Episode 271

Summary

Sword and Scale Episode 271: The Tragic Fall of Whitney Hostler

Introduction

In Episode 271 of Sword and Scale, titled "The Tragic Fall of Whitney Hostler," listeners are taken deep into a harrowing true crime story that unravels the dark dynamics within a small Ohio family. This episode meticulously examines the disappearance and subsequent murder of Whitney Hostler, exploring the intricate relationships and hidden tensions that culminated in tragedy.

Case Overview

On the night of October 1, 2020, in Champaign County, Ohio, a 911 call sets off a chain of events that leads to the discovery of a young woman's lifeless body. Whitney Hostler, a 25-year-old mother, reported missing by her boyfriend, Randy Ryder, only to be found strangled and discarded in a ravine within hours.

The Disappearance

Whitney lived with Randy and his parents, Valerie and Rodney Sr., in a household fraught with constant fighting. Despite inquiries from Whitney's mother, Kim Long, the Rider family remained unresponsive, deepening Kim's distress.

Kim Long [05:03]: "I did text her, but she never did respond... I just thought it was kind of weird."

Family Dynamics

Randy Ryder, portrayed by his brother David, emerges as a central figure in the unfolding drama. David describes Randy as troubled and entitled, with a history of anger issues.

David [09:50]: "I know Randy's history. He's always been violent... he never thinks things through and he doesn't care about repercussions."

Randy's brothers, David and Rodney Jr., provide critical insights into the family's internal conflicts, revealing a stark contrast between the "golden child" and Randy's tumultuous behavior.

Investigation and Rumors

As police investigate Whitney's disappearance, rumors and suspicions quickly point towards Randy. Allegations of Randy's infidelity with a woman named Eliza, who became pregnant, further cloud the case. Mysterious video recordings surface, suggesting Randy's foreknowledge of Whitney's fate.

David [20:33]: "I've got a video... Randy states that he didn't... he said mom and dad did it. My parents are not bad people."

Additional evidence, including sightings of a suspicious man with a crossbow near Kaiser Lake, adds layers of complexity to the investigation.

Breakthrough and Confessions

The turning point comes when Valerie Ryder, under immense pressure from accumulating evidence, confesses to murdering Whitney. Her account reveals a panic-stricken attempt to protect her granddaughter from perceived threats within the household.

Valerie [56:17]: "I fought with Whitney and strangled her with my arms until she growled and died."

Valerie admits to disposing of Whitney's body in the ravine to conceal her crime, illustrating the extreme measures she took to safeguard her family’s future.

Trial and Verdict

The legal proceedings culminate in Valerie being convicted of multiple charges, including murder and tampering with evidence. Rodney Sr., her husband, receives a lesser sentence for his involvement in the aftermath.

Prosecutor [57:05]: "After two separate trials, Valerie was found guilty of murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence..."

Randy Ryder, despite being central to the rumors and suspicions, is never formally charged, leaving a lingering sense of injustice and unanswered questions.

Conclusion and Reflections

Sword and Scale delves into the tragic outcomes of dysfunctional family dynamics, unchecked emotions, and the dire consequences of internal conflicts. The episode underscores how Valerie's desperation to protect her granddaughter led to an irreversible act of violence, reflecting on broader societal issues of familial responsibility and the failure to support individuals in crisis.

Narrator [56:17]: "Whitney was never given the chance to prove that she could mother her baby without Valerie and Rodney enabling her to still act like a child."

The episode closes with a somber reflection on the loss of Whitney and the lasting impact on her daughter, whose future remains uncertain.

Notable Quotes

• David [09:50]: "Randy was the favorite while Randy, the baby was a little more, let's say entitled at the same time."

• Valerie [56:17]: "I fought with Whitney and strangled her with my arms until she growled and died."

• Kim Long [05:03]: "I did text her, but she never did respond... I just thought it was kind of weird."

Final Thoughts

Episode 271 of Sword and Scale masterfully narrates a deeply tragic story, highlighting the complexities of human relationships and the devastating effects of concealed turmoil. By presenting detailed testimonies and uncovering hidden truths, the podcast holds a mirror to society, questioning how ordinary individuals can sometimes harbor monstrous behaviors beneath the surface.

Transcript

[Will]

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[David]

Audio Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. He's not all there and he doesn't. He never thinks things through and he doesn't care about repercussions. He's always been that way.

[Will]

Hello and welcome. This is season 11 episode 271 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that the worst monsters are real. So we have a store that's loaded with all sorts of summer goodies. Head on over there. You can find [e-mail] top of the page, click the store link and you'll see all kinds of cool, cool summer gear. It was just after midnight on October 1, 2020 in Champaign County, Ohio, and police received a strange 911 call. The young man on the other end of the line didn't want to disclose what was going on over the phone. Instead, he asked an officer to meet him in person. Officer Daniel Fisher headed out to the parking lot of the sheriff's office to find a young man waiting for him. The guy stood nervously beside his car. He extended his hand and introduced himself as Randy Ryder. Randy told the officer that he wanted to file a missing persons report for his girlfriend, Whitney Hostler. He hadn't seen her in over 12 hours. He said that he lived at his parents house with Whitney and their young daughter. But a lot of fighting had been going on between Whitney, Randy's mother, Valerie Ryder, and his father, Rodney Sr. Now Whitney was missing and he didn't know what to do. Officer Fisher decided to file a missing persons report, and news of Whitney's disappearance spread through the small farming community. The police soon got a hold of Whitney's mother, Kim Long. Kim, of course, was distraught. Whitney had been living with the Rider family for about a year as Valerie and Rodney were helping the young couple raise their baby. But now Kim was being ghosted by the Riders after Whitney's disappearance. How strange.

