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- [00:00]
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- [01:11]
Peyton Moreland
Listening to an Ono Media Podcast. Hey everyone and welcome back to the into the Dark podcast. I'm your host Peyton Moreland. I'm so glad you are here. Seriously thank you for being here. If you are watching on YouTube and can subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications, leave a comment. It's so so helpful and just good way to support the show. And if you are listening on podcast and can leave a five star review that would be so amazing or even just share it with a friend. I love into the Dark. It genuinely is my little baby and I appreciate you guys loving it. Back before we jump into the episode, I just got done with the gym. I have been going. Okay. I know it's insanity. I'm not like going and dying every day. I just go. Sometimes I only sauna, sometimes I stretch, sometimes I I work out. Like today I did a little bit of arms. You don't have to go crazy. Mainly it's just more for me to take care of my body but also take care of my mind. So yeah, I've been doing that. I couldn't find if you're not watching on YouTube I have a mic that has a little puffer guy on top so that when I say my peas it doesn't pop so hard and I couldn't find it. It was just like the mic. I couldn't find my little pop cover and turns out Daisy had found my pop cover and I found it over in the corner with a little bit of bites in it so she's not typically a chewer, so. Unless it was a mouse, which. What? Why? What is it about me and mice? I don't know. I don't know. They're a creature too. They need a place to live. Just don't just live in the little hole in the wall, okay? That's all I'm saying. Also, good news, you guys. I finally got my swing set installed. It is just a commercial swing. Like a commercial swing set like you would find at a park. Like the swings at a park. So it's tall. It's not necessarily for little kids. It's a little bit wider. The seats are. And I'm so freaking pumped. We put it in the backyard. There's two swings and it's so amazing and it fits so perfect. And the little cove that I put it in is just like the most serene, perfect place surrounded by like little trees. And honestly, honestly, I'm so freaking pumped about that. I think that is all I have before getting into the episode, but again, just thank you for being here and thank you for listening. Trigger Warning this episode includes discussions of suicide, so please listen with care. When it comes to feeling safe and secure, there is nothing like being in your own home. It is supposed to be a place where you can get away from it all and take care of your own needs. Whether you live in a house, an apartment, a dorm, or somewhere else. As the saying goes, there is no place like home. And if you can't be safe in your own place, that can be a tragedy. But if you are looking for safety, you can. You really can't do much better than Kingswood Road in Sherman Oaks, California. I mean, at least in theory. See, Sherman Oaks is a suburb of Los Angeles and it has several nice, very high income neighborhoods. And Kingswood Road is a very wealthy cul de sac in Sherman Oaks. Each house on that street is worth millions of dollars and the people who live there are well off. On top of that, it is the sort of place where the neighbors all know one another. Lots of families stay on Kingswood Road for years, and the people there have a tendency of settling into patterns. The locals know what time their neighbors usually leave for work or school, what sorts of cars they drive, and who's always ordering takeout. They also notice when people break their routines, which brings me to a man named Charles Wilding. When he's born in 1951, his parents actually live right there on Kingswood road. In the 50s. He grows up there and over the years his neighbors get to know him as a friendly but Pretty shy boy. He's very willing to play with the other neighborhood kids, but whenever a stranger or an adult tries to talk to him, he gets very quiet and nervous. Still, there's nothing really unusual about that. He seems healthy and well adjusted overall. But sadly, tragedy strikes Charles and his family in the late 1960s. Charles is just a teenager when his father passes away, and if anything, according to sources, that only makes him more withdrawn and quiet. As a young adult, he doesn't date or go out with friends. He never moves out or gets his own place. So for decades afterward, Charles continues to live in that same house on Kingswood road with his mother. He never gets married, has any children. It's a small, quiet life where friends come by on rare, special occasions. Charles almost never goes out, and he spends most of his time indoors. The only time he and his mother seem to leave the house is for a weekly grocery run together. But by the mid-2010s. It's been a while. Okay. Charles's mother is getting older, obviously, and weaker. And to all appearances, that is hitting Charles hard. He doesn't smile when families walk by with their dogs and strollers. He doesn't pause to tell anyone good morning while he's doing their yard work. He becomes very private and keeps to himself. And then, sadly, in 2017, his mother passes away. And afterward, Charles just gets worse. I mean, this has been his whole life. He never left home. His neighbors say at this point, he becomes a complete recluse. Now, he