D (14:56)

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A (15:16)

About a half an hour later, Harold was sitting inside the apartment across the kitchen table from Linda. She had calmed down enough to give a statement, but she was still having trouble speaking. In a shaky voice, she told Harold that the last time she saw her daughter was four days earlier, on July 20. She said Misty had woken her up after midnight to say goodbye and then she left a while later to go out and see some friends at a bar. Linda began to cry as she explained she hadn't seen or heard from Misty since and she'd been so worried. But Misty was an adult who went to college and worked and had a robust late night social life and so despite her worry, you know, she told herself it was okay. Also, they had opposite schedules most of the time, so it was sort of normal to go a few days without seeing each other. Linda had not even tried calling her daughter until Friday, which was over 24 hours since the last time she saw her and Misty didn't pick up. Then Linda said on Sunday she had heard that a body had been found and when she said that out loud, Linda sort of trailed off, unable to continue. Harold just sat there quietly as Linda tried to gather herself. He felt certain that her grief was very real and he would love nothing more than just to leave her alone. But it was also critical that he get as much information about his victim from her as possible. So once Linda seemed to be a little bit more composed, Haril asked her if there was anything else she could think of. Linda frowned and for a moment she was quiet. But then she said, yes, actually there was. After Misty said goodbye to her that night, Linda said she fell back asleep. But then very shortly after she fell asleep, she woke up again to the sound of Misty's cell phone ringing in the other room. And then shortly after that, she heard the phone ring for a second Time. So clearly her daughter had gotten two calls before she went out. Linda said she couldn't hear what was said or who the caller was on either of these calls, but it seemed like whoever was calling her was going to be the one giving Misty a ride. Harold wrote this down, and then, with Linda's permission, he took a look at Misty's bedroom. He didn't see anything significant, but he did take note of the fact that Misty's driver's license and her phone were not in there. Those two items had not been found with her body, so it was possible that her killer had them or had tossed them before he left. Harold got the name of the bar that Misty said she had been going to that night, as well as the name of some of her friends who were going to be there. Harold wanted to see if Misty had ever actually arrived. Later that night, Harold headed back into his office and sat down at his desk. The whole day had been nonstop, and he was exhausted. Harrell and his team had spent hours locating and interviewing Misty's friends, and they all said that Misty never showed up to meet them at the bar and that no one had talked to her since. This meant that whoever called Misty before she left home, in particular the second phone call, where apparently Linda thought she overheard that person signaling they were coming to pick Misty up, well, that possibly was the last person Misty spoke to. And if Misty's mom was right that that person had come to pick Misty up, well, they might very well be the killer. So Harold had pulled Misty's phone records, and they did indeed show that Misty had received two phone calls roughly around the time that Linda believed she heard the sound of two phone calls. However, in the year 2000 when this took place, phone records did not include the name or number of the caller. So the only thing Harold could see was what time the calls were made and how long they lasted, not who made them. He could see that Misty got one call at 1:58am that was very quick. And then she got another quick call at 2:23am and then after that, her phone was not used again. Even without a name or number of the caller or callers, this record was huge. And so, even though Harold didn't know for sure if these two calls were made by the same person, given the fact that Linda said she overheard her daughter clearly making some sort of plan about getting picked up when she took these phone calls, it seemed likely that both of these calls were made by the same person who was coming to pick Misty up. And if that's True. Well, we know Misty didn't arrive at the bar, and so very likely this caller was her ride and her ride was her killer. None of Misty's family or friends said they were the ones who called Misty or picked her up that night. However, Harold was told that Misty was dating at least two different guys, and maybe one of them had given her a ride. Harrell had these guys names, and some officers were already doing some background checks on them. Just then, Harold's phone rang. And when he picked it up, he was very excited to hear it was the Coast Guard. And they had gotten a chance to look at that red and white rope that was used to tie Misty's