BONUS: Susan and Blane Barksdale (Snapped: Killer Couples)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Snapped: Women Who Murder
Episode: BONUS: Susan and Blaine Barksdale (Snapped: Killer Couples)
Release Date: June 12, 2025
Host: Oxygen

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Introduction

In this compelling bonus episode of Snapped: Killer Couples, Oxygen delves into the harrowing case of Susan and Blaine Barksdale. This true crime narrative spans over several seasons of investigations, uncovering the dark motivations and intricate dynamics that led to Frank Bly's tragic demise. The episode meticulously details the events leading up to the arson, the subsequent manhunt, and the eventual apprehension of the Barksdales.

Frank Bly: A Life Before Tragedy

Frank Bly, a 72-year-old retired Air Force veteran, had settled into a peaceful retirement in Tucson, Arizona. As Frank’s brother recounts, Frank was deeply connected to his community and maintained a close-knit circle with his family. “He kept his circle very small. He was close with his brother and his family and was living his life” (08:09).

Frank's background as a helicopter and jet mechanic for Grumman Northrop, working on top-secret projects like stealth fighters or bombers, showcased his disciplined and structured nature. His hobbies, including an extensive gun collection and motorcycle riding, painted a picture of a man who enjoyed both his solitary pursuits and occasional adventures with friends.

The Fateful Fire

On April 16, 2019, tranquility was shattered when a devastating fire engulfed Frank Bly's home in Tucson. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion and seeing the house fully consumed by flames. “The owner of the house is missing” (00:26). Firefighters struggled to control the blaze, which ultimately destroyed the residence, leaving investigators with limited physical evidence due to the extensive damage.

Initial Investigation

Tucson Police Department treated the incident as a potential homicide from the outset. Investigators discovered large, open, and empty safes inside the house, raising suspicions of deliberate arson possibly linked to theft or robbery. Despite the thorough search, Frank Bly was nowhere to be found, intensifying concerns about his whereabouts.

Frank's Disappearance

Shortly after the fire, Frank's brother, William Skip Bly, became alarmed by his brother's sudden lack of communication. “I knew something wasn't right” (05:14). Skip contacted law enforcement, leading detectives to the charred remains of Frank’s house. The missing red passenger car from Frank’s property became a critical lead in the investigation.

Unraveling Connections: Susan and Blaine Barksdale

Investigators traced Frank’s last known contact to Susan Barksdale, a longtime friend married to Blaine Barksdale. Interviews revealed that Susan and Blaine had recently traveled with Frank, and their interactions raised red flags. “Susan promises to contact authorities if she hears from Frank” (14:19), but soon after, evidence pointed towards their possible involvement.

Discovery of Evidence in Frank’s Vehicle

A significant breakthrough occurred when authorities found Frank’s red car abandoned on Wilmot Road, 10 miles from his residence. Inside the trunk, investigators discovered residues of blood and gasoline-soaked rags. “We were treating it as a homicide” (10:29). DNA tests confirmed that the blood was Frank’s, leading to the conclusion that he had been severely injured and likely murdered.

The Barksdales on the Run

Further investigations revealed that Susan and Blaine had purchased a motorhome and were attempting to flee. A harrowing phone call from Susan’s daughter, Jada, indicated that Susan feared Blaine and believed she was in danger. Authorities traced their movements to New York, where the couple was eventually located in a motel parking lot. “They were nowhere to be found” (20:29) until their dramatic arrest, which involved the use of beanbag rounds to subdue Blaine (42:05).

Confessions and Motives

Under intense interrogation, Blaine Barksdale confessed to orchestrating the arson that led to Frank’s death. “[Blaine] had the combinations” to Frank’s gun safes and had been stealing firearms to sell for quick cash. Susan testified that she was coerced into assisting Blaine, claiming she was a victim of his threats and abuse. “Susan feels that Blaine forced her to clean up the evidence” (35:06).

The Manhunt and Escape Attempt

The Barksdales’ attempt to evade capture included kidnapping their escort during extradition, showcasing Blaine’s desperate and dangerous nature. Their escape intensified the manhunt, involving multiple law enforcement agencies and culminating in a tense standoff in northern Arizona. “Blaine was pretty agitated. Still wasn't compliant” (42:05).

Resolution: Sentencing and Aftermath

Ultimately, Blaine accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for revealing the location of Frank’s body, which was found in Salt River Canyon on January 4, 2022. Susan received a lesser sentence for manslaughter, acknowledging her coerced involvement. “None of this would have happened to Frank if it weren't for Blaine, and none of it would have happened to Frank if it weren't for Susan” (45:08). Frank’s brother expressed lifelong grief and the enduring pain of losing his brother under such tragic circumstances.

