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- [00:02]
Interviewer
I know you've been through a million times. I'm going to ask you to go through it one more time.
- [00:05]
Brad Dunlap
That's fine. I don't mind telling the story because the important thing is that people hear
- [00:09]
Narrator
it Phoenix Home and Garden magazine has been described as the ultimate guide to home design, art and cultural activities for the affluent Southwest lifestyle. The monthly publication frequently features high end homes and the November 2018 issue was not an exception. On October 13, 2018, Jennifer Lamour Dunlap posted this on her Facebook page, quote three years in the making and well worth it. I am very proud of the final product and can now show you all as it is featured in November issue of Phoenix Home and Garden. Could not have done this without Julie Hallmark of Hallmark Interior Design. She's amazing at what she does and really made my visions reality ready for a party. The post also has a video of her opening the magazine to her story. It's titled A Pinterest Perfect Evolution. The following is an excerpt from the magazine profile. When Jen and Brad Dunlap began thinking about building a custom home in North Scottsdale, they initially thought they might go with a more traditional Mediterranean influenced style for the five acre site, which has clear views of the city below in Pinnacle Peak to the north. But after sketching out floor plans and saving online images of architectural and interior details, the ZY began to evolve. This is the house that Pinterest built, says Jim with a laugh, recalling the creative process with a talented team that included builder Tom LeBlanc you'll hear from later in the series and interior designer Julie Hallmark. The Dunlap's path to an 8,000 square foot main house complete with two 1,000 square foot guest houses, began several years ago when they wanted to move to a high desert locale from their previous North Phoenix residence. Brad loves a desert Highlands area, explains Jen. He golfs there and enjoys the views. We were surprised that there was still land nearby and that we could purchase a lot. Visitors find their way to the autocourt through a port cochere. I'll confess I had to look up the pronunciation of that which links the main residence to a one bedroom guest home and single car garage. Six more garage spaces and a detached two bedroom guest retreat are tucked to one side of the main house. Inside, a gracious entry leads to an open living room, kitchen and bar area where a formal dining room and butler's pantry are adjacent to the kitchen. A spacious master suite is located just beyond, while the theater and children's wing, which includes a game room, study and Their own laundry anchor the opposite side of the home. There are also three showcase areas where Jen displays her wedding dress, designer bag collection and sentimental family heirlooms, including hats belonging to her great great grandmother. The shabby overhang shelters an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a bar and seating groupings, and provides access to the negative edge pool. Below the pool and patio, two more terraced levels have room respectively for an in ground trampoline used by their gymnast daughter and a putting green for Brad.
- [02:57]
Brad Dunlap (Insurance Industry Explanation)
The role of the insurance claims industry is to tear that promise that the insurance company made when they sold an insurance policy. Whether it's your home, your car, or damaged your own person, if something goes wrong, the insurance company's made that pledge to you that they're going to make it all right. They're going to make sure that your life is as inconvenient, as little as possible. And that peace of mind, that promise is what you're buying with that insurance premium.
- [03:27]
Narrator
So In November of 2018, life seemed very good indeed for Brad Dunlap. His company, the best irs, the insurance staffing service you just heard him describe, was generating over $100 million a year in revenue. He'd been married to Jen 12 years his junior since May of 2000, with two children. Wealth beyond his wildest dreams and all that comes with it. Multiple homes, vacations all over the world, memberships to elite golf courses all over the country. And still, by all accounts, Brad maintained an unparalleled work ethic. Here is Bret Hart, Brad's college friend from Winona State University and co founder of the best IRS on the Austin Zabak show, talking about Brad.
- [04:06]
Bret Hart
He's got incredible hustle, like a motor that, I mean he did 10 marathons in two years, qualified for Boston, would run sub six minute mile marathons. I mean the guy, the only person I know that has a motor like him is Michael Jordan. Like you hear my stories about Michael Jordan drinking all night, playing cards all night, then scoring 50. My partner has that quality.
- [04:30]
Narrator
And you gotta understand, for Brett, comparing anyone to Jordan is the highest of praise. Google it right now. Bret Hart. It's B R E T T H A R D T, not the wrestler. Google Bret Hart Jordan room and you'll see why. In his seven bedroom, 18 bathroom mansion, it features a room specifically dedicated to the basketball legend.
- [04:53]
Bret Hart
This is the Jordan room.
- [04:54]
Brad Dunlap
How many shoes are in here, Brett?
- [04:57]
Bret Hart
There's a little over 300 pair in there. Full would be 3:30.
- [05:03]
Brad Dunlap
Oh my gosh.
- [05:04]
Bret Hart
So we wanted to come up with the ultimate display of Jordans.
- [05:09]
Narrator
And as Brad goes to bed on a given night in November 2018, he does so in what Phoenix Home and Garden describes as a master bedroom that is curvy, contemporary on the sleigh bed, a tufted bench, and a crystal and gold chandelier that creates a more formal, glamorous look than the scene in the rest of the house. I want even more glitz in the master suite, his wife, Jen, admits with a smile. But the best part of the room is the view of city lights that we have from the bed at night. Life should be perfect. But when he's alone looking at those city lights, even in this mansion, he can feel the walls closing in. Because 23 years before and 1600 miles away, Brad Dunlap was building his first dream house. And that did not have a happy ending.
- [06:05]
Brad Dunlap
Just thinking about it, thinking about her being God, it was very hard for me. I mean, you know, it's tough.
- [06:16]
Narrator
This Is The Case Season 3 Episode 1 An Unreliable Narrator Foreign. It's March 5, 2020, and the world is just about to shut down. But sergeant Christopher Caracostas of the Cold Case Division of the Minneapolis Police Department is about to talk to a witness. A reluctant witness. Caracostas, with nearly 30 years on the job at the Minneapolis Police Department, was well liked and highly respected. We spoke to his former partner, Louis Porse.
