Theresa Ann Bier: Vanished in Yosemite

Summary

Podcast Summary: Scams, Money, & Murder – Theresa Ann Bier: Vanished in Yosemite Episode Date: August 4, 2026 Hosts: Sarah Turney & Courtney Nicole

---

Overview of the Episode

This gripping episode from "Scams, Money, & Murder" (a Crime House podcast) investigates the disappearance of 16-year-old Theresa Ann Bier in June 1987, in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Hosts Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole immerse listeners in Theresa’s troubled childhood, the events leading to her vanishing during a camping trip with an older man obsessed with Bigfoot, and the theories and dark suspicions that remain unsolved nearly four decades later. The podcast is characterized by a sensitive, personal, and detail-oriented approach, with hosts connecting elements of the case to their own life experiences.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Theresa Bier’s Early Life and Upbringing

• Dysfunctional Beginnings ([04:53]-[07:37])

  • Theresa was born in 1971 in Fresno. From a young age, she and her sisters suffered neglect, abuse, and unstable living arrangements.
  • After severe abuse by her mother, she and her sister Vicky entered foster care.
  • Later reclaimed by their father and stepmother in a hostile environment; her stepmother would lock food away from the children.

• Living with Uncle Johnny (John Richmond aka "Blind Johnny")

  • Uncle Johnny, who was blind (allegedly from Russian roulette), took custody of Theresa in her teens.
  • Johnny had a history of drug use, criminal activity, and lived in a dangerous area ("Motel row").
  • Both hosts focus on how systems repeatedly failed Theresa: “...she was failed in so many ways.” (Courtney, [11:39])

  “By the time she was living with Johnny, it seemed like no one else was really looking out for her anymore.”
  — Courtney Nicole ([10:58])

• Allegations of Continued Abuse

  • Theresa reported to family that Johnny sexually assaulted her, supported by testimony from Johnny’s teenage girlfriend, Tammy.

---

The Fateful Trip: Events Leading to Disappearance

• Meeting Russell ‘Skip’ Welch ([11:57]-[13:33])

  • Skip, a Bigfoot enthusiast and acquaintance of Johnny, was over twice Theresa’s age (43 to her 16).
  • On June 1, 1987, Theresa snuck out for a camping trip with Skip, telling her uncle she was going to school.

• Bigfoot Obsession and Prior Exploitation

  • Skip fancied himself a “student of Bigfoot,” with a history of taking teenagers to the mountains under this pretense ([16:04]).
  • Former companions described how Skip used his obsession to lure vulnerable young women into isolated woods.

---

Disappearance, Search, and Skip's Conflicting Accounts

• Timeline and Search Efforts ([16:28]-[22:40])

  • Theresa was last seen on June 1, 1987, leaving with Skip.
  • Four days later, Skip reappeared, but didn’t inform authorities of Theresa’s disappearance.
  • He eventually led police to a suspicious campsite (20 miles from his usual spots) containing Theresa’s belongings—all strangely arranged.

• Story Manipulation ([22:40]-[23:49])

  • Skip gave authorities several conflicting stories:
    • First, that Theresa wandered off looking for Bigfoot and got separated.
    • Later, he claimed other campers took her, then a "not entirely human, mysterious young woman," and finally, that Bigfoot took her by force.

  “I believe in Bigfoot. I don’t believe in this.”
  — Sarah Turney ([22:40])

• Suspicion and Staging Theory

  • Many, including Skip’s nephew James, doubted Skip’s account and believed the campsite was staged to mislead investigators ([25:54]).
  • James claimed Skip considered Ghost Canyon a “burial site of the devil” and had talked about sacrificing women there.
  • No evidence, including via cadaver dogs or infrared helicopter searches, was ever found at the site.

---

Theories and Family Perspectives

Theory 1: Skip as Perpetrator

• Most suspicion remains on Skip (died in 1998, never charged with murder). Family and acquaintances recall his predatory behavior and disturbing stories about “sacrifices” to Bigfoot.

Theory 2: Serial Killers – The Speed Freak Killers

• Skip’s daughter, Chandra, suggested infamous serial killers (Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog) could be responsible—though this remains unsubstantiated.

  “Sometimes serial killers are like this wild card that just get thrown into cases ... pick almost any case and you could probably link it up with a serial killer. So I don’t see anything super concrete here.”
  — Sarah Turney ([39:04])

Family Defending Skip

• Chandra remembered Skip as a flawed but fundamentally good man, citing past acts of heroism, and argued he might have been helping Theresa escape her abusive home ([33:53]-[35:13]).

Personal Reflections

• Both hosts reflect on their own family experiences with crime, empathizing with those who must come forward about a loved one being a perpetrator ([27:50]-[30:07]):

  “It's really hard to grapple with, and it takes a lot of courage to come forward and talk about it.”
  — Courtney Nicole ([29:16])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sarah on the Red Flags in Skip’s Story:

  “We've seen that ... sometimes there are innocent ways in which a person will just change a story without thinking about it, but I don't think that's what we're seeing here.” ([23:12])

• Courtney on Systemic Failures:

  “Theresa, literally, at every stage of her life, was just experiencing bad people. I hope that this was not her fate with these serial killers.” ([40:27])

• Sarah on Vulnerable Kids:

  “Those are the kids who often get groomed and led to, unfortunately, some type of awful demise.” ([40:39])

---

Critical Timestamps and Case Milestones

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Details | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 04:53 | Theresa’s childhood and family background | Cycle of abuse and neglect | | 11:57 | Escape plan: Theresa prepares for trip | Leaves with Skip under false pretenses | | 12:29 | Disappearance: Theresa last seen | Skip gives many conflicting accounts | | 16:28 | Arrival & Bigfoot search in the mountains | Prior trips with other teenagers outlined | | 21:22 | Skip leads police to suspicious campsite | Belongings found, doubts about the scene | | 25:29 | James (Skip’s nephew) implicates Skip | Claims of Ghost Canyon as site for “sacrifices” | | 33:00 | Prosecution drops child stealing charge | Avoiding double jeopardy, no murder conviction | | 39:04 | Hosts discuss and dismiss serial killer theory | Discussion of the Speed Freak Killers | | 40:54 | Skip dies (1998), suspicions linger | New search of family home finds no evidence | | 43:42 | “If you have information…” | Call to action for listeners |

---

Conclusion / Call to Action

The hosts close by honoring Theresa’s resilience and imagination, while lamenting the repeated betrayals and systemic failures she endured. The case remains unsolved, and listeners are encouraged to share any information with Fresno Police at 559-498-1265.

