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Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm the daughter of a murdered woman. Welcome back to Poppy Killed Mommy. Before we get started, Trigger Warning. This episode contains discussions of domestic violence, homicide, and other potentially distressing topics. The man discussed in these episodes is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised. Last week I left off with a pretty personal plea to my sister, an apology, and a request to reconnect. I would love to have her on the show so she can tell us in her own words what she remembers and how she feels. But even if she doesn't want to be on the show, I just want to talk to her, see how her life is going. I want to chit chat and reconnect with my little sister. As of today's recording, I still have not heard from my sister. Hopefully one day she hears this and picks up the phone. Today's episode is filled with three articles written about my mother. So let's not waste any more time and let's get back to the timeline. It's July of 2020 and my sister's called. We had had a falling out the year before, so when she called, my first instinct was to pass it over to my boyfriend to answer. My sister told him that she had been contacted by the Sedona Police Department. She was basically asking for my help and I didn't fucking answer. Always the stubborn person I am. I snubbed her. But I got the message. The police were reinvestigating. I was elated. Finally, after 27 years, her case was off the shelf. I had a feeling I knew who was behind it. My Aunt Wendy had never stopped pushing. And sure enough, I saw later in the case file that she had gotten through to someone. On June 15, 2020, Sergeant Michael Dominguez filed a supplement report. After meeting with Wendy in Phoenix, she had rattled enough cages to get the case reignited. The supplement report also mentioned Dominguez's attempt to contact my sister to set up a possible confrontation. Call with her father, Russell Peterson, on July 6th. He spoke with her and she agreed to do that call. And then just 10 days later, on July 16, 2020, the Sedona Red Rock News published an article on my mom's case. But before I read that, I want to read you the very first article ever released on my mom. Based on the initial references. Last Friday, it was written and published immediately following the July 9, 1993 shooting, within days of her passing. I'm going to read it in full and then give my breakdown. Article 1 reads as Sedona woman shot dead in domestic fight an early morning shooting claimed the life of a Sedona woman last Friday. When police officers arrived at the scene of the shooting on the 500 block of Coffee Pot Drive at 1:42am July 9, they found Stephanie Marie Wasolution, 32, dead of a gunshot wound, said Sedona Police Chief Bob Irish. Police received a call of the shooting at 1:40am through the Enhanced 911 Reporting System. It appears that a domestic violence type altercation occurred between Wassolician and her live in boyfriend Russell Bennett Peterson, 31, around 1:15am Irish said. From what police have found, either Wassalishin or Peterson got a pistol from the bedroom. Subsequently, at least two shots were fired, according to Peterson. Wassalishin fired one shot at him in the living room, Irish said. She went into the master bedroom where he followed her. A struggle ensued for the weapon and it went off, striking Wassolichin in the neck area, Irish said. Wassolichen and Peterson reportedly had lived together for about six years, approximately two years on Coffee Pot Drive. The couple's four year old daughter and Wassalishin's 11 year old daughter were at the home at the time of the shooting, Irish said. The children were turned over to Child Protective Services in Cottonwood, he said. During the weekend, personnel from the Sedona Police Department and the Yavapai County Attorney's Office conducted interview with friends and acquaintances of the parties involved. Peterson was to be interviewed again Tuesday, Irish said. The Maricopa County Medical examiner conducted an autopsy Friday and it is completing forensic related examinations associated with the case. The police department is awaiting the medical examiner's report, Irish said. No arrest or charges have been filed in relation to the incident as the investigation continues. I want to start with the harmful headline Sedona woman shot dead in domestic Fight. It framed my mother's death as if it was a mutual argument that got out of hand. This minimizes the violence, obscures the fact it was later ruled a homicide and strips my mother of dignity. Ethical reporting requires precise, respectful language, especially in homicide cases. Not to mention referring to her only as a Sedona woman in the headline reduces her identity and her humanity. Ethical reporting standards emphasize naming the victim, highlighting their humanity and avoiding language that trivializes the crime. The article relies entirely on Police Chief Bob Irish's statements. Peterson's version of