S10 E4: The Red Cab

Summary

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.

---

Transcript

[Strawberry Me Advertiser]

Lets be completely honest. Are you happy with your job? The fact is, a huge number of people can't say yes to that. Too many of us are stuck in a job we've outgrown or one we never really wanted in the first place. But we stick it out and we give reasons, like, what if the next move is worse? And I've put years into this place and maybe the most common one. Isn't everyone miserable at work? But there's a difference between reasons for staying and excuses for not leaving. It's time to get unstuck. It's time for Strawberry Me. They match you with a certified career coach who helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, either at your existing job or by helping you find a new one. Your coach helps clarify your goals, creates a plan, and keeps you accountable along the way. Go to Strawberry Me Career and get 50% off your first coaching session. That's Strawberry Me slash Career.

[David Ridgeon]

This is a CBC podcast. The following episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to suicide. Please take care while listening.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You say that you were punched in the face. Was there any other altercation, physical? Like, were there any scratches or marks on your body from the interaction you had?

[Sebastian]

Uh, from that interaction? No, but you're probably referring to the scratch that I had on my leg.

[David Ridgeon]

I'm sitting with Sebastian in his backyard looking at the scar on his leg. On the day Jackie disappeared, Sebastian says she punched him in the face, causing his teeth to push through his lip. The people I interviewed didn't seem to have noticed anything on his mouth, but have mentioned noticing a deep gash on his shin and have wondered what caused it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah, I can see the scar from it, actually.

[Sebastian]

Yeah, this was from a few days before. Like, I went to a beach that's just like, there at the end where they built that hotel. And it's pretty steep and it's all maybe not quite shale, but like, those flat rocks that are, like, not staying together, basically. So coming back up, I slid in my flip flop, left my foot, and I just, like, scratched that on those rocks. Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Oh, okay. Okay. So there was a mark on your leg, but it was from a few days before.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. Okay.

[David Ridgeon]

But this isn't quite what others say Sebastian told them. I'm David Ridgeon, and this is season 10 of Someone Knows Something. The Jacqueline Furlan Smith Case, episode four, the Red Cab. Her parents are trying to get access to Jacqueline's file. My CBC colleague, Maria Jose Burgos, is very persistent. She's talking to Carmen Ivania Pizarro, the lead prosecutor in Jackie's case. The prosecutor says we're supposed to go through the press office and that everything is private. It's been this way for several months trying to get the investigative file into Jackie's case. One step forward, three back, then sideways. We need it to learn what the OIJ did or didn't do in Jackie's case. We do know that their investigation ended in 2022 and that the file we want is archived at the criminal court. We also know that despite my FOI request, Abbotsford police have sent us nothing and our CMP didn't investigate. They say and tell me it's all up to the oij. We email where we are supposed to email and call where we are supposed to call and get mostly no responses or bafflement, but our arguments 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. So we ask again who to connect with at the court, And Carmen Evania directs us to go to someone else named Karina. So I help Gordon and Colleen draft an email for her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah, now I think you're gonna have to send a new email. So let's just do it new here. Yeah, let's do it new. And I'll just dictate what to write in there.

[Kevin]

Oh, down below here.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Click there and push forward.

[David Ridgeon]

And almost as if miracles existed, a bit of daylight. Karina says she's not the one whose job it is to get us the file, but that she will help us because if it was her daughter lost, she'd want someone to help her. The Costa Rican courts email Gordon and Colleen the investigative file into Jackie's case, and we translate it. It's the first time Gordon and Colleen have been given any details about the investigation into their daughter's disappearance. Okay, I'll talk to you later. But will this information hold any answers for them? In its 90 something pages of submissions from police and prosecutors in the searches, the what was found and the what was said that are outlined here, will I find inconsistencies? And. And can we talk to the officer who wrote most of it? Ulises Guevara.

[Carlos]

Ulise Guevara.