---

Case Details for Public Awareness

Missing: Theresa Ann Bier (as of recording, aged ~55)
Description:

• Caucasian, brown hair, hazel eyes, 5’5”, 110 lbs.
• Scar on lower right leg, protruding upper front teeth.
• Missing since June 1, 1987, Fresno/Sierra Nevada, CA.
• Contact: Fresno PD (559-498-1265) for any tips.

---

The final message: The episode illustrates a haunting mystery, highlighting the importance of not giving up on the missing and on the pursuit of truth—no matter how dark, convoluted, or painful it might be.

Transcript

[Vanessa]

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series the First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow the first 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Crime House Promo Voice]

This is Crime House.

[Sarah Turney]

The year is 1987. You're in a meadow surrounded by lush green trees in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. At the edge of the meadow, you see a small grove along a creek. There's a campsite in the center. The end of a fire smolders on top of damp pine needles. Blankets are hung on trees around the campsite and they appear to be placed intentionally on the ground. There's a couple pairs of pants, an off white bra, a T shirt with animal caricatures that say party animals, plus a beige purse and a Polaroid camera.

[Courtney Nicole]

In the purse are Polaroid pictures of the countryside. There's also one of 16 year old Teresa Ann Beer, who was supposedly last seen at this campsite. But some people think this campsite was staged to throw off the police, and they have much darker theories about where Teresa was taken. 39 years later, we're still searching for the truth. Every year, over half a million people go missing. And that's just in the United States alone. Most of those stories barely get a headline. Some don't even get a tip line. And when cases do get media attention, we only get the broad strokes.

[Sarah Turney]

But for those of us who have lived these true crime cases, we know the devil's in the details. This is the Final Hours. A Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. I'm Sarah Turney.

[Courtney Nicole]

And I'm Courtney Nicole. Every Monday, Sarah and I will be looking at the final hours of someone's disappearance to see if there was anything hiding in plain sight.

[Sarah Turney]

Each episode I'll offer insight on what those close to the victim might have experienced. Courtney will use her expertise to give more context into the investigation itself. Crime House exists because of listeners like you want even more. Join Crime House plus and get every episode of the Final Hours and the rest of the Crime House lineup ad free and early, plus at least two bonus episodes every month. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap try free at the top of the final hour's show page. As always, this show is made and recorded by humans, not AI.

[Courtney Nicole]

This time we're discussing the disappearance of Teresa ann beer. On June 1, 1987, 16 year old Teresa told her uncle she was going to school. Instead, she snuck off to go on a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada mountains with a man. Teresa never returned and when the man she went with did, he said she was taken by Bigfoot.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Ad Voice]

Do you love your pets? Do you love suspense? Do you love it when your pets keep you in suspense because they ate something mysterious and who knows what the vet visit will cost if you answered yes twice and then no, you should protect your pet with Lemonade Pet Insurance. It can save you up to 90% on vet bills for checkups, emergencies, diagnostics, all the stuff that leaves you financially on the edge of your seat. Get a quick and Easy [e-mail] pet and get your suspense somewhere else, like from a riveting podcast.

[ADT Security Ad Voice]

Imagine you finally have a free day out on the town you're about to enjoy nice lunch when you get the alert that a window's been broken at home and you're miles away. These are the wake up calls that remind us in one second, everything can change. ADT security systems are built for those moments. They help keep your home safer. With 24. 7 monitoring, no one wants to feel unsafe at home or vulnerable when you're away. And with ADT you won't. Their systems are professionally installed by trained technicians so you can trust them to watch out for your home. From day one, ADT has the most company operated monitoring centers in the industry and the ADT plus app lets you keep tabs on your home from anywhere you have service you you'll get the alerts that matter about your home safety. Don't wait to prepare your home for an emergency. When every second Counts, count on ADT. Visit ADT.com that's ADT.com or call 1-800-ADT ASAP. That's 1-800-ADT ASAP.

[Sarah Turney]

It's 1987. 16 year old Teresa Ann Beer is a loving, down to earth girl who's had a rough childhood. Teresa was born on April 16, 1971 in Fresno, California to Shirley and David Beer. Their first daughter, Yolanda, was born five years earlier in 1966. Since Shirley was just a teenager and David was serving in Vietnam, baby Yolanda went to live with David's grandmother, Mary Beer. After David returned home, he and Shirley asked for Yolanda back. But Shirley didn't treat Yolanda well. Pretty soon David called His grandmother asking her to care for Yolanda indefinitely. Even after that, David and Shirley had two more daughters. First Vicky, then Teresa. Shirley abused both of them. When Teresa was three years old. Shirley abused her so badly they had to take her to the hospital. Soon after, social services removed Teresa and Vicky from their parents care. Not too long after that, David and Shirley divorced. Yolanda was still living with her great grandmother, but Mary was in her 70s and didn't have the energy to raise all three of the girls. So Teresa and Vicki were placed in foster care and sent to live with a member of their church. The girls had a stable home and seemed happy and safe during this time. But it only lasted until their father remarried, a woman named Margie. At that point, David wanted his daughters back, so he petitioned the court and was awarded custody of at least Theresa and Vicky. After that, they moved to Compton, about 15 miles south of Los Angeles to live with their father and his new wife, Margie. Yolanda went to Compton to visit her dad shortly before her sisters moved in with him. She remembered it being a rough place to live. She said it was filthy. And Margie, who had two daughters of her own, mistreated her own kids. According to interviews Yolanda gave, Margie put a lock on her fridge and would sit there eating in front of her girls while they went hungry.

