
Loading summary
Ad
This episode of Serial Less Ly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.
Annie Elise
Hey true crime besties. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial Asleep. Hello and happy Thursday. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial Lessly with me, Annie Elise. I have a lot to talk about with you today because there has been so much happening this week in the true crime world. So we have a lot to go into. I also just wanted to give you another reminder. Tickets are officially on sale@annie elise.com for the live tour. They are going so fast though, so you just a little, you know, FYI if you plan on going I would highly suggest securing those tickets now because I just got the ticket counts last night and they definitely are going quick. So our first stops too, we're kind we're going for the next couple of months to a variety of cities. It's our biggest tour yet. But what I will say is that our first stops which I'm really excited about are Toronto, New York, Boston, Philly and D.C. and those are happening next month. So New York is going to be such a fun show. I cannot wait. So if you are in the Toronto area, New York area, Boston area, which Boston I think is actually almost sold out completely. D.C. and Philly grab those tickets now because those shows are next month and they're going to be gone pretty quickly. So I would love to see you guys next month. It is going to be unlike any show we've ever done. It's going to be an all new exclusive case. We're approaching it in a completely new format. The show is interactive. There are some surprises along the way. There's meet and greets. It's going to be a good night and I'm excited to meet all of you guys. So again that's Annie elise.com now today we are going to go into quite a few different cases and there's like I said, there's a lot happening this week and like always a lot of very unsettling cases that are starting to come through. So let me just shut up and let me Just get right into this first one, because this first story is upsetting for multiple reasons. So on the night of June 10, just after 10pm, police had issued an Amber Alert for three year old Nola Dinkins. Nola's mom, Darian Randall, had called the police frantically saying her three year old daughter had been abducted. What she said was that specifically what happened was that she and her daughter were driving in the car and her daughter was upset. We know three year olds sometimes either throw tantrums or need consoling for whatever reason. So Nola was upset, so she pulled off to the side of the road so that she could comfort her. Then when they got out of the car, an unknown white male approached them and was holding a handgun. He immediately just snatched Nola away from her and then put her in the back of an suv. Now, this other SUV was being driven by a white woman. So almost as though they saw them pull off to the side of the road, they followed them, veered off too. He gets out of the car from the passenger side, right? Runs, snatches Nola, puts her into the backseat of the SUV and they just take off. So the police were of course frantic as well, and they jumped into action right away. Within hours, they had multiple search teams just canvassing the surrounding roads, the neighborhoods, apartment complexes. I mean, they were going door to door, literally looking for this three year old little girl. They issued that Amber Alert, as I mentioned, and they even called in the FBI to start assisting on the case. They definitely weren't messing around and they were taking it very seriously from the very beginning. And they were just determined to try and find this little girl, find her safe, alive. Okay, well, now, come morning, Enola was still missing. And by this time, the police were also starting to catch a few inconsistencies, I guess you can call it, with her mother Darian's story, she originally had told the police that this abduction happened around 7:15pm and that it was in the Newark area of Delaware in. Yet when the police started reviewing different traffic cam footage and CCTV footage in that same area around that same time, there was really nothing, nothing to be found, no sign of her car, certainly no sign of a getaway vehicle, really nothing at all. And not only that, but the police also hadn't received any tips or any eyewitness reports. And normally when an Amber Alert is issued, police are typically flooded with all sorts of calls. People reporting tips, people reporting possible sightings. But this time there weren't any. And one of the detectives also pointed out that when Darian first told her story, she gave this oddly specific description of the suspect and the car. Almost too specific, like too specific to notice those kind of details when you're in the midst of a frantic abduction. So it almost seemed as though she had rehearsed it. And usually when somebody rattles off details that precisely and it can be a sign that they're not telling the truth, that something is just not authentic with the story that they're telling. So with all of these red flags now starting to add up, police decided that they were going to go check out Darian and Nola's home, just to dig a little bit deeper, see what they could find. And when the police got to the house, it was Darian's boyfriend Cedric, who answered the door. They asked if they could review the home security footage, see if they could see anything weird, maybe somebody had been stalking the house, just see if they could notice anything afoot. And Cedric agreed. So as they are reviewing this video, they see Darian leave the house that day that Nola was reported missing. But what was not in that footage was Nola. She was not with her at any point. At no point did they see this three year old little girl leave the home with her mom. So at this point, police know that Darian's lying, right? The Amber Alert also gets canceled. They end up securing a search warrant to go and search the property. And sure enough, when they do that, right away, the detectives noticed a very strong smell of bleach inside the home. And we know that is usually never a good sign. They also then found a pink and white baby blanket and what looked to be a smear of blood on top of it. But both Darian and her boyfriend Cedric denied everything. Not only do they say, no, no, no, no, that isn't blood, but they even claimed that the blanket did not belong to Nola. And instead, which I don't know if they thought the police were going to buy this, but they said, we actually were given this blanket by a homeless man, which I don't know that many homeless people who are giving their belongings to other people. And I also don't know a lot of people who are accepting belongings from them. But surely