Peyton Moreland (6:30)
But I don't want to make it sound like Tracy's an out of control party animal. She's pretty responsible. A lot of the families in the neighborhood actually hire her as a babysitter. They know they can trust their kids with her. And on October 1, 1986, when Tracy is 15 years old, that is what she's doing. She's babysitting. And once the job is done, she goes home and she brags to her family about how much money she just made. In fact, Tracy feels like celebrating. And she knows that a friend of hers is throwing a party just down the block, not far away at all. It's still pretty early, so Tracy heads out to go to the party. After babysitting with some friends, she has a great time, but she's ready to head home at 10:30pm now, by now, lots of people are leaving and the gathering does seem to be winding down. So when Tracy leaves, two other friends agree to walk home with her. Now, keep in mind, like I said, Tracy's house is only two blocks away from this party. So it's not like it's going to take her a super long time to get back. And it's a very safe neighborhood, the sort of place where everybody knows everyone. There isn't a lot of through traffic either. Still, at this time of night, Tracy feels more comfortable having her friends with her. So she leaves with her two friends. But then they get to the first person's house and they say goodnight. And go inside. And now Tracy's only with one other person, and they make it to that person's house next, and that person goes inside. So now Tracy has to finish the rest of the walk alone. And before doing this, she actually ducks into a nearby convenience store and she buys a pack of cigarettes and asks to use the phone. And in the store she calls the friend who was hosting the party and she says, hey, can you actually come pick me up and just drive me the rest of the way home? I guess she figures that her own family would be asleep by now since it's after 11. But the friend has to still be awake, and she's probably free now that the party is over. Except the host says, I actually can't leave. There are still some people at the house. So she's sorry, but she can't give Tracy a ride now. After they hang up, Tracy decides, okay, well, I guess I have no choice. I'll just walk the rest of the way home alone. So Tracy strolls out of the convenience store and she's never seen alive again. Except it takes her family a while to realize that something's wrong. And it's because of what I mentioned before. Tracy has a habit of staying out all night without a word. So her siblings and mother have no idea that she went missing while trying to walk home from the party. Instead, they figure she probably just went somewhere with another friend and she'll be back in the morning. So no one thinks anything of it. Not until the next day when they start getting calls from Tracy's friends. And they're all like, hey, we haven't heard from her all day. That's not like her. Where is she? What is she doing? Clearly, nobody had seen her since they left the party. And that's enough for Tracy's mother to realize something is probably wrong. So right away, she hops in her car and drives around town looking for Tracy. She even goes all the way down to a local beach. It would be very out of character for Tracy to go on a spontaneous midnight swim after the party. But her mother at this point is desperate and she can't think of anywhere else she would be. She's willing to search for her daughter just about anywhere. Unfortunately, Tracy isn't on the shoreline or any of the other places that her mother checks that morning. And when she doesn't see any sign of her, her mother calls the police to report her 15 year old daughter missing. Now, sadly, like so many cases before, the detectives don't take it very seriously. Instead, the officers immediately say, hey, your 15 year old daughter must be a runaway. Her mother argues no. Yes, she likes to go out, but this is completely out of character for her to disappear without telling anyone. But still, the police refused to lift a finger for almost an entire week. So until October 6th. In the meanwhile, her loved ones do everything they can to find her without help from law enforcement. They organize searches and plaster missing persons flyers all over the local stores and street lamps. But none of these efforts help. Nobody calls in with any tips. Tracy never comes home. And no one can even guess what happened to her after she left that convenience store. All right, you guys, I'm getting into an ad and the other day I was streaming live on Twitch and I got a notification that it was time for me to place another quince order because they are sponsoring this podcast and I could not be more excited that they are sponsoring into the Dark. If you've listened to my other show, Murder with My Husband, you know I love Quince. I have been shopping with them for years. I will go to my grave telling you that they have the best staple pieces in the market. Okay. They have pieces that you are going to mix and match and absolutely just need in your closet. And also, you know, they're good quality. Their clothes are timeless, they feel luxurious, they look elevated and the quality is way beyond what you'd expect for the price. And the reason they're even able to do that is because they actually work with factories directly, cutting out the middleman and then passing those savings on to you. So you are getting 100% European linen. You're getting washable silk dresses and skirts. You're getting soft cotton sweaters and cashmere. Okay. I just ordered the cashmere scarf as well as some shoes. Okay. I hadn't checked out Quince's shoes section because I'm so in love with their clothing items. I ordered some shoes. I'm so, so excited to get them. I think I will be wearing these sandals all summer. So give your summer closet and upgrade with quince. Go to quince.comdark for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. You guys, just good quality staples. Go check it out. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com dark to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com dark all right, you guys, I want to talk to you about factor meals. Factor meals arrive fresh and ready to eat. Perfect for any active lifestyle over summer and beyond. Factors Chef crafted dietitian approved meals are ready in just two minutes. Taking the hassle out of eating well. And with 45 weekly menu options, you can pick gourmet meals that fit your summer gains angles. Choose from options like Calorie Smart Protein plus keto, and more. If you guys know Factor has been a longtime sponsor of this show and we truly love them, you know that what you're getting is good for you. It's good quality food and it is so fast and easy. Factor genuinely just makes it easy for me to stick to my goal of eating protein while also not really having to put much thought into it. So get started@Factor Meals.com Dark50OFF and use code DARK50OFF to get 50 off plus free shipping on your first box. You guys, if you ever wanted to try Factor Mills, use my code because you get get 50 off and free shipping. That's code dark50off@factormills.com dark50off for 50 off plus free shipping factor meals.com dark50off so three weeks go by. By late October, Tracy's family is desperate for information. They know something bad has happened, but police haven't come up with a single lead and it's starting to look hopeless. But her older sister Carrie, who I talked about at the beginning of the story, is doing her best to keep her spirits up. Live Life. So on October 22, she's working a shift at the Blue Cross Blue Shield. Her workday isn't even over yet when she hears an announcement over the intercom. It says that she needs to report to the lobby, and the second Carrie gets there, she spots her mom at her work waiting for her. She's crying, and right away Carrie gets a pit in her stomach because she knows this has something to do with her missing sister, Tracy, and it isn't good news. Sure enough, Carrie's mother tells her that her sister has been found dead. But the news is even darker than that. Tracy didn't die in an accident. She had been murdered. The police can tell from the state of her body, which was discovered earlier that day. It happened when a woman was picking flowers in the Miles Standish State Forest, which is a remote wooded area about 14 miles away from town and right near the park's entrance. The woman saw Tracy's body buried under some leaves. Some of her clothes had been removed and her head had been crushed beneath a giant 74 pound rock. It was heavy enough to fracture her skull in multiple places. And that's what killed her. Her body was decomposed, meaning Tracy hadn't died recently. It was more like she probably Died the night she went missing. And she had been laying here for the past three weeks. The deterioration is bad enough that the police able to identify her, actually using dental records, but now that they know who this is, the officers scour the crime scene looking for clues, and unfortunately, they don't learn very much. There is some DNA on Tracy's body, but since it's 1986 and genetic technology isn't as good as it is today, there's not much they can do with it Other than that material. There isn't any clear evidence of who did it, Nor is there any obvious leads. Tracy didn't have any enemies who would want to hurt her. And besides the question of who did it, the police also can't figure out how they did it. I mean, the big question about how she ended up in the state park, she obviously didn't walk 14 miles off course on her way trying to get home. So her killer must have taken her in a car. But it seems very unlikely that she would have just accepted a ride from a stranger. She was a little too cautious by this point. And Also, it was 86 again. She was only, like, two blocks away from home. The police's best theory is that maybe someone she knew and trusted Actually picked her up on the road that night, maybe offered to give her that ride home. And she may have willingly gotten into the car, Believing the driver was safe. The detectives know that if they can figure out who she would trust enough to accept a ride from, they could identify a suspect. But the problem is that, again, nobody in her family or social circle really had a clear motive. So pretty quickly, Tracy's case goes cold, and years go by without any movement in the case. During those years, Tracy's mother and father actually eventually get back together. Apparently, neither wants to deal with the grief of losing their daughter alone. So the father moves into the house in Kingston, and Tracy's mother refuses to leave this house because it's full of memories of her murdered daughter. I mean, the family is powerless to solve the case or bring her justice, but at least they can honor her in their own small ways. Now, after her parents remarry, they have another son together, A boy who will never meet or get to know his older sister. And as for Tracy's oldest sibling, Carrie, she's passionate about finding justice for all of the murder victims all over the world, which is a part of the reason why, in college, she actually gets a job as a security guard. It's a way for her to make money while trying to keep the people around her safe. And then she eventually decides she actually wants to become a police officer. Carrie takes all of the tests that are needed for licensing and ultimately enrolls in the police academy. After she completes the program, she becomes an officer with the Massachusetts State police department. This is the same department that is in charge of her little sister Tracy's open case. And even after all of these years, it is still unsolved. Now, of course, Carrie wants to spend all of her time investigating Tracy's murder and trying to find the killer. This was a major reason she even became a cop. But that is not practical. There are a lot of other cases that she needs to work on as well. In fact, Carrie learns that the department is actually stretched thin. There just aren't enough detectives to give every victim or missing person the attention they actually deserve. So for a while, Tracy's case needs to fall by the wayside. While Carrie focuses on others, she does her best to work hard and be the best police officer she can be. Now, the good news is, is that her passion pays off, and she gets promoted again and again. And eventually, Carrie earns the rank of colonel. And from there, she's appointed to be the supervisor of the department, meaning she's now in charge. And finally, that's