never sees his friends or leaves for anything but the absolute necessities. And then 2020 brings the start of the COVID pandemic. Right after the shelter at home, orders go out. Charles hangs signs up on his front door and all around the house. And these signs say that he's tested positive for the virus, and he's very contagious, and people should stay far away from his house if they don't want to get sick. Now, it's not clear to me if he, at this point, actually has the coronavirus or if he's just trying to get people to leave him alone. And this was the perfect opportunity for him to do that. But I do know that, for the most part, his old friends and neighbors definitely give him his space after this. So when they see him heading out to buy groceries or pick up his mail, nobody says hi or approaches him. They respect his wishes and ignore him completely. And because he's so private, it becomes harder for people to realize it when Charles starts breaking his routine. They're not watching for him. To run errands or do outside chores. So when he stops leaving the house entirely, Nobody in the neighborhood notices for a while. But by the fall of 2020, people start to compare notes, and it turns out that no one on the road has seen Charles in months, which is a little concerning, because at this point, he is 69 years old. He's at an age where it can be worrisome if no one hears from him for a while. His neighbors are concerned that he could have had a medical emergency or taken a bad fall inside his house and he could need help. But it gets even stranger, because it seems that Charles does have a guest staying over. And remember, he never has friends visit him, except beginning around September or October. They do notice a young woman coming in and out of Charles's home, Just not Charles himself. She looks to be in her mid-40s, and she has long, reddish blonde hair. Now, when people approach her to ask who she is and why she's at Charles's house, she becomes very defensive. She explains that her name is Carolyn herling, and she actually works for Charles. According to her, his house is falling apart and full of dangerous mold. And since Charles is so old, he's not in any shape to fix things up himself. In fact, the mold makes it too dangerous for him to even be inside. So she tells the neighbors Charles is staying in an apartment on the other side of Los Angeles, While Caroline handles all of the repairs in the upkeep at his family home. The homies never left. So needless to say, the people of Kingswood road are getting suspicious because they are nosy, they're into each other's business, and they are not convinced about Caroline's story. They think something strange is going on with Caroline and Charles also, Especially because they haven't seen him. They just don't know exactly what that strange thing is yet. So gossip is flying all up and down that street as people speculate on what Caroline's really up to in there. Some of the rumors get back to her, and she's so upset that she writes a letter to each and every person who lives in this wealthy neighborhood and on Kingswood road. Each copy of the letter says the same thing that she's been claiming the entire time that she's there to clean up the mold and make home repairs. And Charles is in an apartment, and everyone needs to leave her alone. If anything, handing these notes out to all the neighbors Just makes everyone more suspicious, Especially because nobody has heard from Charles or gotten any confirmation that he's actually okay. So in late December of 2020, someone decides to call the police to request a wellness check on their neighbor Charles. And before long, a few officers show up at Charles's house and knock on the door. And the person who answers isn't Charles, it's Caroline. She tells the police the same story that she's been telling the neighbors. But the cops are like, listen, we're doing a wellness check. We have to see him. We can't take you at your word. They ask follow up questions like, where is this apartment where Charles is supposedly staying? Caroline refuses to give an address and says, no, no, no, I have to respect Charles privacy. So next the police are like, well, we're gonna call Charles and talk to him for ourselves. So Caroline gives the officers a phone number. They call it right then and there. The line rings and rings, but nobody ever answers. Now, this is all very suspicious, but it also doesn't prove anything. So the detectives ask if it's okay for them to come inside and look around Charles's house. And Caroline actually consents to the search and lets the officers inside. They don't find anything alarming. It's just a normal, nice house on Kingswood Road. All right, you guys, we are getting into an ad and make this your best season yet with nutritious 2 minute meals from Factor. Eating well has never been this easy. Just heat up and enjoy, giving you more time to do what you want. Get outside instead of prepping and cooking indoors. Factor Meals arrive fresh and ready to eat, perfect for any active lifestyle. And with 45 weekly menu options, you can pick gourmet meals that fit your goals. Choose from Calorie Smart, protein plus keto and more. Factor powers your day with satisfying breakfasts on the go, lunches, premium dinners, and guilt free snacks and desserts. It's easy to savor more this spring. Factor Meals pack in the flavor with none of the fuss. If you've been listening