Conclusion

This episode of Snapped: Killer Couples intricately weaves the narrative of Frank Bly’s untimely death, driven by the greed and desperation of Susan and Blaine Barksdale. The detailed investigation, marked by confessions, forensic breakthroughs, and relentless pursuit, underscores the complexities of human relationships and the lengths individuals may go to for personal gain. For listeners seeking an in-depth exploration of a true crime story involving manipulation, coercion, and criminal partnership, this episode delivers a thorough and engaging account.

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Notable Quotes:

• Frank’s brother on Frank’s disappearance: “I knew something wasn't right” (05:14)
• Investigator on the nature of the crime: “We were treating it as a homicide” (10:29)
• Susan’s daughter expressing fear: “She was panicked. I was really concerned that he would just kill her” (16:44)
• Criminal expert on Blaine’s behavior: “There’s Bonnie and Clyde on the run” (02:35)
• Frank’s brother reflecting on loss: “You never have closure” (43:24)

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key elements of the Susan and Blaine Barksdale case, providing a clear and detailed account for listeners and those unfamiliar with the episode.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Podcast Host]

Hi SNAP listeners. We are bringing you a special bonus.

[Advertiser]

Episode today from Oxygen's hit series Killer Couples. You can also watch full episodes live or on demand on the free Oxygen app or on Peacock by clicking the.

[Podcast Host]

Link in our description. Enjoy.

[Advertiser]

He was a retired veteran enjoying his golden years in the Southwest.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

He ended up being stationed in Arizona and he fell in love with it out there.

[Podcast Host]

He kept his circle very small. He was close with his brother and his family and was living his life.

[Advertiser]

But a comfortable retirement would be upended by a devastating fire.

[Narrator]

The calls reported sounds, an explosion, and a house that was fully engulfed in flames. The owner of the house is missing.

[Investigator]

The investigators find large, open, empty safes inside.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

I knew something wasn't right.

[Advertiser]

As the investigation unfolds, the search for a missing person will escalate to the hunt for a killer.

[Investigator]

There had been a considerable amount of blood.

[Narrator]

We were treating it as a homicide.

[Advertiser]

Investigation, culminating in a nationwide manhunt for a pair of dangerous fugitives who will stop at nothing for freedom.

[Criminal Expert]

There's Bonnie and Clyde on the run. Their violent tendencies could come through, especially desperation.

[Podcast Host]

Both of them showed this greed. She didn't necessarily want to see him killed, but we all know how it ended.

[Family Member]

She was so blinded by this fantasy that he was presenting to her. His character came shining through full bright beacon like a lighthouse.

[Podcast Host]

Ev.

[Advertiser]

With its warm weather and breathtaking scenery, Tucson, Arizona ranks as one of the southwest's most popular places to call home.

[Investigator]

Really what draws people to Tucson is.

[Narrator]

A sense of community, affordability, fun things to do and the climate that we have.

[Investigator]

It allows you to be active year round.

[Advertiser]

On April 16, 2019, a dark cloud looms over that community. When residents of one quiet neighborhood are jolted awake. At 4am.

[Narrator]

They all awoke to the sounds of this explosion and this fire.

[Advertiser]

Within seconds, Tucson dispatchers receive a flurry of calls.

[Narrator]

The calls reported the house that was fully engulfed in flames. The neighbors who called in were scared, so the fire department responded immediately. It was important to get this fire put out as quickly as possible. Not only so that they could get inside the residence to determine if anybody needed medical help, but also to prevent that fire from spreading to other houses in the neighborhood.

[Advertiser]

By daylight, firefighters are finally able to extinguish the blaze, but the home is destroyed.

[Narrator]

By the time they got it put out, there were portions of the roof that had caved in, portions of walls that had come down.

[Investigator]

The home was a complete loss. And so Tucson police department arrived on scene.

[Narrator]

The first thing that they're going to collectively do between both of the field.

[Investigator]

Public safety resources is, is look for.

[Narrator]

Victims which they didn't find that night. The owner of the house is missing. Where's the homeowner?

[Advertiser]

Detectives don't have to wait long for the answer.

[Narrator]

Later on, on that same day, April 16, William Skip Bly called Tucson police to request a check welfare on his brother Frank.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

Every Sunday, either he called me or I called him. And that last Sunday that I called him, which was April 7, there's no answer. I called Monday, no answer. Wednesday I called no answer. And I'm sitting there, I said this is not like him at all. Something's not right here. So I called the police department.

[Narrator]

Police ultimately responded out to the house and it was at that point that police realized, oh, this is the same house where that house fire explosion had occurred earlier on.

[Podcast Host]

The important part of the conversation with William at that point in time was to obtain as much information about Frank as possible to assist us in locating him.

