with the boys. Chantel recalled that when she got home, Andy's eyes were closed but he appeared to be awake, explaining it seems like he was kind of fake sleeping to me, which I attributed to he was probably like using drugs of some kind or something like that and he just didn't want me to know. I didn't see anything but I just attributed it to that myself and I was tired and still just didn't feel well so I said okay and I went upstairs. When Chantel checked on her daughter, 15 year old Riley's door was closed but her light was on. And Remember it's about 10:30pm so this is not totally out of the ordinary, but I will say that she did not go inside Riley's room. But she remembered just thinking that she would get ready for bed and then poke her head in Riley's room, but that I just sat down on the bed and I don't even think I changed, I just fell asleep. Now by the time Chantel awoke the next day, just after 7am her boyfriend Andy had already left for work. She was running late herself and remembered being surprised that Riley hadn't stopped by her room to make sure that she was awake. So she checked Riley's room to make sure that she was up. But Riley, who was generally responsible and punctual, was Nowhere to be found. So Chantel assumed that she had woken herself up and gotten ready for school, likely leaving by 7:15am to walk there and arrive on time.

[Daphne]

Nearly every day, Riley would come in and say good morning and tell Chantel that she loved her. So it was just kind of odd that she had missed the opportunity. But obviously, at this point, knowing that Riley was gone and just assuming she had gone to school, Chantel just had to concern herself with dropping her sons off at school and then returning home so that she could get ready for another long day of work. So it wasn't until hours later, when the school texted Chantel and told her that Riley had not been in attendance that day, that she realized something had gone wrong. So Chantel went back to the house in hopes of, you know, finding Riley there. Somehow, remembering later, quote, I went upstairs and walked in her room, and she wasn't there. I was mad and scared because at that point, no one had heard from her. Then I got the call from school saying she had been marked absent. She would not run away. She loves us. She wouldn't want us to be upset. So then Chantel fervently searched the grounds of Berkeley High School, looking for any sign of her daughter, saying that her impulse was, quote, let me just make sure. I didn't want to create a bigger situation than it needed to be. She's 15, and she might make a bad choice and want to hang out with her friends that I won't let her hang out with.

[Teeth]

Yeah, and this feels like a totally normal explanation. Okay, she's not at school. Maybe she's skipping school. She is a teenager. Maybe she's just hanging out with friends. Your mind doesn't automatically go to the worst possible scenario.

[Daphne]

Exactly. So now, looking at this, we know that it's the worst likely scenario. But, yeah, she doesn't want to ring the alarm bells and make a big scene. And then her daughter is just like, mom, I'm just hanging out with my friend. But of course, her mom is still very much looking everywhere for her to see if this is something to really worry about. So, one by one, Chantel was calling around to all of Riley's friends, but no one had heard from her. Now, Riley, who, like any typical teenager, was usually glued to her phone, hadn't posted anything on social media all day, including on Snapchat, which is the app that she was typically on the most. She was very active on Snapchat. And she had also not been in touch with any of her friends or family. And what was even More suspicious was that her texts weren't going through. One of her best friends, Jasmine, had been texting her throughout the day and none of her texts delivered either. So it's like her phone just seemed to be off, which if she had been anywhere, it wouldn't have been off, you know, so, yeah, so it's like, where is she? Why is her phone missing? Why is her phone off? Why is she not with any of her friends? So her, her parents, you know, Chantel is her mom, her dad is Alliance. They agreed that she just wouldn't have left without warning and that something had to have happened. Her dad said, quote, she wouldn't just run off. She has never hurt anyone in her life. She's very gentle.

[Teeth]

And what he means by that is that she would never have left voluntarily without telling them and, and hurt them in that way.

[Daphne]

Exactly. Like it was not in her character to be like, screw you guys, I'm going to go do my own thing.

[Teeth]

Exactly. Well, chantel reported her 15 year old daughter missing that evening. This was Wednesday, May 8, 2019, and officers reported to the house to ask questions. When police arrived, Chantel was still in her car in the driveway calling around Riley's friends just in hopes of tracking her down. Riley's backpack, glasses, purse and all of the cash that she had was still at home. So she really hadn't taken anything with her if she had gone. Well, except perhaps her phone, which she obviously wasn't using anyway because the only item of hers that couldn't be located was her cell phone.

[Daphne]

But it was off.