[Courtney Nicole]

One of Margie's daughters, Mandy, was interviewed by Jessica Chobot and Robert Collier for their Investigation Discovery miniseries on Teresa's disappearance. It's called Bigfoot Took Her. We got a lot of great information from their interviews and from Jay o' Connell's book Meth Murder and A California Crime Saga. Thanks to what Mandy shared, we learned more about Theresa's personality. Even though Mandy was five years younger than Teresa, they were incredibly close. Mandy considered them inseparable oddballs. She thought of Teresa as fun, happy, good hearted, always smiling and super tomboyish. Teresa liked to climb trees and didn't care about getting dirty. One thing she and Mandy enjoyed together was camping. But that close relationship didn't make things easier between Teresa and her father.

[Sarah Turney]

Vicky left first, going back to Fresno to stay with their great grandmother, Mary. Vicky then ran away and ended up unhoused. Eventually, Teresa made her way back to Fresno to live with her great grandmother as well. Mary realized how malnourished Teresa was when she first arrived and took her right to the doctor. Teresa spent a summer with Mary and Yolanda before her father tried to pick her up and bring her home, but Teresa refused. Yolanda said the fight became physical, but according to police Reports he quickly lost interest in getting Teresa back. After that, Teresa's uncle, 42 year old John Richmond, started pursuing custody of his niece. At first this seemed like a good thing. Teresa was incredibly energetic and Mary was probably in her 80s at this point raising two teenage great granddaughters. So Teresa went to live with her uncle, who went by the nickname Blind Johnny. According to one story he tells, he went blind at 18 during a game of Russian roulette. He says he spun the barrel, shot the gun and the bullet stayed inside his head. But nobody knows for sure if this is true.

[Courtney Nicole]

So what I learned, Sarah, was that a lot of people thought Johnny saw an opportunity by taking in Teresa because he could receive money to care for her. Which makes sense because Teresa said the living situation was terrible there too. It didn't seem to be out of the goodness of his heart. Not to mention he was living in a rough part of Fresno called Motel row that had 24, seven sex work and tried drugs. The police knew him for buying and selling stolen goods and for using meth, which he sold too. The apartment they lived in was filthy and Johnny constantly had Teresa doing housework and cooking. Johnny also had two young sons and he'd forced Teresa to miss school to babysit them. All of which seemed to set her back a bit because by the summer of 1987, 16 year old Teresa was just finishing up her freshman year at Fresno's Central High School. She was at least a year older than all of her classmates and was placed in special education classes. People unfairly described her as a slow learner and immature without addressing the real a series of bad caregivers. But the really horrific part was something Teresa shared with her sister Vicky. She claimed Johnny regularly sexually assaulted her.

[Sarah Turney]

And there was someone else who verified this story. The child Johnny described as his live in girlfriend, a 17 year old named Tamara, or Tammy Newman. By the way, Johnny was in his 40s. Johnny got Tammy to try drugs for the first time by having someone inject her against her wishes. According to Tammy, Johnny brainwashed her and others into thinking their parents didn't care about them. Then he got them addicted to drugs and convinced them they couldn't go home since they disgraced their white collar families. He reminded them that he was the one providing their food and clothing. Tammy called him the I'm your daddy type. Johnny also had Tammy and others pack, weigh and deliver meth that he sold. His reasoning was that, quote, little girls don't get in trouble, end quote. So Tammy got to know Teresa during this time. She'd try to connect with Teresa while she was making a sandwich in the kitchen or doing whatever else Johnny assigned her to do. And Tammy saw her as quiet, fearful and deeply affected by her trauma. She'd also become incredibly withdrawn.

[Courtney Nicole]

I don't know, Sarah. In 1987, guardianship just wasn't monitored the way it is today. There was a lot less oversight, but honestly, more than that. Teresa had spent her whole life being filmed by the adults who were supposed to protect her. So by the time she was living with Johnny, it seemed like no one else was really looking out for her anymore.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, no, I totally agree. I mean, this whole thing is so heartbreaking. And while that may have, you know, changed since the 80s, I think I will say when I read this, when we go through this, these are still the common signs of a groomer that we see today. Removing a child from their family, saying that they're the only one that's providing for them, and now they've been so disgraced that they can't go back. These are still things that happen today. And it's just heartbreaking.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah. As the story, you know, unfolds and we continue deeper into it, I just feel like it just gets worse. Like Teresa really did not have an easy life. And know when she gets placed with Johnny, it seems like it might be like this good new thing for her. But unfortunately, quickly we find out it's not. And I just feel like she was failed in so many ways.

[Sarah Turney]

Absolutely. Well, by the spring of 1987, Teresa had a plan to get away from Johnny, at least for a couple of days. Just after Memorial Day weekend, Teresa told two of her friends that she was going to the mountains with a guy she'd just met and she was probably going to miss school for the trip. But she was actually talking about a grown man more than twice her age. He was an acquaintance of her uncle's named Russell Welch. People called him Skip. According to Johnny, he didn't know about their secret trip.