[David Ridgeon]

The short answer is unfortunately, no. We've discovered that investigator Guevara was arrested by his own colleagues at the OYJ not long after I called him. In December of 2024, he was arrested for allegedly extorting people. Pay up or you're guilty of a crime. I don't know if he did anything illegal or untoward on Jackie's case. But being handcuffed does make it difficult to find out. It's unfortunate because I cannot vote for the completeness of this file. Is this everything? I'm also starting to find a series of inconsistencies in what I'm hearing in interviews and seeing in the file. So I need to verify as much as I can with investigators who were there. Fortunately, the file has a lot of other names in it, including those of Guevara's colleagues. And I call one of them about the first thing I want to talk about. The two searches of Jackie and Sebastian's property. Nothing turned up inside Jackie and Sebastian's house. On the first superficial search of the premises without dogs five days after Jackie disappeared. This investigator is speaking here about the more extensive OIJ search of the property and carried out almost three weeks after that, this time with dogs trained in human blood and remains. He says he carried out a search and entered the place with dogs, went through the yard and once inside the house. Nothing inside the house or in the backyard. Returned any alerts from the dogs on this more extensive search, But he says they did no digging. A second investigator named Luis Fernando Vidal concursion saying that it's because the dogs did not alert outside that the OIJ did no digging at Sebastian and Jackie's property.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So they dug here, they dug up the back.

[Sebastian]

They have to dig everything.

[David Ridgeon]

Sebastian initially tells me that the cops cleared him.

[Sebastian]

They dug everywhere because cops obviously they see like freshly moved dirt, like which

[David Ridgeon]

is a garden, partly by digging up his garden, digging everywhere, and that's why his backyard is so wild now and why he was burning things in the period after Jackie disappeared. I point out to Sebastian that police say they never dug on his property. And he then says that it was the OPEN group, or fake police as he calls them, who did the actual digging. OPEN is the non profit search group who were called in to help look for Jackie. But they are not affiliated with police. So suffice to say OPEN can't clear anyone of anything. According to Oldemar Silas, search coordinator for open, OIG did suggest some locations that OPEN might look, such as the cliffs nearby. Open used pickaxes mostly and didn't dig, Silas says, so much as they would sweep the surface in areas that look disturbed. And open. Says they did not do this sweeping on Sebastian's backyard property, only on adjoining properties. They say that Sebastian wouldn't let them dig in his backyard. Any of the work by OPEN on areas near Sebastian's backyard would have started almost two weeks after Jackie's disappearance. Recall that police did run their cadaver dogs through Sebastian's backyard and that the dogs didn't indicate on anything. But then there is the back seat in Jackie's Nissan that Alejandro, the neighbor, and Christa talked to me about. It's also mentioned in the file. OIJ investigator Vidal says he remembers that they inspected the car the same day as the house. And the file continues. On September 6, 2021, a dog named Bako alerts to the presence of human blood odor on a spot in the back seat of the car. The OIJ removes a piece of the seat and it's tested. It comes up positive for blood. The report says that it is a weak positive, and I've not been able to get any official response to what that means. There is no indication as to whose blood it might have been. And whatever the result, it wasn't enough to trigger any further police action. One could surmise that many vehicles around the world may have spots of blood in them just from day to day use. So, again, circumstantial.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. And security camera footage. Jackie and Sebastian had a security camera. I want to find out first if they ever saw anything on that security

[David Ridgeon]

camera, if they were ever able to

[Interviewer/Investigator]

see any images at all on it.

[David Ridgeon]

Luis Fernando confirms that Jackie's phone password was a problem. Without it, as Sebastian told me, the surveillance camera could not be accessed. So, thinking they could break into Jackie's phone, the OIJ took it, but they were never able to get into it. And according to the file, the OIJ was never able to access the surveillance camera and therefore see anything on it either. There is also nothing in the file about the surveillance system being taken from Sebastian, as he claimed to me. So the phone has been simply stored for two years. Jackie's phone has sat in storage since 2022, after Costa Rican authorities say they tried to break into it, but were unsuccessful. After our call, Carmen, the prosecutor, says that an OIJ cybercrime unit has developed new tools to break phones and that they will try again three years later. And only, it seems, after we ask. And another detail I notice in the file.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Did Sebastian ever tell Luis at that time or any other time what he thought Jackie was wearing the night she disappeared?