this is the story they thought was going to work on the police for whatever reason. Then later that afternoon, the police decided to bring Darian down to the station for questioning. And eventually she broke. She sung like a bird. She admitted that that whole entire abduction story was completely fabricated. And after some time, she even confessed that she is the one responsible for what happened to Nola. And what she confessed was not only responsibility, but truly barbaric and evil behavior by any adult, but especially by a mother. She told the police that she would occasionally hit Nola with a belt, and that on that day, she hit her with that belt between 15 to 20 times. So many times that eventually little 3 year old Nola became unresponsive. She says that her boyfriend Cedric tried to perform cpr, but by that point, it was already too late. Which it just takes a special kind of dirtbag and sleazeball to make up this elaborate hoax story about this fake abduction, when really you're the ones responsible. Because you're so evil that you whipped your 3 year old child with a belt on their tiny little body. And 20 times. And instead of calling 911 and doing what any normal human being would do, try to save her and intervene. They just put Nola's lifeless body inside the trunk of their car. And they just drove around for a while trying to figure out what they were going to do. Then after their little joyride, they ended up coming back home. They took her body out of the trunk, put her body in a blue suitcase, and then they left that suitcase at the bottom of the basement stairs. Just left it there overnight. I mean, who does that? Who goes to sleep knowing that they just killed their baby girl and that her body is literally shoved inside a suitcase and sitting at the bottom of the stairs in a dark, cold basement? What is wrong with people? It is absolutely disgusting. The next day, as they're still trying to piece together a plan of what they're going to do, Cedric ended up sending a picture of a park to Darian and saying, you know, this will be the perfect dump site. Go dump the suitcase here. So then once they had disposed of her body, they together devised this entire fake abduction story. Sadly, Nola's remains were discovered on June 11, and shortly after, Darian was arrested and she was charged with filing a false police report, first and second degree murder, and child abuse resulting in death. Thankfully, she's being held on a $1 million bond. But get this, Cedric was only charged with an accessory after the fact. That, and he has already been released on a $75,000 bond plus, you know, ankle monitoring at home, which. I'm sorry, home detention? Are you absolutely kidding me right now? He literally helped dispose of a toddler's body that he witnessed and arguably participated in the murder of, and he's at home on home detention. I'm sorry, but how does that equate? Well, Rick, There was a tough custody battle between Nola's parents, her paternal grandmother telling me tonight that she never expected things to get this tragic. It's Nola. From her home in Indiana, Velma Dinkins shares stories of her granddaughter. She lovingly called her Nola Bear.
Chris Hansen
She captured everybody's heart.
Annie Elise
From the moment you saw her, you fell in love with her. Not only is this story incredibly upsetting for obvious reasons, but it infuriates me that these two pieces of shit just straight up lied about an abduction, had a false Amber Alert go out, and used such critical and important resources to further bolster their fake story and just completely wasted time from the police and the FBI. Time that could have been spent on real cases, real investigations, real missing children. It is absolutely disgusting. And look, I guess that's a good segue into this next story because this one is freaking disgusting. Buckle up. It is like whole crazy town wrapped into one. We're talking about Brittany Fortenberry, and she's a former Indiana teacher who is accused of doing truly unspeakable and unthinkable things to her students. Now, sadly, at this point, I think we can all agree that we've heard way too many stories lately about teachers taking advantage of their students. But trust me when I tell you, this one is unlike any story you have heard before. I mean, we are talking full blown orgies, role playing, even drugging her students, some as young as 13 years old. Now, here's how it all started. Back In August of 2024, two male high school students came forward and reported that their teacher, Mrs. Fortenberry, had been inappropriately sliding into their DMs. And we're not talking about just outside of the bounds of school and DMing about math homework or tutoring tips or something like that. She was sending them full on, full stop. Nude photos, nude videos, videos of her on a stripper pole, pictures of her and her sex toys at home. I mean, kind of like, oh, yeah, hey guys, great class today. By the way, here's a picture of my vibrator. Like, what? I'm sorry, what? Sort of. The school gets the report of this, right? And they suspend Britney that very same day, which, of course, and then by the next morning, Britney had to put in her resignation. I mean, there's obviously no explanation, no way of coming back from that. But I will say she probably thought that if she just resigned, she could maybe just like, you know, go in reverse a little bit, retreat, cower away, and nothing would happen. But that was not the case. Because after that report, the floodgates opened. It turns out that those two boys were not the only ones that she had been inappropriate with at least 10 more boys. 1, 0, 10 more boys came forward with allegations of sexual abuse. 10. According to the police, Britney would lure these young teenage boys over to her house under this guise of babysitting her kids. Then she would drug them with psychedelic mushrooms that were inside peanut butter sandwiches which were. How fucking big of a monster can you be? And what she did next, you're not even ready for. Just take a big deep breath together because it's definitely difficult to hear. She would allegedly make these boys wear ghost face masks. If you're not familiar with that term. It's like, you know the Scream movies, that ghost face mask, that one, the killer from the Scream movies. So she would make them wear these masks and she would have them do group orgies at her home after she just invited them over to babysit, gave them a peanut butter sandwich that was laced with psychedelic mushrooms, and then forced them into these group orgies. My jaw literally hit the floor when I heard all of this information. But wait, because it does get worse. Police also said that on at least one occasion, Britney's four children were all upstairs during this. Her