[David]

Come out to his parents house and no one's answering the door. I don't even know if they're home, but normally they would answer it. I called her mom. His mom, three times. You would think this. I'm about to call her a would call me back knowing I'm worried. You know, why does the cop have to come and tell me my daughter's missing? Yeah, you said you called her three times. Three times.

[Will]

Kim was beside herself. Her daughter was missing and now the writers were ignoring her.

[David]

If I were you, I. I wouldn't try to make contact with them. Okay. I know you want answers. I do, and rightfully so. I mean, you know, with you being mom, you. You 100% deserve answers. But with that being said, unfortunately, I would not go out there. And the only reason why I'm saying that is because, you know, I don't want there to be an incident out there where, you know, you say something to her, she says something to you, and the next thing you know, we're involved. Right. I was going to call you to come out here. I really was. Okay. I'm just so worried. I'm shaking my. I can only imagine.

[Will]

Whitney was 25 years old and now a mother herself. But that didn't matter to Kim. She was still her baby girl and she was worried sick.

[David]

This is not her. This is not her at all. Have you tried to call her again? I did text her, but she never. And I tried to FaceTime her. She never did respond. Yeah, you kind of weird. Yeah. You text her in the afternoon. Correct. And then you called her around 9? About 10. About 10. It was about 10, 10:30 from the hospital. I tried to video chatter and stuff and she never answered. I just thought it was kind of weird.

[Will]

Kim had been reaching out to Whitney over and over.

[David]

I can't say she closed her eyes when their child's missing. I can't imagine what you're going through. But like I said, we're investigating this as thoroughly as we possibly can. And we've had people on this since the very beginning. And like I said, we're going to continue to investigate this one Hundred percent as thoroughly as possible. We want her home safe just as much as you do.

[Will]

Still, Kim couldn't let go of the fact that the Rider family was being so cold to her. It didn't make sense that she wanted to talk to them.

[David]

Are you able to even have contact with them to get some answers? I mean, I don't know exactly where he worked at. I'm not for sure. I know it's in Dayton. I think we, we have spoken with everybody.

[Will]

The police had spoken with everybody in the household. Randy, Ryder, Rodney Sr. And Valerie. Rodney and Valerie insisted that Whitney had been picked up by a friend the other day. But Randy said he wasn't so sure. Something was going on. Definitely nobody knew exactly what it was. Whitney would never leave her daughter behind, especially since the girl was still a toddler. Whitney and Randy had been together for a few years, but their relationship was on and off. When they found out they were expecting a daughter, they decided that the best thing to do would be to move into Randy's parents house. Rodney and Valerie were retired, but still young and vibrant for grandparents. And they wanted to help the couple raise their baby girl. Randy had two brothers, David and Rodney Jr. But Randy was the only one still living at home. Rodney Jr. Was a bit of a screw up and David was the golden child who now lived in Virginia beach on his military base with his wife and two kids. He was willing to talk to police.

[David]

I joined the military to get away from my family. Why is that if you don't mind me asking? I just, they were nothing, nothing bad. It was just like I. You could ask my other two siblings. I considered the golden child. Yeah. Like my parents have always, I guess depended on me a lot to help out with things around the house. Vehicles. I've got a background in mechanic work and it's because of that, because I was constantly working on my parents vehicles. Both my brothers. I mean I'm not gonna, I can say I am the man I am today because my parents and you know, I learned a lot from my dad but I said it was kind of getting. I've got my own wife and my wife just had our second born. So it was like. Felt like they were taking up too much of my time I guess just felt like you needed a change for you and your family. Yeah.

[Will]

David was the favorite while Randy, the baby was a little more, let's say entitled at the same time.

[David]

I know Randy's history. I know how Randy is. When you say you know Randy's history and you know how Randy Is. What do you mean by that? He's always been violent. Just flat out say it. He's always had anger issues. He's always blamed a lot of stuff. I say Randy always felt less privileged, I guess than myself or my older brother. Yeah. As far as like he never got a car for his 16th birthday and this and that. Well, it's also because he never earned it and he never saw things that way. He did a lot and this and that. And he sees things differently from other people. Him and Whitney have always been back and forth. There's been multiple times that my parents called me and said, hey, Randy, Whitney just got into a fight and he stormed out the door, took off. I can't go find him. So I'd have to go drive him down the back roads in St. Paris and he'd just be walking. Yeah, just be walking.

[Will]

Randy and Whitney began fighting a lot. And because they were under his parents roof, there was no hiding the inner pain of their relationship. Their business was out in the open.

[David]

She was planning on leaving already and taken my niece. And then she found out that he was seeing another girl. Which this girl, out of all the girls he could have picked, he picked the worst one. To Whitney, it's like her arch nemesis because Randy always had a thing with her when they were younger and she found out Randy was with her and Randy got her knocked up.

[Will]

Randy had been cheating on Whitney with a girl named Eliza, whom Whitney despised. When Whitney found this out, it was a huge blow. Then Eliza became pregnant and Whitney was livid.

[David]

So she was just lit. She was pissed off. And from minor sayings, they weren't at the house at the same times. If she was at the house, Randy would be gone. If Randy was at the house, she would be gone.

[Will]

Whitney and Randy were passing like two ships in the night, avoiding one another.

[David]

Randy was avoiding her. And when he finally came home on Wednesday. Yeah, Wednesday he finally came home. She is. When she had found out everything about Eliza and she was. She was waiting for him and he said him and a lot. Him and Whitney got into a fight. As soon as he got home, she was going off on him, screaming, hollering, cussing and saying she was leaving and taking the baby. And I said to me that that would have snapped something for Randy.

[Will]

Whitney was distraught and planning on leaving. Maybe she had just taken off and decided she wasn't going to let Randy know where she was going. But then why would her mother, Kim not be aware? The whole town was on high alert looking for Whitney. Everyone was worried Missing posters of her were sent all over the news and tagged up in every store. Whitney was unique. With her bleached blonde hair, permanent cat eyeliner, and multiple lip piercings, she wasn't the kind of girl who would blend into a crowd. Then a few days later, the sheriff's department received a frantic 911 call.

