S4|E28: Finding Felix Vale | Part 1

Summary

Gone South: S4|E28 - Finding Felix Vale | Part 1

Introduction

In the twenty-eighth episode of Season 4 of Gone South, host Jed Lipinski delves into the chilling case of Felix Vale, a man with a dark and mysterious past suspected of being a serial killer. This episode, released on April 30, 2025, intricately weaves together personal testimonies, investigative journalism, and historical context to uncover the unsettling truth behind Vale's actions and the impact on those around him.

Meet the Investigator: Jerry Mitchell

Jed Lipinski introduces Jerry Mitchell, an esteemed investigative reporter from Mississippi Today. With a career spanning over three decades at the Clarion Ledger, Mitchell has gained national recognition for reopening cold cases from the civil rights era, including the murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers in 1963 and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young girls. His relentless pursuit of justice earned him respect and numerous cases from across the country, although his primary focus remained within Mississippi.

The Call That Started It All (03:45)

In the spring of 2012, Jerry Mitchell receives a call that would redirect his career into the realm of serial crime stories. Mary Rose, a desperate mother, contacts him with information about Felix Vale, a man with a sinister history and a suspected serial killer living on his family's property in Mississippi.

Background on Felix Vale (04:08 - 04:57)

Felix Vale's troubling history dates back to 1962 when his first wife mysteriously drowned in the Calcasieu River, Louisiana. The initial investigation ruled it an accidental drowning, despite evidence of bruises on her head and a scarf lodged four inches down her throat—a detail that piqued Jerry’s suspicion (04:23). Eleven years later, Felix's girlfriend disappears, followed by the mysterious vanishing of his daughter Annette during a road trip in 1984. Unlike his first wife, both Annette and his second girlfriend were never found, raising further red flags about Vale's possible involvement in multiple disappearances.

Mary Rose's Personal Tragedy (09:12 - 17:24)

Mary Rose recounts her relationship with her daughter Annette and how Felix Vale entered their lives. Annette, a mature and independent 17-year-old, married Felix despite their significant age difference. Their relationship quickly deteriorated, with Felix exhibiting controlling and abusive behavior. Annette's subsequent disappearance during a cross-country trip leaves Mary Rose devastated. Despite filing a missing person report, the Tulsa Police Department dismisses her concerns, siding with Felix's calm and persuasive demeanor (17:14).

A Desperate Search (19:42 - 21:26)

Undeterred by the lack of support from law enforcement, Mary Rose embarks on her own investigation. She discovers inconsistencies in Felix’s stories and uncovers troubling evidence, such as Annette’s passport and clothing left in their old house (19:52). Her relentless pursuit leads her to confront Felix directly, only to face more evasive and manipulative tactics from him, including baseless accusations against her as a mother (19:27).

Uncovering a Pattern (24:13 - 29:17)

Mary Rose’s investigation takes a significant turn when she connects with Felix’s sister in Sulphur, Louisiana. Through this connection, she learns about Sharon Hensley, another woman who disappeared under similar mysterious circumstances linked to Felix Vale in the mid-1970s. Felix’s first wife’s suspicious death and the life insurance policies he took out raise further suspicions about his involvement in multiple disappearances (25:15).

Recognition of a Serial Killer (29:17 - 31:24)

After years of searching and grappling with personal grief and guilt, Mary Rose discovers Jerry Mitchell's work on the Mississippi burning case. Realizing the potential of collaborating with Mitchell, she reaches out to him with a compelling case that spans decades and multiple states. Jerry Mitchell, recognizing the pattern, agrees to assist Mary Rose in her quest to bring Felix Vale to justice (29:17).

Conclusion and Tease for Part 2 (32:13 - 32:32)

The episode concludes with Mary Rose successfully connecting with Jerry Mitchell, setting the stage for a collaborative investigation. Mitchell acknowledges the challenges in proving Felix Vale's guilt without physical evidence but is determined to pursue the truth. The episode ends on a suspenseful note, promising deeper exploration into Vale’s crimes and the relentless pursuit of justice in the upcoming installment.

Notable Quotes

• Mary Rose (09:12): “She was extremely wise for her age. She had so much integrity. She was very well liked. My friends all adored her. She was so mature, you know, my friends became her friends.”