for a long time, you know I love Factor Meals. I am not a good cook and I hate grocery shopping. Factor meals are easy and they're good. Get started@Factor Meals.com dark50off and use code dark50off to get 50 off plus free shipping on your first box. That's dark50off@Factor Meals.com off for 50% off plus free shipping. I have a podcast that I know my listeners will enjoy called Fear Thy Neighbor on Fear Thy Neighbor from id Hear true stories from the victims of deadly neighborhood disputes. Most violent crimes that captured the public's imagination are about serial killers or crimes of passion. But what happens when the person you fear the most is living right next door? Each episode focuses on a different town where neighbors fall out over what should be minor and resolvable issues. Like when a neighbor borrows a lawnmower but returns it damaged, which sets off a violent course of events. Or how a man in Vancouver moves into a new building, finds himself helping out an elderly neighbor. Then they had several disagreements and a falling out that leads to his death. Hear these true stories told by the victims, their families, and their neighbors. Featuring real 911 calls and surveillance archives. One of my favorite episodes is called Blizzard of Blood. A single woman and her two young sons believe they have found a perfect new apartment on a quiet street with an on site landlord. And soon after the lease is signed, the landlord begins to exhibit controlling and obsessive behavior, frequently monitoring the comings and goings of his tenants and flying into a rage over perceived parking infractions. The family's once idyllic living situation turns into a living hell of arguments and intimidation that finally ends in bloodshed and two shocking murders. Listen to Fear Thy Neighbor wherever you get your podcasts. So before they leave the neighborhood, the officials get statements from Charles's neighbors. They all talk about, hey, like, we haven't seen him. We're worried. We think Carolina's suspicious. But again, there's nothing actionable there, no hard evidence of any wrongdoing. So the officers have no choice but to head back to the station. Now, to be clear, the police do not think, like from the very beginning, that Caroline is particularly trustworthy. There was something about her body language, her tone of voice, just like the neighbors, it is rubbing the police the wrong way. It seems like she's lying. Or as one detective in this case puts it, I think she's trying too hard to be convincing. But they also don't have any proof that she's done anything wrong. She has paperwork showing that she's supposed to take care of the house, and it's all in order. And according to these forms, Caroline has been working for the family for years. I mean, on paper, since before Charles's mother died. And it looks like his mother actually signed the documents giving Caroline the authority to make whatever repairs or renovations that she wants to to the house. So everything does seem legally binding and official. Now, all the police can do at this point is open up a missing person's case on Charles, set up a tip line and hope that someone sees him. And then they just pause the investigation there. With no other hard evidence, the case almost immediately Goes cold. Now, after this, a year goes by with no forward momentum in the investigation. The police don't get any tips, uncover any clues, or come up with any theories about what happened to Charles. Not until October of 2021. Which is when an anonymous caller reaches out through the tip line, and they say that the reason why nobody has seen Charles or reported on his whereabouts is because he's dead. And they also add that Caroline is living in Charles's house illegally. She doesn't just work for him or honestly even know him. They're claiming that Caroline is a squatter. Even worse, they claim that Caroline has brought a lot of friends to come stay with her in the house. So they're all just crashing there rent free, invading Charles's privacy while he's dead. Nobody knows it in this very nice, upscale neighborhood. Now, the tipster doesn't have any proof to back up their claims, but since the police already felt suspicious of Caroline a year ago, they really have nothing else to go on. They're like, we'll look into this theory, and this is absolutely the right call. Because they realize the truth once they look at Caroline's history and finances. Because it turns out Caroline is a con artist. So her specialty involves stealing property and money from elderly, wealthy men and women and those who have recently passed away. See, what she does is she likes to drive around in expensive, ritzy neighborhoods. And if she sees a house that's maybe a little run down, where the yard works, hasn't been completely done, or the pool is dirty and full of algae, she will immediately pull over and find a way into the house. Because usually if a home is in that state, it means whoever owns it has either abandoned it or they're too sick or frail to take care of it. Other times, she doesn't even bother driving around. She just hops online and searches for obituaries that include keywords like millionaire. Caroline's idea is that if a rich person recently passed away, their home might still be empty. And it only takes a little Googling for her to find these deceased millionaires addresses. So once she's inside an abandoned house, she immediately moves in