events is repeated word for word through Irish without any independent verification or skepticism. This allowed law enforcement to control the narrative from day one, silencing alternative perspectives. No family or victim perspective. The article never sought comment from my mother's family, friends or neighbors. Her life, personality and context were erased, replaced by the voice of a man accused and the police who failed to act. This absence dehumanized her, reducing her again to the Sedona woman rather than a mother, a daughter and a friend. Reinforcement of the suspect's story this piece essentially prints Peterson's account as fact that Stacy fired a shot at him, retreated, then accidentally shot herself in the struggle. Presenting this uncritically entrenched a self serving suspect narrative in the public record or remained unchallenged for decades. Lack of Domestic Violence Context the article briefly mentions a domestic violence type altercation, but treats it as a minor detail rather than a big red flag. No statistics, no expert voices, no explanation that intimate partner homicide is one of the most common outcomes of domestic violence. By stripping away context, the reporting downplayed the danger that my mother was in. Failure to ask the obvious questions despite acknowledging a violent altercation, a gunshot wound and children present in the home, the article passively notes. No arrests were made, no journalists pressed. Why not? What evidence was collected? What steps were skipped? Who made that call? This is where accountability journalism was most needed and most absent. Long term harm created by initial coverage. By failing to challenge Peterson's narrative, omitting the family and minimizing the homicide, this article established a framework that later articles would simply recycle. This original story planted the seed of doubt. Maybe it was just a domestic violent fight, maybe an accident that haunted the case for decades and poisoned the public perception of my mother's death. In July of 2020, the Red Rock News published two articles about my mother's case. But rather than reaching out to the family for insight or comment, both relied solely on the police department as their source. By doing so, they excluded the voices of those most directly impacted. And they repeated the same law enforcement narrative that had shaped the public perception since 1993. This was the article published just days after my sister tried to contact me in early July. It's dated for July 15, 2020, and it reads as such Sedona Police Department returns to 1993 case there aren't many unsolved cases or cold cases as they are better known, sitting on the shelves of the Sedona Police Department. Especially not ones that are deemed a homicide. In the early morning hours of July 9, 1993, Sedona Police responded to the report of a death at the home of Copy Pot Drive. There they found the body of 32 year old Stephanie Marie Wassalishin home with Wassalition at the time of the incident was her live in boyfriend, 31 year old Russell Peterson and two children, a 4 year old the couple had together and a 10 year old from Wassolichyn's prior relationship, according to an article in the Sedona Red Rock News. Just days after the incident, Police received a 911 call from Peterson at 1:40am Then Police Chief Bob Irish said a domestic violence altercation between Wassilition and Peterson had occurred around 1:15am Iris reported that one of the two had retrieved a pistol from the bedroom. Peterson reportedly told police that Wasolition fired one shot at him and then went into the master bedroom. Peterson reportedly followed her and a struggle ensued for the weapon which went off striking wassilition in the neck, Irish said at the time. No arrests were made at the time and none have been made since. Now, 27 years later, Sedona Police Department Sergeant Michael Dominguez is taking another look at the case at the request of the Wassalition family with the hope of obtaining some closure nearly three decades later. What was conveyed to U.S. police officers at the time, Dominguez said, was that there was no witnesses other than Russell and the deceased. The children were in bed sleeping in other rooms when the incident occurred. The autopsy report from the medical examiner at the time called it a homicide. The investigation was completed by the Sedona Police Department, but the Yavapai County Attorney's Office did not feel as though there was enough evidence to prove a homicide has occurred, Dominguez said. Therefore, the case never proceeded past the investigative stage. With time and advancements in investigative training and technology, Wassolichin's family has asked the Sedona Police Department to reopen the investigation to see if homicide can be proven. Dominguez said the first thing he did when asked to take another look at the case was to immediately seek out cause of death. They Wassilishin's family want resolution because they firmly believe that this was a homicide and not a suicide, dominguez said. With