[David]

911, where's the location of your emergency? I met Kaiser Lake State park right after you come down Kaiser Lake Road and turn in. Okay. I just found a body laying down here in the bottom of the ravine right off the road. Okay, you found a body at the bottom of the ravine? Yes. It looks like it's a female. She's laying face down. Okay. Socks on, in pajamas. Okay. All right, I'm gonna ping your phone so I can find out exactly where you are. Okay. Okay. Just lives just about a mile from here. Okay. Is she in the water or is she in the wood? She's laying on the ground.

[Will]

The woman's body was lying face down in the leaves and brush. Her skinny legs were twisted and her hair was matted. She wasn't moving.

[David]

Are you near the roadway there? I think I see you on my mapping. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Are you with the vehicle or are you on foot? No, I'm on foot. I'm walking my dog. Okay. All right. If you want to step out towards the road, I'm going to send someone out there. Do you think that she's alive and breathing? No, I don't think at all. She looks like she's been there for a while.

[Will]

Maybe the caller wasn't sure, but judging by her position and the leaves and the elements, she looked dead.

[David]

No, I do not believe she's like. Looks like she might be in pajamas. She didn't have any shoes on, and she's got, like, a sweater, but it looks like she has pajama bottoms on. Okay, and you think she's been there for a while? Well, I went down. I didn't touch her, but I went down, looked at her hands, kind of bruised looking. Okay. Did you tell anything else about her that you know? Okay. No. She's laying. She's face down. She's face down. Yeah. I mean, I don't know how. It's okay. Yeah, no, no, it's all right, Tab. All right, I'm going to update my units. Okay. They're on their way. Okay, I'll wait here.

[Will]

The caller waited nervously for the police to arrive. The girl in the ravine was lifeless as the breeze picked up and the leaves swirled around her. When the Police finally arrived on scene. They carefully turned her over. It was Whitney. She had been strangled and her hands were turning purple. Her once beautiful pale face was vacant. Whitney was gone. As the news of Whitney's body being found swirled around their small town, Randy's brother David had a theory.

[David]

And I said as soon as he found out he got another girl pregnant. She was not happy about it and she waited for him to come home to start a fight. And I think that's what happened. They started a fight and it got out of hand. That's just my own personal opinion. I think Randy did it. He's not all there and he doesn't. He never thinks things through and he doesn't care about repercussions. He's always been that way.

[Will]

Rumors began swirling around the small town and Randy was at the crux of it all. 25 year old Whitney Hostler had been reported missing by her boyfriend Randy Ryder. Less than 24 hours later her body was found at the bottom of a ravine a few miles from the home the couple shared with Randy's parents. Whitney's mother Kim was a wreck. She wanted to see her daughter's remains.

[David]

Do you know of anything, of anything that the body. When I can get.

[Will]

When I can see my baby more painful. The Rider family was still ignoring Kim and she wanted Whitney's things back so she could dress her for the funeral. Those things were trapped in the writer family home.

[David]

And another thing I was going to ask you is very important. How do I go about. Because she's got clothes and she's got this dress and stuff and her stuff there at that house that she looked beautiful in and that's what I want to put her in. I want to know when I can go get her stuff. I mean I can't go in that house obviously. Yeah, I can. I want to know when I. They better not touch her stuff. I'm telling you, they better not touch her stuff that's mine. And I was just wondering when I can go out there, someone could, a detective. You can meet me out there. Have you had any conversation or anything with Randy? No, I haven't talked with Randy. Okay. But my daughter in law was telling me that they made an arrest in Springfield and I'm not excluding Randy because I've got a tape I need you to hear. Who made an arrest in Springfield? On what? I don't know, that's what you know. I don't believe anything. You know how rumors fly around because everything's so high right now and out of character. Yeah. I don't know if it's even true. I'm not believing nothing. As far as. I'm only going by your information. Yeah. As far as anybody else being arrested in connection or having anything to do with this case, that's. That's false. There's only. But did you know that Randy was in the house when that happened? Did you know he was in the house? I've got it on recording, and I need you to hear this. I need somehow to figure out how to send this to you.

[Will]

No arrest had been made, but rumors, of course, were flying, as they do. Kim had also received a recording from someone that implicated Randy. Randy's brother David had also received this mysterious video.

[David]

You. Yeah, you. You know about these videos?

[Will]

What videos?

[David]

I mean, with ours. I've got one of them. I have a video. I don't know what's going on, who's recording them, but I got it from one of my cousins, her boyfriend. There's some girl or something that's been hanging around with Randy and Eliza, and she's been recording Randy conversations, you know, talking about everything. And the one I got was. It was taken before Whitney's body was found, because you can hear in the video Eliza. It's a video of Eliza on the phone with Randy. And I believe Whitney's mom. I believe Randy's was Whitney's mom at the time. And she asking, have you heard from her? Anything? Blah, blah, blah. And she's like, no, haven't heard from her. So this point in time, Whitney is still missing. And then Randy goes on to say that she will be found in Kaiser. Not. It's not saying that they're gonna find her dead, but he's. He's talking about Kaiser, like, saying that she. They're gonna find her in Kaiser. And that, to me, was just weird. How did he know they were gonna find her in Kaiser?

[Will]

Whitney's body was found at the bottom of a ravine near Kaiser Lake. According to this secret video footage, Randy knew exactly where she was before the guy walking his dog came across her. Remember the girl who Randy had been sleeping with behind Whitney's back, who was now pregnant with his child, was named Eliza? She had been talking all over town. Eliza was young, and with that, she was stupid. And she clearly didn't understand how badly she was implicating the man she claimed to love so dearly. The police were also informed by a random citizen that he had been the suspicious man at Kaiser Lake around the time that Whitney was found there. He took the cops to the exact spot and described what he saw.