permanently and learns everything she can about who the owners were. She reads their mail, she goes through their personal papers, and along the way, she compiles personal information like Social Security numbers, legal names, birth dates. And then once she has all of that information that she needs, she goes and creates fake IDs so she can access her victim's bank accounts or rewrite their wills. Also, she can get as much money out of her victim as she can. Sometimes she even has to meet with a banker or a lawyer to go over the changes that she's making to the accounts. And on those days, she calls older friends over to pose as the real owner. She makes fake IDs for them and writes out scripts so their stories will match hers exactly. Basically, she goes to extreme lengths to get away with these crimes. And every time we do a con artist story, I'm like, if you had just put that much energy and time into a job or an idea. Anyways, one time, Caroline rewrote one of her victims wills so she would inherit his entire $1.7 million fortune when he died. And by the time anyone caught this scam, she had already collected his money and disappeared. Another time, she befriended a woman named Dusty Bowman. Now, Dusty was going through a divorce, and Caroline introduced herself as a divorce lawyer. To be clear, she didn't work for Dusty, but she pretended to know a lot of the ins and outs of the legal process. So whenever her new friend Dusty began venting about how things were going with her soon to be exactly, Caroline would step in and give her tips and advice. And this went on for months. A long con. And then one day, Dusty was shocked when Caroline sent her an invoice. She said she was billing Dusty for her legal services to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars. Now, of course, right away, Dusty reaches out to Carolina and is like, I. I never hired. Hired you. I never agreed to this. Why? Why are you betraying me? She thought her friend was just casually sharing some tips and tricks. Except Caroline said, hey, Dusty, if you don't pay, I will sue you for the money. So sure enough, that's exactly what Caroline did next. She filed a restraining order against Dusty. Took the case to trial. Now, ultimately, Dusty won the lawsuit. She was able to prove that Caroline had no right to bill her for anything. But by the time she had gone through the whole lengthy process, Dusty had spent more than $10,000 on lawyers fees. Meaning, even though Caroline didn't get a cent from her, she somehow still wasted Dusty's time and money and left her feeling incredibly stressed and on edge while also going through divorce. Mind you, this isn't even the worst of it, though. See, back in 2018, this is long before Charles goes missing. A Los Angeles man named Robert Tascon decided he needed a fresh start. He had an alcohol abuse disorder, and he knew he needed to get clean. So he picked up and moved to Texas to be closer to his sister and to focus on getting sober. In the meanwhile, his old house in California sat empty. That is, until Caroline was driving around, found it, and moved in. Now, I don't know exactly when she first broke into Robert's home, but somewhere along the way, he found out that there were strangers back in LA squatting in his place while he's in Texas getting help. So he calls the police to try and have them kicked out. But Caroline and her friends refused to leave. The whole process dragged out for years. I know that might be shocking, but this is a real thing. During that time, Caroline had forged a lot of paperwork to make it look like she was the rightful owner. Not only did this make it harder for Robert to evict her, it also made it easier for Caroline to sell the house. She didn't legally own it, but she still found a buyer who was willing to pay $1.5 million for it. That was half of what it was worth. But Caroline closed the deal, pocketed the money, and moved on to her next scam. And by the time Robert realized that his house didn't belong to him anymore or belonged to two people now, it was too late. The new owners had moved in, the sale was final, and there was no way for him to now remedy the situation. And tragically, this stress was a lot for him. And he killed himself. He was just 53 years old. His house was stolen from him. Now, in the meanwhile, Caroline took the money she'd made from his house and bought another property for herself. And oddly enough, instead of having her friends move in, she converted her new place into an apartment complex so strangers could pay rent to stay there. And she and her boyfriend lived above the garage. She just had one rule for her tenants. The people who lived there couldn't use any drugs or alcohol inside of the house, which was fair enough. She could set boundaries, what people did in her home. Except clearly, Caroline doesn't follow the rules that she made for everyone else. She and her boyfriend were using meth regularly above the garage, so she was collecting rent and violating the house rules, all while she was getting ready to run her next scam. Which now, all of that brings us back around to 2020. When Caroline finds and moves into Charles's house. It's exactly the sort of place that she usually looks for. Unkempt, a bit run down. She can tell just by looking at it that nobody really has been keeping close tabs on this place in this very nice neighborhood on this nice road. So she finds a way in and then calls