[Courtney Nicole]

A few days later, on the morning of Monday, June 1, 1987, Teresa pretended to get ready for school. 43 year old skip stopped by Johnny's to pick her up, pretending to offer her a ride in his tan 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo. She went with him, but didn't make it to school. So a couple hours later, the school called Johnny to ask where Theresa was. That was when he strangely lied and said Teresa was homesick.

[Sarah Turney]

Meanwhile, a few people she knew saw her around town that day. One of the places Skip stopped was his 19 year old daughter Chandra's house. He said he was having car trouble and needed to do a little work on it before they left. After that, he stopped to cash a check. That day, Teresa told a few people she saw that she and Skip were headed to the Sierra Nevada mountains about two hours north of Fresno. And she seemed pretty excited about it because she claimed they were going to camp and look for Bigfoot.

[Squarespace Ad Voice]

You ever heard the story of Harry? He was a legend around here. Until one afternoon he left, never came back. Turns out Harry, Harry went and made himself a website using Squarespace. Used Squarespace domains to buy artisanseatcushions.com and he built a beautiful site with an online store to sell his artisan seat cushions. Now Harry's sitting on a fortune. And if our Harry can do it, anyone can. Build your [e-mail] use offer code, everything for 10% off your website or domain.

[Unstoppables / Rosetta Stone Ad Voice]

You've got a big day, so you use unstoppable scent boosters to give your laundry nonstop freshness. So no matter how long the day goes, you can't stop.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Ad Voice]

This power, this walk, this pose, this strut, this look, this talk.

[Unstoppables / Rosetta Stone Ad Voice]

Your clothes will be so fresh you can confidently strut into that end of the day meeting like a boss.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Ad Voice]

Boss, boss, boss, boss, boss, bosses. Let's talk business in my office.

[Unstoppables / Rosetta Stone Ad Voice]

Add new Unstoppables beads to your wash for 24 hour non stop freshness so you can smell unstoppable.

[Courtney Nicole]

It's the afternoon of June 1, 1987. Teresa and Skip get into the mountains and set up their campsite. Then they head out in search of Bigfoot. While this might seem far fetched to some people, it's not that weird in Fresno. In fact, there have been thousands of Bigfoot sightings in the Sierra Nevada mountains since the 1800s. I do think I believe in cryptids, because cryptids are deeply rooted in both folklore and real world biology. So I dunno, it might seem far fetched to some, but I personally love a good spooky story and like, like all things creepy. So I do believe in them because why not?

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I'm a believer. I'm a believer especially in Bigfoot and I think that's because like through hundreds of years, right, you're getting the same retellings of these stories with Bigfoot like creatures. So I don't know if what's out there is really Bigfoot, but I do think that after all the years of all the stories, there could be something out there.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah, I agree. Honestly, you just never know. And also, I want to make it clear, I'm not like a, you know, die hard believer or anything, but I just think it's really cool to think that it could be a possibility. You know, same thing. Like, same thing with aliens. I know it's not on the same level, but it's hard for me to believe that we are, like, the only ones on this planet, you know?

[Sarah Turney]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I think that there's a lot of areas of the earth that we haven't discovered. I mean, not to mention, Courtney, the ocean. Right. We have discovered nothing at the ocean. So at this point, I think that almost anything's possible.

[Courtney Nicole]

Skip refers to himself as a student of Bigfoot. He definitely believes they exist. In fact, he claims there's more than one Bigfoot. Actually, Skip thinks there's a whole commune of them in the Sierra Nevada mountains that communicate with each other. He says most of them are 7 to 9ft tall and have dark, short hair. He claims to have seen several of them at different times and locations, and he's hoping to see more with Teresa now.

[Sarah Turney]

I have no idea if Theresa had any interest in Bigfoot before she met Skip, but her stepsister Mandy said that Teresa could be convinced of anything. She was very trusting. However, Johnny insists he didn't know about her plans. So when 9:30pm rolls around on Monday, June 1, 1987, and Teresa still isn't back, he calls the Fresno police. They reach out to the Mariposa County Sheriff's department, the U.S. forest Service Rangers, and Madera county sheriff's deputies. They give descriptions of Teresa, Skip, and his car and asked them to be on the lookout. Since Teresa was last seen getting into the car with Skip and never arrived at her destination, the police start looking into him right away.

[Courtney Nicole]

Anyone who's met Skip knows he was a devoted Bigfoot believer. He once visited an anthropology professor at Fresno State with a stack of photographs he'd taken, trying to prove the cryptid's existence. He even brought college students to Ghost Canyon up in the Sierras on a Bigfoot hunt. But they aren't the only ones he brought up there. He'd taken a lot of people, including a young man named Kenny Cook. Kenny said that a few years earlier, when he was 15 or 16 years old, he dated Skip's daughter Chandra. In August 1984, almost three years before Teresa's disappearance, Kenny went up to Ghost Canyon with Skip and Skip's son for three days. Kenny saw the trip as an opportunity to bond with his girlfriend's dad and brother. But he didn't really take the Bigfoot part seriously. During the first two days hanging out in Ghost Canyon, Kenny took it easy trying to fish in streams. Skip and his son kept insisting they spotted a Bigfoot, but Kenny didn't see anything. Then, on the third day of the trip, Kenny did notice something. According to Kenny, they were hiking and came to a low stream with about 6 inches of water. It was about 12 to 14ft across and had a giant sandbar in the middle.

[Sarah Turney]

Middle.