[Teeth]

Exactly. While detectives noted that her bedroom was in disarray. But Chantel explained that they had recently moved and were in the process of renovating. So this was kind of normal. So her bed had been left unmade and piles of clothes were strewn on the floor. She is a teenager going through a move. Although Chantel did acknowledge that she remembered the room looking different than the last time she had seen it, which was when she poked her head in that morning to make sure that Riley was headed to school. This Then an officer noticed something disturbing. There were a few drops of blood on the wall and on her sheets which were mussed up on her unmade bed. Now, the blood spatter evidence collected from around the room all matched Riley's blood. And the blood evidence recovered from her pillow also contained her saliva. So suddenly police theorized that she had most likely been attacked and then held down against her pillow. Missing posters were distributed across Berkeley county and beyond and search dogs were brought in as well. Volunteer Searches sprung up all over town with hundreds of participants. And in addition to the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, the West Virginia State Police, and the national center for Missing and Exploited Children all joined in on this search. So there was. There were a lot of organizations in here trying to help. Helicopters even circled looking for her from overhead. And Riley's case put the small community of only 750 people on the map.

[Daphne]

And especially in such a small town, rumors really flourished when answers were scarce. For example, a well known homeless man in the community known colloquially as Skateboard Freddy.

[Teeth]

Oh my God. Why does that sound like a name from an 80s movie?

[Daphne]

It does. It sounds like a cartoon name. Honestly.

[Teeth]

Skateboard Freddy.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So Skateboard Freddy claimed that he had recently attended a party, like in the aftermath of Riley's disappearance, and that she had been there and was perfectly fine. Yeah.

[Teeth]

Okay. Skateboard Freddy.

[Daphne]

Can we really trust him? There were also persistent rumors that maybe she had been picked up by a trucker on his route and had been kidnapped since. Remember, they lived right on the main highway through town, so that would make sense. Or that she had met someone online and run away with him. Which was a plausible idea because this happened in 2019 and she was very active on social media. But Riley's friend Jasmine found these theories laughable. Especially the idea that she had chosen anyone else over her own boyfriend, Hayden. Given, of course, as I mentioned, how devoted Riley was to him and their relationship. And that'll become even more prevalent in a minute here. But also, Jasmine explained later in an interview, Hayden and her were inseparable. She was head over heels for him. I had never seen her act like that with any boy she had ever dated before. The only possible reason that any of her friends or family could come up with that maybe she would have taken off of her own volition, is this recent fight that she had had with a friend of hers named Kayla, which had jeopardized their friendship, but to run away because of it also still just felt totally off base.

[Teeth]

Yeah, and when you read the. The fight that went down, it's like, okay, this, that's not even plausible.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I mean, other than this. Anyway, there was no conceivable reason that anyone could fathom as to why she would want to separate herself from her life. People in it. So Kayla was questioned by the police to see if she knew anything. But she had been home with her mom the entire night that Riley was last seen and wasn't believed to have anything to do with it. And more on their fight, like Heath was just hinting at. Kayla later explained. We had the argument after school. I made another friend, and she didn't like it at all. She was like, you're pushing me away. You're replacing me. And I was like, riley, you're my best friend. She felt like I had to choose. And I said, I'm not choosing. She was actually supposed to come to my house the night of the 7th. I was like, don't even bother to come over. I hate you. I never want to see you again. And I should have never said that. That's your last words to somebody. It is the worst feeling you could ever feel. So, yeah, it's. Even though Kayla was her best friend and these are the last words that she heard from her. It's like she wouldn't run away from home to get away from her best friend.

[Teeth]

Yeah. Yeah. This just sounds like a very typical teenager argument. And had Riley not gone missing, they probably would have ended up friends again.

[Daphne]

Yeah. But so sad for Kayla that, you know, she had no idea she was never going to see her again. They're just 15 years old. You know, you say things, but it's really sweet because Kayla later had a baby who she named after riley.

[Teeth]

Well, on May 10, 2019, three days after Riley vanished, police requested to speak with her boyfriend. This again is Hayden Lacey. And he came in for questioning alongside his mom in order to speak about his whereabouts as well as his movements on the night leading up to Riley's disappearance. So on the last night that Riley was seen, they were FaceTiming before they went to bed, and Riley was feeling anxiety about Hayden's upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. she essentially just told him that she was nervous that he would meet someone else or that they wouldn't be able to talk enough while he was gone. So detectives asked to view this conversation since much of it took place over text. But Hayden claimed that he had deleted the text thread the next day, which was something that he was accustomed to

[Daphne]

doing regularly, which, of course, looks a little weird to police. They're like, oh, well, I deleted them.