her friends to come move in with her, she'd found another mansion. According to one of Caroline's accomplices, when they all got inside the home, they find Charles inside, and apparently to the friends, he is already dead. So everyone assumes that this man had passed away of old age in his home, and Caroline moved in. But since none of them are doctors, they can't say for sure. Either way. They're like, we've hit the jackpot. We have this huge, beautiful, empty home in Sherman Oaks, and the real owner can't kick us out or call the police because he has passed away. And since nobody knows Charles is dead, there's actually also little risk of anyone else catching on to them. It's an opportunity for the perfect crime. So for the next 10 months, Caroline and her associates live in Charles's house, and they leave his dead body in the house and let him rot. They do not contact a coroner or an ambulance. They don't investigate his death. Nobody thinks to even bury him, to notify his next of kin. I'm not sure if he's just hidden or out of the way, but I do know that the police officers failed to find his body during that welfare check. Instead, Caroline and others get away with it Until October of 2021, almost a whole other year. That's when the anonymous tipster tells the police what's going on. And the same day that that tip comes through, an officer calls Caroline. You'll remember during the welfare check the previous December, Caroline got rid of the police by giving them phone numbers so they could call Charles. But remember, nobody ever answered that phone. Well, now in October of 2021, Caroline just gives the police the same tactic. She gives them a phone number that she knows is not going to work. And sure enough, he calls it, but doesn't reach anyone. Except this time around, the investigator isn't willing to drop things there. He needs to find Charles. So he's like, caroline, you got to give me another number. He says he isn't leaving her alone until he talks to Charles, and if she doesn't cooperate, he's launching a major investigation into Charles's disappearance. Caroline's okay, okay. I need some time to go through my contacts. And then she calls the police officer the next day, and she says, hey, I'm with Charles. Do you want to talk to him? She puts a man on the phone. Now, obviously, we know this isn't really Charles, because he has been dead for a year by this point. Instead, it is one of Caroline's male friends who's agreed to pretend to be Charles on The phone with police. But unfortunately for Caroline, this police officer is too smart to fall for her lies. As soon as the man gets on the phone, the investigator asks him, okay, Charles, Yeah. What's your Social Security number? Now, the fake Charles does not know this. So the detectives like, hey, just another question. What's the number on your driver's license? The man doesn't know it. So now the police officer is like, how am I supposed to believe that this is you, Charles? But he gives a man on the phone one last chance. He says he wants to meet in person and talk to him about what he's been up to for the past year, because there's been a missing persons report on him and no one's been able to find him. The officer asks the man where he lives, and Caroline's friend gives him an address. Now, a few days later, the cop goes to that address to question the man who lives there. And no surprise. But when he knocks on the door, the man who answers is not Charles, but he's one of Charles's good friends. And I'm not sure what this lie is supposed to accomplish. It's just one more red flag for the police officer to spot. Like, literally, the police just showed up at this random guy, and he's like, yeah, Charles is my friend. What? What do you need? And Caroline must realize by now that she's getting a little too deep into this, and she needs to start covering her tracks. Which means it is time to get rid of Charles's body. There are a lot of awesome things that have come out of Australia. The Hemsworth brothers, Uggs, the Irwins. But my new favorite Aussie export that's finally available in the US Is the Koala sofa bed. You guys, I love the koala sofa bed. The quality is so nice and honest. Needs a sofa bed. It is literally an extra bed for guests that is also a sofa. It's one of the best designs ever. And Koala has the best. Koala makes the most comfortable mattresses, and the sofa beds actually use their mattress technology inside. Inspired by the Aussie Outback, Koala delivers Instagram worthy color options. You know, sad beige or millennial gray here. Unlike traditional sofa beds, Koalas are designed for pure comfort with no uncomfortable metal frames. Also, they're easy to put together. No Allen wrenches, no stress, no tears. Everything just slides, clicks, or screws together. They're also eco friendly, plus free shipping and free returns. No delivery or restocking fees. That's almost unheard of in this industry. And they have 120 night risk free trial. That's nearly four months to make sure that this is the perfect fit for your home. So upgrade your space with the most stylish, customizable and elevated sofa bed available to get $100 off your new sofa. You guys, if you've been looking for a sofa and you want it to be a sofa bed, please, please go to us.koala.com/dark and you get $100 off your new sofa plus fast shipping. That's us.koala.com/Dark to get $100 off your new sofa. Koala Comfy, easy, Sustainable.