[Courtney Nicole]

And in that sandbar was an impression, a giant footprint. Kenny kept walking to a small gorge, and on the other side of it saw what looked like a white gorilla. But as he got closer, the creature disappeared. As they headed back to camp, the three guys started to hear movement on either side of them, followed by strange vocal noises. When they got back to their tents, they heard a loud cracking noise and then a tree crashed down right, right next to their campsite. So they just ran out of the place. Kenny seemingly never went back, but Skip did. In 1986, the summer before Teresa disappeared, Skip took another teenager up to Ghost Canyon. One of his daughter's friends, 16 year old Michelle Ryan Turner. Michelle says Skip convinced her to go by telling her stories of the otherworldly things he'd seen up there. They made a plan to go with Chandra, but the day they were supposed to leave, Skip said she couldn't go. Instead, two other guys in their 30s went with them. The group didn't get to their campsite until darkness was falling. They built a fire and were all hanging out around it when Skip pointed something out. A Bigfoot far away on another hill. That's when Michelle started to see things like movement in the bushes, and it terrified her. Michelle also believed there was something evil in Ghost Canyon. But what's important is Michelle said in media interviews that Skip convinced her to go to Ghost Canyon and that he probably convinced Teresa too. Still several more days go by before anyone can locate Skip. On Friday, June 5, four days after Teresa's disappearance, Madera county deputies spot Skip's 77 Monte Carlo. It's in North Fork, a small community in the Sierra Nevada foothills. No one is near the car, so the deputies return to check on it a few hours later. But by that point, it's gone. On Wednesday, June 10, 10 days after Teresa was last seen, the authorities finally locate Skip at his mom's house near Sunnyside, California, 10 to 15 minutes away from where Teresa lives in Fresno with her uncle Johnny. Skip has an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court on a dui. So the police take him into custody. Now that he's arrested, he seems willing to cooperate. Skip's story has varied depending on when and to whom he's talking. But he tells the police something like this.

[Sarah Turney]

On Monday, June 1, 1987, he and Teresa set up camp. They spent Monday and Tuesday looking for Bigfoot and actually saw one together several times. On Tuesday evening, he wanted to return to their camp, but Teresa wanted to keep looking, so she refused to go back. Teresa wandered off on her own, trying to find Bigfoot again, and that's when they got separated. The last time Skip saw Teresa was on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, almost 24 hours after Johnny reported her missing. According to Skip, he spent two days looking for Teresa before he returned to Fresno. But when he got back, which theoretically would be Thursday, June 4, he didn't go to the police or tell anyone that she'd disappeared.

[Courtney Nicole]

On Thursday, June 11, the day after he's taken into custody, Skip leads the Fresno police and Madera county deputies to a campsite. It's in the mountains near Shut Eye Peak, where he claims he stayed with Teresa. But something is not adding up. The campsite is more than 20 miles south of Ghost Canyon, where Skip has been known to do his Bigfoot stakeouts. When they get out of the squad car, Skip points to a meadow where he claims to have last seen Teresa. There's a grove of trees about 20 to 30ft away. Some have blank blankets hanging from them. Nearby, a plastic bag contains blue sweatpants and maroon shorts that say Fresno High on them. They also find an off white bra, a T shirt with animal caricatures that says party animals, a beige purse and a Polaroid camera. Inside the purse are Polaroid photos of the countryside, Teresa and one of Skip playing the guitar. For the next two days, Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13, the Madera County Sheriff's Department conducts a full scale search of the area around the campsite. It's treacherous, densely wooded with tangled underbrush, dozens of creeks and very steep cliffs. But they cover the entire area with bloodhounds, a mounted posse and a helicopter. Still, nobody finds any new evidence.

[Sarah Turney]

Meanwhile, Skip's story keeps changing. Now he says that when Teresa was separated from him to keep searching for Bigfoot, she left the area with other campers. Then he claims she was led away by a mysterious young woman who wasn't entirely human. Then he says that Bigfoot took her by force. I believe in Bigfoot. I don't believe in this.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah, I, I know. I, we. I feel like I said that right before we started And I'm the same way. Yeah, I do believe in Bigfoot, but I don't think that is what happened here, Sarah.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, and not just the story changing. Right. We've seen that. I think sometimes there are innocent ways in which a person will just change a story without thinking about it, but I don't think that's what we're seeing here.

[Courtney Nicole]

No, I mean, I always try to keep in mind that memory isn't perfect. So little details changing over time isn't automatically suspicious to me. But what really raises a red flag is when the entire story changes or someone keeps replacing one explanation with another. That's a lot different than just remembering a small detail differently. And investigators usually expect minor inconsistencies, but they're really looking for major shifts in the narrative. And Sarah, that's exactly what Skip kept doing.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, her just getting separated from him is completely different than her being taken by force by Bigfoot or.

[Courtney Nicole]

And then now you're adding in like a mysterious young woman who wasn't even like all human. I don't know, like that's a huge red flag to me.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, it's too much. It's too much for me.

[Courtney Nicole]

This might go without saying, but the search parties don't find evidence of unknown creatures in the area, though they do find mountain lion tracks and signs of bears. Then, after the week ends on Saturday, June 13, 1987, the search is scaled down. Authorities still ask campers to be on the lookout, but only check the area themselves periodically. The Fresno police suspect foul play, and they are pretty sure who did it. On Tuesday, June 16, 1987, Skip is arraigned in Fresno Municipal Court and charged with felony child stealing. He pleads not guilty and is released without bail. On Wednesday, June 17, Johnny and his girlfriend Tammy go into the Fresno police headquarters for their interviews. Without implicating himself, Johnny shares Teresa's history. He also justifies lying to the school about her being homesick. He says he wanted to handle the situation himself. He claims he spent the afternoon calling around to find her and contacted the cops when he started to, quote, get a bad feeling. But he's not the only one who made a mistake. The next day, Thursday, June 18, the court realizes Skip was let go with no bail, even though it had been said to $30,000. So on Friday, June 19, Skip is rearrested and held at Fresno County Jail. And soon more arguments come in against him.