[Teeth]

Yeah, it's a bit suspicious. You know, this girl is missing and you're like, well, I deleted those text messages. But then Hayden explained that he had done this so that his mom wouldn't be able to see that he was up late talking to Riley, and it made a little bit more sense to them. When asked about Riley's relationship with her mom, Hayden mostly avoided the subject, saying that he didn't know Chantel well. Enough. Hayden's mom, on the other hand, chimed in that she felt that Chantel was irresponsible and that she gave Riley too much freedom for a teenager. But Chantel's statements were consistent as well as verifiable, and she gave the impression of being nothing more than a loving and just worried mother. But when police were brought out to the house to look around and ask questions, Chantel's boyfriend Andy claimed that he had last seen Riley between 9 and 10pm on the night she disappeared and that all of the kids had been in their rooms for bed between 9 and 9:30pm which actually contradicted Chantel's statement that her sons had been sleeping in the living room when she arrived home. So obviously this is strange for police because this is a small, simple detail that just wasn't aligning, but something that very much mattered for Riley's timeline. Well, the next morning Andy was up for work around 4am and was picked up by a co worker named Johnny at 5am and of course Johnny was questioned as well and was able to verify this account and that the timing was in fact correct. However, he added a detail about that Wednesday, May 8th that was kinda surprising. Johnny claimed that he usually had to bang on the door to wake his friend up for work. You know, Andy typically was not ready to go in the morning when he showed up, but that particular morning Andy was ready to go as soon as Johnny arrived. Andy then claimed that he was at work all day, but Johnny called this account into question claiming that this was not true and that Andy had actually missed a significant portion of that workday. Andy returned to the work site around 2:45pm but he had missed over four hours right in the middle of the day. Andy he had lied about it.

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[Teeth]

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[Daphne]

When Chantel's boyfriend Andy was first questioned, he told police that he had not once questioned, left the job site he was working at in Hedgesville, West Virginia, which is about 25 minutes southeast of Berkeley Springs. But when he was questioned a second time, he begrudgingly admitted that he had left the work site to return home to pick up cocaine to share with

[Teeth]

his co worker, which is just insane on its head.

[Daphne]

Well, and also it kind of makes sense why he would lie about that. Ugh, I did leave, but I didn't want to tell you that I was getting coke. Yeah, so. So maybe it's like, oh, okay, I see.

[Teeth]

But it's the kind of the perfect excuse.

[Daphne]

It is. Except for the fact that Johnny recalled that they already had cocaine at the work site, of course, and that Andy had known this. So why he would have needed to leave to get more is a mystery. And honestly, it just felt like a lie at that point.

[Teeth]

Like, why are these guys. I don't know. Sorry. Why are these guys doing coke on the job site? That's Insane.

[Daphne]

Maybe this is a thing. Well, Andy also initially denied that he was accustomed to shooting up drugs, but later admitted that this too was a lie and that he did like to shoot up cocaine in addition to snorting it. Police asked him to come back to the station for a follow up interview, questioning him about his timeline that day. So the officer said inquisitively, you know, I just talked to Johnny, right. Would you be surprised if he told me something completely different?

[Teeth]

Ah, kind of got your ass, Andy.

[Daphne]

Exactly. So Andy's like stuttering and he says, maybe. To which the officer said, quote, do you not remember leaving that job site and going to Red Hill? So Andy immediately backpedaled, apologizing and admitting that he had been at a property in the Red Hill subdivision of Hedgesville for a significant portion of the workday and that he had merely forgotten his movements and whereabouts for the day. Which I think the significant portion detail is so huge. It's not like, oh my God, yeah, I did run over there really quick. It's like, no, you were there for hours. Like you were gone for hours. This is not something you forget.

[Teeth]

Well, first he explained, you know, I went home to go pick up cocaine. Oh, you went home to go pick up cocaine for four and a half hours? Yeah. No.

[Daphne]

Right. So he's lying multiple times, which is. And then he's apologizing and saying, oh, yeah, sorry, my bad.