- [29:56]
Laura Richards
Hey lovely. This is Laura Richards, host of the Crime Analyst podcast. The human body is an amazing thing. It can repair and grow in ways that are still pushing the limits of what science can explain even in 2025. But as you age, your body's natural healing and building processes slow down. It's totally normal, but that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do about it. A collagen supplement from Ancient Nutrition can help you feel and look your best. Ancient Nutrition's mission is to create high quality supplements that combine the best of ancient wisdom and modern science. Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean supplement contains 10 types of collagen from 10 real food based sources. This formula is powered by clinically studied ingredients that promotes fat loss and healthy weight management as well as building lean muscle. Collagen can help reduce joint discomfort and improve the look and growth of your skin, hair and nails. Plus, Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean is delicious and easy to work into your daily routine by mixing it into your morning coffee matcha or your favorite smoothie. I'm telling you, I can't wait to add Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean Supplement into my morning routine. I'm literally counting down the days until it arrives. Right now, Ancient Nutrition is offering 25% off your first order when you go to ancientnutrition.com truecrime that's ancientnutrition.com truecrime for 25% off your first order. Ancientnutrition.com truecrime.
- [31:36]
Peyton Moreland
So she calls a few of her associates and together they sneak Charles's remains out of his house and then bring them to an apartment that Caroline has been renting. Has a private rooftop balcony area where they can work with no witnesses around. They buy a tub or some kind of container, they put it on the balcony and put Charles into it. And I know this is insane, like multiple people moving a Year old dead body to another apartment that this girl has. Why are you in Charles house if you have an apartment? I Anyways, this group of people dump a bunch of acid and lie on top of Charles's body. And the hope is that this will dissolve his body into nothing. Now this doesn't work. It is a lot harder to dissolve a body in acid than movies and TV shows make it look. So for a week they keep going up and checking on his remains. And they stir the liquid with a wooden bat. However, after seven days go by, Charles's body is still intact. Now, once Caroline realizes that this idea is not going to work, she comes up with a new plan. She says we are going to chop Charles up, put the pieces of his body into plastic bags and dump his remains in the San Francisco Bay. Which is exactly what she does. While Caroline is dismembering Charles, she also makes a point of breaking his teeth. She does that so if his remains are ever found, it'll be harder to identify the body. And then once he's completely dismembered and bagged up, the last step is to toss the body into the ocean. Now, just to be clear, San Francisco is about a six hour drive from Sherman Oaks. That is a long way to transport a year old, badly decomposed, chopped up dead body. You'd expect that to be grim work, but instead, Caroline and her accomplices treat the drive like it's a vacation. They rent a muscle car, they take a road trip. Along the way, they stop, they take selfies, they're having a great time. A friend of theirs meets them near the bay. And this friend owns a cell boat and is more than happy to help them dispose of a dead body. I don't know who Caroline is running around with, but these are some loyal people and messed up people. And while all of the friends are on the boat again, they are taking pictures, acting like they're having a blast. But while Caroline is focused on getting rid of Charles's body, the police back home are still investigating. And they pull Caroline's bank records and credit card history. Now they find dozens of transactions. They're all from her. Selling houses that don't even belong to her. Next, the investigators search Charles's house and other properties where Caroline has been staying. And in them they find countless fake IDs, Social Security cards and birth certificates in different names. There's also equipment that you would use to forge these documents. This includes one tool that's designed to make paper look older so Caroline can print a fake Birth certificate and then doctorate. So it looks like it was made decades ago. Her homes are even full of pages upon pages of signatures. She has been practicing signing