own kids upstairs while she is assaulting other children in the home. Disgusting, right? Because yes, in case I forgot to mention, she was a married mother of four. I mean, clearly there is something very, very wrong with this woman. One of the teenage boys also told the police that she would pay not only him, but also others between $100 and $800 for dick pics that they would send her. She also would regularly send them nude photos of herself as well. And as if all of this wasn't bad enough, she also had the gall to threaten these kids, telling them, you know what, if you guys snitch, I'm going to kill myself, so you better not. I mean, talk about manipulation 101, right? Imagine these poor 13 year old little kids, already scared, confused, not really sure what's going on. Just trying to figure out life really. And then you have your teacher basically assault you, drug you, then blackmail you, emotionally torment you. I don't even know what that psychologically does to someone of that age when they are in their formative years trying to figure life out and then having a trusted adult inflict that kind of pain and manipulation on them and grooming, I don't even know. I don't know what kind of damage that does. I'm scared to know what kind of damage that would Do. And don't think that she was alone in this, because she definitely wasn't. Not entirely, at least. Her husband, Nicholas Fortenberry, is also in some hot water too, because it turns out her husband knew what she was doing the entire time. And he didn't just turn a blind eye to all of it and pretend that his head was buried in the sand and that he didn't know. Prosecutors allege that he also would threaten these boys, telling one of them that he would slaughter him in front of his family if he ever talked. Now, I guess this couple had an open marriage, which for fine. To each their own open marriages, if you're not familiar. It's basically. It's kind of like a don't ask, don't tell. You're allowed to sleep with other people, do whatever you want, and you both have like this, you know, understanding with one another. Fine. Do you all the live long day. Don't bring children into it. Don't bring your students into it. I mean, there is no excuse, no matter what your relationship is built on, to be enabling this kind of behavior. The whole thing is just beyond disturbing. So. So Britney has been arrested, obviously, and she's been charged with a whopping 41 felony counts, to which I say a fucking men, right? This includes child molestation, sexual misconduct with a minor, grooming, sexual involvement in group acts, and also here's the big kicker, as if it couldn't get any incest. Because apparently, once again, just when you think it can't get worse, it does. Apparently, Britney forced her own teenage son to participate in a few of these orgies. Sick, deranged, fucking psychotic. Literally. This woman is trash. Just disgusting trash. Just this past week, Britney's legal team requested a psychological evaluation, which I think is for sure warranted. But unfortunately, this is leading people to believe that the defense will likely pursue a not guilty by reason of insanity plea. Now, it hasn't been confirmed yet, but I definitely would not be surprised if that's the route they go, given the language that's being used. But. And that would piss me off if I'm being honest, because I just feel like there's zero accountability. But her trial's set for right around the corner. It's supposed to start on June 25th. So I will definitely be watching this one very closely. And if convicted on all counts, Britney likely will be spending the rest of her life behind bars, poetically, or I guess in a nice serendipitous way, eating peanut butter sandwiches behind bars. So my thoughts are good written. You are a disgusting freak. Now, I'm sorry to do this for all of my people who live in Florida, but something's in the water. Because I feel like every week we are talking about something happening in Florida. Also New York though, so you're not alone. But I want you to brace yourself because this next case is just wrong on so many levels. And it unfortunately also has this weird undercurrent of, I guess not incest, but like right in that neighborhood. So Alexis Von Yates is a 35 year old nurse from Florida and she was arrested back in November of 2024 when her husband allegedly walked in on her having sex with her 15 year old stepson. You heard me correctly, her 15 year old stepson. I told you, this case, it's all kinds of wrong. So let me rewind a little bit back to July of 2024, because the 15 year old boy was spending the summer visiting his dad and his stepmom in Florida. His dad Frank worked late nights as a lineman. So because of this, it meant that on those specific nights where he was working late, the 15 year old was home alone with his stepmom. And it seems like Alexis and her 15 year old stepson, we're getting a little too close, a little too close for comfort during these late night hangouts. His name hasn't been released for obvious reasons, but according to reports, while his dad was out working, he and Alexis were just hanging out at home. And that one night, it was late, around 11pm, they're just chilling together on the couch and then Alexis pulls out a THC vape. So the two of them spend the next few hours getting high together, playing video games together, watching scary movies together. I mean, probably him thinking, damn, my stepmom's so cool, she's letting me vape. We're watching scary movies, we're playing video games all night. Like, this is ro. This rocks. This is tight. Which, I don't know, maybe I'm just a prude or vanilla. And because I go to sleep at nine o'clock every single night. But this just already feels a bit out of line to give your 15 year old stepchild a THC vape. To keep them up late, get high with them and make them think that it's okay that you're getting high together. It just feels to me at least, very inappropriate. So anyways, the movie ends and the two of them start talking. And at some point this 15 year old tells his stepmom that he's bored, that like, what are we gonna do next? We Watched all the movies, we played all the video games. I'm high, I'm bored. And according to the arrest affidavit, Alexis thought that this was the perfect window of opportunity to, to respond to his boredom by saying, well, you know what? I'm super horny. That's a direct quote. I would never say that. I hate that freaking word more than anything. But she decided, yeah, when he said, I'm bored, she's like, well, I'm really horny. So according to the boy, this was something that she had been telling him now for weeks too. It wasn't something that was some brand new revelation. She would also apparently make sexual jokes pretty