[Teeth]

Yeah. Each time he gets, gets caught in a lie, it's like he digs a little bit deeper.

[Daphne]

Exactly. So he then admitted to visiting both job sites and said that he had also left to pick up cocaine for himself and his co workers. But Andy's location was unknown for about four and a half hours, from 9am when he left the job site in hedgesville to nearly 2pm when he returned. In his first discussion with police, he claimed that he had only been gone between 90 minutes and two hours, which is still a lot of time to leave your job. But he also changed his statement about the direction in which he was traveling. And to make matters worse for the investigation, Andy claimed that he had accidentally left his cell phone behind at home, which is like, you know, as we've seen in many other cases, a lot of people leave their phone behind when they don't want to be tracked. So there was significant doubt surrounding his entire story because there was no way to verify his movements because we don't have his phone.

[Teeth]

But I will say that detectives combed Route 9, which he would have passed along in hopes of putting together the course that Andy may have taken. And just as they had hoped, video footage from outside Hedgesville High School showed Andy passing by, driving away from his work site around 9am on the morning that Riley was reported missing. And he was in Johnny's pickup truck, which was a green Dodge Ram, which again, would make sense because we know that that day Johnny picked him up from his house for work. Now, a bank down the road also captured Johnny's pickup truck passing by in that direction, as well as a gas station a mile and a half or 2.4km from there. He then stopped at a different gas station to fill up his truck, going inside the convenience store to do so, which confirmed who was driving the vehicle at the time and that he appeared to be alone in it. Now, Andy was headed in the direction of Berkeley Springs, but the truck dropped out of view again as he left town.

[Daphne]

So it's like he's going back home.

[Teeth]

Yeah. So as detectives scrambled to obtain more surveillance footage from area residents and businesses, an eyewitness offered the investigation a much needed boost. Andy's ex wife, Denise, who he shares children with, drove by Chantel's home the day that Riley was reported missing. And she told the police that she remembered spotting Andy's truck backed up into the driveway, truck bed first, and found it strange that the truck bed had been parked so closely to the house. Now, obviously, it appeared that Andy was probably loading something up into that truck bed because there would be no reason to park that close to the house. Now, Andy was then spotted driving past a small convenience store in Berkeley county, as well as past a house. And a security camera fixed to the outside of that house also captured him driving through the farmlands of rural Berkeley county and then returning 19 minutes later, bound toward Berkeley Springs again.

[Daphne]

So this is not someone who's popping into his house to get some drugs. He is going back and forth and all over.

[Teeth]

Yeah, he's driving all over the place. So, with no sign of Riley or any indication as to where a body could have been concealed, this offered investigators a valuable tip to narrow down their search area.

[Daphne]

Well, police were skeptical of Andy's trustworthiness and doubtful of his story from the beginning. But then Riley's boyfriend Hayden came forward with the biggest smoking gun of the investigation thus far. He found the text that he had exchanged with Riley on the night of her disappearance after all, as well as more that she had sent after he had fallen asleep because they had been saved to his Apple watch. So he didn't delete the ones from his watch, only from his iPhone. So it's kind of interesting, once you learn the text that I'm about to share, that he deleted these at all. But again, it seems like he was just doing this because he was worried his mom would see them. But these are some really concerning texts. Now, initially, Riley shared with Hayden that her mom's boyfriend Andy had asked her to come downstairs to watch TV with him and her brothers, as well as his nephew Chris, who was over at the house, because the group was apparently all watching YouTube together. So Andy came up and said, hey, we're all watching YouTube. Do you want to come down and watch? Well, according to Andy, Chris had come over to do a load of laundry and take a shower after having a fight with his girlfriend and being kicked out of the house that they shared because Chris was a young man. Now, Andy had been trying to help Chris get back on his feet at this point and had even found him a job working in construction together. So, you know, Chris is welcome at the house because, again, Andy's just trying to help him out. He's like, come over. Yeah, you know, your girlfriend kicked you out. Okay, come over here. We'll hang out. You can do some laundry, shower. We can watch some TV. But here's the thing. Chris McCauley had a lengthy history with law enforcement. He had been in and out of prison on drug charges and has also been charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, causing property damage, driving on a suspended license, driving with no insurance, and reckless driving, among other things. So police kind of started to worry that he had potentially done something to Riley, especially considering the fact that he and his girlfriend were in a fight and that his life wasn't really in a good place. Thus, after questioning Andy about Riley's disappearance yet again, they sought out Chris, who happened to be in police custody on unrelated petty criminal charges at the time. And Chris actually spoke with detectives, but he seemed to be very forthcoming about his whereabouts that night, remembering that, yes, he had been at the house, and Riley had taken a shower. And then she came downstairs in shorts and a tank top, which he happened to notice. She got a drink from the kitchen, and then she went back upstairs alone. So she did not choose to take Andy up on his offer to watch YouTube with the boys, naturally.