her victim's names over and over, con to con, until she fakes them perfectly. And on top of that, the police find a receipt. It's for a cell phone. Namely, it's the exact same cell phone number that Caroline gave to the police, pretending it was Charles's number. They also find fake police badges, One for the drug enforcement agency and one for the Diplomatic security service. Now, when police find these, the assumption is is that Caroline and her friends have used these to impersonate police officers. And in one of her residence, the investigators find drugs and guns. I mean, like, a lot of them. In total, there are 16 firearms, most of which aren't registered or legal. All of this is enough to prove that Caroline's been running an elaborate scam and breaking countless laws for years. They actually calculate that over the years, she has stolen a total of roughly $3.9 million from all of her victims. So the investigators at this point, know that they have more than enough to arrest her, especially once they piece together the entire story about what she did to Charles's body. So In January of 2023, they bring Caroline into custody. Now, some prosecutors want to charge Caroline with Charles's murder. They do not believe her story about breaking into the house and finding him already dead of old age. Instead, they think there's at least a chance that Caroline or her accomplices might have killed him while they were staying in the house. Problem is, they can't prove it. She did too good of a job disposing of this body. I mean, to this day, Charles's remains still haven't been found, which means it's impossible to do an autopsy or determine a cause of death. So, in other words, maybe Caroline killed Charles and then did a perfect job of destroying the evidence. Or it's also possible that he really did die of old age. Nobody but Caroline can say for sure. And since they can't prove anything regarding the possible murder, the state only charges her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Now, they're also prepared to charge her with improper disposal of a body. But they say they won't press those charges if Caroline accepts a plea deal. So rather than drag everything out in trial, Caroline agrees to their terms and pleads guilty in March of 2023. Now, during her sentencing hearing, lots of victims and their relatives come forward to talk about Caroline's past and history and how she has hurt them. Just to, like, show a pattern. This include Robert's Tascon's family. You may remember Robert is the man who took his own life after Caroline stole his house from him. At the hearing, Robert's relatives say that they hold Caroline responsible for Robert's death. They believe he would still be alive if she hadn't created the stressful situation that made him feel so hopeless and overwhelmed. Now Caroline tries defending herself by saying she's not responsible for Robert's mental health. Her lawyers also note that he had a history of other suicide attempts. So they say it's not fair to blame Caroline for his death. But ultimately, the judge still gives her a harsh punishment. After hearing everyone's testimony, the reasoning is that even if she's not responsible for Robert or Charles's death, she is still a con artist and a thief and has affected a lot of people. She's the sort of person who would chop up and dump an old man's body in the ocean rather than let his family and friends bury him, all to just cover up her crimes. So as part of her sentence, she has to pay back all of the money she's stolen. $3.9 million. And she has to spend 20 years in prison. Now the judge lectures Caroline, and I just want to include some of the things he said. He reminded her that Charles was, quote, a man and a human being. But it's clear that Caroline only ever saw him as a way to make money like she sees most people. At the same hearing, prosecutors give statements calling Caroline's behavior greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones. Basically, everyone agrees that even if her crimes technically weren't violent, they were incredibly harmful and horrible. Because even if Caroline didn't take Charles's life, she took his home, the place where he had lived his entire life, the place where he obviously felt safe. She took away Robert's sense of security that likely contributed to his death. Those are crimes that can never be undone. And even if we have no proof that it was violent, they can still destroy lives. And that is the case of Charles Wilding. Thank you guys so much for listening to today's episode, and I will see you next time as we go further into the dark together. Goodbye.