[Advertiser]

Originally from Connecticut, 72 year old Frank Bly had called Arizona home for more than four decades.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

He graduated in 66 and he joined the Air Force. He spent two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was a helicopter and jet mechanic and he ended up being stationed in Tucson, Arizona. And he fell in love with it out there.

[Advertiser]

After retiring from active duty, Frank bought a home in Tucson and worked in the aviation industry.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

So he joined the air force reserves. Loved that. He went flying all over the world. He got a job working for Grumman Northrop and they were working on. He was either a stealth fighter or stealth bomber, One or the other. It was all top secret.

[Advertiser]

In his spare time, the deserts and long stretches of highway outside Tucson afforded Frank the opportunity to practice his two favorite hobbies.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

My brother was a very avid gun collector. He had quite an extensive collection of guns Also, my brother had more to say. He had Harleys, he had dirt bikes. There was times that when I used to go out and visit him, we'd go riding together. In fact, he rode with a bunch of guys from Tucson up to Sturgis, South Dakota. My brother used to go on these trips all the time because he wasn't married. He was a guy, he did what he wanted.

[Advertiser]

By 2019, Frank had settled into his golden years and enjoyed a weekly social routine.

[Narrator]

He would go to breakfast with his friends the same day of the week every week, without fail. He would go to the same bar, meet with the same group of friends, have one or two beers, and then he would leave and go home.

[Podcast Host]

He kept his circle very small. He was close with his brother and his family and was living his Life.

[Advertiser]

But on April 16, 2019, concern grows when Frank's home erupts into flames and the 72 year old is nowhere to be found. Inside, detectives uncover evidence of arson Tucson.

[Investigator]

Police concluded that accelerants were found inside the house. They have the odor of gasoline and that that led them to conclude that the fire was deliberately.

[Podcast Host]

When you are searching a residence that has been burned, it creates a number of different challenges. First and foremost is that fires destroy physical evidence. It prohibits the responding investigating detectives to be able to obtain any sort of physical evidence from the crime scene itself, such as DNA or fibers or fingerprints.

[Narrator]

As investigators were walking through the house, police investigators noted multiple gun safes that were inside the residence. They were open, unlocked, and they were empty. There were no guns inside them.

[Investigator]

When the investigators find large, open, empty safes inside of a house, it's certainly a suspicious factor. At that point, they would have been concluding that someone had perhaps deliberately set the fire after having taken items, probably valuable items, from inside those safes.

[Narrator]

It was potential evidence of some kind of theft or potential robbery. Like the fire, damage eradicated a lot of potential evidence for us.

[Podcast Host]

The only place that was left intact, so to speak, was the garage portion. Of the residence.

[Narrator]

The information that Skip gave investigators was that his brother Frank had two cars. He had an old pickup truck and he had a red or maroon passenger car. And now that pickup truck was in the garage when the fire occurred. However, the red passenger car was missing. We need to locate Frank.

[Advertiser]

Coming up, a discovery on a remote highway all but confirms detectives worst fears.

[Narrator]

At that point we were treating it as a homicide investigation.

[Investigator]

There had been a considerable amount of blood in the trunk.

[Advertiser]

And a disturbing phone call reveals someone else may be in danger.

[Family Member]

She called me and she's like, I gotta leave town. She was panicked. I was really concerned that he would just kill her.

[Advertiser]

Detectives in Tucson, Arizona are searching for 72 year old Frank Bly after discovering his house ransacked and set on fire.

[Narrator]

Well, at that point we don't know if Frank has been the victim of some kind of foul play, if Frank has had some role in his house burning down. We know that Frank's missing and a vehicle is missing from his residence as well.

[Advertiser]

As authorities begin searching for Frank's car, detectives follow up with Frank's brother William Skip Bly to update him on the situation.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

We were in a complete fog and what was going on. My brother's missing. I knew something wasn't right.

[Narrator]

It was very unusual for Frank to kind of drop off the radar. According to Skip, Frank led a very regimented lifestyle. So he had a very set routine and he rarely deviated from that routine.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

I told the detectives that the Cow Pony was his Sunday routine.

[Podcast Host]

Detective Cheek and I spoke to a bartender at the Cow Pony whom remembered Frank and knew who he was.

[Narrator]

The last person that we were able to find at that point who had seen him was the folks at the Cow Pony that saw him leaving on I believe April 7th.

[Advertiser]

According to the bartender, Frank was alone that night. But a few weeks earlier someone had joined him for drinks.

[Podcast Host]

Questioning the bartender further, she remembered a friend of Frank's coming in that was introduced as Sue.

[Advertiser]

When detectives run the name by William, he informs them that sue is Frank's close friend. 58 year old Susan Barksdale.