potential homicide cases, there is no statute of limitations. Therefore, an investigation can be reopened regardless of the amount of time that has passed and the case is still considered an open investigation because the medical examiner stated the cause of death was homicide, yet it never went to court based on the evidence. I see there is more to the story than that of a suicide, dominguez said. Can I tell you that this is a homicide with 100% certainty? No. In the upcoming weeks, Dominguez said he plans to meet with the prosecuting attorney's office, the medical examiner's office and conduct further interviews, including an attempt to talk with Peterson. Dominguez said that he's read the case file, which consists of more than 400 pages, more than once when reviewing it. He attempts to look at it through the eyes of an investigator in 1993, but then uses his skills and training to fill in any blanks. Training for investigators was completely different as it is opposed to now, he said. My job is to see if I can find something else or a different avenue or something that is different, a different perspective. Essentially you can think of it as another pair of eyes looking at it with different knowledge to ask is there something we can show that a crime occurred or not. It goes both ways. I could turn around and find out that this was a suicide. For me it's not a win because someone died, but at least it creates closure. End quote My thoughts on this article let's start first with the lack of the family voice victim centered reporting. This piece notes that the family requested the case be re examined but never quotes or interviews us directly. Instead, the family is referred through the police, which strips us of our agency and silences our lived experience. The Society Professional Journalist Code of Ethics stress that victims families should be heard, especially when their voices have been ignored. By excluding the family, the article minimizes our perspective and reduces us to a passing mention over reliance on the police narrative. Nearly the entire article is sourced from the law enforcement past Chief Bob Irish's framing Sergeant Dominguez commentary and the Sedona Police Department's interpretation of events. The story repeats Russell Peterson's 1993 account almost verbatim without questioning its credibility. Despite glaring contradictions and domestic violence Homicide ruling and no arrest A good journalist would balance police statements with other perspectives such as legal experts, domestic violence advocates or independent investigators. The article repeats Peterson's self serving story as fact. Stacey retrieved a gun, fired a shot, then accidentally died in a struggle. Nowhere does the article question why was no gunshot residue testing performed? Why weren't phone records subpoenaed? Why was the homicide ruling ignored by prosecutors? By simply reprinting the original claims, the newspaper reinforces a decades old narrative that favors the suspect. Rather than interrogating flaws in the investigation misleading the framing of the case, this piece suggests ambiguity between homicide and suicide. It goes both ways. Despite the medical examiner's ruling of a homicide, presenting it as maybe suicide, maybe homicide creates false equivalents. That framing undermines the official finding and misinforms the public about the seriousness of the case Ethical journalism requires clarity. The death was ruled a homicide. Period. The open question is why no charges were ever filed, not whether it was a suicide. Failure to provide Context on domestic Violence this article acknowledges a domestic violence altercation but treats it as a neutral deal, not a big red flag. It fails to provide statistics, expert insight or context about how abusers claim it was an accident after a partner's suspicious death. Without context, readers are left with the police's original spin instead of understanding patterns of intimate partner homicide, why was evidence deemed insufficient despite a homicide ruling? Who was responsible for that decision? Instead of pressing on accountability, the article softens the story into a closure narrative, as though the system simply did its best back then that let law enforcement and prosecutors off the hook for a historic failure. In summary, this article fails because it silences the family, leans almost entirely on police sources, uncritically repeats a suspect's narrative, misleads the public by downplaying a homicide ruling, omits critical DV context and avoids holding authorities accountable for decades of inaction. And there's still one more article to go. Published 12 days later on July 27, the plot thickens as the Sedona Police Department doubles down. In the final article it reads as such Sedona Police Department adds more pieces to the puzzle in 1993 death Sergeant Michael Dominguez of the Sedona Police Department is attempting to put the pieces of a three decade old puzzle together using little more than a 400 page document attempting to bring some closure to