[David]

Where exactly did you see this male subject at with the crossbow? Down here. Okay, so when you saw him in the wooded area, where did you see him? Well, I didn't really see him coming out of the wood area. I just kind of seen him coming this way, like. Okay, so I walk from here all the way around up this hill. Okay, so you walk from the beach area and then I turn around. But when I was coming back, he was probably like 500ft behind me back that way. It's like he just came out of nowhere. So where did you see him?

[Will]

So I seen him in my pro.

[David]

Down here at the bottom of the hill. So at the curve, he stopped at the curb. Okay. And then I just kept walking. I just thought it just some redneck man, honestly. He had camo on. He had the. You don't know which side of the woods he came from? I didn't see that. Okay, so down here? Yeah, down there. Okay, and then. And where did you see the vehicle? The vehicle was tucked in the. In front of that sign. They were like. Okay, and you're talking about when you go down to the curve there, there's a pull off on. On the side. Yeah, but they had it tucked in there good. Okay. It was a red car. Okay. You don't know what kind of a vehicle was a little compact. Look like, I don't like a 470. Okay. So when I went around the corner, he was standing in the middle of the road at what area on the corner? Where? Okay, I saw him. Okay. This is when he mean mugs the.

[Will]

Hell out of me.

[David]

Okay. And I almost would yell something out the window like you or something. Like, why? You know, he's like. But it looked like he had a crossbow or something. And this was at what time of the morning? Between 10:30 and 11:00. Okay. And I got a. I didn't really try to look at him too much because, like, you know, I'm like, this is just some redneck guy that's, you know, just angry at the road or something. You know, I didn't think much of it.

[Will]

The man in camo with a crossbow was acting super weird and freaked out the civilian, like, a lot. What was this guy doing and why was he mean mugging him?

[David]

I didn't get that much regret. I tried not to look at him, honestly. He pissed me off. And he was alone. He was alone. Okay, so you didn't see any other vehicles in the area except for the Escalade? And where was it at? It seemed like there was a dispute in the campground earlier that morning. And that Escalade come flying out of that campground. Okay, so it was all. All the activity you saw was on this side. Okay. Okay. I don't know if it's helpful for you guys. Yeah, the ranger told me. It was like. You probably should tell it. That's what I'm telling. I just. Okay, well, we help out, you know, be a good citizen. No, you're fine. I will document the information that you've given me and put it in. Is it helpful or not? Well, any information that I gather is helpful.

[Will]

Between the campground fight, the Escalade that went screeching out of the parking lot, and the mysterious man in camo. This was looking odd for the sleepy nature park of Kaiser Lake. But did it have anything to do with Whitney's murder? The police had to take every tip they could. Randy was at the center of all the rumors. And even his own brother thought he did it. Then his other brother Rodney came to the police after his ex wife told him that he had admitted to finding bloody items at the house. Rodney wasn't so excited to be talking to the cops. Neither should you. Ever.

[David]

I do have one other thing that I like to talk to you about. I got some information in regard to some items at the house. Okay. And I. We received a contact indicating that you have an ex wife. What's her name? Alicia. We got information that there's potentially some items inside the house that pertain to the case. What can you tell me about that? There's dumbbells in our room. Okay. There's a metal stool. What makes the metal stool significant? Looks like there's blood on it. Okay. Did you call in that at all? No. You say her room. You're talking about Whitney's room. I can't tell if it's blood or if it's pop. What. What is this? Metal stool. Step stool. What color is it? Yellow and rusty.

[Will]

The step stool was hard metal and looked like it had blood on it. Rodney Jr also found another potentially bloody item.

[David]

There's a White Castle cup that has the same brown stuff on top of it. And when did you find that? Saturday. This past Saturday. This Before I went to pick my daughter up. Where is it now? It's still a town. Did you do anything with it? I put it in the safe for safekeeping. In the safe? What kind of a safe?

[Will]

But the most important thing that he found was under Whitney's bed.

[David]

So there's also another item what about the handwritten letter? Letter? Yeah. How many pages was that? Who. Who altered that? Do you have any clue who wrote it? As far as I know, Whitney is cursive. What did it say? That I cannot tell you. I can't read cursive.

[Will]

Man, the school system is really failing us. Cursive is a lost art, guys. Instead, learn how to type on a really tiny keyboard. Also, learn Mandarin. Anyway, the letter was one page in Whitney's cute cursive handwriting. It was a list of Randy's suspicious actions that she'd been keeping track of. Things like, Randy had been sleeping on the couch. He wouldn't cuddle or say he loved Whitney anymore. And she found out that Randy had been leaving his GPS location on so his new girlfriend would know where he was and they could meet up when he wasn't at home with his family. Well, that's one use I hadn't thought of for those tracking apps. But above all else, Randy's brother David was also super concerned because Randy was trying to now leave the state.

[David]

Actually, I tried talking to a deputy. I can't remember his name, but that's what blows me away about Randy not being looked at the way I said. We just kind of feel he should be and him being allowed to leave the state, you know? So stuff like that that has been kind of bothering us the most. When you say he's leaving the state, where. Where is he going? He was trying to go to Kentucky yesterday. He was trying to get one of our friends that we used to work with that lives in Kentucky now. He's got a little boy that lives in Ohio, though, and he was coming up to see him for the day or the weekend, and Randy contacted him and was like, hey, can you take me back down to Kentucky with you?

[Will]

So Randy was trying to skip town, and these mysterious videos kept coming back into play.