hands. And they told Harrell it looked like the kind that was used on sailboats. And they said the knot that was tied in it was very distinct. It was called a cow hitch knot, and it was taught in the Navy. Harrell leaned back and smiled because he could now add another detail to the profile he was building. He was looking for a suspect that had access to a boat and connections to the Navy or military. So Harold quickly thanked the Coast Guard and hung up and then went to go update his officers on the call. And when he did this, one of them said something that sent Harold's heart racing. The backgrounds on the guys Misty was dating had come back. And one of them, Teddy Underwood, was a convicted felon with a history of sexual battery. And before Harrell could even respond, the officer added that they had already picked Teddy up. And right now, he was waiting for Harrell in a nearby interrogation room. A few minutes later, Harrell walked into that interrogation room and sat down across a table from Teddy. Now, based on Teddy's criminal history, Harrell expected him to be hostile or maybe defensive, which would have prevented Harold from getting good information from him. So Harold had planned to start with very friendly, non aggressive questions and just hope that Teddy got relaxed enough to maybe let something slip. But Teddy was not what Harold expected at all. He was polite, cooperative, and seemed genuinely stunned to hear that Misty was dead. And when Harrell asked about a Navy connection and a boat, Teddy said no to both. He also had an alibi. He said he was with some friends early in the morning of the 20th, and then he gave Harrell their information to confirm it. Then Teddy leaned forward and told Harrell he knew that he very likely looked guilty here because of his criminal history. But he said he did not kill Misty and he would do whatever Harrell needed to help solve this thing, including giving police a DNA sample. Harrell was Sort of shocked because he just hadn't expected this level of cooperation. But Harrell said yes immediately to Teddy's offer. Now, the crime scene techs had not found any forensics on Misty's body, and the rope and the tape were still being examined. But Harrell still had hope, and he wasn't going to miss a chance to get a swab from one of his best suspects. Plus, Harrell knew it was possible that Teddy was pretending to be cooperative as a manipulation tactic. In the year 2000, DNA testing technology was not nearly as advanced or as fast as it is today, and so Teddy could be banking on the water having washed away any testable evidence. But regardless, Harold jumped up and said that a detective and a forensics tech would be in shortly. And then Harold headed back to his desk. And when he got there, he called the phone numbers of the people that Teddy had given him to confirm his alibi. And when he called them, each one confirmed the alibi, which meant Teddy could be accounted for during the time Misty was likely killed. However, an alibi and a DNA sample were still actually not enough to completely eliminate Teddy, especially since Misty's time of death was just a theory. But Harrell knew for now, he would need to move on to other suspects. Just then, a uniformed police officer appeared at Harold's desk with a message from the medical examiner's office. They had found a few short hairs on the white duct tape from Misty's body. And this really intrigued Harrell, because Misty had long hair, and hair on a body that did not belong to the victim usually belonged to the killer. But the Brevard County Sheriff's Department did not have the capacity to do that level of advanced DNA analysis. Which meant that the last phone call Harrell made for the evening was to the FBI labs in Quantico, Virginia. This was where most local police sent DNA for testing. Unfortunately, though, those kinds of tests took a long time. So as Harrell arranged with the FBI to send the hairs from the duct tape along with Teddy's DNA down to Quantico, he knew he would not get any answers for at least a few months. On July 25th. So, two days after Misty Morse's body was found in the river, Detective Gary Harrell parked his cruiser in front of a house that belonged to a man named Ricky Franklin. Ricky was the second man that Misty's family and friends said she was dating. And according to them, he and Misty had been on a few dates and spoke often. But Misty had also told people that she was not nearly as interested in Ricky. As Ricky was in her. Harrell had his team do a background check on Ricky and they hadn't seen anything suspicious in his history. But a one sided attraction was definitely something that Harold needed to look into. And now, sitting in his cruiser, Harold saw something else that set off alarm bells. There was a boat in Ricky's front yard. Shortly after seeing this boat, Rick Harold had Ricky inside of a police interrogation room. Harold had decided to do the interview at the station rather than at Ricky's house. That way Harold could have more control over the conversation, which had apparently been a good idea