Someone Knows Something – S10 E4: The Red Cab (March 30, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this deeply investigative episode, host David Ridgen continues to unravel the unsolved disappearance of Jacqueline Furlan Smith. Titled “The Red Cab”, the episode focuses on contradictory accounts regarding key physical evidence, complications obtaining investigative files, and the last reported sighting of Jackie in a taxi. With mounting inconsistencies between witness statements, Sebastian’s shifting stories, and procedural gaps in the Costa Rican investigation, Ridgen tries to clarify what happened the night Jacqueline disappeared, and whether the “red cab” sighting holds the key.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Physical Evidence and Sebastian’s Injuries

• Investigator interviews Sebastian about physical marks following Jackie’s disappearance. Sebastian maintains his face was punched by Jackie, but only a leg scar is visible (01:24).
• Multiple, conflicting stories: Sebastian gives several explanations for the gash on his leg—climbing a beach hill, surfing, snorkeling, and even (to another neighbor) a dog bite. Friends and investigators recall different stories, raising suspicion (08:59, 15:03, 17:53, 18:26).
  • “It looked like he fell off of a fucking motorcycle… I asked him what was going on and he said no, a dog did it.” – Travis, Sebastian’s neighbor (18:26)
  • Krista, Jackie’s friend, finds the “slipping on the hill” story believable, but Gordon reports Sebastian also cited “snorkeling” (15:19, 15:51).
  • Investigator Luis Fernando notes wounds on Sebastian’s hands and legs, allegedly from “surfing” (15:58).
• Police report omissions: No mention of these scars exists in official files, and Sebastian’s accounts seem tailored to listener, prompting suspicion of his involvement or intent to mislead. Ridgen questions whether poor memory or something else is to blame:
  • “While snorkeling, while surfing, hurt on rocks in the ocean and slipping going up the hill or going down the hill could arguably all be within the same realm of experience or a translation or recall. A dog bite at the beach is a different matter.” (19:41)

2. Frustrations Accessing the Investigative File

• Bureaucratic dead ends: Jackie’s parents, with Maria Jose Burgos and Ridgen’s help, face months of stonewalling from Costa Rican authorities. The lead prosecutor repeatedly directs them to others (03:33).
• Breakthrough from Karina: A court employee empathizes personally (“if it was her daughter lost, she’d want someone to help her”), helps the family obtain and translate the full investigative file (05:10).
• Doubts about file completeness: The main investigator, Ulises Guevara, becomes unavailable after being arrested for alleged extortion, raising doubts about file reliability and completeness (06:15).

3. Police and Volunteer Search Efforts

• OIJ police searches at Jackie/Sebastian’s home used cadaver dogs but conducted no digging, contrary to Sebastian’s claims of an extensively dug-up property (08:59).
  • Sebastian claims cops “dug everywhere,” but volunteer group OPEN says they only did surface sweeps on other properties and that Sebastian prevented them from digging his backyard (09:08).
  • “According to Oldemar Silas… Sebastian wouldn’t let them dig in his backyard.” (09:41)
• Dog alert in Jackie's car: Forensic dogs identified blood in Jackie's car; positive for blood, but not enough for further police action—“many vehicles … may have spots of blood…circumstantial.” (11:34)

4. The Elusive Security Footage

• Phone password stymies investigation: OIJ could not access surveillance camera footage or Jackie’s phone, as both were locked. Only after Ridgen’s inquiry do authorities pledge to try new methods to unlock it (12:27).
• No evidence camera system was seized, despite Sebastian’s claims. The phone has sat in storage since 2022 (12:27).