[Investigator]

Detectives learned that Susan and Frank were longtime friends.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

Sue was married to Frank's boss. I guess that's how he ended up meeting her. My brother, he got to be very good friends with sue and the family and the kids and everything. They called him Uncle Frank.

[Narrator]

Susan was married previously and divorced after that. Susan had married another male by the name of Blaine Barksdale. Susan lived in the show low area and that's a location roughly four hours north of Tucson. It's comprised of several towns. One of those is Vernon, Arizona.

[Podcast Host]

So Detective Cheek and I interviewed Susan. Through the course of the interview, Susan seemed concerned for Frank.

[Narrator]

She had no idea what had happened with Frank and didn't know where he was. We asked him when the last time she saw Frank was.

[Advertiser]

According to Susan, she had last seen Frank on April 12.

[Investigator]

She said both she and Blaine had been in Tucson. They had seen Frank. They'd been at Frank's house.

[Narrator]

She and Blaine ended up driving back to Vernon, and she claimed that that was the last time she'd spoken with him.

[Advertiser]

Susan promises to contact authorities if she hears from Frank. In the meantime, Tucson police focus their efforts on finding Frank's car and release its description to neighboring communities. One day later, they get a call from the sheriff's department.

[Investigator]

The day after the fire, Pima county sheriff's deputy sees a vehicle on Wilmot Road, about 10 miles away from Frank Bly's house. And the vehicle is pulled over on the side of the road. Nobody's inside the vehicle.

[Podcast Host]

When the sheriff's department personnel ran the license plate, it returned to Frank, and they notified us that they had located the vehicle.

[Narrator]

That was a huge step forward in the investigation.

[Podcast Host]

Immediately, personnel from the department responded to this area and began a ground search in an attempt to locate Frank.

[Advertiser]

There's no sign of Frank in the surrounding desert, but when authorities search his car, they make a harrowing discovery.

[Podcast Host]

The vehicle was fairly clean. However, in the trunk, there was visual signs of blood, and there were bags with rags that were soaked in gasoline.

[Investigator]

We used a chemical reagent to figure out that there had been a considerable amount of blood in the trunk at one time. They were able to collect and figure out that it was Frank's blood through DNA tests. The fact that the blood was in Frank's own vehicle led them to the conclusion that Frank had been seriously injured, he had bled, and then somebody had placed him into the trunk of his own car, where he'd been for at least some period of time. After that.

[Narrator]

Just based on the quantity of blood that appeared to have been in that trunk, I believed that Frank had died, that he had been murdered. At that point, we were treating it as a homicide investigation.

[Advertiser]

Unfortunately, there is little evidence to suggest who had put him there.

[Podcast Host]

There weren't many leads at this point in time.

[Advertiser]

Then, one week into the investigation, the daughter of Frank's close friend, Susan Barksdale, reaches out to law enforcement, claiming to have received an alarming call from her mother.

[Family Member]

She called me from a random number and she's like, I gotta go. I gotta. I gotta leave town. Like, you could hear it in her voice. She was panicked.

[Podcast Host]

Jada expressed to investigators that Susan's husband, Blaine, was a danger and she was concerned that he hurt Frank.

[Family Member]

I believe Blaine saw Frank as a threat. He knew that, you know, Frank and my mother had been good friends for many years.

[Narrator]

They would hang out together, they would go to eat together. Susan would go out a shooting with Frank.

[Advertiser]

But Jada claims that when her mother married Blaine, he became jealous of her relationship with Frank.

[Family Member]

Blaine had a lot of control over my mom, and he was very verbally, emotionally, and eventually physically abusive with my mother. Anyone who knew my mom knew that she's very assertive in her opinions and beliefs. Just very strong personality. And he was able to chip away at her very strong personality until she was just terrified to have an opinion about anything. I know that Frank did confront Blaine about this abuse and said to keep. Keep your hands off Sue. Blaine knew that Frank could help on her feet if she decided to leave him.

[Advertiser]

Jada tells detectives that she can no longer get a hold of her mother, and she believes Blaine has taken her hostage.

[Family Member]

I was really concerned that he would just kill her. I believe her life is absolutely in danger.

[Advertiser]

Authorities immediately attempt to locate Susan and Blaine at their residence, but they're too late.

[Narrator]

They are nowhere to be found. We did, however, locate some of Blaine's family members up in that area, and they were able to tell us that Blaine talked about signing over titles of vehicles to them. He talked about, hey, can you check on our dog? We're leaving our dog. That was obviously suspicious to us. That was suspicious to family as well. It didn't make any sense as to why Susan and Blaine would be doing this. By all appearances, it seemed that Susan and Blaine were just walking away from that property, their vehicles, their dogs, and never coming back. It was clear to us at that point that Susan and Blaine were going on the run.

