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Peyton Moreland (0:57)
You're 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 and listening. I hope all of you have had a happy holidays. We are finally getting to the end. I don't know about you, but this season is just a little bit chaotic for me. I am ready for it to be like January 13th. Yeah, like I would I if I could close my eyes and open, that's what I would rather it be. But can't do that. And so we're here recording another episode for my 10 seconds. This week, Garrett and I went and saw Marty supreme with Timothee Chalamet. Okay. I didn't watch the trailer because we were going to the movies and I didn't want to spoil it. I was under the assumption that this movie was about a ping pong player that like wins the championship at the end. It wasn't. It was good. Timothy did good. I understood the storyline. But you know, sometimes when a movie's trying to win like an Oscar and not necessarily like entertain an audience, so they made him very unlikable as the main character. Like likable, but not. And let me explain to you why the entire movie was basically showing him being having narcissistic tendencies, manipulative, gaslighting, thinking he's the only person in the world that exists, thinking his problems are more important than anyone else's, treating people who have treated him really good like crap and then gaslighting them with his charismatic personality and all of the consequences of those actions. Literally making it. Yeah, yeah, it was a little triggering for me. But like I said, he did a really good job portraying it. So as far as like a movie goes, that was the whole storyline and I believed every second. I was like, wow, he's really killing this character because you hate him, but you love him. You're rooting for him, but he's a bad person and you hate him and you think everyone in his life would be better off without him. So yeah, that is my very professional, critically acclaimed movie review of Marty Supreme. Yeah. Now you have a better idea about it because it was definitely not an underdog ping pong movie. Okay. Like I thought it was going to be. But I thought I really did love the characters. I thought they all did good. And yeah, that is my 10 seconds. That is what we did this week. So let's jump over into today's case. Now, if you follow a lot of true crime, you're probably used to certain tropes and ways of telling stories. You start with a dead body, then the police investigation. Finally they find the culprit, they arrest them and they go to trial. And the story ends when justice is served. But real life is not always that neat and tidy. And even if you're following a true story, you might not get the full picture from the outside. Anytime a violent offense is committed, there is always someone left picking up the pieces. Survivors who have to grieve their loved ones, communities that suffer the scars of loss. And today I am telling you about a crime that is solved. It has gone to trial. Everything's done in a legal sense, but it actually still isn't over, even today. So let's start by going back to Monday, October 15, 2018. It is a few minutes before one amount. That is when a call goes through to the 911 dispatch center in Barron County, Wisconsin. The operator can see that the call is from a nearby small town also called Barron. Now, for context, Barren has a population of about 3,400 people. It is a fairly small town in the heart of the Midwest, the sort of place where you can find rolling cornfields and farmland that stretches into the distance. And not the sort of town where people need to reach out to 911 very often. This sort of call in the middle of the night is certainly unusual. And to make matters stranger, the caller doesn't actually say anything. They don't explain who they are or what is going on. All the operator hears is muffled shouting and heavy breath. It's obviously concerning enough for the operator to send police to that address, and it only takes them four minutes to get there. Now, as soon as police arrive at the house, they see a very nervous looking dog running around in the yard. The front door to the home is open. They walk in and find a 56 year old man lying dead just inside the entryway. Now his name is James Claas and this is his home. Now it's clear to the police that he was shot to death with a 12 gauge shotgun. And when they go further into the house, they find even more signs of violence because there's a light on in the bathroom and the door isn't only open, it is broken. Like someone smashed it off its hinges to get inside. And inside the bathroom a second victim in is lying dead on the ground. It is James's wife, 46 year old Denise. And she too was shot to death. And her injuries are consistent with her husband's. The killer used the same 12 gauge shotgun to murder her too. Now, as disturbing as the scene is, there is one more thing in particular that has the police just feeling uneasy. See, they know that James and Denise do not live alone. They have a daughter, a 13 year old named Jamie, and there's no sign of her in the house. It's impossible to say if she's alive or dead or kidnapped. She's missing. So right away the police launch a search