[Teeth]

Right? And this is where those text messages really come into play, because Hayden had gone to bed around 10:30pm on the evening of May 7, 2019. But after he was asleep, a handful of panicked texts came in from Riley. Now, like we mentioned, they'd been arguing a bit back and forth that night. But Hayden fell asleep without responding after Riley sent him two emojis in addition to texting. Of course, like we said as well, they had been FaceTiming when Hayden fell asleep. But then at 11:01pm, Riley texted him, andy's in my room. She then followed up with, shh, don't say anything about it. So he can hear everything. Her final two texts after these were sent at 11:13pm and they read, quote, I'm scared. And then babe.

[Daphne]

So that would mean that Andy was in her room for at least 12 minutes before something happened. And I think the first, just going back to actually the second text you just read Heath, where she said, shh, don't say anything about it. So he can hear everything.

[Teeth]

Yeah, I don't think that there was supposed to be a. So there. I think that could have been some sort of typo. I think it actually was supposed to say he can hear everything.

[Daphne]

Yeah, maybe she was worried about Hayden calling her or something. Or clearly she's afraid to be in the house with Andy at this moment and she's probably trying to covertly send text messages anyway. So a typo would be fair.

[Teeth]

Yeah, she doesn't want. She doesn't want Andy to know that she's talking to Hayden and possibly saying, hey, I'm scared.

[Daphne]

Right. But then like what is happening during these 12 plus minutes that make her say I'm scared. And then babe to try to get his attention. Like he's her lifeline right now. Hayden is.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And we also have to remember that this is not Riley's dad, you know, this is Riley's mom's boyfriend.

[Daphne]

She's only known him for like two years.

[Teeth]

Yeah, he's a. No, he's a known drug user. Doesn't appear to be really a stand up guy. So of course she doesn't want him in her bedroom. But what's really sad here is that Hayden didn't see these texts until the very next morning. So when he did see them, he called and texted her in hopes of figuring out what exactly happened that night, but he never heard back from her. He also admitted to police that he had seen Andy at multiple search parties being held for Riley, and that he found his behavior to be suspicious and kinda lacking in urgency. And when police got their hands on this information, they were convinced that their initial hunch was correct. Something had happened between Riley and Andy before she vanished, and Andy was likely responsible for her disappearance. They came to the conclusion that Andie had killed Riley the night prior, left her body in her bedroom, hoping that nobody would check on her, and then returned to the home after leaving for work in order to discreetly remove her body before Chantel returned home.

[Daphne]

Which would be really lucky on his part that Chantel would have checked on her that night and the next morning. Or, you know, so she says she would have if she hadn't been tired and if she hadn't been running late. Like it's kind of crazy that it just so happened that the two times she would have checked that she didn't and what she would have found would have been horrific.

[Teeth]

Yeah. I mean, what was Andy gonna do if Chantel had actually gone in that bedroom and saw that Riley was deceased? I mean he really. It's insane that he actually took that chance of leaving her in her own room that night deceased and just didn't do anything.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because she was in there until after 9am when he came back.

[Teeth]

Right. Well, based on this strong hunch, Johnny Walters truck was impounded. And on May 15, a cadaver dog was used for a search of the vehicle. And it indicated to that truck bed, the same truck bed that Andy's ex Denise had seen closely backed up to the Crossman home the day after Riley disappeared. Then just over a week later, on May 16, 2019, a team was comprised to go search that remote area that they knew that that truck had been in on the day that Riley was reported missing along with a cadaver dog. And as one officer was driving away from the remote Tuscarora pike, which is about a 40 minute drive away from Riley's home in Berkeley Springs, he noticed significant bird activity in one particular area and specifically made up of vultures. When the detective stopped and got out of the car, he spotted Riley's body face down in the weeds and growth along an embankment. She had been discarded along a mountain access road called Sleepy Creek Road. And surrounding her body were screws that the cadaver dog's handler recognized from their search of that truck bed.