• Jerry Mitchell (03:45): “I got a telephone call from this woman who said, would you be interested in writing about a serial killer living in Mississippi? And I said, yes, absolutely.”

• Mary Rose (15:51): “They gave me two grand and they said, take it or leave it. It was always words out of her mouth, but I could tell it came from him. So when they moved in, they moved all my stuff out. They got rid of my cat and she wouldn't even let me come back into the cottage. And she said to me, mom, if I leave Felix again, I'm either going to give him this house or a big chunk of my money. I was under so much duress, I was almost suicidal. And I said, honey, it's yours now to do whatever you want to with. And I and I left. It was just so painful.”

• Jerry Mitchell (32:25): “Very difficult to prove because it's very easy for defense lawyer to get up and say, well, they weren't really killed. We don't have a body. We can't prove this.”

Conclusion

This first part of "Finding Felix Vale" masterfully sets up a complex narrative of disappearance, manipulation, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Through Mary Rose's personal tragedy and Jerry Mitchell's investigative prowess, listeners are drawn into a gripping true crime story that highlights the profound impact of unresolved cases on families and communities. As the investigation unfolds, the episode promises deeper insights and revelations in the next installment.

Stay Tuned

Gone South continues to unravel the dark tapestry surrounding Felix Vale, promising further revelations and the quest for truth in the next part of this compelling series.

Transcript

[Jake Brennan]

Do you know what went down at the Viper Room the night River Phoenix died? Or how about the mysterious death of Brittany Murphy? Are you aware of how Steve McQueen escaped murder at the hands of the Manson family? The obsessive killing of Dorothy Stratton? The real life murder that inspired David Lynch's Twin Peaks? The three conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death. These stories and more are told in the Hollywoodland podcast where true crime and Tinseltown collide. Hollywoodland is hosted by me, Jake Brennan, creator of the award winning true crime podcast Disgraceland. Follow and listen to Hollywoodland wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jed Lipinski]

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[Mary Rose]

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[Jed Lipinski]

Go to PrettyLitter.com GoneSouth to save 20% on your first order and get a free cat toy. That's PrettyLitter.com GoneSouth to save 20% on your first order AND get a free cat toy. PrettyLitter.com GoneSouth Terms and Conditions apply. See site for details. Jerry Mitchell is an investigative reporter in Mississippi. He works for a nonprofit news outlet called Mississippi Today, but before that he was at the Clarion Ledger, the state's biggest newspaper for more than 30 years. Jerry's written a lot of big stories, but he's probably best known for his work in reopening cold cases from the civil rights era. One of those cases was the murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers in 1963. Jerry's reporting resulted in the killer being re prosecuted and sent to prison 30 years after the crime occurred. Jerry also wrote about the Birmingham church bombing in which four little girls were killed. He tracked down and interviewed the last living suspect, a former member of the KKK who'd allegedly planted the bomb. Jerry's stories helped secure his conviction at age 71. Jerry's role in these cases brought him national attention. People from across the country began calling, hoping he could solve a cold case in their city or town. But his beat was Mississippi, and he turned most of them down. Then in the spring of 2012, Jerry got a tip that piqued his interest.

[Jerry Mitchell]

I got a telephone call from this woman who said, would you be interested in writing about a serial killer living in Mississippi? And I said, yes, absolutely.

[Jed Lipinski]

The woman's name was Mary Rose. The story concerned her daughter Annette and a man that she'd been married to years before named Felix Vale.

[Jerry Mitchell]

So we kind of talk back and forth, and then at some point, I asked her the five minute version of this because it was a little bit confusing. And so I said, give me the five minute version of this. And she did. And then I understood it.

[Jed Lipinski]

The gist of the story was this. Back in 1962, Felix Vail had been married to a woman who mysteriously drowned in the Calcasieu river in southwest Louisiana. Eleven years later, a girlfriend of his disappeared. Then Felix married Mary Rose's daughter Annette. And in 1984, Annette, too vanished, allegedly after a road trip they took through the Midwest. Mary Rose never saw her again. Felix, however, was still around and living on his family's property in Mississippi.

[Jerry Mitchell]

So she told me this whole story. I'm like, well, this is wild. And so she told me she wanted to go confront Felix. And I'm like, well, I want to be there with you.