[David]

There's several of these videos, and she even said some of them, Randy states in the video that he didn't. And then some of them, Randy states in the videos that mom and dad did it. My parents are not bad people. They're not. They. They're the type of people to give you the shirt off their back. They've taken in friends of my brother, my older brothers, friends of mine. Pretty sure they've taken in one or two of Randy's friends at one point. They are nice people. And it's just one of those things I don't. I can't believe, and I won't believe I with Randy. And I'm not the only one. Even besides our immediate family, like my grandfather, grandparents, my older brother, sister. There are people on the Champaign County Facebook page where the post was put. There are people in the comment section that know Randy, that I don't know, but know Randy and are saying Randy did it.

[Will]

The videos were going to be a bombshell and the police had to know what was said and how much truth they held. Finally, they got a copy of one of the recordings of Randy confessing to his friends what he knew. And it was a much different story than the rumors.

[David]

So, dude, like what? You just walked into your fucking house that morning and everybody was already arguing this shit happened? No way. I wasn't home but 60 minutes and she was probably dead by the time I left, if not before. I told her when I dropped her off, I said, I'm not ready to go home. Like I said, I'm not ready for this. Word for word. This is life changing, bro. This is fucking nuts. Not even 20 minutes later, shit started popping off. 20 minutes after that, she was probably dead.

[Will]

Randy said that he came home after Eliza dropped him off on September 30th and he heard his parents fighting with Whitney in the other room. Twenty minutes later, Whitney was dead. Hmm, interesting.

[David]

I was gonna let her leave with my daughter go. A mutual friend of ours was taking her to her mom's house in Via. But she's been getting the Section 8 house for like the last six months, maybe even a year, right? And because of COVID they have a green light. They text us. They text me last week saying she got the green light. She could come the day after, the day after they killed her. She was supposed to move into her apartment. That friend that was going to pick her up gave her brand new furniture that's not even, not even 10 months old. She had. She had a whole house. But what it was was her stepdad witness, he raped her and was doing and all that. And that's what proved my bad. He FA basically told me when we got into our argument when my mom was talking to her, saying, if you let her leave with that baby, that baby's going to get snatched and raped and blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, you. You don't get in my life ever. And then when it's convenient for you, you know, you come in, right? And I was like, look at you. You're. He's sitting there in my face, just talking. You didn't think about pursuing the face. I told him I shouldn't have dropped his ass. I was 1/2 breath away from planting my father.

[Will]

Randy said that he was going to let Whitney leave with their daughter. She had an apartment set up and he was willing to go with her. But then his mother, Valerie got involved. Valerie was concerned because Whitney had sexual abuse in her family. And she was convinced that if Randy and Whitney's daughter left Ryder house, she too would be abused. According to Randy's story, Valerie wanted to stop Whitney from leaving. Just based on face value, what a concoction that is.

[David]

I feel like they kill her. About the time they tried to push. About the time my dad got me to the front door. I think right before he came out of the room, I think she was dead. Cause he went back there pissed off from my little argument right there, right? I was sitting in the living room with my daughter. Not even five minutes later, he came back out for a different person to look on his face. That I either just did something I never thought I'd have to do, or I just seen something I thought I'd never seen.

[Will]

Randy said that Whitney, Valerie and Rodney Sr. Were fighting in another room while he sat on the couch with his daughter. Picture it. See if it makes any sense. In your noodle. When his dad came out, he had a look on his face that scared the hell out of Randy.

[David]

I broke my hands out of my dad's hands. I grabbed his and I said, what the fuck did you do? He looked me dead in my eye. And that's the only reason I believe it was probably my mom, is he said, I didn't do anything. But he said, you need to leave. Be gone for a few days.

[Will]

Randy said that Rodney Sr. Pushed him out the door and told him to get lost for a few days. He left his daughter there and split. Some guy. Randy is. I mean, what a dad? Father of the fucking year, I would say. If any of this is true, that is also. Why would you make up a lie that makes you look worse?

[David]

What the fuck Now? It's a pretty simple answer, my friend. So is her family, like, not gonna let you see your kid anymore? They have no control over it. The state does. She's in Child Services right now. I called the detective, called me. What was that? Yesterday? I told him, I don't want my family to have her and I don't want her family to have her.

[Will]

Randy requested that his toddler be placed under the care of cps. An odd decision, but not if he was planning on leaving the state and not if he truly knew that his parents were the ones who committed Whitney's murder. Still, why not give her to Whitney's mother? Why the lack of communication? Something was definitely not right. But Eliza's stepsister and Eliza's ex, boyfriend and father of her son had come forward with some information that made Randy's story seem like it actually might hold some truth.

[David]

So yesterday, right after my aunt's funeral, we all went back to my grandma's house and my stepsister Eliza went with us. And then she just left. I didn't even know she left. And then after that, it was around 2:30, 3:00, she messaged me and said, try to call Whitney. And I don't know Whitney personally. I just know that my sister was messing around with Whitney's boyfriend. So I told Whitney at one point, but she said, try to call Whitney. And I was like, why? Blah, blah, blah. And she was like, just try to call her. So I tried to call her off Facebook and it just rang. No one picked up. It just rang. And I told her. She texted me and said, any answer? And I said, nope. And then I let it go.

[Will]

Eliza's stepsister said that all this happened before they found Whitney's body. So why was Eliza asking her to randomly call Whitney? It was really weird. Then Eliza and Randy called and started talking.

[David]

And she said, randy and her both said, we think that my mom did it. And I said, your mom did what? We think that my mom killed her. And I was like, what?

[Will]

So that's when Eliza's stepsister called Eliza's ex boyfriend and the father of her children. She was creeped out and concerned about this strange confession from Randy and Eliza.