[Podcast Host]

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[Narrator]

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[Advertiser]

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[Narrator]

Here we go. New destination.

[Podcast Host]

Welcome to Sunnyside, Martin.

[Narrator]

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[Advertiser]

One week after Frank Bly's home erupted into flames, Frank is presumed dead and detectives are searching for his friend Susan Barksdale and her husband Blaine.

[Podcast Host]

Blaine and Susan were nowhere to be found. In speaking with some of their friends and family, we learned that they had indicated that they were leaving town. So investigators served a search warrant on the Barksdales property in Vernon. Through the course of that search, detectives were able to locate some cell phones.

[Narrator]

We were able to actually access the content of those cell phones.

[Advertiser]

When detectives perform a forensic analysis on the phones, they uncover a potential clue.

[Narrator]

One of the cell phones that belonged to Susan, there were deleted text messages that we recovered from that phone around.

[Investigator]

The time that Frank's home went up in flames. Susan had been in contact with a.

[Narrator]

Person named Brent, and so that became immediately significant to us. They were sent the morning of the fire on April 16. And in those text messages, Susan expressed concern that Brent and Blaine had become separated from each other in Tucson, where Frank lived.

[Investigator]

The phone number for Brent was researched by Tucson police detectives. They were able to figure out Brent was Brent Mallard.

[Narrator]

We learned that Blaine was his uncle. On April 24, we worked with police in the Avondale area, that's in the outskirts of Phoenix. And they were able to locate an address associated to Brent Mallard.

[Advertiser]

When detectives meet with Brent, they're immediately taken off guard by his appearance.

[Podcast Host]

Detective Cheek and I observed that he had numerous bandages over different parts of his body. He had abrasions on his face and the marks on him and the injuries appeared to be that of burns. I remember just looking at Detective Cheek and having a moment because burns all over your body are. That's. That's a clue.

[Advertiser]

Detectives ask Brent to accompany them to the station for an interview.

[Podcast Host]

We didn't tell Brent initially what we were talking to him for, and he was cooperative and calm. Brent initially stated that he was in fact burned, but he stated that it was due to a welding accident.

[Narrator]

Coincidentally, he talked about sustaining these burns around the same time period as the fire that occurred at Frank's house.

[Podcast Host]

We didn't believe his story and we Began to press him even harder in the interview for him to just come clean and tell us the truth.

[Narrator]

And it was at that point that he admitted that he'd lied to us.

[Podcast Host]

Brent eventually told Detective Chikanaya that he was involved in the arson in lighting the fire at Frank's house.

[Advertiser]

According to Brent, on April 15, his uncle had asked him for a ride to Tucson.

[Podcast Host]

Brent advised that Blaine provided a gun as payment and gave Brent a Ruger pistol for him to drive to Tucson.

[Narrator]

He and Blaine drove to Tucson. They went to a house, and Blaine had a garage remote control or clicker, that activated the remote control and opened the garage at this residence.

[Podcast Host]

Blaine had entered the home and had some gasoline. Blaine took the gasoline and spilled it throughout the house.

[Advertiser]

Brent tells police, to his shock, his uncle ordered him to ignite the accelerant.

[Podcast Host]

Blank told Brent that he was going to do it and that if he had told anyone, he would be in serious danger. Brent felt extremely threatened, Stated he got a rolled up magazine, lit the magazine and threw it further into the home.

[Narrator]

Fire flashed back at Brent. He had ended up sustaining some serious burn injuries to his hands and his arms and his face. Brent described running away on foot, and he said that Blaine took off in a vehicle. This was huge because this was the first time we had anybody directly implicating Blaine Barksdale in the arson fire that occurred at the residence.

[Advertiser]

Detectives finally have the confession they need, but the whereabouts of Frank's body is still unclear.

[Podcast Host]

Brent indicated that at no time did he see the homeowner or know who Frank Bly was.

[Narrator]

Brent said that he had no idea as to where Frank was, and he said that Blaine was very cautious not to give him details.

[Podcast Host]

It didn't make much sense to a degree why Brent was had involved himself in this particular incident. However, I think that, you know, part of Brent wanted to prove himself to Blaine and also felt that he was a dangerous person and didn't want to cross him. Based upon the descriptions given and his admitted involvement, Brent was arrested for arson.

[Advertiser]

Hoping to learn more about Blaine and where he might go, detectives continue interviewing his family members.

[Narrator]

The same day that we interviewed Brent Mallard, we interviewed his mother, Thaleen Blaine's.