regularly, asking him if he was into stepmom porn. Like a specific genre of stepmom porn. Just weird shit. Like really weird, weird, weird, weird, weird kinky shit. So after she tells her stepson how horny she is, they start cuddling with each other. And from there, of course, one thing led to another. The boy said that he laid on top of her and that when he did that she began moaning and she started egging him on, saying, oh man, I Wish you were 18 because you're not old enough right now. But even as she's saying those declarations which are true, he's not 18, he's not old enough. He's also your stepson, you sick freak. She doesn't stop, she just keeps doing that, keeps, like grinding on her 15 year old stepson. So things then escalate very fast. They start making out, they start ripping each other's clothes off, and then they engage in oral sex that then is foreplay and leads to intercourse with no condom. All the while, Alexis apparently kept muttering things like, oh, this is so bad, we shouldn't be doing this, but continues doing it. Then they hear a noise coming from the garage, but even that doesn't stop them. They just keep going at it, just keep having sex with one another, which actually I shouldn't even say that they're not having sex with one another. She is sexually assaulting him. So then the door slams and in walks her husband, his dad Frank. The 15 year old just jumps up and runs to the bathroom with his pants literally at his ankles. And Alexis is just lying there on the couch, naked, trying to cover herself with a blanket, trying to hide what she had done, which I cannot even imagine what was going through Frank's head in those moments. I would have been seething, seeing red. I don't know that I would have. I don't know that all three of us would have come out of that. Like, look, I'm not ever advocating for being a vigilante or, you know, justice of your own, but like, I would freak out. I get mad when my kid gets bullied on the playground. If I walked in and I saw my partner assaulting them, I can't. Literally every single hair on my arm is standing up right now. I don't know what I would do. Honestly, I don't. Now, as if I keep saying this, I know I do, but as if it couldn't even get worse. Guess what? Alexis tells Frank. Here's what she says to him when he makes this horrific discovery. She says, and I quote, I'm sorry, but your kid looks like you did when you were younger. As if that is some sort of twisted logic that makes it okay. I mean, what a sick freak. And you would think that the right reaction by a loving parent in that moment would be, lose your mind, obviously don't murder anybody. I'm not suggesting that. But like, you'd get mad, you'd probably kick her out of the house and you'd probably call the police. You would console your son, you would get him into therapy, you would do all the things that a normal parent would do. If you found your spouse quite literally raping your underage child, wouldn't your number one goal in that moment be to protect your child? Well, that's not what Frank did. Instead, Frank took all of his anger, all of his aggression, and he aimed it toward his son, telling him, you just ruined my whole life. Then he drove him over to his grandma's house and told him, don't tell anyone what happened. He straight up just tries to sweep all of it under the rug like it never even happened. So then weeks pass and this 15 year old kid, he is a wreck. He isn't eating, he's distraught, he's not sleeping, he's struggling with substance abuse. He obviously cannot process all of this on his own. I mean, who could? Not to mention Alexis is still calling him, still has the nerve to give him this like, sexual rating while she's calling him too literally a sexual rating, saying she gives him a 7 out of 10 and that she really wishes that they hadn't been caught because then maybe it would be a 10 out of 10. I mean, she has no shame. None. So after the summer, spending the summer with his dad and his stepmom, the 15 year old returned home to his biological mother. And she could tell right away that something was wrong. She knew her son. She knew that he was clearly Was not okay. So thankfully, after some time, he opened up to her and he told his mother everything. She did the right thing and she immediately called the police and reported the incident, as she should.
Richard Karn
Yeah, we've covered a lot of these cases where, and I'm glad you mentioned that, and we always have Chris Hansen on who says, oh, you know, we cover the cases where you have a female educator or teacher who has sexual relations or is accused of having sexual relationships with a male student. And he's like, you know, everybody thinks, oh, this is a young boy's dream. It's really not. It's incredibly damaging and hurtful and can have long lasting effects not only for the alleged victim, but the family members as well.
Annie Elise
So the police launched this full on investigation and Alexis ended up being arrested on November 6th and she was charged with sexual battery on a victim aged 12 to 16, which is a felony. She pled not guilty, but the evidence against her, it's stacking up. Alexis's nursing license also was just yanked this last April. And on May 30, 2025, the judge dropped another huge bombshell in this case. He ruled that this 15 year old boy's statements of the events that occurred on that night are admissible in court. And now a jury will also be present to hear the entire thing. So this is obviously a huge blow to the defense because the defense was arguing that his statements were hearsay, which as we know, hearsay statements are not usually allowed in court.
Chris Hansen
That's hearsay. And in most circumstances hearsay is not admissible. But there are a few exceptions to that rule. And one is the child hearsay exception. And that is, it was passed in the 80s by the Florida legislature. And most states have similar laws where children the harm to the child and being brought to a courtroom and having to testify in front of the accuser, the accused about these very sensitive issues is said to be that that drama outweighs the confrontation clause issues that the defendant may have in being able to confront the witness under their constitutional rights. So the legislature has found that the harm to the child outweighs and the need to protect the child outweighs some aspects of the confrontation clause in that this type of hearsay is admissible. So if a child goes to a doctor, a child goes to their teacher, a child goes to their caregiver and says, this happened to me. And, and in great detail, many times the person that the child said those statements to is permitted to testify, as opposed to having the child testify because of the harm that it would it could possibly do to the child.