because Ricky was a mess. He was incredibly flustered and kept crying as he explained that he'd only heard yesterday that Misty was dead. Haril knew he needed to calm Ricky down if he wanted this to go anywhere. So he told Ricky to take a breath and to just start with how he knew Misty. Ricky stammered as he said they met about two weeks ago and went on a date Last Tuesday the 18th, a day and a half before she was killed. They had some drinks with friends and then watched a movie together. They did have plans on Friday and so he'd been calling her every day to confirm them and thought she was just kind of blowing him off when she wasn't answering. And then his voice broke as he said to the detective that even though he had just met Misty, he loved her. At the mention of these repeated phone calls that Ricky said he was making to Misty basically every day, Harold sat up a bit straighter and then asked Ricky point blank if he had spoken to Misty on the phone in the early morning hours of July 20th, like after midnight. And Ricky said no. He said he called her the night before on the 19th at about maybe 7 or 7:30, and then also a few times throughout the day on the 20th. But he, he did not call her. In the middle of that night, Harold jotted this down. Now, Ricky could be lying, but even if he was telling the truth, it didn't mean he was innocent. It was sort of crazy that Ricky was already in love with Misty and if Ricky felt rejected or angry she was seeing other people, well then he had a motive. And also the fact that he called her multiple times after she was already likely dead could have been an intentional ruse to make himself seem innocent. However, a hunch along with there just being a boat parked in the front of his house was not enough for an arrest here. Also, Ricky did not have a Navy background, or at least said he didn't. And he said he was home with his family during the time Misty was likely killed, and he quickly volunteered that, you know, Harrell could talk to his entire family, and they would all confirm that he really was home. And so likely his alibi was actually legit. And so, feeling disappointed, Harold told Ricky he could go and he would be in touch. And then, right as Ricky was about to leave, he stopped and told the detective that he almost forgot something. He said he had something of Misty's that the police likely wanted. And then Ricky pulled out his wallet from it. He pulled out Misty's driver's license and gave it to Harold. Harold just stared at the license in shock. This license, along with Misty's phone, had not been found on her body, and they were missing from Misty's room. And so Harold had assumed her killer must have them. And now here was Ricky offering up a murder victim's property like it was nothing. Ricky must have sensed the new tension in the room, because he quickly explained that when they went on a date last Tuesday, two days before her murder, Misty didn't have any pockets and didn't want to carry her license around. And so she'd asked Ricky to hold onto it, and he just forgot to give it back. Harrell nodded, but now his mind was racing. Suddenly, this whole interview felt like Ricky was just trying to get ahead of any evidence that connected him to the murder. And so that's when Harold decided to take a risk, and he asked Ricky if they could go take a look around his property. And to his surprise, Ricky agreed. The next day, three days after Misty was found in the river, Harold walked up yet another walk to knock on yet another door. They had searched Ricky's house and boat and had not found any of what they were looking for. No red and white rope or white duct tape or really anything that could be connected to the crime. And also, Ricky's father had confirmed that Ricky really was home during the time Misty was likely picked up and killed. However, during this property search, Ricky had actually offered up another suspect, Misty's ex boyfriend, Brent. According to Ricky, Brent had been abusive while he was dating Misty. Now, at first, Harold thought Ricky was just trying to point the finger at somebody else, so he had followed up with Misty's mom, Linda, but Linda had confirmed it. Misty's ex, Brent Huck, you know, had been very possessive, and their relationship had been really rough, and it ended about a year ago. Following his discussion with Linda, Harold had some of his officers do a background check on Brent, and he was stunned at what came up. Brent had gone through naval training, but he was kicked out for not passing a swim test. Now, Brent worked as a private charter boat captain and he owned multiple boats. And Brent's house was even on the Indian river, right near where Misty's body was found. And so Brent literally had all the criteria Harold was looking for in a suspect. And so once Harrell reached the front door, he knocked. And right away he heard a dog barking inside. Then footsteps coming towards him. A man opened up with a large, very friendly looking dog panting right behind him. And the man asked Harold what he wanted. A few minutes later, Harold was