[Advertiser]

Sister, Thylene tells detectives that her brother had a troubled childhood. Growing up in Tucson. He dropped out of school. He was arrested right before his 18th birthday for selling drugs and stealing and selling, like, ATVs and things. I believe he got seven years that time for that. But he got married right after he got out of prison, I believe, had three children and Then went back to prison. Another drug case. And they divorced while he was in prison. So basically, he kind of grew up in the prison system. After his release from prison in 2011, Thylene says Blaine earned an honest living as a woodworker. He went to work building cabinets and things like that, crayon and that type of thing. And that was where he met Susan. I thought that she was great for playing. I didn't know what she saw in him, but I was happy because I thought maybe that that would settle it down. I guess I was wrong. Thaleen has no idea where her brother is now, and she agrees with Jada that Susan is likely in danger.

[Narrator]

We continually interviewed friends and family of Susan Barksdale and Blaine Barksdale. And what family has been able to tell us is that after the fire, Blaine ultimately procured or purchased an RV for cash.

[Advertiser]

Detectives issue a BOLO for the RV and alert the U.S. marshals Service.

[Narrator]

The U.S. marshals have more resources in that regard, because if somebody flees the state of Arizona, the marshals can be anywhere. They can use a variety of different methods to locate and track potential fugitives.

[Advertiser]

On May 23, more than a month after Frank went missing, authorities get a hit when Blaine and Susan are spotted in New York.

[Narrator]

They were pawning items of property in a pawn shop. Anytime a person goes to a pawn shop, they have to show a photo ID if they're going to sell or pawn an item at that pawn shop. I don't know if Susan realized it, but when she did that, it set up a flag. And as soon as we conducted a records query on her name, we were able to to determine that that punt had actually occurred, where it had occurred, and surveillance images of Susan actually going into the shop.

[Advertiser]

Detectives are relieved to learn Susan is alive. But whether she is acting of her own accord or not is still a mystery to law enforcement.

[Investigator]

We knew they're in the motorhome, and.

[Podcast Host]

We pass it on to the New Jersey, New York deputies out there.

[Investigator]

They were able to locate them at.

[Podcast Host]

A motel parking lot in the Rochester area late that night.

[Advertiser]

In the early morning hours of May 24, 2019, authorities set up a perimeter.

[Podcast Host]

They had the state troopers, the swat. They had brought everybody out there.

[Criminal Expert]

If you take in the criminal history.

[Investigator]

Of Blaine with the desperation and then.

[Podcast Host]

Mix that with guns that were missing.

[Investigator]

And taken, you never know what you're gonna get.

[Advertiser]

Coming up, law enforcement have their suspect in their crosshairs, but a daring escape will leave the whole case in jeopardy.

[Criminal Expert]

When you're on the run, your propensity.

[Narrator]

For violence is very high, and I'd never seen an operation of this magnitude.

[Advertiser]

More than a month into the search for assumed murder victim Frank Bly, authorities in upstate New York have surrounded a motorhome linked to their primary suspect, Blaine Barksdale, and his wife Susan.

[Narrator]

We didn't know what Blaine was going to do. We certainly considered the possibility that he was armed and dangerous.

[Criminal Expert]

When you're on the run and you're fleeing, your propensity for violence is very high.

[Advertiser]

At 3:30am authorities cautiously approached the vehicle and announced their presence.

[Investigator]

We just had to wait and be patient till blame came out.

[Podcast Host]

Then moments later, Susan came out.

[Advertiser]

After. After more than three weeks on the run, the Barksdales are taken into custody and transported to the Monroe County Jail in Rochester, New York. When Arizona detectives arrive, Blaine refuses to give a statement. But Susan appears anxious to talk.

[Podcast Host]

When I first saw Susan, she seemed extremely frightened. She was crying and it sure appeared like she had two black eyes was the first thing that I noticed about her. Susan claimed that she had been beaten by Blaine throughout their trip across the country. In addition, she told Detective Cheek and I some additional information about the events prior to Frank's disappearance. Frank had indicated that that if anything were to happen to him, he wanted her to be responsible for his items. Frank had a large number of his gun safes throughout his house. Susan claims that Blaine was present when Frank showed her the combinations.

[Advertiser]

Susan explains that Blaine saw an opportunity to make some quick cash.

[Narrator]

She'd indicated that Blaine had been taking guns from Frank for a period of time. She indicated he was selling some of those guns to a male in the show Low Area.

[Family Member]

Blaine was a very opportunistic person, very manipulative. He knew that Frank had guns, money. He saw an opportunity to benefit from Frank.

[Podcast Host]

Susan said that Blaine was afraid that Frank was going to find out that he had been stealing his guns from him.

[Advertiser]

According to Susan, that's when Blaine made the decision to kill Frank. On April 12, 2019, four days before the fire, Susan was visiting with Frank at his home when Blaine arrived and a confrontation broke out between the two men.