the family of the deceased. On July 9, 1993, Sedona Police Department responded to the home on Coffee Pot Drive following the report of a death. There they found the body of 32 year old Stephanie Marie Wasolishin. With her in the house at the time of the incident was her live in boyfriend, 31 year old Russell Peterson and the two children a 4 year old the couple had together and a 10 year old from Wassalition's prior relationship. According to an article in the Sedona Red Rock News. Just days after the incident in 1993, police received a 911 call from Peterson at 1:40am Then Police Chief Iris said a domestic violence altercation between Wassalition and Peterson occurred around 1:15am Peterson reportedly told police that Wasilition fired one shot at him then went into the master bedroom. He then reportedly followed her and a struggle ensued for the gun. The gun went off striking Wassalishin in the neck, Irish said at the time. While the medical examiner at the time ruled the incident a homicide. No arrests were made and none have been made since. Dominguez said he went into the reopening of the case with an unbiased mind. However, in reviewing the report, he felt more than once that something happened that night that is not listed in the documents. But exactly what may not be so clear. The 1993 Medical Examiner Report states that in discussion with the Yavapai County Attorney's Office, Wassolichin was right hand dominant, but the gunpowder residue from a.44 magnum revolver was found on both sides of her left hand. The character of the wound is such that it is a contact wound, meaning next to the skin and the presence of gunpowder residue on the left hand is more consistent with deposition and a defensive posture than with any self inflicted injury, whether intentional or otherwise, the original report states. It remains the opinion of the pathologist that the manner of death is homicide. The entry wound was on the left side of Wassolichen's neck near her jugular vein with the exit on the right rear side of her neck. If you're solely focused that this was a right handed individual and that they only could have used their right hand, which to me is not practical, then having that trajectory would have been difficult, dominguez said. Is it impossible? No. However, if you take that pistol and you put it in the person's left hand and you move the gun up, that's exactly at the location of the entry wound. The family has been over focused on the fact that she was right handed and that she could have only done this with her right hand. Dominguez said that one has to take the theory that Wasolician could have only used her dominant hand to shoot herself with a grain of salt. He used himself as an example being right hand dominant. But over half of what he does in everyday life is with his left hand. In most cases there is a contact wound on those who commit suicide with a gun, Dominguez said. In homicide, the gun is not normally pressed up against the victim. That's a statistic, not an absolute, dominguez added. Last week, Dominguez met with Yavapai County Medical examiner Dr. Jeffrey 9 to review the case. He showed him the 1993 report and the autopsy photos. He told me that based on what he had in front of him, he was not able to make an assessment in terms of manner. Manner being suicide or homicide or unknown, dominguez said. I think that's a fair assessment and I trust Dr. 9 because he's been doing autopsies for a very long time. That doesn't change anything for me. My decision from the beginning was to take the information. I had to make a determination of can I show that a crime occurred or not? Based on what I'm seeing right now, I cannot see a crime here. For me to be able to say there is probable cause. Dominguez's next step is to go to Phoenix and hope that Peterson will be willing to discuss what happened that night 27 years ago. @ the time of the incident, police interviewed Peterson on three separate occasions within a week's time. Dominguez said, what's known is that two shots were fired that night. Peterson claimed that wassolution went into the bedroom, retrieved a gun and fired a shot at him while he was sitting on the couch. Dominguez said that they have only Peterson's account to go by, so there's no way to determine who fired the first shot in the living room, which was later recovered from the wall. The report states that Peterson said Wassolichin then went into the bedroom and he followed her, and then she shot herself. When you do multiple interviews with someone, you expect variations, dominguez said. I'm more suspicious when someone has the exact same story three different times because to me, that's rehearsal. Variation is human nature, because we all forget things, especially if we're traumatized. The initial report states that Peterson began performing CPR while on the phone with the 911 operator. When the police and emergency personnel arrived, Wassolichin was pronounced dead at the scene. Peterson reported to police that the two had been drinking and arguing. Wassolichen's