[David Ridgeon]

No, no, no, no, says Luis Fernando. 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. The police file says that Sebastian does not know what clothes Jackie was wearing when she left as he was showering at the time. Yet a description of what Jackie was wearing that night did emerge somewhere around the end of August. Something else curious is that the physical fight, according to Sebastian, happened while he was taking a shower, not before and not after. Sebastian told OIJ they had an argument before she left, only on their second visit to him, which would have been five days after Jackie disappeared. When we asked one of the investigators about the punch in the face, they tell me they did remember hearing that story at some point from Sebastian. I don't know why the punch in the face would be omitted from the police reports. Something else not mentioned there. That scar on Sebastian's leg.

[Krista]

The very first day that I met up with Sebastian, he had a very large gash going down his shin.

[David Ridgeon]

I don't see mention of scars in the file, but the one on his leg has come up in a few interviews. Jackie's friend Krista.

[Krista]

And he told me that he had slipped while walking up a hill from Playa Penca, which is this beautiful beach near here. But it has a gravel hill and it is slippery. I've fallen down the hill. So it was very believable to me that he could have slipped while going up the hill and cut his leg.

[David Ridgeon]

The same story Sebastian tells me. But Gordon says he. He got a different story, that Sebastian got it while snorkeling.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Did he say to you while snorkeling?

[David Ridgeon]

He got it, he said, while snorkeling. And then another time he told us he slipped on the trail going down

[Kevin]

there and scraped it.

[David Ridgeon]

Slipped going down the hill or slipped coming back up? Another variation of the story of Sebastian's scar comes from the eyewitness account of OIJ investigator Luis Fernando. He says he first saw Sebastian two days after Jackie disappeared on the evening of the 19th. That's actually the part I was going to mention. The only thing that seemed a little strange, out of the ordinary was that Sebastian had some injuries, mainly on his legs. Not deep wounds, but visible. We asked him why he had those injuries on his legs, and I think, if I remember correctly, also on one of his hands. He told us that he liked to surf okay in the ocean and that he had a small accident with some rocks, that he had slipped and hit the rocks of the ocean with his legs and the wounds were already starting to heal, not like from that same day. I ask about the scratches on the hand that Luis says he noticed. I don't remember if it was both arms, but I believe he did have a similar wound on one of his arms. They were wounds that looked like. Well, it was believable because they looked like scraping type injuries on his hands. On one hand, he definitely had a wound, and it was similar to the ones on his legs. And he told me, it's just that I had an accident. I fell on some rocks here at the ocean and. And as I came out of the water, I hurt myself. Hurt while surfing in the ocean. And as Sebastian got out of the water and scratches on at least one arm and a hand,

[Travis]

He talked more than he should. And I asked him what happened to his leg, right? I asked him why his leg was so fucked up.

[David Ridgeon]

Travis, another Canadian expat in the area who owns a local restaurant. We are sitting next to a small pool at night. Every now and then, a large light colored bat swoops down over it and seems to skim a drink, but nobody comments on it. Travis says he spoke to Sebastian about a week after Jackie disappeared.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay, so what did his leg look like?

[Travis]

It looked like he fell off of a fucking motorcycle, right? Yeah, yeah, it looked. You know, I've seen some motorcycle accidents and it looked like, you know, I. I've only ever seen him on a motorcycle, so I figured he fell off

[Interviewer/Investigator]

his motorcycle, so was it actively bleeding?

[Travis]

That's another question. I. I can't say whether it was actively bleeding. I just saw that his leg was fucked up and asked him what was going on.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Was there a bandage on it? No, it was just like. There was a sort of a bloody scar or.