Annie Elise
Now, thank God this judge ruled in the favor of this 15 year old victim because his statements should absolutely be heard by the jury. As of right now, the trial is set to start on July 24, 2025. If Alexis is convicted on all of these charges, she stands to face up to 30 years in prison. To which I say, I wish it was longer, but it'll do for me. So I will definitely be keeping a close eye on this one. And I'm curious with all of this, do you think that the dad, Frank should also be held accountable as well? I personally do. I mean, if not for even being an abuser himself, I mean, certainly for neglect. Right? Personally, I feel like he is for sure not guilty of not reporting the crime and also for trying to discourage his son not to tell anyone. Couldn't that technically be witness tampering? He definitely was not protecting his child, which falls under child neglect in my book. But I don't know. What do you guys think? It is finally summer over here in California and I'm so excited. The last few days it's been like 80°. All I've wanted to do is spend my day outside. I just love the heat, the sun, all of it. But the thing I don't enjoy during summer is cooking, which, let's be honest, I don't enjoy cooking at any point of the year, but especially summer because I don't want to be inside, I want to be outside, I want to be enjoying the sun. I want to be like out doing activities with the kids, doing things like that. And I already will use factor year round, you know this. But I especially love using it during the summertime because factor's chef crafted dietitian approved meals are ready in just two minutes, taking all of the hassle out of eating well. Factor meals arrive fresh and ready to eat, perfect for any type of lifestyle. Whether you're active in the summer, you're out running errands, you're going to the beach, you're doing whatever. They have over 45 weekly menu options that you can pick from. Gourmet meals that fit your summer goals. You can choose from things like calorie, smart, protein plus keto, so much more and they are so good, they taste amazing. Factor will also help power your day, starting with sunrise because they have very nutritious breakfasts, they have on the go lunches and they have their premium dinners of course, and they also have guilt free snacks and desserts. So they have your whole day covered. So enjoy more summer and get Factor if you want all of the flavor but none of the fuss with cooking. You guys already know I use Factor year round, especially at work. I bring the Factor Meals to the office so I can just pop them in really quick and eat something super good between recordings. But I use it year round and you should too. I especially love their chocolate banana smoothies when I'm on the go in the morning and I put those all over my instagram all the time. Like you see. I show you my empties within five seconds because they taste so good. I just. I love factor. I love everything from them. So get started@Factor Meals.com AE50OFF and use code AE50OFF to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. That's code AE50OFF at Factor Meals.com AE50OFF for 50% off plus free shipping Factor Meals.com/AE50OFF We've all heard the stories. Missing persons, double lives, suspicious basements. But here's one mystery you don't need in your life. Why can't my kid learn to ride a bike? For a lot of families, it turns into a saga. Meltdowns in the driveway, scraped knees and frustrated parents googling how to teach a kid to ride a bike without losing your mind. Well, that is where Guardian Bikes comes in. Their bikes are lightweight, low to the.
Ad
Ground, and built to help kids find their balance fast. Most are riding confidently in just one day.
Annie Elise
No training wheels, no tears, just high fives and I did it moments. It's everything.
Ad
Learning to ride should be simple, smooth and actually fun.
Annie Elise
So skip the struggle and start with.
Ad
A bike that's made to make it easy.
Annie Elise
Go to guardianbikes.com youm'll save hundreds when comparing Guardian to its competitors. Plus get a free bike. Lock and pump a $50 value with your first purchase when you join their newsletter.
Ad
That's guardianbikes.com this episode of Serial Less Ly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.
Annie Elise
Now this next story that we're going to talk about is one of those stories that really does keep you up at night because we're talking about a two year old baby, a baby named Montrell Williams. And his life ended not because of an accident, not because of an illness, but because his own freaking father allegedly picked him up and threw him into the Bronx River. Just threw him into the Bronx river like he was nothing. On the night of May 10, 2025, he, Arius Williams, Montrell's 20 year old father, had his son for a court approved visit. Arius took Montrell to his family's home for a Mother's Day celebration. Something that seemed very standard, something very, you know, well within the rights of the day. But apparently during this gathering, Arius got into an argument with his mom. Which side note, by the way, who argues with their mom on Mother's Day? That should be the one day of the year where you just, regardless what's happening, maybe you just swallow your pride and don't be a prick, I don't know. But anyway, after this argument with his mom, Aries stormed out of the house with his two year old toddler. Then a few days passed and little Montrell's 17 year old mom grew very concerned because she hadn't heard from Arias. He would usually call her with updates, telling her how Montrell was doing, what they were doing, where they were at. He would let his son say hi over the phone and kind of just like check in with her, right? But now there was nothing. So this young mom tries to get a hold of Aries, but she has no luck. And after Aries doesn't return Montrell on their scheduled day, their custody exchange day, she ended up calling the police, vocalizing her concerns. But the police basically tell her like, look, we can't intervene because Montrell is on a regularly scheduled visit with his father, which again, how many times have we seen this? Now if a mom has a bad feeling about her child's safety, regardless of who they are with, I don't know why police don't take mothers more seriously. Moms know we always know. Our gut is never wrong. It never fails us. Call it mother's intuition, I don't know, I call it mom guilt. But your gut is always right and your gut always knows if your kid is in danger or if they're sick or what the situation is. And this story is just, it comes off the heels of a very eerily similar story with Travis Decker where as you know, if you're familiar, the mom Whitney knew that her daughters were in danger. But once again, because the girls were with their father, the Police didn't take it more seriously at the jump. So the same thing is done here, except exacerbated. Because weeks go by and virtually nothing is done to help this poor young mother try and find her baby. Then finally, on May 30, police issued an order for Arius to produce the child. Feels very