[David]

We sat down and I was like, I'm gonna call Eliza and get more information, see what she knows. And I told him to video it, and he has a recording of them giving up everything. Well, not necessarily giving up, but, like, giving up. They're acting awful calm for what's going on. You know what I mean? Like, right? Laughing about shit. You don't laugh about his. The mother's child's missing and he's in a laughing matter. What? Right? Me, I love. Me and Eliza aren't together. I don't care about her. If she's been missing, I'd be worried sick just for my daughter's sake in general, Right? He don't seem worried at all. That's what just confuses me because, okay, another thing. Like, Whitney and Randy were together, living in the same household, and Randy was messing with Eliza, and Eliza is like, crazy obsessed with this guy for some weird and godly reason.

[Will]

Okay?

[David]

When I was on the phone with them, before we got any type of recording or anything, Randy said that his mom looked him dead in the eyes and said, randy, go kill her.

[Will]

The police were bogged down with rumors and secret video recordings. The whole investigation was hinged on small town gossip. But when Randy came down to the police station, he told the same story that he had told his friends. He came home from his girlfriend's house and heard his mother and Whitney fighting in the bedroom. Then his father, Rodney, came out with a terrified look on his face and told him he had to go.

[David]

Okay, where was mom talking to her in our room. Okay. So when I was sitting in the living room with Aran, you can look through up, like, the little three steps. You can look down into the living. The dining room, and you can basically see the closet door in front of their room.

[Will]

Okay.

[David]

And I feel like I had seen my dad come out from, like, our room. And that's when I watched him walk into. I watched him walk all the way up to me from the dining room. The first thing he did, I was sitting on the floor there and just talking to her. And he grabbed me by my wrist. He pulled me up. He said, you need to go home now. He's like, you need to go now. And I'm like, why? What's going on? You guys just can't tell me? He said, you just need to fucking trust me. He's like, you just need to go now. By this time, he probably got me all the way up to the door to get my shoes on, and I barely got my shoes on, and he was so panicked, he just kept repeating himself.

[Will]

Whitney was supposed to be picked up by a friend that morning so she could start moving into her new apartment. When Valerie emerged from the bedroom, she was holding Whitney's phone and asking her son to help her text Whitney's friend.

[David]

And then my mom come out with Whitney's phone, and it was unlocked. And I know she has a lock on it. Okay. Even though I don't know the passcode, but she was already unlocked. How do you know that? I don't know it was unlocked. Did you see it? Yeah. Mom showed it to me. She said that Whitney had told her to message Elgin, to say not to come and pick them up, that she didn't want to hear me talk. But I know from where we were standing, and I kept trying to go back to see what was going on because they. There's the way they switched their attitudes. My dad went really angry at me, really concerned, not really concerned for me. But he looks like he just walked in and seen something that he probably never thought he'd ever seen. Which is what initially worried me, that something happened. So mom was gonna message Elgin and tell him to not come and pick them up.

[Will]

Randy said that he knew something was up. He couldn't hear Whitney anymore and the color had drained from both of his parents faces. Still, Randy left as he was told. He didn't take his daughter, he didn't check on Whitney, he just grabbed his work stuff and left. 25 year old Whitney Hostler had been found strangled and then dumped at the bottom of a ravine in the small town of Urbana, Ohio. Whitney had been living with her boyfriend Randy Ryder, their two year old daughter and Randy's parents. It was after all their house. But Randy had been cheating on Whitney with another girl and had gotten her pregnant. Whitney was devastated and subsequently had found an apartment to move into. She told the Rider family she was leaving and that's when things unraveled. Randy had been the one to alert the police when Whitney was missing. But multiple people, including his own brother, said that Randy was violent and entitled and they wouldn't be surprised if he had murdered Whitney. Anyway, Randy's father, Rodney Sr. Spoke to the police as well. He didn't have exactly the best things to say about his son or the dead mother of his grandchildren. Whitney for that matter.

[David]

Whitney, in my opinion, loves that little girl as much as anybody. Yeah. But I know for a fact that she told Randy before they had her that if they were going to try and have a baby, he was going to have to take care of her because she wasn't doing her on her own. Randy can go to work, work all night on third shift. Yeah. He can come home and Whitney expects him to come in and stay up and take care of the baby all day long. Yeah. While she goes to bed. Because. Because she was up all night long, sitting outside either in one of the broken down cars out front or in one of the yard chairs out back, smoking cigarettes and smoking marijuana. So what I'm hearing you say is Whitney may have loved that little girl, but Whitney probably, it sounds to me, wasn't being the kind of mother that Whitney needed to be to that little girl. Would that be a fair statement? Because I don't want to put words in your mouth. Would that be a fair statement?

[Will]

But he did have a soft spot for Whitney despite her maternal shortcomings. In 2019, Rodney Sr. Had gotten sick and lost his job. Then Valerie had lost her job. The family Went from living in a six bedroom house near town to a three bedroom house living on half their previous income. Plus, Rodney was sick. He had to take daily shots for his condition. And Whitney acted as his nurse when no one else could or would.

[David]

So Whitney, give me my Covid knock shots. What you're saying is there's some good times with Whitney, too. I've had a lot of good times with Whitney. Whitney. Whitney come to our house believing that Randy's telling her for years and years, which was that me and Valerie hated her, couldn't stand her, didn't want her around him and everything else. That's never been the truth.

[Will]

Rodney also had a major soft spot for his granddaughter, whom he and Valerie had basically raised from an infant since Whitney and Randy were young, incapable parents.

[David]

She's two years old, Janice. You give her a cell phone, and she'll sit there and play with that cell phone until she gets YouTube videos on and watches certain videos. She's learned all her colors. She's learned to count to 10. All of these YouTube videos. She's learning her shapes. So you're scared for her? Oh, I'm scared to death for her. Because I noticed she's. She's not one. She's not. If she attached, she. She's gonna be traumatized when she can't go to bed without pop pop.

[Will]

Valerie was also angry by the way Whitney and Randy were parenting and told police that they had raised their granddaughter.