[Travis]

Yeah, it was just the side of his calf. Side of his calf was like, fucked up. It wasn't my problem. I was just asking him if he fell off a motorcycle. And he said, no, a dog did it. And I'm like, okay, right, that's it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So he told you that a dog did it?

[Travis]

He said that a dog took a run at him on the beach.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay, so you asked the question, what the did you do with your leg? Or whatever. You said it that way. What the.

[Travis]

Yeah, like, what the fuck happened? Did you fall off your motorcycle? I think that that would be kind of funny. Yeah, right, like him falling off his fucking motorcycle, right? Yeah, it's just like all I remember, he's just like, no dog did it. And I'm just like, okay, right.

[David Ridgeon]

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. The scar I'm seeing doesn't look like a dog bite, but I'm no expert. 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?

[Strawberry Me Advertiser]

Let's be completely honest. Are you happy with your job? The fact is, a huge number of people can't say yes to that. Too many of us are stuck in a job we've outgrown or one we never really wanted in the first place. But we stick it out and we give reasons. Like what if the next move is worse? And I've put years into this place and maybe the most common one. Isn't everyone miserable at work? But there's a difference between reasons for staying and excuses for not leaving. It's time to get unstuck. It's time for Strawberry me. They match you with a certified career coach who helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, either at your existing job or by helping you find a new one. Your coach helps clarify your goals, creates a plan and keeps you accountable along the way. Go to Strawberry Me Career and get 50% off your first coaching session. That's Strawberry Me Career with Verbo Care.

[David Ridgeon]

Help is always ready before, during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so

[Travis]

support is always available because a great

[David Ridgeon]

trip starts with peace of mind.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Did Sebastian ever tell you what happened that day? Did you ever talk to Sebastian about

[David Ridgeon]

what happened to Jacqueline? I've come at night to visit with Anna here in Playa Coco. Jackie hired Anna sometime in the fall of 2020 to paint something in their new home. I have to use a phone translator to communicate. Anna has led me past some of her works in progress, bright tropical scenes hanging off the walls, and is now sitting on a very worn couch wearing a light blue top with pink buttons, shorts and flip flop. On August 29, the day the bigger open group search began, Anna saw Sebastian. She says that Sebastian told her that Jackie punched him in the mouth, but she couldn't see any bruise there or sign of it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You saw scratches on both arms.

[David Ridgeon]

Anna's husband, Harold, a tall and skinny construction worker with dark hair and a blue shirt and tan pants, has come to join us too. He was also at the search with Anna and saw Sebastian. They both say they noticed scratches on Sebastian's forehead arms.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay, were you guys together on the day you went to see Sebastian and you noticed the scratches on his arms?

[David Ridgeon]

So Sebastian came And he had a bruise. I saw a kind of bruise here, a bruise on his arm next to one of his tattoos. Harold says that as Sebastian talked to them, he would try to cover his arms. And the scratches. He describes three elongated scratches on Sebastian's right arm, about 3cm long. They were about a week old, he says, and healing. I leave Anna's and the next day head back up to Cacique. I want to get a better sense of what Sebastian did across the day Jackie disappeared. On the way, I replay the sequence of events of the night Jackie went missing, as people have told me.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So the window of Jacqueline being kind of out of hand and not being seen, to my knowledge, is after that appointment to Tatiana, the therapist. And then possibly Alonzo sees her. Then she arrives, according to Sebastian, at the house. He then arrives after he says, being in Tamarindo to look for her after not going to Tatiana's place. Comes back, sees Jackie there. They have another argument. Maybe goes to dinner first, maybe not. Maybe dinner after. Or he eats with Jackie. Then at some point he is there at the house with Jackie after he comes back from Tamarinda. Gets in the shower. She's in the same sort of state of mind, he says. And then the toilet paper throwing happens. The punch in the face happens. Jacqueline punches Sebastian, he says, in the face. Arguments continues. And then Jacqueline is gone, says Sebastian. He never sees her again. Comes out of the shower, she is not in the room.