[Investigator]

Frank's guns had been stolen. Frank confronted Blaine about that. She says that Blaine and Frank were having a discussion or an argument. Frank left to walk down the hall and that Blaine walked down the hall after Frank. She heard a loud thud and she figured something bad had happened. She said she didn't see what happened.

[Narrator]

She came around a corner. She. She described seeing Frank on the ground, bleeding from his head and Blaine standing over him.

[Investigator]

And that's when she learned that Frank had been killed by blaine.

[Narrator]

Susan told us that blaine forced her to clean up the blood and threatened to come after Susan's family if Susan did not help him clean the this evidence up. One point, Blaine moved Frank's body, but Susan claimed she didn't know where. Susan described driving her car back from Tucson to Vernon, and she said that blaine drove Frank's car. At one point in time, she lost track of where blaine was, and then he later arrived at their property up in Vernon.

[Podcast Host]

Susan denied that she had any involvement after that point besides cleaning up.

[Investigator]

Susan says that she was a victim of blaine and was doing what blaine directed her to do. Susan felt threatened.

[Advertiser]

Despite her willingness to cooperate with law enforcement, Authorities charged Susan with multiple crimes, including first degree murder, first degree burglary, arson, felony criminal damage and theft.

[Podcast Host]

Susan was able to confirm much of the evidence and our suspicions of everything. What Susan couldn't confirm was the location of Frank's remains.

[Advertiser]

Blaine faces the same charges as Susan, and in late August of 2019, the couple is extradited back to Arizona.

[Podcast Host]

A subcontractor or a third party vendor was responsible for the transportation of Blaine and Susan. This guard company was driving Blaine and Susan through south Utah. When blaine claimed that he had to use the restroom, Blaine was able to slip his handcuffs in front of his person, grab a hold of the guard. The guards were not armed at the time of this offense. There was no weapons readily available to them. Blaine was able to force both guards into the holding area of the vehicle. He had both of them remove their shirts, which were uniform shirts. Blaine and Susan put these shirts on.

[Narrator]

He detained them, locked them up inside the transport van.

[Criminal Expert]

They kidnapped the guards. They drove quite a distance.

[Narrator]

At some point, Blaine and Susan left the guards locked in this transport vehicle, and they'd left with unknown individuals in this red truck. I was in complete disbelief. I've done this job for a number of years, and I've never had anything even remotely like this happen on any of my cases that I've investigated.

[Criminal Expert]

We believe that Susan was an accomplice at this point, that Blaine was the one that was kind of the mastermind of how they were going to be able to get away at that point. When they kidnapped the guards, they were.

[Narrator]

Going on the run, and they were going to try to put as much distance between themselves and investigators as possible.

[Criminal Expert]

And at that point, the chase was on.

[Advertiser]

In August of 2019, Blaine Barksdale and his wife Susan have escaped after being extradited for the murder of frank bligh Authorities from utah to arizona are desperately searching for the fugitives. After receiving reports they've been spotted in a red truck.

[Criminal Expert]

They've gained access to this red gmc pickup truck that became famous overnight in arizona. Every billboard over all the interstates and the highways dps had already put up, you know, look out for that vehicle. The media had really picked up on that. There's bonnie and clyde on the run.

[Narrator]

Obviously, blaine's actions indicated that he was a threat and that he was dangerous. Additionally, what's important to remember is that we have still dozens and dozens of firearms that are unaccounted for. We didn't know if blaine had hidden those firearms somewhere where he might retain access to them.

[Criminal Expert]

We believe that from blanding, utah, they came down into kind of northeast arizona, and that's where the marshals and our task force and all of our partners really kind of picked up the pieces and started the hunt.

[Advertiser]

As the manhunt intensifies, authorities work to track down the couple's known contact. In her earlier conversation with detectives, Susan had dropped a possible tip.

[Podcast Host]

Susan stated that blaine sold a number of frank's guns to a man in show low, arizona, and identified him. We responded to his residence and interviewed him. He was in possession of a large number of guns, but he purchased those guns not from blaine, but from.

[Criminal Expert]

Blaine. Has a pretty checkered criminal history. He has a past, but how was he able to turn this lady, you know, who lived a very normal life for all these decades now, into being something else?

[Podcast Host]

Both of them were committing criminal acts. You know, both of them showed this greed that they needed to have more money, and they thought it was a good idea to get that money by selling frank's gun. I think all of those reasons are why susan could bypass and look past the long friendship that she had with frank. She didn't necessarily want to see him killed, I'm sure. But we all know how it ended.

[Advertiser]

Sixteen days into the manhunt, authorities receive a tip that the couple could be hiding out in a notorious stretch of northern arizona.

[Narrator]

It's a very rural, rugged, remote area, and a lot of people will go there just to hide from law enforcement.