[Daphne]

But even more incriminating was that subsequent tests of Riley's remains revealed remnants of the exact type of drywall that was also found in the bed of Johnny's truck and which Andy used very frequently at his construction job. Per her autopsy, the decomposition and animal activity had been so severe that no cause of death could be established. And the medical examiner also couldn't be certain whether or not sexual assault had taken place place. But detectives came to the belief that disgustingly 41 year old Andy likely entered 15 year old Riley's room that night to sexually assault her while her mom was at work, and that Riley had fought back. And in order to stifle her and avoid, like, drawing attention from all the other guys in the house, Andy attacked her instead, killing her and then covering his tracks. Now, that same day that they found her body, May 16, 2019, Andy was arrested. But because Chris was also in the home on the night Riley was killed and the truck belonged to Johnny Walters, they were actually implicated as well. Because, you know, of course, police are wondering if maybe they had helped in some way, at least to cover up the crime.

[Teeth]

And also, they don't know if Chris, who was actually at the house that day, could have been involved in the actual crime.

[Daphne]

Right. But I will say their boss, of course. I mean, Johnny and Andy's boss at the job site that day never saw Johnny leave and just believed that Andy borrowed the truck and took off with it, making Andy solely responsible. And then, of course, after Andy left, he was spotted driving through town, stopping at the house, and then heading out of town and on to the Tuscarora pike, where Riley's body was recovered. So the footage, of course, then matches up with the findings, too. Well, similarly, Andy's nephew Chris was confirmed to have been at work all day, so he wasn't helping his uncle dispose of Riley. Now, although many have condemned Chantel, Riley's mom, she is not believed to have had any knowledge that Andy was an unsafe person to have around her kids beyond the fact that he was a

[Teeth]

known drug user, which is kind of a big reason to not have Andy around your kids.

[Daphne]

Right. But as far as, you know, any previous inappropriate behavior of Andy's against her young daughter. Like, we don't know that there was any abuse prior to this.

[Teeth]

Sure.

[Daphne]

And it doesn't seem like Chantel knew that he was that kind of guy. And actually, prosecutor Daniel James spoke out on her behalf, stating, quote, there is absolutely no evidence that anyone else was involved in this crime. There is no evidence that she was involved. She'll have to live with it for the rest of her life that she had Andy in her home. But there was no evidence that anyone other than Andy McCauley did this crime. Actually, Daniel James, even later, openly wept in court as he delivered a statement about the heinous nature of Andy's crime. And Casey Borer, the sheriff of Morgan county, where Riley was found, told the court that he wished West Virginia had the death penalty.

[Teeth]

I mean, yeah, this type of crime, it's like, man, again, horrible crime.

[Daphne]

I think about what was happening during that 12, at least 12 minute window that she is texting Hayden, essentially asking for help.

[Teeth]

Yeah. Is he creeping around the room? Is he trying to talk to her?

[Daphne]

Exactly. Like, what was going on? What did he do?

[Teeth]

Well, following a delay due to Covid, Andy McAuley was finally tried for the murder of Riley Crossman in the fall of 2021. And on October 5, 2021, Andy McCauley was convicted of child abuse, resulting in death, concealment of a deceased body, as well as first degree murder. And on November 4th of 2021, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was completely emotionless throughout the trial and chose not to testify on his own behalf. And in fact, the defense didn't call a single witness. And still, somehow, after the verdict was announced, Andy's defense stated their desire to seek mercy and that they hoped to be offered the possibility of eventual parole, even though Andy pleaded not guilty and did not accept a plea deal to tell the whole story or help the prosecution in any sort of way.

[Daphne]

F this guy in every way. Like, what do you mean you're not going to get any leniency? You have done nothing but bad shit.

[Teeth]

Yeah, absolutely. Zero, zero mercy for this piece of shit. Well, of course Riley's family was outraged at this motion. And her father Lance spoke out against it in the courtroom, arguing she will forever be 15 years old to us. Counsel mentioned 15 years to us and 15 years he may be eligible for parole. She only got 15 years. That's all she had. 15. So if this is a case of mercy, where was the mercy in this crime? Where was it? Where was his mercy when he walked into her room where she's supposed to feel safe? Where's the mercy when he attacked her? Where's the mercy when he put her in a trash bag and dumped her on the side of the road like garbage? Mercy was nowhere to be found in this crime. And I ask that no mercy is given in this sentence. Well, ultimately, the judge agreed and imposed the maximum sentence, life in prison without the possibility of parole.