inside the house, sitting in the living room with Brent Huck and his dog Chiba, who kept nuzzling Harold's knee. Brent was explaining that the reason he had this dog was actually because of Misty. She had bought Chiba when they lived together, but her new place had a no pets policy, so Chiba stayed with Brent when they split up. As Brent spoke, Harold noticed how calm he was, which could either be the demeanor of an actually innocent person or of somebody trying to seem innocent. Harrell wasn't sure yet. So he asked Brent to tell him more about Misty and their relationship. Brent said they broke up a year ago, but he still cared about her. And actually they'd still been seeing each other on and off. He said the last time they slept together was July 11, nine days before she was killed. But they were keeping their relationship a secret since Brendt had a serious girlfriend. Harrell was amazed Brent was being so candid here. If what he was saying was true, then he definitely had a motive for killing Misty, like if he was worried that his current girlfriend would find out about them. So Harold pressed harder and he asked Brent whether he saw Misty early in the morning on the 20th or whether he picked her up, but Brent said no. He said he had been at a bar and then partied with his friends before a girl dropped him off at his parents house around 4am Brent was cooperative and answered every question that Harold threw at him. And so finally, Harold told Brent they would want to talk to him again, but at the station and he would be in touch. As Harrell left the house, he couldn't shake this feeling that Brent had to be their guy. Now, he was not acting guilty and possibly he did have an alibi. But the details of his life, the Navy background and the boats, and his ongoing secret sexual relationship with Misty made him a perfect match for the suspect Harrell had been looking for. However, this was also the third time that Harrell had been certain he had found his killer. And in the other two instances, he had found Some fact that made his theory impossible. And so he knew he was going to need something much stronger than just a profile based on circumstantial evidence if he wanted to connect any of his possible suspects to Misty's murder. For the next two months, Harrell obsessed over this case. He thought about it at work, he thought about it at home. He thought about it when he laid in bed at night. He just went over and over the details again and again, including his suspects. Harrell had confirmed Brent's alibi with the girl who had given him a ride, which meant that at the time, Misty was receiving phone calls from her killer. Very likely. And then also being murdered. Brent was out with friends, but he did have a few boats and a Navy connection. And he was also involved in a love triangle with Misty, which gave him a motive. Teddy Underwood, who had been seeing Misty casually, was a felon with a history of violence. But he willingly gave up his DNA, which could mean he had nothing to hide. Or it could mean he was confident that the river would have washed away any evidence. And it might have, since Harrell still had not received those DNA results back yet. Then there was Ricky Franklin, who was falling in love with Misty, even though she didn't really care about him, which he seemed to know, which might have given him a motive. He also had a boat, and he had her license in his possession, but they also had not found anything incriminating when they searched his property. And so all of these men knew Misty well and were romantically involved with her. She certainly would have trusted each of them enough to let them pick her up, but they all had alibis. However, the timeframe Misty died in was just an estimate, so Harrell could not fully eliminate anyone just because of that. So Harrell agonized over his list until September, when his phone rang. When he picked up, a lab tech from the FBI was on the other end. They said they had finished looking over the hair samples Harrell had sent over, as well as the swab from Teddy Underwood. And what they discovered was Teddy was not a match for this hair. But when Harrell heard what the tech said next, he felt almost dizzy, because the tech was absolutely certain, even without conducting additional DNA testing on Ricky or Brent, that the hair found on that duct tape on Misty's body was not going to match any of Harrell's suspects. However, this actually was a good thing, because it told Harrell everything he needed. Based on the police investigation and forensic evidence, the following is a reconstruction of what investigators believe happened to Misty Morse in The early morning hours of July 20, 2000. At 1:58am on July 20, the killer sat at their home with their phone pressed to their ear, listening to it ring. When Misty picked up, the killer told her they wanted to talk. Misty told them she already had plans, but the killer said they really wanted to see her. And when Misty said yes, the killer said they'd be right over. Then they hung up, jumped in their car and started driving. And as