[Sarah Turney]

Late the next afternoon, Saturday, June 20th, Skip's nephew, 19 year old James Welch, goes into the Fresno police Headquarters. And he has some shocking information. James spent a lot of time up in the mountains with his uncle over the years, and he doesn't think that Teresa ever went to the campsite Skip showed the police. James is sure that Skip took her to Ghost Canyon.

[Courtney Nicole]

I feel like the age old question was seen staged. I feel like that comes up a lot with a lot of these cases. But personally, I do think this campsite feels a little bit staged. I mean, it wasn't even in an area that Skip was really known for going to, which makes me wonder if it was meant to give investigators something to focus on while pulling attention away from where Teresa actually disappeared. I don't know. The risk, though, is that if you do stage a scene, every little inconsistency becomes something investigators can pick apart later.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, but I do think, like, it's very possible in this case. I mean, how easy would it be, you know, for him to harm her, take her clothing and her items and set up this scene around this tree?

[Courtney Nicole]

I mean, yeah, deep in the woods. There's not going to be anybody that is like, watching you do this. So it doesn't look good to me. But like you said, we just don't know. There's just so many open ends to this case. It seems a little bit fishy to me, but at the end of the day, we just don't know.

[Sarah Turney]

James tells police that there's a deeper reason why he likely took Teresa to Ghost Canyon. Skip thinks it's the burial site of the devil and that's where he receives human sacrifices that Skip has been willing to offer. James said Skip once showed him a rock with a carving in it, and that's where he did the killings. James says that Skip told him he'd picked up young girls off the street who he thought nobody would miss and brought them to Ghost Canyon. He sacrificed these girls to Bigfoot in the area because they worshiped women and he believed it would keep them from chasing him off the mountain. Skip supposedly told James that he threw one victim into a mine and buried another woman in the creek when it got low. In fact, he'd marked off seven victims on a map somewhere, which would make him a serial killer. After James told the police all of this, he says they searched the area using an infrared helicopter, but found nothing. And there's no record of anyone else disavowing appearing with Skip.

[Courtney Nicole]

Surprisingly, Sarah, and honestly, maybe not so shockingly, I actually relate to James a lot here. When I was 12 years old, I found out that my grandma had brutally murdered her own mother, my great grandma before that. I was incredibly close with her. She'd served two years in prison, was released a few years before I was born, and she babysat me all the time. I never would have believed that she was capable of doing something like that. Finding out felt like getting punched in the gun. It's this really unsettling realization that sometimes the people you love most, the people you're related to, are capable of unimaginable things. So I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been for James to start wondering if his own uncle could have been responsible for this. And I'm sure you relate, too, Sarah.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, I think unfortunately, both of us can relate to James. And I just want to say, like, I think you hit the nail on the head. Right? But I just want to say, like, it's so brave. I think when a family member comes forward to say that, like, I saw something, I heard something. This isn't right.

[Squarespace Ad Voice]

And.

[Sarah Turney]

And I just hope that everybody out there listening understands, like, how hard that decision is. I know it was for me, like, coming and not just, like, telling the police. Right. But coming around to that, that the person who babysat you, who, you know, you had Thanksgiving dinner with or whatever, is some terrible monster, potentially, is something that's really hard to grasp. And then on top of that, going to the police to talk about it is even harder. So props to James for coming forward.

[Courtney Nicole]

Oh, for sure. And that aspect is something I never dealt with with my family because this crime happened before I was born, so I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him to actually go to the police. But, yeah, it's definitely like, an odd dynamic where you have this family member where you've grown up with, you think you know who they are, and then you start piecing, you know, puzzle pieces together, and you think they might be capable of doing something horrific. Or, you know, in my case and in your case, they did end up doing something horrific. It's just, like, really hard to grapple with, and it takes a lot of courage to come forward and talk about it. That's, like, one of the biggest things that I love about this podcast is that we both have unique experiences in this true crime community, and we're not afraid to talk about it. Like, we're not the only ones out there, and we want you to know that if you're also going through something like this, it's okay. You can talk about it. Don't be scared.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I love and hate it, Courtney. I'm not gonna lie. Right. But, but again, I think it is important to talk about these experiences to hopefully remove some of that stigma and like, because it is so hard to do what James did. So another shout out to James and if anybody out there is listening, wondering if maybe you should tell the police something, you know, please do it.

[Courtney Nicole]

Okay. So focusing back in on Teresa, James also claims to have met her the day she disappeared. The way he tells the story, Skip drove to James house and told him to get in the car. He said they were going up to Ghost Canyon to fight the devil and either they'd win and come back or they'd lose and die. That's when James went out to the car and told Teresa to get out, but she refused. James said he regretted not pulling her out of the car himself. What's weirder is after Theresa disappeared, Skip didn't tell James that Bigfoot took her. He said a bunch of bikers showed up and she went with them instead. James did not believe it. He thought Skip took Teresa up to Ghost canyon with drugs, OD'd her, assaulted her, and got rid of her body. So the biker theory felt totally out of left field. But the police start to wonder if maybe there's some ounce of truth in it.

[Unstoppables / Rosetta Stone Ad Voice]

I've always dreamed of being able to order my coffee in Italian like a local, instead of just pointing at the menu and hoping for the best. There's something about speaking another language with real confidence that opens up a whole new world of experiences. That's why I'm so excited about Rosetta Stone Sapphire. It's their biggest launch in over a decade. It takes that research backed method we all know and trust and adds fresh, cutting edge features that make it easier than ever to go from knowing a few phrases to speaking naturally about the topics you actually care about. What I love is that you aren't just memorizing vocabulary lists. You learn entirely in your new language through visuals and audio, just like you did as a kid. One of my favorite new features is Chat Miss. It turns conversation practice into a game, putting you in real world scenarios like ordering at a restaurant or asking for directions and giving you missions to complete. You get real time feedback along the way so you build that confidence before you ever have to use your skills in the real world. If you want to take your language skills to the next level, don't wait to try. Rosetta Stone Sapphire. Listeners of this podcast can get 20% off their Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription when they sign up today. This gets you access to Rosett Sapphire in 25 languages. Visit Rosetta Stone.com RS10 to redeem your 20 off. That's RosettaStone.com RS10.