for Jamie. They don't believe she's a suspect in her parents murder. Instead they actually fear that the killer might have abducted her. So the investigators officially classify her as missing and endangered. They post her name and photo on social media, encouraging the people of Barron to call 911 if they see her. And they also put out an Amber Alert while they wait for tips to come in. Some officers head to the middle school that Jamie attends. Remember, this is a small town. They talk to her friends, teachers and classmates, asking if anyone knows of someone who might want to hurt Jamie or her family. They also ask if she's dating anyone or if she's recently broke up with anybody. And an early theory is that Jamie might have had a secret boyfriend. Someone who lashed out after a bad fight or an end of their relationship. But nobody can think of a single credible suspect. So when those investigations go nowhere, their next tip is to publicly call for tips. The detectives ask the people of Barron and the surrounding community to call if they notice anything strange, especially if their friends or neighbors are acting unusual or if anyone is breaking their typical routine. The officers basically encourage people to call in if they spot anything. It's even a little odd. Nothing is too small to be worth reporting. Before you know it, the tips do start rolling in. And by Tuesday, the day after Jamie's disappearance and her parents murders, the police have heard from over 200 people. And as of Thursday, they have more than 800 tips. And when Friday comes around and the case still hasn't been solved, the number ticks up to 1,000. Now, by the time the investigation actually wraps up, the police will field over 2,000 of these calls. The officers investigate each and every one, but sadly, none of them produce any leads. All of these tips were useless. So by October 27, almost two full weeks have passed since the double homicide and Jamie's disappearance. The police still don't have a single lead. And the people of Barron know that it's time to lay James and Denise to rest. They need the closure and comfort that can come from holding a funeral. It's a private event with no media allowed inside the church, but still so many people show up that there isn't enough room for everyone to park in the lot. Now, while the funeral itself is closed to the public, some attendees talk to the press before going in. And they speak emotionally about James and Denise. They share how James was a huge fan of athletics. He played sports in high school. He was a die hard fan of the Green Bay packers and the University of Wisconsin's team, the Badgers. James was also a very strong person. He was the sort of guy who would be there to support his friends no matter how hard things got. And his wife was similar. Denise cared deeply about the people around her. She was an avid gardener. She liked putting up birdhouses and feeders in her yard. And on top of that, Denise was very devout and involved with the church for all of her life. She had loved stories about angels. She found it comforting to think that these guardians were watching over her and her family. And most importantly, Denise and James were both very close to their daughter. They would have done anything for her. In fact, to all appearances, they'd died probably trying to protect her. And now they're both gone too soon. Their friends and family can only hope that they're literally with angels now. So by the end of the funeral, everyone is feeling sad and discouraged. James and Denise both lost their lives too young. The police aren't any closer to finding their murderer. And no one knows what has happened to Jamie. Now, all through the month of October, there have been active search parties, but by this point, they're obviously not really expecting to find her alive anymore. They are scouring cornfields and wooded areas in search of her remains. But still they find nothing. So the people of Barron host regular vigils they give statements to the press, trying to keep Jamie's face in the headlines so people will know to look out for her. And then at the end of October, the police make a huge announcement. They have made an arrest related to Jamie's case. Investigators announce they have a man named Kyle Jankianis in custody. Get this. The detectives literally arrested him inside Jamie's home. Officers caught him in the act of robbing the place where the murders took place. Among other things, he was trying to steal Jamie's clothes and underwear. Now, obviously, this is a huge violation, and it makes Kyle look incredibly suspicious. But after they dig a little deeper, the police realize he had nothing to actually do with the murders or the kidnapping. So even though they've made an arrest that's tied to the case, they're actually not any closer to solving the homicides. So October becomes November, and then December arrives. With no new leads. It's looking increasingly like Jamie will never be found. The vigils become less frequent, and then they trickle to nothing. People stop organizing search parties as they get caught up in the busyness of the holiday season. And by the new year, to all appearances, the case has gone cold and Jamie is missing.