they drove, the killer gripped the wheel tightly, angrily. They had just lied to Misty. They didn't want to talk to her. They wanted to hurt her. Because Misty had ruined their life. And tonight they were going to finally show her how angry she had made them. They got to Misty's apartment at 2:23am at which point they called her to say they were there. Minutes later, the killer saw Misty come outside and began walking towards them. And when Misty opened up the car door and climbed inside, the killer pretended like everything was just fine and told Misty if it was okay with her, they were gonna drive back to their place and they could talk there. Misty said sure. And so the killer casually turned the car around and headed down the road. Once the killer finally arrived back at their house and parked, the two of them climbed out, went inside, at which point the killer told Misty to make herself comfortable. And then the killer left and went into the other room and grabbed a few things they knew they would need for what they were about to do, which was rope and duct tape. Then the killer returned to where Misty was, and she was sitting with her back to them. And so, as quietly as they could, the killer snuck up right behind her. And before she could scream, they reached out in front of her with the duct tape and pulled it tight over her mouth. Misty began to struggle, but she was so confused and shocked by what was happening, the killer was easily able to get rope around her hands as well and tie it in a knot. Misty looked at the killer, both pleading and confused, like, what's happening? And the killer couldn't stand to have her watching them because it made them ashamed and even angrier. So they put more duct tape on her face, this time on her eyes. The killer could clearly hear her struggling to get loose and struggling to breathe. But they ignored her and instead took off all her clothing and then gathered up the other supplies they would need. Plastic grocery bags, rocks, and some more rope. The killer then carried the struggling Misty outside, out to the water and put her onto a boat. They hopped on after her, untied the mooring, then floated out to the middle of the Indian River. And then once they were out in the deepest part of the river, the killer casually tied bags of rocks around Misty's ankles and dumped her overboard. Misty immediately sunk below the surface and vanished. The killer waited for a long time, but Misty never came back up. So they eventually steered their boat back to shore, then headed inside their home and went to sleep with their beloved dog curled up at their feet. It would turn out the hair that Harold had sent to the FBI lab was not human hair. It was dog hair. And investigators eventually matched it to Misty's beloved dog, Chiba, who now was living with Brent Huck. The night Misty died, Brent really was at a bar. But while he was there, he heard a rumor from his friends that Misty was apparently pregnant. Now, it was not true. She was not pregnant. But for a moment, Brent panicked that it was true and that maybe the child was his and even worse, his current girlfriend, who he was serious about and wanted to marry. She might find out and leave him. So even though he actually did have a friend, that girl drive him home that night. It was way earlier than he or that friend had initially claimed, giving him plenty of time to pick up and then kill Misty. But unfortunately for Brent, the tape that he used to bind Misty had of course, those hairs from Chiba on it. Brent was ultimately convicted of first degree kidnapping and murder and was given two life sentences. A quick note about our stories they are all based on true events, but we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved and some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes. The Mr. Ballin podcast Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is hosted and executive Produced by me, Mr. Ballin. Our head of writing is Evan Allen. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Produced by Jeremy Bone Research and Features Fact checking by Shelly Shue, Samantha Vanhus, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway and Camille Callahan Research and fact checking supervision by Steven Ear Audio editing and post produced by Whit Locascio, Jordan Stidham and Cole Locasio Mixed and mastered by Brendan Cain Production coordination by Samantha Collins Production support by Antonio Minotta and Delaina Corley Artwork by Jessica Claugston Kiner theme song called Something Wicked by Ross Bugden thank you for listening to the Mr. Ballin podcast. If you enjoyed today's story and you want to hear more like it, go ahead and check out our YouTube channel just called Mr. Ballin where we have hundreds more stories, a lot like this one, but most of them are not available on this podcast. They are only available on that YouTube channel which again is just called Mr. Ballin. So that's going to do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time. See ya.

B (39:40)

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