[Courtney Nicole]

It's Friday, October 2, 1987. Teresa Ann Beer has been missing for four months. It's three days before skip is supposed to go to trial for child stealing, when suddenly the District Attorney's office drops the charges. But not because they think Skip's innocent. If they charge him with child stealing and win and then Teresa's body is found, they won't be able to prosecute him for homicide because that would be double jeopardy. Instead, they offer Skip an immediate one year sentence for child stealing if he signs a double jeopardy waiver, which means they can try him again for murder if Theresa's body is ever found. But he refuses. And it works in his favor because after that, they drop the child stealing charges altogether. In addition to the District Attorney's office, a lot of people are suspicious of Skip, including those close to him.

[Sarah Turney]

But not everyone. Skip's daughter, Chandra, paints a very different picture of her dad. She sees him as a hippie and a mountain man who's just quirky but has a good heart. She also tells a story that took place in 1962, when Skip was about 19 years old. There was a fire a couple doors down from where he lived. When he saw the flames and smoke, he broke the windows and went inside. He carried out four children who sadly later died from smoke inhalation. We actually found the old newspaper articles and confirmed this is a true story. Chandra believes this is the epitome of whom who her dad was. And she thinks he was trying to save Teresa's life, too. Chandra says Teresa told Skip how her Uncle Johnny was abusing her. And apparently Teresa never planned on going back home after their trip to find Bigfoot. It was all a way to help her escape. Chandra said she only met Teresa once, the day they left for the mountains. When Chandra saw Teresa that morning, she looked like she had been crying. So Chandra asked if she was okay. Teresa said she wasn't, but she was going to be soon because Skip was going to get her away from Fresno and take her to get help. This breaks my heart as somebody who has gone on the news to defend my father, who was later, you know, tried for murder. This breaks my heart.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah, I actually understand Chandra's perspective way more than most people probably would. I mean, taking it back to my grandma's story, you know, growing up, nobody in my family talked about my grandma's crime. So as an adult, I went and Got those case files myself. They described how she hid the murder for two years, even writing fake letters, pretending to be my great grandma. And how she was still alive in Hawaii. My dad was incredibly close with his grandmom, so finding out his own mom was responsible for her murder completely shattered his world. But even after all the evidence and everything that came out in court, he still stands by her to this day. He knows she did something horrific, but that's still his mom. I think that's what people on the outside of this community, so to speak, don't always understand. Loving someone and believing they did something terrible can exist at the same time. And I think that's probably where Chandra is coming from, too.

[Sarah Turney]

I mean, I think you really sum that up well. It's just one of those things where I think that especially children don't want to look at their parents that way. You know, I think some people cling to the bad memories and some people cling to the good.

[Courtney Nicole]

I also try to put myself in Chandra's shoes, too, because, you know, growing up, she's probably always viewed her dad as, like, this hippie, outdoorsy guy who. Who believes in Cryptids, Bigfoot, all of that stuff. And like you said, like, you wanna believe that the person who raised you, the person you're closest with, somebody you know, that's in your blood, you wanna believe that they're honest, telling the truth, and that they would never do something like that. Sometimes that's not always the case. I mean, look at us, look at our families. And here it's just really hard because there's really no trace of what happened to Theresa. I mean, outside of that initial campsite scene. Like, there's really no trace of what happened to her, any clue of what happened to her. And unfortunately, the last person that saw her was Skip.

[Sarah Turney]

And I mean, so many of these stories are rooted in, like, I want to say, almost fantasy, right? They're going to go kill the devil. They're going to go look for Bigfoot. What is this girl supposed to believe about her dad?

[Courtney Nicole]

Skip told Chandra the last time he saw Teresa, she was talking to two guys on a motorcycle. And that detail sticks with her. Over the years, not so much the motorcycle detail, but the two other guys she was seen talking to. So eventually, Chandra does some digging. She finds a report on the famous serial killer duo the Speed Freak Killers, compiled by private investigator Rob Dick. In that report, Teresa was listed as a potential victim. The Speed Freak Killers, Wesley Shermantine and Lauren Herzog rode up and down California, murdering young Women while felt high on speed. They were active from 1984 to March 17, 1999, when they were arrested and charged with several counts of murder. So the timeline fits Teresa's disappearance. What doesn't exactly fit is the motorcycle detail Skip gave the speed freak killers drove cars and not bikes. Some people also argue that they mostly operated out of Northern California, hundreds of miles from Fresno. But private investigator Rob Dick says that they murdered throughout the state of California and in other western states as far east as Utah. They preferred back roads and were always up in the woods camping. In 2001, Wesley was convicted of four murders and Lauren was convicted of three murders. But they're suspected in the deaths of up to 70 victims. And they mostly went after people they didn't think would be missed. Could Teresa have fit the profile for their mo? Well, due to appeals and a court agreeing that his confession was coerced, Lauren's conviction was overturned. He was paroled in 2010 and died by suicide in January 2012. But Wesley, on the other hand, is still alive. Rob asked him specifically about the Teresa Ann Beer case, but he claims she wasn't one of their victims. I don't know. What do you think about this theory, Sarah?