5. Timeline and Sighting Theories

• Sequence of Jackie’s last day: Ridgen reconstructs events—arguments with Sebastian, alleged punch, Sebastian in the shower, then Jackie vanishing (24:32).
• What was she wearing? No definitive answer; Sebastian said he didn’t know at the time, contradicting later reports describing her attire (13:39).
  • “We asked Sebastian what she was wearing, and he told us that he didn't remember because they had argued. And then he went to take a shower. And when he got out of the shower, Jackie was already gone.” – Investigator Luis Fernando (13:55)

6. The Crucial “Red Cab” Sighting

• Neighbor Carlos and wife Oro’s account: Returning home the night Jackie vanished, Oro and Carlos recall seeing a “red cab” with a woman inside, later asserting it was Jackie—although Oro had earlier expressed uncertainty and even questioned if it was a dream (28:08, 29:18).
  • “It was quite awkward because it was the first time I ever saw her without a smile. She was very upset.” – Carlos (29:18)
  • “Are you sure?… I’m positive that I saw her. It was around 8, 8:30.” – Carlos (31:38)
• Logistics of taxi: Jackie’s phone was left behind; neighbors cannot explain how she called a taxi. Official red cabs require a call; ad-hoc pickups are very unlikely in the quiet, hilly area (30:25).
  • “No, it’s not normal to do. And taxis don’t drive…” – Carlos (30:39)
• Red taxi records: No records are kept, making it impossible to trace which driver, if any, picked Jackie up (32:40).

7. Testing the Sighting: Could Oro or Carlos Have Seen Jackie?

• Ridgen recreates the night-time scene—given darkness and reflective windows, he finds it impossible to make out a face or identify a specific individual inside a car at 8pm (37:22).
  • “There’s absolutely no way somebody could see in the back of a car… That’s quite telling. I’m not sure somebody could have seen inside a vehicle like that to see who was riding in the back. At most you could see like the outline of a person…” (37:22–39:18)

8. Surveillance and Guard Log Gaps

• Neighbor Kevin’s cameras: Security footage facing the road reveals no sign of Jackie walking or driving past on the night of her disappearance (33:24, 34:29).
• Private security guard Victor: Standing watch all night, Victor did not see Jackie or a red cab, but remembers seeing Sebastian at 1am. Stan notes: “Red cabs don’t like going that way because it is so steep.” (34:36)
• Implication: If Jackie left by cab, she exited unseen; if on foot, she should have appeared on at least one camera or been reported by one of two guards (35:41).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On bureaucratic obstacles:

  • “One step forward, three back, then sideways… Our argument’s consistent. If you weren’t investigating what happened to Jackie and the case is archived and the family wants it, then give it to us.” — David Ridgen (03:33)

• On the scar story variance:

  • “What the fuck happened? Did you fall off your motorcycle?… No, a dog did it.” — Travis (18:26)
  • “Assuming everyone is telling me the truth, could their memories be so mixed that all of these explanations are put down to time or bad memory? Or is something else going on?” — David Ridgen (19:41)

• Reconstructing the timeline:

  • “She can't have simply vanished off the face of the earth.” — David Ridgen (25:41)

• Testing the red cab sighting:

  • “There’s absolutely no way somebody could see in the back of a car… All I see is dark.” — David Ridgen (37:22)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sebastian’s injury and conflicting scar stories: 01:15–04:53, 15:03–19:41
• Obtaining the police investigative file: 03:33–06:12
• OIJ and OPEN search efforts: 08:59–11:34
• Security camera/surveillance & phone data: 12:04–13:39
• Timeline of events and punch argument: 13:55, 24:32
• Scar commentaries from friends/neighbors: 15:03–18:57
• Carlos & Oro’s account of the red cab sighting: 26:47–32:18
• Red cab company, lack of records: 32:40
• Kevin's home cameras and guard Victor's statement: 33:24–36:48
• Nighttime field experiment on sighting plausibility: 36:48–39:18

Conclusion

David Ridgen’s meticulous reporting in this episode illuminates the tangle of contradictions and procedural failings swirling around Jackie’s case. The “red cab” sighting—though possibly pivotal—remains ambiguous, challenged both by logical improbabilities and Ridgen’s own nighttime test. Physical evidence is riddled with inconsistencies and unexplained injuries; procedural missteps leave large holes in the official narrative. As the investigation moves forward, Ridgen resolves to pursue further interviews, taxi leads, and anyone else who might hold a missing piece of the puzzle.