[David Ridgeon]

A scar and scratches seen on Sebastian after Jackie disappears are circumstantial. And one thing may have nothing to do with the other, but people see scratches and the questions occur. So she leaves the house, but then what? She can't have simply vanished off the face of the earth.

[Carlos]

We're looking for the men of the house.

[David Ridgeon]

Okay, good.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Just get him to tell us his name too, so that I know his name.

[Translator/Oro]

Of course.

[David Ridgeon]

I've met with a Costa Rican translator out front of a home next to Sebastian and Jackie's house. An empty lot separates their places. And it is this empty lot that Sebastian was seen doing some of his burning on. But we aren't here to talk about burning. We've knocked on the door of a family who may have seen something on the Evening Jackie disappeared. August 17, 2021.

[Carlos]

English.

[Translator/Oro]

English. Okay, we can speak in English.

[David Ridgeon]

Oh, okay. I asked Carlos about his neighbors, Jackie and Sebastian.

[Translator/Oro]

Yeah, well, we've been neighbor since they moved here, since they started building the house, so we knew them.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You knew Jacqueline?

[Translator/Oro]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah.

[Translator/Oro]

Oh, wow. I knew.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So tell me about Jacqueline.

[Translator/Oro]

I knew Jacqueline, I didn't know much, much hurt because he was, she. She was like very shy, you know.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay.

[Translator/Oro]

So every time I approach it or whatever, you know, just hello, how are you? You know. But no, no, we didn't go farther than that. You know, Sebastian, Sebastian, I knew him a little bit more. He's a little bit more. He speaks more, even though he's also very quiet. Yeah, it's not like that bad, you know. But I tell you something. The day that happened, fortunately we were coming back from San Jose. I was coming from Spain. I'm from Spain. I flew to San Jose and my family was waiting for me in San Jose to bring me here. So the night we arrived here, I was sleep in the car and my wife was driving. Okay. And it seems like when we drive here, we saw a taxi coming out the. With a person behind. So when we heard about that and the time that happened, we thought it might be Jacqueline.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So did she see Jacqueline?

[Translator/Oro]

Not really. She saw a person behind, but. She'll tell you because I was asleep,

[Interviewer/Investigator]

so I'm not sure.

[David Ridgeon]

Colleen and Gordon told me that when they spoke to Carlos wife named Oro, she couldn't be sure what she saw that night. And at one point she said to them that she thought it might have been a dream. Carlos also seems to be doubtful. He asks Oro to come to the door. Oro, friendly and kind, with short dark hair and brown eyes, white striped shirt and white, white capris, has just come into view in the doorway. Carlos turns to her. I was telling them that when we came back, you remember you saw a cab drive by with someone behind. But you can't be sure it was Jacqueline, right? No, it was her. I told the parents, says Oro, to which her husband Carlos replies in surprise, it was her.

[Carlos]

And it was quite awkward because it was the first time I ever saw her without a smile. She was very upset. Yes.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And you're sure it was the same night she disappeared?

[Translator/Oro]

We did check the passports.

[Carlos]

Where were we coming from?

[David Ridgeon]

We do check. And it was the same night of Jackie's disappearance. Carlos seems like he is hearing some of this for the first time.

[Carlos]

I remember because. Because I saw her because it was around eight at night. It was at night and I saw the taxi, the red cab. And I thought to myself, that's weird, a cab at night on this area. That's not very common. That's why I checked, of course. And we met each other right on the bump.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. Just over here. Okay.

[Carlos]

On the.

[David Ridgeon]

With the hut.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The security hut.

[Carlos]

The security. I mean, that's why we both stopped. And that's when I glanced and I just because I was curious.

[Sebastian]

Who is.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah, who's in there?

[Carlos]

Who is in there?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah.