[Jed Lipinski]

A few weeks later, Mary Rose flew down to Mississippi after meeting Jerry and Jackson. They drove out to a tiny rural community in the northeastern part of the state called Montpelier.

[Jerry Mitchell]

And so we went there. She knew where he lived. We pulled up. The gate's locked. So she hopped over the gate. So I followed her, and we walked down this little dirt road. I swear, it seemed like the weeds were 10ft tall. It was very creepy. And we finally get to this clearing and there's like, an Airstream trailer, and she goes and knocks on the door. No answer.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose circled the trailer to see if Felix was inside. Jerry, meanwhile, scoped out the rest of the property. When he came back, he discovered that Mary Rose had pried open one of the trailer's windows and crawled inside.

[Jerry Mitchell]

Then she opened the front door so I could see, and I wasn't going to step in the trailer. I didn't want to be accused of trespassing. So she opened the door and she started rummaging around. Next thing I know, she threw out a machete, clanked on the floor, and then another machete, and then all these swords. And I'm like, what have I gotten myself into?

[Jed Lipinski]

I'm Jed Lipinski. This is gone south. After Mary Rose threw Felix Vale's collection of machetes and swords out of his trailer, she spotted a box full of journals on the floor. She was tempted to read them, but Jerry advised against it. He was concerned Felix might pull up at any moment and that he wouldn't appreciate two intruders rummaging through his stuff. They waited for another hour or so, but Felix never showed. Mary Rose placed the machetes and swords back in the trailer, and the two of them drove back to Jackson. On the way, Mary Rose showed Jerry some materials that she'd compiled.

[Jerry Mitchell]

It turned out she had about an inch and a half thick folder. It was full of, like, documents and different things that she had collected over the years. She had been very much her own investigator. She had newspaper articles mainly and things like that, and then some documents involving her own daughter.

[Jed Lipinski]

But one document that stuck out to Jerry wasn't about her daughter. It was about Felix Vale's first wife, the one who'd mysteriously drowned back in 1962. The document was an autopsy report. It noted that there were bruises on the back of his wife's head and that a scarf had been lodged four inches down her throat. The pathologist had ruled the death an accidental drowning, but that's not what it looked like to Jerry. Jerry had helped to solve multiple cold cases from the 1960s in which the perpetrators were still alive. After seeing the autopsy report, he began to think that maybe he could solve this one, too. There were obvious challenges. The civil rights era cold cases Jerry worked on happened in a specific place and time. The Felix vale story spanned 50 years and multiple states. Plus, two of Felix's alleged victims had never been found. Jerry knew it was almost impossible to prove a murder without a body. But Jerry was inspired by Mary Rose's tenacity He decided to start reporting and see where it led. As Mary Rose told Jerry, Felix Vale first appeared in her life almost exactly 30 years earlier, back in the summer of 1982. She and Annette, who had just graduated from high school, were living together in a small house in Tulsa. Annette's father had died years before in a car crash, and Mary Rose had raised her as a single mom. Annette was 17 at the time, but according to Mary Rose, Annette, she seemed a lot older than that.

[Mary Rose]

She was extremely wise for her age. She had so much integrity. She was very well liked. My friends all adored her. She was so mature, you know, my friends became her friends.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose had Annette when she was just 17 herself. People often mistook the two of them for sisters, and Annette often treated her mother like one.

[Mary Rose]

I had multiple relationships, and that was one of the things that Annette would call me on. She said, mom, why do you always need to have a man in your life and you deserve better than him and blah, blah, blah. She was a great kid. She was easy to raise until this whole episode of Felix came into her life.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose told Jerry that Felix had appeared on his motorcycle one afternoon. She was surprised to see Annette jump into his arms. Unbeknownst to Mary Rose, he and Annette had met a few years earlier and formed a kind of long distance relationship. This was especially surprising because Felix was in his early 40s, which made him about 25 years older than Annette. Mary Rose remembers Felix as handsome, worldly and intelligent. Like Annette, he was a free spirit.

[Jerry Mitchell]

He fancied himself as a very charismatic guy that women loved. And he was kind of this, for lack of a better term, kind of a hippie type, you might say, from the 60s, and kind of stayed with that mentality throughout the years.