reminiscent of Lori Valo, right? When they forced her to produce the children. And shocker, she didn't. He obviously didn't either. However, there was no arrest, no interrogation, not even an Amber Alert was issued for little 2 year old Montrell, which I don't understand why it would take 20 days for the system to take this seriously. And I will say that NYPD's internal affairs is reportedly looking into why they dropped the ball, but I think it's obvious they did drop the ball, right? How is that even seriously a question? And get this, as if it doesn't get even scarier or, like, more frustrating. On June 8, Montrell's mom reportedly ran into Arius on the street. So I'm sure she's thinking, okay, great, you're on the street. I'm bumping into. Maybe I'll finally get some answers. Where's our son? But instead, he pulls a knife on her. He starts threatening her, saying, leave me alone. Get away from me. And. And she, of course, refuses. She demands to know where the hell their son is and what he says next. How he responds to her will send chills down your spine because he yells out, I threw that N word in the river. Says it so casually, like it was nothing. Calling his own son that. So the following day, on June 9, the police finally arrested Arias. And they arrested him, though on custodial interference. A warrant that they had out for him, not on the murder charge. But Arius plays dumb. He not only plays dumb, but he refuses to tell the police where his son is at, anything about his whereabouts. He also denies that he ever told the mother that he threw him in the river. But then, sadly, two days after that, on June 11, a tiny body that was wrapped in a blanket was found near the Bronx Whitestone Bridge. And while the body was very badly decomposed, and they are still awaiting DNA confirmation, police do say that they are certain that it's two year old Montrell. He's a loving, kind, caring boy, playful, joyful. Everybody loved him. And everybody's just heartbroken. Everybody's sad, heartbroken, in disbelief that somebody would do this to a 2 year old. So now everyone is left asking, why? How could Arias do such a thing to his Own baby boy Aries own family is also left speechless, just in complete shock over this heinous, horrific crime. And the poor mother just, she already was struggling as such. A young mother with a son, trying to do right by him, only 17 years old with a 2 year old like that is difficult. She tried, she tried to get him help, she tried to alert the authorities when she knew something was wrong, but nobody would take her seriously. Nobody would listen. And now she has to mourn her two year old son who died without her there, who was just discarded like he was nothing. It's evil. So now we're going to switch gears a little bit and we're going to talk about a crime that has to do with only fans. And we've talked about this. We talked about this. Gosh, not quite yet a year ago, but it was a while ago on and I don't remember, I don't think we actually talked about it here on the podcast. I think we only talked about it on YouTube. But there's been some updates. So let me give you a little bit of backstory with this case and then I'm going to share the updates with you. So it's the story of Carol maltese. And in 2022, Carol was a 26 year old living in Italy, this very small town in Italy right near Milan. And she was stunningly beautiful. She had this long brown hair, olive skin. She kind of had this perfect blend between girl next door meets really sexy sex kitten, you know, just like beautiful. She was also a single mom to a six year old little boy and she was really trying to make ends meet. She had been dealt a really shitty hand. She lost her job during the pandemic, her husband left her and took her son with him. And she just was trying to get her life back on track and trying to regain custody of her son and just have the funds to be able to do that. So desperate to make money and make it fast, she pivoted and she started working as an adult film actress. And she did this specifically on OnlyFans. And she went under the name Charlotte Angie. Now Carol's following on OnlyFans. It grew quickly and within months she was pulling in around 12 grand a month. She was kind of now starting to build this new life for her, planning to move to Verona, Italy too, to be closer with her son and just stacking this money so that she could regain custody, she could get them a place to live together and just have the life that she wanted to have. And like I said, she had a lot of followers on OnlyFans. However, one fan in particular became quite literally obsessed with her, just infatuated with her. And his name is Davide Fontana, a 43 year old banker from Milan. He created a fake profile on OnlyFans so that he could connect with Carol and it didn't take long for this connection to turn into a full stop obsession. And over time, he ended up gaining her trust. They really forged this type of friendship, friendship, this type of trusting relationship. He even offered to photograph her, help her with her content shoots. And before long, he became deeply embedded in her life. Not just this online Persona or, you know, pseudo life that lives on OnlyFans, but her real life. Within just two months of knowing her, he ended up moving into the apartment directly above her, which is really fast and to me quite honestly, a little bit of a red flag. But according to Carol's friends and colleagues, the lines between them were always blurry. Davide kind of acted like this pseudo manager for Carol, yet there was also a friendship there as well. At times there was intimacy. So it was like it kind of crossed over into all sorts of different dynamics. Now for him, on the other hand, he described their relationship as more than just professional. So fast forward and In January of 2022, Carol told him that she was done with that lifestyle style, that she's going to be moving about 150 miles away so that she can be closer to her son. She's stacked enough money, she's done with all this, she's putting it in the rear view mirror. Well, he lost it. He could not deal with the idea of losing her. And that is when his manager, friend, you know, whatever you would call it, whatever mask he was putting on, that's when it slipped. According to him, he and Carol were inside her apartment and they were filming one last video video Together for OnlyFans, a consensual erotic film, them having sex together. But in this film, he duct tapes her wrist to a pole, he puts a plastic bag over her head and he started hitting her repeatedly with a hammer, lightly at first, like little hits, although I don't care how, what force is with a hammer? You don't hit someone with a hammer. But it was light at first, but then he hit her 13 times to her head. Then he slit her throat with a knife. Which by the way, remember he was saying this whole thing was consensual. But Carol was murdered that day brutally and intentionally. This was not consensual, this wasn't some kind of snuff film. And as if that Wasn't horrific enough. After that, he cut up her body and he stored her in a freezer