[David]

We take care of her in our room. Why is that? I mean, have to ask them, really. I mean, we've always taken care of her. Okay. They just. She sleeps or smokes or leaves or whatever. He does the same thing.

[Will]

Valerie was adamant that she was the true mother to her granddaughter. Nothing like a grandparent brawl. Just picture it Jerry Springer style with walkers being hurled across the room. That didn't happen, but still fun to think about.

[David]

Me and Rodney take care of her 24 7. You can ask our other kids. You can ask my in laws. We have her.

[Will]

Valerie said that when Randy confided in her that he was seeing another girl and had gotten her pregnant, she knew it was the beginning of the end. But she didn't want to lose her granddaughter. She didn't want Whitney and the baby to go. Especially the baby, though.

[David]

I said, we'll make Randy leave. She's like, I'm not staying here. She's like, unless he leaves, I'm not staying. I said, we will make him leave. I said, as long as she stays and, you know, we can take care of her while you do whatever I said, then we'll do that. And she was sitting there on the bed and she was. She was crying and everything. And, I mean, they fight and she treats him like shit, and he is an asshole. You know, he does stupid shit, but I think that she was still kind of expecting him to be there. Gotcha. You know, I mean, she told him that this was her apartment and that, you know, she was gonna. She was getting a job and everything, but I. I think she was still expecting him to be there and help. And help with the baby and all that. And he told her flat out that she wasn't his responsibility. Whitney, not the baby. He told Whitney. When did he tell her that? That morning? Yeah. Yeah. And, I mean, he told me that he flat out. That was one of the reasons why he's been staying away, is to piss her off so that she would get the hell out. Okay? And I'm like, randy, your daughter. He's like, well, she's gonna take her for a month and then she's gonna bring her back to me. I said, she just stood there and screamed at you and said that she's taking her baby, that you are not getting her? Yeah. I don't know what you're thinking. His mind. Yeah. No, what he thinks and what's reality is way two different things.

[Will]

Valerie and Rodney stuck to the same story. Yeah, the fight happened, but then some friend of Whitney's came and picked her up, and they never saw her again. But the cops looked into that friend. It was the same one that Randy said his mother was trying to text from Whitney's phone. He never showed up. He never came over. Whitney's mother told him not to, allegedly. Plus, everyone has a ring camera these days, even in rural Ohio, a place where UFO sightings are common.

[David]

So what happened to Whitney? This your opportunity? She left. We know she left. She took her stuff outside on the porch. She had her bag. She had her jacket. I've been here since 1:50 yesterday morning, okay? I've worked all day. We've all worked all day on this. I know she get in the car with somebody and leave. You happen to look around at your neighborhood? Maybe see the surveillance cameras and the ring doorbells? No. I mean, here's the thing. I know she ain't getting in a burgundy car, a maroon car in your driveway, at the end of your driveway. I'm telling you, I'm a straight shooter. I'm not gonna. You. It didn't happen.

[Will]

That's when the cops pulled out pictures of Whitney's decomposing body and slammed them on the table in front of Valerie. She winced and turned away, her chubby arms wrapped tightly around her body.

[David]

Do you see these marks? Those are fingerprints. Do you know what we can get from fingerprints? First of all, we can take fingerprints off human skin, and we're working on that right now. We can get DNA off human skin and off clothing. That is her. That is her. That is her. That is Whitney. That is Whitney. Whitney's laying dead at the bottom of a goddamn ravine. Do you think that I spent my entire day sitting there with my thumb in my ass, tracking every spot where you said you were at, Checking for cameras, looking at cameras. I know the car that passed you slowed down and passed you when you were doing this. Guess what? I'm not stupid. Don't treat me like I'm stupid.

[Will]

The cops had more evidence than Valerie expected, and she was starting to crumble under the weight of it all, under the guilt. That's how they get you with your own guilt.

[David]

I want to be able to tell the judge or to tell the prosecutor this is what happened.

[Will]

Did you target her?

[David]

I mean, did you plan it out? Or was this a heat of the moment thing? You just lost the control? Was it an accident? Yeah. Okay. How did the accident happen? She pushed me. She shoved me back into the door because I asked her to leave the baby with us. Yeah, I mean, we've had her 24 7, we understand, for two and a half years. We understand that. She said no. She said she's taking her. Yeah, she did. She said she wasn't. We weren't going to see her anymore. Especially since Randy got the other one pregnant. Right. She shoved me into the door. She hit me. Because I kept telling her, we have been taking care of her. She doesn't like to go anywhere else. She just kept screaming. She didn't care. She was hers. She wasn't. She wasn't giving her up. She hasn't taken care of her at all.

[Will]

So there it was. A confession. Valerie killed Whitney because she didn't want to lose her granddaughter. Smart. Then again, what do you expect in rural Ohio?

[David]

She was laying on bed. Okay. And I was holding her and. Yeah. How were you around? I had. I put my arm around her and it went up because she moved and she tried to get me off and everything. And that was. I mean, I must have squeezed too hard or something because I heard her. I don't know. It wasn't a gag or cough or whatever. It was just like a. I Don't even know it wasn't. What would you consider a natural sound, right? Yeah, it was like. Almost like a growl or something.

[Will]

Valerie confessed that while Rodney and the baby slept in the other room, she fought with Whitney and strangled her with her arms until she growled and died.

[David]

I was sitting there shaking at first because I was freaking out. And where's Rodney Senior during this time? He was in the bedroom with the baby. Asleep. I think he was asleep. And I went and woke him up because I tried, like, shaking her and everything. And did you call 911 and ask for help? I was freaking out. I had grabbed her. I did that. So what point did you put the plastic bag over and secure with the duct tape? It was before Rodney came in, wasn't it? Why? Why put the plastic bag over her head? Did you not want to see her face anymore at that point?