[Carlos]

And I saw her and she looked back at me and she was very. And I was like, okay, can you

[Interviewer/Investigator]

get a taxi without using your phone here? Is there some way you can, can get a taxi without. Cuz she didn't have her phone with her. She left her phone over here.

[Carlos]

No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So do you think she called it and then walked outside or how.

[Carlos]

No, it's not normal to do. And taxis don't, don't drive.

[Translator/Oro]

No, no, you have to call a taxi, that's for sure. But maybe she called it before and then when the ti arrived, she just ran away and left the phone behind.

[Carlos]

I don't know exactly.

[Translator/Oro]

That might be because there is no way a taxi. Hey, stop.

[Carlos]

That's why I look looked up because the caps are normal.

[Translator/Oro]

And usually everyone who lives here has a car or something because you need it, you know, to move around.

[David Ridgeon]

If Jackie was in a cab, how did she get it? She'd left her phone behind. Something that needs to be looked at more closely.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. And so nothing else. And then. Did you ever talk to Sebastian about any of this?

[Carlos]

Nobody asked me anything about.

[Translator/Oro]

Nobody came here to talk to us. Puerto Rica. Nobody.

[Carlos]

The parents, her parents, they came over and I told them.

[David Ridgeon]

Okay.

[Carlos]

And they were like, are you sure? Are you sure? I'm, I was like, okay, let me check, let me think about it. And then they came again and I said, yes, I'm sure. I, I, I'm positive that, that I saw her. Okay. And it was around the time now it was around 8, 8:30.

[Translator/Oro]

My memories.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The person in the car was alone. She was like whoever the past. She was alone?

[Carlos]

Yeah, she was on the back.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. And it was a red cab. Do you know? Did you recognize the driver?

[Carlos]

No, no way. We had so many. It was a red cab.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

They're all red. Are they all red?

[Translator/Oro]

Yeah, they all red. The official one, they are red. They are pirates. Like unofficial. But the official wall.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So it was an official. It was an official time.

[Translator/Oro]

It was an official car.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So don't they have to record the rest? Records of.

[Carlos]

They should have.

[Translator/Oro]

They should. But this is Costa Rica, so I doubt it, but they might, I don't know.

[David Ridgeon]

The translator calls the red cab company or one of the companies that uses red cabs and we try to find out if any records are saved, But we are told that records are not kept. I'll try to Dig into the red taxis a bit more and I want to try an experiment. But before that, I get a call from another neighbor named Kevin who says they have security footage too.

[Kevin]

My camera system records up to 30 days. So after she went missing and there was all the rumors running around and that there was a taxi that came in to pick her up, so I just took it upon myself to look. The night that she went missing, I watched almost every three or four or five hours. Like, my camera actually only records when there's movement. But this one, because there's some vegetation in front of it, records almost continuously immediately after she went missing. Within a day or two, I have camera around my house and my one camera I can actually see where if she came out this way in a car or walking at night, I would have picked it up on my cameras. And I sat one time for four or five hours and watched every single minute on those cameras. Never saw a thing.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You think that Jackie, if she walked into town, would have walked by your camera?

[Kevin]

Oh, yes.

[David Ridgeon]

Kevin's camera was pointed at the road at a point that anyone walking or driving to or from Coco would have been seen. The other direction of the road went past the guard house with Michael in it. Kevin says he went through his surveillance tape from August 17th up to midnight and says there is no sign of Jackie in the footage. He didn't save any of his camera files, unfortunately. But Kevin also had a private security guard standing on the road all through that very night until morning. What did he see? The guard named Victor standing on the road to Coco that night, didn't see Jackie, although he knew her and says he did see her walking about 15 days before she disappeared. Victor also says that around 1am he saw Sebastian, but he cannot confirm 100% that this is the early morning of August 18th. Sebastian, he says, drives up on his scooter and stops close to the guard hut. At this point, Victor says it had become foggy. Sebastian appears to look out toward the ocean for a moment, then turns back the way he came, toward his house. From where Sebastian stopped, one can't see much. And at night, nothing of the ocean or really of the town below. I asked Sebastian about this and he said he was most likely looking for Jackie. Without the confirmation of timing, it's just another possible detail going on. Victor, the guard, says he didn't see any red cabs and adds that red cabs don't like going that way because it is so steep. What this all means to me is that Jackie probably didn't walk To Koko, as she would have been seen by Kevin's guard, Victor and Kevin's camera on one end and Michael the guard on the other. So if Jackie left the house that night, was it in the red cab seen by Oro the neighbor?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Stunning. My way up to the area where Sebastian and Jacqueline built their house. It's about 8 o' clock at night. This is about the time that supposedly Jacqueline left the house. And it's also the time that the neighbor says she was returning from the airport and saw Jacqueline in the back of a red taxi looking upset. And so I'm just gonna try to