[Jed Lipinski]

Not long after Felix's arrival, he invited Annette on a cross country road trip. Annette enthusiastically agreed, and she was an adventurer.

[Mary Rose]

And so when she informed me it was already a done deal, she was going.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose pictured the trip lasting just a few weeks. It wound up lasting close to a year. The two of them crisscrossed the country, crashing with friends and family. During that time, Annette turned 18, and against Mary Rose's wishes, she and Felix got married in Bakersfield, California. Mary Rose was obviously concerned, but Annette had always been fiercely independent and she assured her mom that everything was fine.

[Mary Rose]

And she would write me letters, she would stay in touch, telling me she was having a great time and this and that and this and that.

[Jed Lipinski]

By the end of the trip, though, their relationship appeared to have fallen apart. Annette moved back in with Mary Rose and Tulsa. She told her mom Felix had become abusive. She talked about filing for divorce and enrolling in college.

[Mary Rose]

A friend of mine was a photographer, actually my boyfriend at the time, and he took a picture of her looking up at me and that confused look on her face. She was just out of sorts, but she was definitely not her same self for sure.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose and Annette reconnected in small ways, gardening together and painting the house. Annette would disappear into her room for hours, writing songs and singing to herself. But a few weeks later, Felix reappeared and according to Mary Rose, he slowly wormed his way back into Annette's life. You know that feeling when the weather starts warming up and you get the urge to start planning your next getaway? Yeah, I've got it bad. This year I'm finally upgrading my travel gear. Starting with a first class quality suitcase at an economy price from Quint's. Quince has everything you need for your trip. Lightweight shirts and shorts Starting at just $30, pants for any occasion and super comfy lounge sets and of course premium luggage and durable duffel bags to carry it all. The best part? Quint's prices everything 50 to 80% lower than similar brands by working directly with top factories, cutting out the middleman and passing the savings on to us. Plus, they only partner with factories that prioritize ethical, responsible manufacturing and use premium materials. I just upgraded my old carry on to Quince's sleek, durable hardshell suitcase and I'm already excited to roll through the airport in style for your next trip. Treat yourself to deluxe upgrades you deserve from quint. Go to quint.com gonesouth for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I N C to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com GoneSouth.

[Courtney Harrell]

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[Jed Lipinski]

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[Courtney Harrell]

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[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose was stunned by the effect that Felix had on her daughter. At times it seemed as if he'd brainwashed her. Felix is the wisest person in the world, annette told her once, and I can't make decisions without him. Under Felix's spell, Annette pressured Mary Rose to deed the house in Tulsa over to them. When Mary Rose finally relented, Felix and Annette fought her over the price.

[Mary Rose]

They gave me two grand and they said, take it or leave it. It was always words out of her mouth, but I could tell it came from him. So when they moved in, they moved all my stuff out. They got rid of my cat and she wouldn't even let me come back into the cottage. And she said to me, mom, if I leave Felix again, I'm either going to give him this house or a big chunk of my money. I was under so much duress, I was almost suicidal. And I said, honey, it's yours now to do whatever you want to with. And I and I left. It was just so painful.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose was going through her own relationship struggles at the time. Having sold her house to Annette and Felix for two grand, she decided to move in with some friends in Sausalito, California. And yet, even as they drifted apart, Annette still kept in touch with her mother. That summer, Annette wrote to say that she and Felix were embarking on another road trip. But then a few months passed with no word from Annette. In October 1984, she learned that Felix had returned from the trip alone.

[Mary Rose]

A friend called me and he said, did you know that Annette did not come back with Felix and I did not.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose immediately called the house in Tulsa. Felix picked up. He told her that Annette had left him again. And this time he let her go.

[Mary Rose]

You know, she didn't want to come back. She's going back to Mexico. We were camping out in Missouri or somewhere. He put her on a bus to go to Mexico.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose didn't believe him. She drove back to Tulsa and filed a missing person report. She told the Tulsa PD about Felix, how manipulative and controlling he could be. The cops brought him in for questioning, but to Mary Rose's dismay, they believed him and not her.

[Mary Rose]

They believed his story. She left on her own. They had no reason not to believe it. And they questioned me because apparently he said a lot of negative things about me to them. I don't know exactly what, but they investigated me. Are you working? And blah, blah, blah. You know, I don't remember what all.