[Daphne]

As it should be. Well, her mom, Chantel, offered a victim impact statement herself, calling her daughter the most amazing person anyone could know. She also lamented that Andy discarded her beloved daughter like trash, just like Lance said. And that quote, he left her there for nine days as we agonized, watching our misery, our torment. He's the only one who can tell us what happened to our daughter. Because of what he did. We didn't even get to give her a kiss on the forehead or say

[Teeth]

goodbye real quick before we move on. I just wanted to mention that earlier when Hayden was talking about the fact that Andy really didn't have any urgency during the search parties, it's because Andy already knew where Riley was. You know what I mean? And it's like that was such a tell sign, the fact that he just didn't really care about these searches.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Earlier I think I said that they had known each other for, like, two years, but I remember we said they met in the end of 2015 or, sorry, the end of 2017, and this happened in May of 2019. So they really only knew each other for a year and a half. So it's not like even though they had been living together for a little while, it's not like Riley was his daughter who he helped raise. So, I mean, he still should care, though. He still should want to find her and help bring her home, even if it's just for the sake of his girlfriend, Chantel. And he just didn't have that at

[Teeth]

all, of course, because he was the one that committed the crime. So it's not like, why would you have urgency if you already know where the body is?

[Daphne]

Very intuitive of Hayden to pick up on that.

[Teeth]

Yes.

[Daphne]

Well, three years after Andy's sentencing in November of 2024, Andy and his defense team filed a motion to appeal alleging that the court should have allowed a change of venue due to the high amount of public speculation and scrutiny that they were receiving. His defense team also alleged insufficient evidence, citing that the evidence of the cadaver dog should not have been permissible. Which they, you know, do have the ability to fight because also, you know, because her body was so badly decomposed and they couldn't even determine a cause of death. They don't have his DNA in her. They don't know if she was sexually assaulted. So they don't have the full picture because Andy is not giving it, because he's acting like he didn't do this.

[Teeth]

Right.

[Daphne]

So, you know, that's the trouble here, is that we don't have that evidence, but we have those texts. We have the drywall. We have the fact that he was driving around town and that he was seen outside the house. Like, we have all this.

[Teeth]

We have the screws from the bed of the truck.

[Daphne]

Exactly. So we do have what feels like enough. But to the defense team, of course, they're like, well, it still doesn't say that he killed her.

[Teeth]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

You know, we don't have a murder weapon, though. Like we said, it's believed that she was suffocated using her pillow where there was blood and her saliva on as well. So, you know, it's not surprising that they are going after the lack of evidence. It's. It's to be expected. But of course it's disappointing.

[Teeth]

Yeah. They're saying that we don't have a slam dunk. There's nothing completely concrete. So. But, like, maybe we could question this. But no.

[Daphne]

Well, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals rejected these arguments.

[Teeth]

Thank God.

[Daphne]

And Andy's conviction was upheld. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Teeth]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Thankfully, that pedophilic sick freak is exactly where he belongs, behind bars, because he is a terrible piece of shit.

[Daphne]

Thank you so much, David, for recommending this case. I mean, again, just thinking about the fact that she was trying to get help from Hayden, that she's sending these text messages, and little did she know how much then that would help in solving her murder. It's just such a horrific story. Yeah.

[Teeth]

I mean, with the other evidence that was there, it's like the prosecution might have had enough, but the real smoking gun was the fact that Hayden was able to find those text messages on his Apple Watch and able to recover them and give them to the police.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Thank you. Thankfully. Thankfully, he did. That was. That was huge to help, really give them the juice that they needed to go after him and find everything else that they needed. So thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode. If you want to see photos associated with this case, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast, we're on TikTok, and we're also on Facebook.

[Teeth]

Don't forget about our code for Crimecon. At the end of May, you can go to crimecon.com use our code goingwest10 if you want a discount. Would love to see you there. Thank you, everybody, for listening again. As Daphne said, thank you to David for recommending this one. And we will see you guys on Friday. All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the

[Daphne]

world, don't be a stranger, Sam.

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