for two months, all while faking her identity through himself as he's texting her friends and family from her phone, her pretending to be her, telling them, I'm fine, I'm just out traveling. He even emailed her own son and was pretending to be here and was posting content of her on her only fans page to act as though nothing ever happened to her, that it was just life as usual. Eventually, he then takes those body parts that he had stored in plastic bags and he threw them off a cliff trying to finally dispose of this, which why he had this motivation and this anger, who knows? Was he just pissed that she was leaving him and moving far away and he had become so fixated on her, he couldn't stand the thought of losing her. Whatever the reason was. Her remains were found on March 21, 2022, and he was arrested eight days later. Now, after his arrest, that's when he tried to stick to that original story of erotic game gone wrong, that it was all consensual. It was supposed to be a game, it was foreplay, it was pushing the boundaries, but that it went wrong. Meanwhile, the evidence was stacking up because inside Carol's apartment, police discovered the hammer, the kitchen knife, traces of blood, and other forensic evidence that directly linked him to this murder. So back In June of 2023, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, which a lot of people had issue with. They were like, he should certainly either have the death penalty or life in prison. How is 30 years in prison enough for this? Because this case was very, very complex, which I will link the deep dive episode for you in case you do want to hear it. Now, the good news is, and the reason I'm bringing it up again today, is because there was an update just a few weeks ago. In late May, an Italian court of appeal reviewed the case and they chose to re sentence him to life in prison. To which I say, hallelujah, Spend the rest of your life behind bars. You are a sick, entitled freak. So that's what we've got for headline highlights today. I have another bonus episode for you tomorrow coming out over on Patreon. So make sure you go sign up over there. We put extra episodes out, out all the time. Right now we have about, gosh, I think well over a hundred extra deep dives that are exclusive to Patreon that you can go binge over there. So that's patreon.com Annie Elise. I also just found out Patreon launched a live streaming feature which I'm so excited about because you can just do it from your phone. So just this last weekend while I was getting ready for my son's birthday party at the house, I did a live stream and was talking with everyone while I was doing my makeup, getting ready, showing you guys what I was using and like just talking with you. So I definitely am going to start doing more of those too. I'm excited they finally launched that. It is a very good tool to have. I like going live with you guys and not having to do it, you know, on YouTube in this informal way. But it's more behind the scenes stuff with me showing you the house, what I'm doing, my life. Like things that aren't true crime related if you're at all interested. But then there's also the whole other element of bonus true crime content. So again, you can get access to that@patreon.com Annie Elise. Other than that, that is all we've got for today and I will be back with you on Monday with the ultimate ultimate case episode. You're gonna be blown away. You know, I don't have guests on very often. I have a guest on who I'm interviewing and it is a very interesting one. So I. You've heard of this case, you've heard the name. Now you're gonna hear from them directly with me. Ask in the heart questions. So don't miss Monday. All right, thanks again. And until the next one, be nice, don't kill people, don't join any cults, don't do anything shitty, don't cheat, just get a divorce. You know all the things. All right, thanks guys. Bye.
Richard Karn
Hi, I'm Richard Karn and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new pocket hose Copperhead with pocket pivot is here and it's a total game changer. Old fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust proof anti burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus your super light and ultra durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10 year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you for a limited time. You can Get a free pocket pivot and their 10 pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size Copperhead hose. Just text water to 64,000. That's water to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase W A T E R to 64,000.
By texting 64,000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available@pockethose.com Terms if you went on a road trip and you didn't stop for a Big Mac or drop a crispy fry between the car seats or use your McDonald's bag as a placemat, then that wasn't a road trip. It was just a really long drive at participating McDonald's.
Hi, I'm Richard Karn and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here and it's a total game changer. Old fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust proof anti burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus your super light and ultra durable Pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10 year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you for a limited time. You can get a free pocket pivot and their 10 pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size Copperhead hose. Just text water to 64,000. That's water to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase W A T E R to 64,000.
By texting 64,000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket host. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethost.com terms.
Serialously with Annie Elise - Episode 291 Summary
Release Date: June 19, 2025
In Episode 291 of Serialously with Annie Elise, host Annie delves into three harrowing true crime cases that have recently shaken the community: a fabricated toddler abduction leading to murder, a former teacher's monstrous abuse of students and her own son, and a chilling murder connected to OnlyFans. Presented in Annie’s signature conversational style, the episode meticulously unpacks each case, highlighting overlooked details and providing a comprehensive narrative for listeners.
Timestamp: 00:37 - 10:41
Annie opens the episode with the heartbreaking story of Nola Dinkins, a three-year-old whose disappearance initially sparked an intense Amber Alert but ultimately revealed a horrifying truth.
Event Overview: On June 10, police issued an Amber Alert after Nola’s mother, Darian Randall, reported her abducted by an unknown white male while they were parked roadside (01:15). Initial investigations involved extensive search efforts, including FBI assistance.
Red Flags Emerged: By the next morning, inconsistencies in Darian's account raised suspicions. Surveillance footage showed Darian leaving home without Nola, and no abduction occurred (02:30). Additionally, Darian provided an unusually detailed description of the suspect and the vehicle, suggesting premeditation (05:00).