[Jerry Mitchell]

I think you can understand this, that she's a bit of a frantic mom at this point. You know, they're hearing her franticness, but they're not really listening to her. And then Felix is just calm as a cucumber question. Yeah, yeah, she went off to Mexico. Yeah.

[Jed Lipinski]

The police took no action against Felix. And since Annette was over 18, they told Mary Rose not much else could be done. If there was no clear sign of foul play. They assumed the missing person had simply chosen to leave. The burden was on the family to prove something was wrong. After the cops let Felix go, Mary Rose went back to California. But she continued hounding Felix about Annette's whereabouts. Felix responded by blaming her for Annette's disappearance, claiming that Mary Rose had fallen short as a mother. In a letter, he wrote, I assure you with all the sympathy I have for you as a parent, that I have not the slightest idea where she might have gotten to by now. I will tell you that I very much respect her right to freedom. And so I also assure you that even if I did know, I would not tell you. Eventually, Mary Rose decided to confront Felix in person.

[Mary Rose]

I reached out to him and told him I was going to be in town and I'd like to see him. And he said, oh, I'm so sorry, but I'm going to be out of town. I have to earn some money, I got a job, whatever.

[Jerry Mitchell]

And Felix kept putting her off, putting her off. And was supposed to meet with her, wouldn't meet with her, you know, wouldn't show up. Different things like that. And so Mary Rose begins to kind of do her own investigation about what happened to her daughter.

[Jed Lipinski]

A few months later, Mary Rose knocked on the door of her old house. No one answered. The locks had been changed. So Mary Rose broke in.

[Mary Rose]

So I pulled around back, stood up on my car and I got in through a window and I found a Barbie case under the television in the bedroom. I opened it up and lo and behold, there was her passport.

[Jerry Mitchell]

And she finds the passport like she did not leave with her passport. So she's supposedly going to Mexico if she didn't leave with her passport. And all her clothing was there too.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary Rose had never believed that Felix had put Annette on a bus to Mexico. Finding Annette's passport and clothing seemed to confirm he was lying. She reported her discoveries to the Tulsa police, but once again they turned her away. What followed was a wrenching years long journey to figure out what happened to her daughter. As she told Jerry, she hired private detectives. She spoke with police departments in other states and briefly got the attention of the FBI.

[Mary Rose]

I even went and contacted Unsolved Mysteries. But the FBI encouraged me not to get them involved because if Felix saw it televised, that he would probably run.

[Jed Lipinski]

Despite her efforts, Mary Rose failed to make any headway on her daughter's case. But she held out hope that Annette was still alive.

[Mary Rose]

I kept waiting by the phone. Birthdays, holidays, Mother's Day, you name it. Oh, she's going to call me. She's going to call me. But she hadn't been in touch with anybody. And I strongly believe that if she's mad at me and doesn't like me, she has old friends, she has other family members that she loved, nieces and cousins.

[Jed Lipinski]

As the years passed, it got harder to hold on to the idea that Annette was still out there. But a chance encounter with a stranger would soon force Mary Rose to face the truth and discover that Annette was not Felix Vale's only victim. Subtle results still you, but with fewer lines. Botox Cosmetic Adobotulinum toxinae is a prescription.

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[Jed Lipinski]

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[Jed Lipinski]

Around a decade after Annette's disappearance, Mary Rose had moved to Oregon, where she worked as a school administrator. She was at a local town fair one weekend when she walked past a psychic seated at a small table.

[Mary Rose]

I didn't make an appointment or anything. I just sat down in her chair and then I just said, I'd like to talk to you about my daughter Annette. And she said nothing before she said, oh, my gosh, the image I'm getting is not good. I'm sorry, but when this kind of thing comes up for me, I can't talk about it, you know? And she shook her head and she looked very distressed. I believed that she had some insight. And then I walked out of there with the determination, oh my gosh, she's gone. So that was basically it. I gave her my $10 or whatever it was and said, I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

[Jed Lipinski]

Accepting that Annette was gone renewed Mary Rose's desire to hold Felix Vale accountable. Law enforcement had been no help to her, so she decided to track down some of Felix's relatives on her own. She learned he had a sister living in Sulphur, Louisiana, and drove down to meet her.