blood alcohol content was listed as 0.17, which to put into perspective, is currently twice the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle. His story changed a few times content wise between the three interviews. Dominguez said Peterson's changes were specifically on whether or not there was a struggle between the two in the bedroom and if he attempted to take the gun away from Wasolition. Once the initial police report investigation was complete, it was sent to the Yavapai County Attorney's Office for review to see whether or not an arrest should be made. The Yavapai County Attorney's office report on November 9, 1993, stated that while they acknowledged the inconsistencies in Peterson's account, there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute. Can we prove that it's a homicide? Right now, I can't say that we can prove that, dominguez said. From a legal sense, it's what can I prove? That's where I'm at right now. In the meantime, Dominguez said, he will provide the evidence he has to the county attorney for review and opinion before the possibility of making any kind of formal request to pursue the case. I won't have a decision until I can prove it to myself because I'm the one who has to say there's probable cause, dominguez said. I don't have that. There's too many inconsistencies short of a confession. I'm not sending this for prosecution, starting with the public undermining of our family. The article quotes sergeant Michael Dominguez saying the family had over focused on Stacy being right handed. This comment was not only dismissive but insulting. The Red Rock News printed it without challenge. Instead of validating the family's concerns, this piece positioned us as unreasonable, undermining our credibility and retraumatizing us. Misrepresentation of forensics the medical examiner who performed the autopsy ruled my mother's death a homicide that should have been a central fact. Instead, the article highlights speculative theories about handedness and trajectory as though they carry weight. This is a classic case of false balance, treating speculation as fact and equivalent. Once again, Peterson's account is given oxygen that my mother fired a shot, retreated and then shot herself. The article acknowledges inconsistencies but then softens them, quoting Dominguez saying variation is human nature. This framing shifts suspicion away from Peterson and normalizes deception. The article states that the county attorney declined prosecution in 1993 due to insufficient evidence, but no probing questions were asked. Why wasn't the homicide ruling enough? Why were investigative steps skipped like phone records, residue tests? Who failed the case? The Red Rock News avoids all accountability journalism. Victim blaming through context Stacy's blood alcohol content is emphasized twice the legal driving limit without any balancing explanation. Including that detail without context primes readers to view her as reckless, unreliable or complicit rather than a victim of violence. Also, no mention of the suspect's BAC because none was ever taken. Why are these questions never asked? Erasure of domestic violence patterns despite this being a textbook intimate partner homicide scenario, the article provides no context, no statistics, no expert voices on domestic violence. It treats the incident as an isolated mystery instead of situating it in the known epidemic of women killed by partners moving on to active harm to the investigation. Most egregiously, Dominguez's reckless quotes printed in this article led to his removal from this case. The Red Rock News didn't just passively fail our family. Their reporting directly obstructed the investigation and derailed the progress that Wendy had fought for decades to achieve ethical breach and maximizing harm. Instead of minimizing harm, the Red Rock News maximized it. They re traumatized our family, delegitimized our concerns, and misled the public. Oh yeah, and sabotaged the investigation. This was not objective reporting. It was irresponsible journalism with real world consequences. Bottom line. Article 3. The second 2020 article was the most damaging of all. It dismissed the family's concerns. It elevated suspicion over fact, it repeated the suspect shifting story, it minimized Stacey's status as a homicide victim, and it published reckless comments that got the lead investigator removed from the case. This wasn't just a failure of journalism. It was an act of harm. The Red Rock News became an obstacle to justice. When I first read these articles, I fell to the floor in disbelief. I sobbed and I sobbed, completely shattered by what I was seeing in print. I remember being at a client's house, needing nearly an hour before I could even get up off the floor. The words left me stunned, especially the second article. But I think what shocked me most in reading these articles wasn't just the mistake or the lack of balance. It was the way the police themselves kept repeating the word suicide. They even went out of their way to seek a