[Criminal Expert]

We were able to put together information from a call that we got to this guy that's on probation that lives in the area that happened to be in custody. In the password, blaine. There's a likelihood that blaine and susan are there, and so that's when the decision was made and it was put together of a plan that we're going to go in the.

[Narrator]

It Was a large lot with a lot of vehicles and outbuildings. There's no street lights in this area. It was a dark night.

[Criminal Expert]

We wanted to make sure that we can make contact and as safe as possible in case Blaine, Susan, or this other guy decided we're going to shoot it out.

[Narrator]

It was a very tense period of time there. We were not going to allow them to explode again.

[Advertiser]

While a helicopter moves into position, authorities on the ground move in.

[Criminal Expert]

We started making the commands over the loudspeaker, Both by loudspeaker that was down on the ground, and also we asked the helicopter to put out announcements and turn on the spotlight. We wanted Blaine and Susan to know that there was nowhere that they could escape from or that they could go to. Their only safe option was to come to us.

[Advertiser]

After several tense minutes, the homeowner emerges and Susan follows.

[Narrator]

Moments later, Blaine barksdale exits the residence with his hands up, and he's complying with the directives and the orders of the officers. As he approached the marshals that were getting ready to take him into custody, it was almost like he had a change of mind last minute, and he became very aggressive.

[Criminal Expert]

He started cussing out the officers who.

[Narrator]

Were in front of him.

[Criminal Expert]

He dropped his hands close to his waistband. Blaine was pretty agitated. Still wasn't compliant. They used beanbag rounds, and they hit Blaine. One of them struck him in the leg and kind of took his leg out from under him. That's when the team goes in there and puts cuffs on them.

[Podcast Host]

They've got hands on him now.

[Advertiser]

With Susan and blaine barksdale finally in custody, authorities pushed them for intel on the whereabouts of Frank bly's body.

[Investigator]

We were able to negotiate plea agreements in the case. So Blaine agreed to plead guilty to a second degree murder With a sentencing range of 19 to 22 years. And as part of his plea deal, he had to reveal the whereabouts of Frank bly.

[Narrator]

He stated that he pushed Frank bligh's body out over the edge of a cliff in salt river canyon.

[Advertiser]

Following an exhaustive search, Arizona authorities finally recover Frank's remains on January 4, 2022.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

Everybody said, oh, you must have closure now. You never have closure. You never will, because you always sit there and say, why did this happen?

[Investigator]

Blaine said he had been kind of out of his mind during that time. He'd been using meth. He felt terrible about getting himself into trouble, killing frank, and then getting Susan into trouble as well. Blaine was never blaming Susan for Frank's death and was trying to take as much of the blame as he could throughout the process. So the relative roles of Blaine and Susan were pretty clear. Blaine was more culpable. Blaine admits that.

[Family Member]

My mother was under extreme duress during this entire time period. The only reason my mom went anywhere with that man was in an effort to protect her family because our lives were under threat by Blaine.

[Investigator]

Susan says she's a victim. She says that Blaine made a lot of threats towards her and forced her to do things that she didn't want to do. Only Susan really knows how much of a victim she was and how willing or unwilling of a participant she was in Frank's death.

[Advertiser]

Prosecutors also cut a deal with Susan.

[Investigator]

Susan pled guilty to manslaughter, which is a less serious crime than second degree murder and first degree murder. She was sentenced to five years prison.

[Family Member]

I believe that Frank was trying to stand up for my mom, who was being terribly abused, and Blaine ended his life for it.

[Narrator]

None of this would have happened to Frank if it weren't for Blaine, and none of it would have happened to Frank if it weren't for Susan. If those two don't come together, Frank's still with us today.

[Frank Bly's Brother]

My brother. I miss our Sunday conversations, you know, going out and seeing him. He lived the life that he wanted, which I couldn't ask anything less of anybody.

[Advertiser]

In September 2019, Brent Millard pled guilty to arson.

[Podcast Host]

He was sentenced to seven years probation.

[Advertiser]

Susan Barksdale served four years in prison.

[Podcast Host]

She was released in 2023 at the age of 63.

[Advertiser]

Blaine Barksdale will be released in 2041.

[Podcast Host]

At the age age of 77.

[Narrator]

You know those creepy stories that give you goosebumps? The ones that make you really question what's real? Well, what if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest, and most mysterious stories are not found in haunted houses or abandoned forests, but instead in hospital rooms and doctor's offices? Hi, I'm Mr. Ballin, the host of Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries. And each week on my podcast, you can expect to hear stories about bizarre illnesses no one can explain, miraculous recoveries that shouldn't have happened, and cases so baffling they stumped even the best doctors. So if you crave totally true and thoroughly twisted horror stories and mysteries, Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries should be your new go to weekly show. Listen to Mr. Ballan's Medical Mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Spotify or Apple podcasts.