[Mary Rose]

So I knock on the door. She invites me in and wasn't surprised or shocked.

[Jed Lipinski]

Felix's sister sympathized with Mary Rose. She remembered Annette. In fact, she said she'd seen her with Felix not long before she supposedly disappeared.

[Jerry Mitchell]

And then the sister was the one that told Mary that they'd seen Annette. It was like a little state fair there. This was in 84, and all of them had gone together there. And then within a few days after that, Felix had left with Annette. But when he came back, he was by himself. And he told this story about how she got on the bus and went down to Mexico. But of course, it's a completely different place. You know, this is like Louisiana.

[Jed Lipinski]

This isn't St. Louis at this Mary Rose perked up. Felix had told his sister that Annette boarded a bus from Louisiana, but years earlier, he told Mary Rose and the police that she'd boarded a bus from St. Louis.

[Jerry Mitchell]

And then she mentioned out of the blue about Felix's first wife.

[Jed Lipinski]

According to Felix's sister, his first wife had drowned in the Calcasieu river in 1962. Felix later told the police that he and his wife had been fishing in a boat when they swerved to avoid a stump, and both of them toppled into the water. When he surfaced, he couldn't find her. After two days of searching, authorities found her body close to where Felix claimed she'd drowned. The scarf she was wearing extended a few inches into her throat, and there was a bruise on the back of her head. But after conducting the autopsy, the local pathologist had ruled it an accidental drowning. Investigators later learned that Felix had taken out a life insurance policy on his wife a few months before her death. Due to the suspicious nature of the drowning, the insurance company paid him only part of the settlement. Felix's sister told Mary Rose that the cops and many people in the area believed Felix was behind his first wife's death. But he was never indicted, and he left town soon after it happened.

[Mary Rose]

So she told me that, and I'm in my mind, I'm taking notes, and I can't wait to get back and write it all down. And then as I'm leaving, she said, oh, oh, wait a minute, I just remembered. She said, there was a woman, her name was Sharon, and her mother called my mom, you know, Felix's mom, often wondering what happened to her.

[Jed Lipinski]

The woman's name was Sharon Hensley. According to Felix's sister, she'd been with Felix for several years before she, too disappeared sometime in the mid-70s. But that was all she knew. Mary Rose was able to find a number for Sharon Hensley's mother in the phone book.

[Mary Rose]

And when she answered the phone, I told her who I was. And I said, do you by any chance know who Felix Vale is? She said, yes, I certainly do. I said, well, we have a lot to talk about. So she was very open. And one of the things she did is she sent me a letter that he wrote to her about what happened to Sharon, his version, and it was so similar to what he told me about my daughter.

[Jed Lipinski]

In the letter written in 1974, Felix told Sharon Hensley's mother that she had decided to leave him and start a new life. He claimed that after the two of them visited Key west, she had sailed off with A couple from australia and planned to island hop through south America and the west indies, with possible stops in hawaii, the philippines, and the mediterranean. According to felix, Sharon wanted to become a new person, Clean and free from memory associations, he wrote. He added that she left him because he was too much of a straight country boy and wasn't evolving fast enough. It was the same type of convoluted story Felix would use to explain Annette's disappearance 11 years later. But the letter wasn't the only thing that reminded Mary rose of Annette. Sharon hensley's mother said that after a year in Felix's company, Her daughter had changed.

[Mary Rose]

It was pretty clear that Sharon was also in great distress. She just wasn't the same person, her mother told me. And I could totally relate to that. And she actually sent me a picture of Sharon shortly before she disappeared and gave me another picture of her before felix.

[Jed Lipinski]

And what did those pictures show the difference between the two time periods?

[Mary Rose]

Oh, that she was fun loving and popular and a beautiful woman. And then she was sitting there all droopy and looking sad and depressed.

[Jed Lipinski]

Armed with this new information, Annette went back to her contacts at the FBI. This time, she got the attention of an agent at the bureau's violent criminal apprehension program who was helping them with cold cases.

[Mary Rose]

And I do know that he agreed with me. He said, just between you and me, Mary, I think we have a serial killer on our hands. I'd like to get a representative from all three families in quantico, virginia, to meet. I was really hopeful that that was going to happen.