second opinion that leaned in that direction. I will never understand how the very people who are supposed to fight for justice, the ones sworn to protect victims and stand up for those who can't speak for themselves, would be the same people looking for ways to label my mother's homicide as a suicide. I'm sorry, I'm getting so emotional reading this. I did not intend to cry. But there it was again. Suicide. The word that should have never been on the table except from the mouth of the suspect himself. Yet decades later, it is still being entertained, still being printed, still being held up as though it carried weight. I was so upset and so disgusted that I contacted the Red Rock News myself. I pointed out their mistakes. They had gotten the ages of my sister and myself wrong, and I asked them to correct it. More than that, I asked them to interview me, to include my family's perspective, to tell the other side of the story. But for five years now, every single time I reach out to the editor, Christopher Larson, he has shut me down. My most recent email was just three weeks ago where I told him about this podcast, about how it's charting, about how I'll be at CrimeCon, and that maybe the Red Rock News should cover this case before it becomes an international story. His response? Quote, if there's Anything new in the investigation, we will report on it. Once again, the family's voice was dismissed. Once again, they chose to print only one side of the story. I will never understand the motives of the Red Rock News, but here I am today, reading their words out loud to you, breaking them down piece by piece, sharing my thoughts and I would love to hear yours. How you feel about the Red Rock News after hearing this coverage? I'm dying to know. You can send the show a text and tell me all about it. Unfortunately, I can't text you back, but I can always discuss the feedback on the next episode. As all of this was happening In July of 2020, I did nothing. I waited. I waited for the police to do their investigation and I waited for the phone call I thought would come, the call to interview me. But that call never came. The months passed. August, September, October, and then finally November. The holidays were approaching. It was Thanksgiving, and I found myself thinking about my family and about my mom's case. And I wanted to know what was happening. So I pulled out that email address that I had been given and I wrote to investigator Michael Dominguez A few days later. He responded. He told me that he was no longer in charge of my mom's case. At that time. I had no idea. Wendy had called and complained and the man was removed from my mom's case. But he gave me the contact information for the new investigator. He also tried to manage my expectations. That's the nice way I'm going to phrase that, by reminding me that my mom's case was old and essentially letting me down right from the start. Still, I felt hopeful. I took that new contact info and I sent almost the exact same email to Sergeant Laura Leonard. I was optimistic, even excited, that maybe now the police were finally taking my mom's case seriously. And it was a lady detective, so maybe now she would see things through different eyes. Days later, on November 29, 2020, I received her response. It reads as Follow Nikki, I hope Thanksgiving was great. Today is my Monday, so I apologize for just getting back to you tonight. I read your email and I can only imagine what you've gone through. I appreciate what you wrote regarding the fact that you were sleeping and I understand your ptsd, so let's not recount it. I also wanted to know if you had any firsthand information regarding the incident that night. And in reading your email, you answered my question. You were asleep. There are several reports that were written and it was a long time ago. Everyone finds closure differently. So if you want to review those reports. All you have to do is contact our records department. There are two very nice ladies that can help with requesting the reports. They work in the records department. Marcy and Jamie Sergeant Laura Leon Breakdown as to why this email is problematic Dismissive of the victim's family, Leon explicitly says there is no need to speak with me because I was asleep. This erases the fact that I was still a witness to the aftermath. Removed by police, placed in a squad car, traumatized as a child. My perspective matters whether or not I saw the gun go off, minimizing my trauma. She acknowledges my ptsd, but then says let's not recount it. That phrasing is dismissive, shutting down my lived experience instead of treating it as a valid testimony about how police handled things and how the crime impacted me. Treating the case file as a closed case. Her solution is to direct me to the county records department as if this were simply paperwork to review, not an open homicide investigation that shifts responsibility from the investigators and puts the burden on the victim's family. Hi me Language of Closure Saying everyone finds closure differently is