[David Ridgeon]

test whether or not

[Interviewer/Investigator]

something like that could be seen. So I'm trying to figure out exactly how somebody might see into the back of a car. But it is the same level of darkness right now. Actually, there's a car coming along right here. And this is about the spot where she says she saw the taxi in the back of the taxi. So this is a taxi approaching. Can you see in the back? All I see is dark. There's absolutely no way somebody could see in the back of a car. Here's another vehicle coming. It's off of the motorcycle, but I can't even see who's riding the motorcycle. I. That went right past me. That's. 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. I really. And I slowed down right at the speed bump just as the person passed. So I don't know what to make of that. Anyway, here we are up here, just

[David Ridgeon]

about to pass the house again. I try it again a few times, Even try it going down the hill to see if I can see into approaching cars, But I can't. It's not scientific, and there are variables I don't even know. But the speed bump is big and you have to slow down. The car I looked into had clear windows. The darkness is the same in this imperfect experiment. At least there's nothing I can identify outside of maybe a human outline crouching there in a backseat.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay. Okay, that was interesting.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I mean, if at most you could see like the outline of a person, and you'd have to try really hard to strike brain to see that person.

[David Ridgeon]

Ambience here.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Pretty quiet up here. You can hear a few voices in. In the houses, but.

[David Ridgeon]

Pretty quiet. As I stand on the road near Jackie's house, I try to imagine hearing the sounds of that night. The natural cadence of the place. Ocean far off, insects, traffic in the distance. It's relaxing and calming, but it does bring a question to my head as I look over at the house. How does Jackie's departure work? Call the taxi, put the phone down, go fight with Sebastian in the shower, then leave and by the time you're out the door the taxi is waiting. Or fight with Sebastian, then call the taxi, leave your phone behind, then walk out and stand outside until the taxi comes. Or fight, then leave the phone and just walk out. No call, and there's a taxi that happens to be driving by so you hail it and then you go to a new life somewhere and never use your identity or bank accounts or talk to your family or friends again. Or you take a cab to kill yourself somewhere else. Why not do it right where you are at home? I don't know. I'll try to talk to some taxi drivers, including one I've heard some local stories about. Maybe they heard something. And I'll try to track down the people who Sebastian says saw Jackie after she left the house. Someone Knows Something is hosted, written and produced by me, David Ridgeon. The series is also produced by Maria Jose Burgos. Sound design by Evan King Kelly Natalia Ferguson is our transcriber, Emily Cannell is our digital producer, Chris Oak is our story editor, our executive producer is Cecil Fernandez, Tanya Springer is the senior manager and Arif Noorani is the Director of CBC Podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Someone Knows Something early on the CBC True Crime YouTube channel, or for early and ad free listening, subscribe to the CBC True Crime Premium Channel on Apple Podcasts. Just click on the link in the show description. If you're looking for more investigations, check out my other podcast, the Next Call. Conducted almost exclusively through a series of strategic phone calls, each call dictates how I will investigate cases and follow leads. There are three seasons available to binge, listen listen to now. Find the Next Call wherever you get your podcasts. For more cbc podcasts, go to cbc ca podcasts.