[Sarah Turney]

In true crime in general, in this world in general, I'm very much like in anything could happen type of person. Right. But I also feel like sometimes serial killers are like this wild card that just get thrown into cases. It's like, well, there happened to be serial killers in the area at that time. And I feel like that could apply to so much area and so much time in the United States. Like, pick almost any case and you could probably link it up with a serial killer. So I don't know. I don't see anything super concrete here. What do you think?

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah, I don't know if I fully believe the speed freak killers were responsible, but I don't know. I also don't think this theory is, like, completely unrealistic. I mean, like you said, it is a big world, so maybe it is just a coincidence, but the timeline fits. They were known to target vulnerable young women, and they spent a lot of time in the woods around campsites. The part that gives me pause is that Wesley denied that Teresa was one of their victims, but at the same time, we're talking about convicted killers who lied, manipulated people, and did horrific things. So I don't know how much weight I'd put on their word. But again, it is kind of a wild card. I just don't know.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I have a pretty solid Rule of, like, not trusting serial killers without proof. I'm not gonna lie. And also, I feel like, in terms of, like, targeting young women, that's like most serial killers. That's like most murderers in general. Right. We know that women, especially younger women, are most often the victims of violent crime. So for me, it's just not enough. It's possible for sure, but it's not enough for me.

[Courtney Nicole]

It's just really sad to think Teresa, literally, at every stage of her life, was just experiencing bad people. I hope that this was not her fate with these serial killers. I really hope not, but I just feel so bad for her.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, same. Those are the kids, right? The kids that come from bad homes. I used to work with kids in foster care, so I would say it all the time. Those are the kids who often get groomed and led to, unfortunately, some type of awful demise.

[Courtney Nicole]

While it's an interesting theory, Skip is still by far the most suspected. But we will never get a confession out of him. Because Skip died in 1998 at the age of 54 with severe coronary artery disease. He was never convicted of murder. Still, people want answers about what happened to Teresa. Like Skip's great niece, Devin Welch, she had this nagging feeling that Skip took advantage of Teresa being so young. So she decided to investigate. And Devin dug up a story that made her even more concerned. Sometime after Teresa disappeared, Skip came down from another trip to the mountains. He went to his mother's house, where they were going to dig up the entire backyard, presumably for some ordinary repairs. But when Skip heard about it, he went ballistic. He started yelling at everybody to make them stop. So they never finished the project. Now, Devin doesn't know if that means some zombies buried in the backyard, but she thinks it's worth checking, which the police did not do back in the 1980s. So in 2024 or 2025, Jessica Chobot and Robert Collier hears the story while filming their docu series, Bigfoot Took Her. They agree that it does warrant further investigation, so they reach out to the current owners of Skip's mom's old property. They give them permission for search and note some something else unusual scraps of old clothing in the basement crawl space. Jessica and Robert bring the Fresno County Sheriff's Department out to do a cadaver dog search, but they don't find anything. However, Jessica finds bones in the crawl space, but they turn out to be animal bones. So while many people suspect Skip, to this day, nobody has proven it beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Sarah Turney]

What we do know for sure is that while Teresa lived through an unthinkable childhood, she still held onto her belief in the fantastic. On June 1, 1987, 16 year old Teresa woke up and got ready for school. But it was all a ruse. She was getting ready to go on a trip that she'd really been looking forward to enough to brag about it to her friends. 43 year old skip Welch stopped by to see her uncle. He pretended to notice that she was getting ready for school and offered her a ride. When they left together that morning, they stopped at a few different places in town and told others where they were going. If it was meant to be a secret, it wasn't well kept. Then they headed north into the Sierra Nevada mountains. They set up their campsite and went looking for Bigfoot. We don't know what Teresa saw that day because she never returned. But we'd like to think that somehow she did make it off that mountain, away from all her past abusers and that she's still out there somewhere, living a better life.

[Courtney Nicole]

Teresa Ann Beer will be about 55 years old as of this recording. She is Caucasian with brown hair and hazel eyes. Her height is 5 foot 5 and her last known weight was 110 pounds. She has a surgical scar on her lower right leg from a childhood fracture and her upper front teeth protrude. If you have any information about Teresa and Beer, you can call the Fresno Police Department at 559-498-1265.

[Sarah Turney]

Thank you for listening to the Final Hours. If you have any other details about Teresa Ann Beer's case, please please share it with us on social media. We want to hear from you. Your thoughts, condolences and feedback are what make this community so special.

[Courtney Nicole]

At Crime House, we value your support. Share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review and follow the Final Hours to help others discover the

[Sarah Turney]

show and to enhance your listening experience. Don't forget to join crime house [e-mail] or if you listen on Apple Podcasts tap try free at the top Top of the Final Hours show page the

[Courtney Nicole]

Final Hours is hosted by Sarah Turney and me, Courtney Nicole and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Final Hours team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pertzofsky, Sarah Camp, Alyssa Fox, Dana Brazil Sulavey and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.

[Sarah Turney]

Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing and Bubba Wallace. You know what's the worst part of a race?

[Courtney Nicole]

A rain delay sitting around. Waiting for the track to dry is dull. But instead of waiting, we hang out with Chumba Casino Social Casino, slots, bingo, solitaire. Plenty of fun to keep us entertained. So why let a rain delay slow you down? Play [e-mail] let's Chumba sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary.

[ADT Security Ad Voice]

Prohibited by Law21+ Terms and Conditions apply.

[Crime House Promo Voice]

The moment a body is found, the clock starts ticking 48 hours before the trail goes cold. From A E and Crime House this is the official podcast from the famous true crime series the first 48. I'm Carter Roy. Every Thursday I revisit a landmark homicide investigation in depth with long form storytelling built for your ears. Listen to and follow the First 48 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Vanessa]

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A and E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series the First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow the first 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.