[Will]

After she killed Whitney, Valerie panicked and put a dark plastic bag over her head, securing it tightly with duct tape. Then she went and got her husband. She said that she kept thinking about her granddaughter. She didn't want to call 911 because she didn't want to lose the baby.

[David]

He was freaked. He actually almost passed out. What did he say when he stole with me? And he. He's like, what did you do? What happened? What did you tell him? I told him. I said, she started screaming at me and tried to get past me. She was going for the baby. She was leaving.

[Will]

Valerie said that she had Rodney pull the truck around. They stuffed Whitney into a large duffel bag and threw her into the bed of the truck. Then Valerie and Rodney's other son came home. They made him some food and acted like everything was normal. And that night, they packed up their granddaughter in the truck and tried to find a place to dump Whitney. They struggled for a while until they remembered the Kaiser Lake ravine.

[David]

So whose idea was it to dump her down the ravine? Mine. How did you get her out of the back? Did Rodney help you do that? I just pulled her out. I went down. Okay. Who helped you get her out of the truck? Rodney. You did it by yourself? Rodney didn't help. The baby was in the truck. Okay, I'm asking. Can I ask you a question? Okay. This wound that's on the bottom of the chin, there's a laceration under there. That's looks like it's seeping some blood. You see it? Did you drag. When she came out, was she face down? No. And I know you dragged her across the log to roll her over. There's a log there you remember that? I got stuck. So you shove her over into the ravine. How far did she go? Maybe halfway. So you climbed down there? I had to go down. That's a hell of a steep ravine. Did you have any trouble getting down there? Down? No. Up? Yeah. So she goes halfway down. You climb down. Did you drag her or did you carry her from there? I pulled her, like, up. And you thought she was far enough in to be secluded or what? It was dark.

[Will]

That's when a car drove by. Valerie saw the lights, and Rodney yelled at her. She got scared and stayed put, breathing heavily. Then she waddled herself back into the truck and they left. As they pulled into their driveway, the sheriff pulled up behind them. Valerie's heart stopped. You see, during the time they had been dumping Whitney down the ravine, Rodney had made that, called to the police and reported Whitney missing. Ironic, isn't it?

[David]

There wasn't. I mean, because he pulled in and the sheriff pulled in behind us. Kind of like an o. Crap moment, Would that be. I told him I. It was my fault. I should have stayed away from her. Because you told. Who r. Told it. It was your fault. You should have stayed away from her or what? I told him I was sorry.

[Will]

After two separate trials, Valerie was found guilty of murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse, and three counts of possession of criminal tools. That's a new one. Haven't heard that one before. Possession of criminal tools. So to me, that says you can't own cutlery. What a weird law. Ohio. Can you own a flashlight? What about a crowbar? They gotta title that one a little better. Anyway. Valerie is now serving 21 years in prison. Her husband Rodney, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and parole for three years. Their son Randy, for some reason, was never charged or held responsible for Whitney's death. Even though if you step back and look at the whole thing, it's mostly his fault. The entire scenario. He didn't do anything to protect his own child from the mother he's known his entire life. He knew what they had done and kept quiet about it, at least for a while. But I guess he was the most moral person in the story. And apart from, you know, protecting his own child from the mother that he's known his entire life. According to his girlfriend Eliza's Facebook page, they are still happily together today and have a few more kids. The whereabouts of the daughter he shared with Whitney, whom Valerie was so determined to keep in her care that she turned to murder, is unknown. Valerie will be 73 when she gets out of jail and she'll still be a grandmother. She'll get her life back, but she'll never get to see that baby girl ever again. The one whose mother she murdered. That's over. You did that, Valerie. No one else. Babies having babies. That's where we're at in Society in 2024. And that's what this all boils down to. Reactive emotional idiots putting their own feelings above all else. Maybe Whitney wasn't ready to be a mother. Maybe she shouldn't have been. And maybe Randy wasn't ready to be a father either. Maybe he should have quit while he was ahead instead of looking for more. Strange, as they say, Valerie and Rodney thought they were helping by taking care of their granddaughter. But what they were doing was enabling the terrible choices that their son had made. The choices that he made, I might add, after they raised him. In a way, they were enabling their own bad behavior. They were meddling. And really, what choice did they have in the matter? But that child became a contentious pawn in the Ryder household instead of the innocent human being that she is. Whitney was never given a chance to prove that she could mother her baby without Valerie and Rodney enabling her to still act like a child. Maybe if she had moved out on her own with her daughter, all the stresses of life and all the consequences that come with it. Maybe if she was alone under her own roof and forced to grow up, to mature in the real world and do what she needed to do to raise her daughter. Because when you have no choice, you gotta do what you gotta do. You gotta grow the up. If you're never given the chance, you never do. I think this is pretty common sense, is it not? Am I the crazy one? Perhaps, Perhaps. But Whitney never got the opportunity to find out. Because Valerie Rider thought she was the mama bear, the one with all the answers, the virtuous mom, the one we all celebrate with greeting cards every year and all the propaganda that comes with it. Despite all this, Valerie did not respect Whitney as a woman. She saw her as a child. And when the situation became unbearable, Valerie did the unthinkable and overcorrected for her failure as a mother. So that's gonna do it for another Sword and Scale. Thank you so much for joining us once again. If you're in the market for more true crime, I highly, highly suggest checking out Sword and Scale Daily, our morning news show five days a week. We also have a little show called Sword and Scale Nightmares, which a lot of you enjoy. And that's available just about everywhere. And also, do not forget the latest episode of Sword and Scale Television with the story of a young man named Jordan Demay. This is a pretty awful story because it's a clear example of how evil looks everywhere, especially in your pocket. So definitely a good one to check out parents. Anyway, enjoy. Stay safe.