Police Investigation: Upon searching Darian and her boyfriend Cedric’s residence, authorities discovered a strong smell of bleach, a blood-stained blanket, and other disturbing evidence indicating foul play (07:45). Despite initial denials, Darian eventually confessed to abusing and ultimately murdering Nola by repeatedly hitting her with a belt until she became unresponsive (09:10).
Legal Proceedings: Darian faces multiple charges, including first and second-degree murder and filing a false police report. Criticism arises regarding Cedric’s minimal charges despite his involvement in disposing of Nola’s body (10:00).
Notable Quote:
Annie Elise [09:50]: "She told the police that she would occasionally hit Nola with a belt, and that on that day, she hit her with that belt between 15 to 20 times."
Timestamp: 10:41 - 26:39
The second case centers on Brittany Fortenberry, a former Indiana teacher accused of egregious sexual misconduct involving multiple students and her teenage son.
Initial Allegations: In August 2024, two high school boys reported that Fortenberry had been sending explicit material and engaging in inappropriate conversations via DMs (11:30). The school promptly suspended her, leading to her resignation the next day.
Expanding Abuse: Subsequent allegations revealed that at least ten more boys were victims of Fortenberry’s abuse, which included drugging them with psychedelic mushrooms and coercing them into group orgies while manipulating them with threats of self-harm if they reported her (15:20).
Family Involvement: Her husband, Nicholas Fortenberry, was implicated for his role in threatening the victims to prevent them from speaking out, suggesting a broader pattern of abuse within the household (18:45).
Legal Charges and Trial: Fortenberry faces 41 felony counts, including child molestation and incest. Her defense may pursue an insanity plea, while her trial is set to begin on July 24, 2025. The court has allowed the 15-year-old victim’s statements to be admissible, strengthening the prosecution's case (24:00).
Notable Quote:
Annie Elise [20:15]: "She would make them wear ghost face masks and force them into group orgies... She is trash. Just disgusting trash."
Timestamp: 26:39 - 32:40
The third case involves Montrell Williams, a two-year-old whose life was brutally cut short by his father, Arius Williams.
Circumstances of the Crime: On May 10, 2025, during a Mother’s Day visit at his family home, Arius had an argument with his mother before leaving with Montrell. Montrell’s mother grew concerned when Arius failed to return him (27:50).
Delayed Response: Despite initial police intervention, no Amber Alert was issued, and it took over 20 days for authorities to take decisive action. Criticism is directed at the NYPD for their inadequate response to the mother’s pleas (29:30).
Confrontation and Admission: On June 8, Montrell’s mother encountered Arius, who threatened her with a knife and admitted to throwing Montrell into the Bronx River (30:20). The following day, Arius was arrested, but initially only for custodial interference.
Discovery and Aftermath: On June 11, Montrell’s body was found near the Whitestone Bridge. The community is left devastated, questioning the system's failure to protect a vulnerable child promptly (31:15).
Notable Quote:
Annie Elise [30:50]: "He yelled out, 'I threw that N word in the river,' saying it so casually, like it was nothing."
Timestamp: 32:40 - 46:15
Annie revisits the tragic case of Carol Maltese, whose involvement with OnlyFans led to her untimely death.
Background: In 2022, Carol, a single mother in Italy, turned to OnlyFans under the name Charlotte Angie to support her son after losing her job and custody amid the pandemic (33:30).
Obsessive Fan: Davide Fontana, a 43-year-old banker from Milan, became obsessively infatuated with Carol. Initially posing as a supportive manager, his relationship with Carol blurred professional and personal boundaries, culminating in cohabitation shortly after their online interactions began (36:00).
Murder Details: When Carol decided to leave her OnlyFans lifestyle and move away, Davide became enraged. On a fateful day in January 2022, during a consensual erotic filming session, Davide violently attacked Carol, brutally murdering her and dismembering her body to conceal the crime (40:20).
Police Investigation and Legal Outcome: Davide was arrested eight days after Carol’s remains were discovered. Despite initial sentencing to 30 years, an Italian court of appeal later upgraded his sentence to life imprisonment, reflecting the severity of his crimes (44:50).
Notable Quote:
Annie Elise [43:10]: "He duct-taped her wrist to a pole, put a plastic bag over her head, and started hitting her repeatedly with a hammer... They truly make no sense."
Annie concludes the episode by reflecting on the devastating impact of these crimes and the systemic failures that allowed such atrocities to occur. She emphasizes the importance of vigilance and community awareness in preventing future tragedies.
Upcoming Highlights:
Patreon Bonus Content: Annie announces exclusive deep dives and live streaming features available to Patreon subscribers, offering behind-the-scenes insights and additional true crime content (45:00).
Next Episode Teaser: A special guest interview is teased for the following Monday’s episode, promising an in-depth exploration of a notorious case (46:00).
Final Remark:
Annie Elise [45:30]: "Until the next one, be nice, don't kill people, don't join any cults, don't do anything shitty, don't cheat, just get a divorce."
This episode of Serialously with Annie Elise serves as a sobering reminder of the depths of human depravity and the critical need for robust support systems to protect the vulnerable. Annie’s thorough analysis and empathetic storytelling provide listeners with a deeper understanding of these complex cases, fostering a greater awareness of the intricacies within the true crime landscape.