deeply inappropriate. I can't stand being told that families of homicide victims don't get closure, they deserve justice. Using that language suggests her role was to not actively pursue accountability, but to push the family towards acceptance. Lack of initiative Nowhere in the email does she suggest next steps, share investigative progress, or offer to meet with me instead. The tone is final, almost bureaucratic. Your mom's case is old. Here are some reports. Good luck. I remember sitting at my desk that morning reading her email over and over again. It was clear she had no desire to talk to me. She told me that because I was asleep, my voice didn't matter. And by telling me that everyone finds closure in their own way, she made it clear that she wasn't fighting for justice. She was preparing me to accept that there would be none. That email crushed me, but it also lit a fire in me. I knew I couldn't just sit back and wait for someone else to care about my mom's case. By mid December of 2020, I put in a request for the full case file. It arrived in my inbox a month later, and there it sat, unopened for eight months because I knew once I opened it, my life would change. And I was right. In this episode, we've seen how the Red Rock news and even the police themselves dismissed, minimized and mishandled my mom's case and how Laura Leon's email lit the fire that pushed me to act. But what happens when the family's voice is silenced and police won't move forward. You turn to media next week in episode nine, Media Pressure, I'll take you to the moment I opened my mom's case file for the first time. I'll share how one Facebook post, a documentary student, and eventually an investigative reporter changed everything. And I'll tell you how my Aunt Wendy and I began to turn media attention into pressure the Sedona Police Department could no longer ignore. Because if law enforcement wasn't going to fight for my mom, I would. And I was about to learn just how powerful media could be. Thank you for listening to this episode of Poppy Killed Mommy. This podcast is completely independent. No sponsors, no ads. Just me sitting at my personalized studio working every week to bring my mom's story to you. I'm doing everything I can to keep this podcast ad free, so if you'd like to support the show, there's a Support the show button at the bottom of the story notes. Shout out to the newest supporter, Leanne. Thank you, Leanne. Leanne and David were also shoppers on Dickey Birdie's Amazon wish list, which that list is available in the story notes as well. They sent him a cute little stuffy and the note read, this is one of my pup's favorite toys. I tripped on it this morning. In fact. Enjoy. That definitely gave me a giggle and I thank you very much. Also, Heather and either Johnna or Johanna, I'm probably saying that really wrong. Sent supplies for Dickie Birdie as well. Thank you. My boy is headed to Crimecon in style and he is going to steal the show. If you'd like to help get me to crimecon, I do have the gofundme still active and available. The money goes towards filling up the gas tank and making sure that we've got food for the road. The link is in the bio and I promise I'll get those thank you cards out. I'm just running really behind. I've been sick with like a stomach bug for like nine days and I haven't forgotten any of you. Before I close today's episode, I need your help. I will link all of the emails and telephone numbers in the show notes, but please take a few minutes and do these three things. First, email the Yavapai County Attorney's Office and tell them it's time to take a closer look at this case. They let a murderer slip through their fingers in 1993, and for three decades they have allowed a homicide ruling to sit without accountability. Demand that they act second Contact the Sedona Police Department. They have admitted this case is inactive, claiming that they are waiting for more evidence. But homicide investigations don't solve themselves while files collect dust. They need to make my mom's case active again, and they need to work on it. And third, and most importantly, I feel. I don't know. I'm really passionate about it. Please contact the editor of the Sedona Red Rock News, Christopher Larson. Tell him to do his job. For decades, they have failed to tell both sides of the story. They've erased my family's voice, repeated the suspect's account unchallenged, published reckless speculation from police that directly harmed the investigation. And by doing so, they tainted the public's understanding of this case, even tainted the potential jury pool. And that is a serious failure of ethical journalism. Your voice matters. When local media refuses to give the full picture. It takes a community to demand accountability. I am begging you. Send those emails, make those calls, and especially let the Red Rock News know that my family deserves better. This is how we bring the pressure. This is how we make them listen. And this is how we fight for justice for my mom. Thank you for listening, Sa.