[Jed Lipinski]

Mary rose spent months trying to convince other family members to come to quantico, but they were scattered across the country, and they worried that Felix might come after them if they talked. Then she got word that her agent at the FBI had been transferred to another department.

[Mary Rose]

They said, he's no longer with us. So that was the end of that.

[Jed Lipinski]

During the years Mary rose spent investigating her daughter's disappearance, she struggled with the grief and guilt that she felt. She blamed herself for letting Annette marry felix and for giving them the house. In the late 90s, looking for a fresh start, she moved to western Massachusetts to work with a spiritual healer. She also entered a support group for parents who lost adult children. The group helped her arrange a memorial service for Annette.

[Mary Rose]

You know, I worked with gathering things up that she had left and bringing it to the service. And one of my brothers and my older sister came, attended the service. So I was doing some healing myself, and I kept putting out the energy for somebody to show up in my life that could help. You know, I just felt like I've tried everything.

[Jed Lipinski]

Then not long after, Mary Rose was listening to NPR one afternoon when she heard Jerry Mitchell's voice. Jerry was talking about the famous Mississippi burning case in which three civil rights workers who were investigating the burning of a black church were abducted and murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Jerry's reporting helped uncover new evidence that led authorities to reopen the case in 2005. A former Klan leader was convicted at age 80, more than 40 years after the murders. Mary Rose had been tracking Felix's whereabouts for years. She knew he'd recently settled on his family's property in Mississippi.

[Mary Rose]

All of a sudden, I realized, oh, my gosh, this guy is not afraid of cold cases. He lives in the same state where Felix is now living again and where he was born and raised. So as soon as I finished listening to the Jerry Mitchell's interview, I said, I have got to get in touch with this man. This is an answer to prayer. Somehow or another, I managed to get through to his direct line, and he answered. I was surprised how easy it was to find him. And then of course, I said, would you be interested in a case where there's a man living in Mississippi that I think is a serial killer and he's living as a free man? Would you be interested? And he said, you bet I would.

[Jed Lipinski]

Next time on Gone South.

[Jerry Mitchell]

Very difficult to prove because it's very easy for defense lawyer to get up and say, well, they weren't really killed. We don't have a body. We can't prove this.

[Jed Lipinski]

That was terrible.

[Jerry Mitchell]

That was traumatic beyond any description.

[Mary Rose]

And I had my recorder down in my bra. It was a comfortable place to have it.

[Jerry Mitchell]

I truly believed that if he was.

[Jed Lipinski]

Acquitted and I was returned to my father that he would kill me. If you have information, story tips or feedback you'd like to share with the Gone south team, please email [e-mail] that's gone southpodcastmail.com and for bonus content, you can follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram @ Gone south podcast. You can also sign up for our newsletter on substack. Gone south with Jed Lipinski. Gone south is an Odyssey original podcast. It's created, written and narrated by me, Jed Lipinski. Our executive producers are Jenna Weiss Berman, Matty Sprung Kaiser, Tom Lipinski, Lloyd Lockridge, and me. Our story editors are Tom Lipinski, Matty Sprunkheiser, and Joel Lovell. Gone south is edited by Chris Basel and Perry Crowell. It's mixed and mastered by Chris Basel. Production support from Ian Mont and Sean Cherry. Special thanks to J.D. crowley, Leah Reese, Dennis, Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Kurt Courtney and hilary shuff.

[Ryan Reynolds]

In 2009, three days before Halloween, a grisly crime stunned the seaport town of Anacortes, Washington.

[Courtney Harrell]

I can only describe it as evil, something horrible, something terrible.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The scene was at the house of a popular dog trainer named mark stover from 48 hours. This is trained to kill the dog trainer, the heiress, and the bodyguard. A love triangle between Mark Stover.

[Jake Brennan]

He couldn't control his obsession. You know, he chronicled his obsession.

[Ryan Reynolds]

An heiress who wanted a new life and her new lover.

[Jed Lipinski]

It's a beautiful love, in my opinion. It's.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's legendary. Throughout this case, detectives wondered who was the hunter and who was the hunted. Follow and listen to train to kill the dog trainer, the heiress, and the bodyguard on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Courtney Harrell]

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