when she gets the authority to reopen her sister's murder case and pour herself into trying to solve it. Now, in 2017, she and her family members pool their funds to offer a $10,000 reward for any tips that might lead them to Tracy's killer. Again, this is now 2017, but nobody comes forward with any usable information. Now, later that year, they all increase the offer to $25,000. Still don't get any takers. Now, before you know it, 2018 has arrived. It has been a smidge over 31 years since Tracy's murder. Carrie, her sister, became a cop to try and solve it. That's when finally, she and her team get a break. They realize that the night before she went missing, Tracy actually went over to a friend's house. So this was before the party, before babysitting. His name was Michael Hand. And while the police didn't have any reason to think that that visit the day before is related to the murder, they also realized that back then, they never got a statement from Michael. Maybe he knew a little bit more about what was going on in Tracy's life. Now, Michael is a lot older than Tracy. Remember, she was 15 at the time of her death. And at that time, he was actually in his late 20s. So late 20s, hanging out with a 15 year old the day before she gets murdered. By now, he's 59 years old. When the officers come and knock on his door, he readily agrees to give a statement. And the police also ask him to give a DNA sample. And he offers one without resistance. Then the detectives ask him some routine questions. They're like, hey, we should have done this a while ago. We. They didn't back then. And he gives the usual answers. It seems like this interrogation is going nowhere. But then Michael says something pretty odd. Namely, all of the sudden, in this interrogation, he says he witnessed Tracy's abduction. He was on the scene at the time of her murder. Now, police are like, what? Wait, what? They want to hear about what he saw. They're also like, why haven't you said anything? Why have you been quiet? And now you're just like, willingly giving up this information? In fact, they almost wonder if he's lying. But they want to get the story out before they argue with him. And they only become even more suspicious once he gives his testimony. Because I'm gonna be honest, it is outlandish. Now, according to Michael, he was at a gas station filling up his tank on the night of October 1st. This is the night of Tracy's disappearance and murder. And the day after he had hung out with her, he says. Then a strange car pulled up. Michael saw Tracy in the car, and the driver, according to him, was a man named Henry Meinholt. Now, I should note that Henry was actually convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering an underage girl several years after Tracy's death. Of course, that hadn't happened yet on the night when Tracy was killed. But Michael has to know about Henry's criminal record when he eventually gives this statement to the police. So Michael's story goes that he felt very suspicious when he saw Henry and Tracy in the car together that night. After Henry got his gas and drove away with Tracy, Michael decided to follow them. He tells police he tailed the car all the way to Miles Standish State park, which, you'll remember, is exactly where Tracy's body was later found. According to Michael, by the time he got there, he had lost track of Henry and his car. So he parked and wandered around the woods for a while. But he didn't actually see the murder happen. Instead, he spotted Henry leaving the forest with a tarp and a shovel in his hands. Now, Michael wasn't being very discreet, so right away, according to him, Henry spotted him and told him to come back into the forest with him. Michael said he was terrified because the evidence all suggested that Henry was a brutal killer. In fact, he said at that point, he was just too scared to tell Henry no. So the two men walked over to the area where Henry had left Tracy's body. Along the way, Michael said he put his hand down on a sharp rock, and it cut him deep enough to draw blood. Tells police, so you just took my DNA, and it might be at the crime scene. Because of that, he's like, but I'm not the killer. I'm not the killer, Okay? I was just there. And because I was following and trying to save Tracy, I was just too late. I'm not sure if he has an explanation for how he eventually got away from Henry or how this ended. But it's safe to say that when he's telling the story, the police think it's unbelievable. In fact, back when Henry got convicted of that other murder, the police actually explored the possibility that he might have been Tracy's killer. So way back then, they tested his DNA, but it didn't match the material from Tracy's body. He also had an airtight alibi that proved he wasn't in town at the time of Tracy's abduction. But Michael doesn't know that. So now when they're interviewing Michael, they know that he's lying about seeing Tracy in the car with Henry. And they encourage him to tell the story again, but this time to stick to the truth. And Henry argues, no, I am telling the truth. And once it's clear that he won't cooperate, they start using more aggressive interrogation tactics. They twist his words, accusing him of contradicting himself in situations where his story is actually consistent. The officers also lie to him, saying they have physical evidence that proves he's the real killer. But the truth is, they don't have any evidence against him, Just the odd story that he told in his interrogation. He's the only person that's tied him to this. So it's clear that the police are trying to pressure Michael at this point. They want him to feel like he has no choice but to confess. But eventually, Michael just begs the police to let him go home. He says he has a medical condition and he has to take medicine regular. So the officers let him leave. But two days later, they call him back in for another grueling day long interrogation. They start by forcing Michael to take a polygraph test. And he's hooked up to the machine for a total of four hours. After the test, they tell him he failed. Now, lie detectors are notoriously unreliable. You can fail even if you're telling the truth. Especially if you're stressed out, which Michael, at this point, definitely is.