- [06:50]
Various Interviewees (e.g., Liz Anderson, Louis Porse, Darla Wellna)
Chris was one of the smartest guys I've ever met. He was tenacious and he was the perfect guy for the cold case unit.
- [06:57]
Narrator
Sadly, Caracas would be dead less than two years later at age 54. The army vet passed away from complications from COVID on December 2, 2021. But on March 5, 2020, Caracostas got that reluctant witness to speak and gave a very cold case a heartbeat. 93.7 the Edge is the latest from the Frog. It's Saturday, December 30, 1995, and Anne Dunlap is up early, as she always is. She turns off her Alarm set to 9370 Edge, an alt rock station that launched in February of 1994 and is Anne's favorite. She wakes up alone. Her husband, Brad, has already left for a run. Or There's a typically cold winter morning in Minneapolis. Temps in the high 20s, but no snow this morning. Ann will also be running with a group later that morning, the Fireball Fuchsia Running Club, a group of friends of hers who go for long weekend runs. Anne would also frequently run on weekdays early in the morning, joined by friends Lori Layner and Liz Anderson. We spoke to Liz about Ann.
- [07:58]
Various Interviewees (e.g., Liz Anderson, Louis Porse, Darla Wellna)
Ann And I and Lori Layner, the three of us were. We would meet at Lake Harriet early early morning at 5:15 in the morning and run around Lake Harriet and Calhoun, which was a seven mile route.
- [08:10]
Narrator
Ann and Brad were currently living with her parents, Dom and Louise Barber, as they were building a home in Medina, a suburb 20 miles outside Minneapolis. The Barber home was located in Minneapolis, an upscale neighborhood near Lake Calhoun. Her parents were heading out to their lake house in Ammondale for the weekend so Ann and Brad would have the home to themselves. Ann, 31, and Brad, 32, had been married for eight years, having met at the University of Minnesota. Ann is a rising star at Pillsbury, headquartered in Minneapolis. A marketing manager in charge of the Hungry Jack Biscuit account. She made nearly $100,000 in 1995, her best year to date. Brad's a salesman for Environmental graphics in Hopkins, Minnesota. His salary in 1995 was $36,000. Ann's parents have also been a huge help financially, giving him $20,000 for a down payment on that home and a $10,000 check for Christmas. Just five days ago, she tells her friends her marriage is perfect and they all envy what Brad and Ann have. What they don't have, though, is a child they are trying. Brad was an only child and is anxious to start a family. Ann, though excited, is a little more cautious. They had sex the night before the 29th and would be alone for the weekend. No surprise to anyone who knows her, Ann is taking the process of conceiving seriously. This is what she does, whether it's work, running, chores, building of her new home. Here's Liz Anderson.
- [09:34]
Various Interviewees (e.g., Liz Anderson, Louis Porse, Darla Wellna)
She was really driven. She was really. She had a good job. She was real organized, she was really reliable, always on time.
- [09:42]
Narrator
It's about 7am as Ann gets into her car parked in front of the barber house. Her 1987 maroon Toyota Celica has over 108,000 miles on it. It's about a 15 minute drive to the Northwest Racquet Club where she'll meet the group for a 10 mile run. After the run, the women, 11 in all, will go to Lori Layner's for a holiday brunch. Ever the planner, AM has already made a note to pick up cinnamon rolls at Almstead's Market on the way to Lori's. After brunch, it'll be back home where Brad will be waiting as she pulls away from the Barbara house on Ritual Road. Life is good for Ann Dunlap. But eight hours later, it's a rumor going around, right? She will be dead. This is Julie.
- [10:24]
Brad Dunlap
Julie, where you at?
- [10:25]
Narrator
I'm at Ham Mar right now.
- [10:26]
Brad Dunlap
All right.
- [10:26]
Narrator
This is the latest From Letters Awake 93.7 the Edge. It's Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and 65 year old Darla Wellna is setting up a zoom call from her home in Florida. She's meeting with lawyers from Minnesota about an examination she did for a life insurance company over 30 years earlier. We spoke to, well on March 8th and she expressed surprise at being contacted by the lawyers.
- [10:51]
Various Interviewees (e.g., Liz Anderson, Louis Porse, Darla Wellna)
Oh, I was, I was very surprised when all of a sudden I first I got a call they'd be setting up a zoom or whatever if I could meet in person or not. And I couldn't. And I got a subpoena in the, in the mail that said I was being subpoenaed to appear testify at grand jury. And, and so they explained all that and then they just set me up with employment when date came around, which was February 11th.
- [11:23]
Narrator
To me, when I look at it, there are three key dates in the course of our investigation. The first was February 14, 2026. The second, March 6, also 2026. Then the third, two days later, March 8. When we talked to Darla, you just heard from and you might hear that cut and think she doesn't seem hugely important, but it is and what it represents is even bigger. We're going to tell you about all three of those as the series goes on. But definitely March 8th is one of the three big days for us in the course of this investigation.
- [11:52]
Interviewer
I know you've been through a million times. I'm going to ask you to go through it one more time.
- [11:55]
Narrator
Gail Palwocki took an unusual path to her job as a TV reporter for Carol Levin. That's the NBC affiliate, Minneapolis. She had spent eight years as a police officer in Crystal, a suburb of Minneapolis, and later in the city itself. She left the job and started the care in the spring of 1986. When I spoke to her in April of this year, she told me she worked as a general assignment reporter, never a news anchor. Her police contacts were useful and she thinks it's definitely possible. One of those contacts landed her in the parking lot of Kmart at the corner of Lake Street, Nicollet Avenue on the morning of January 1, 1996. No other media is present and Gail is hoping to speak to Brad Dunlap, who has just arrived. After a brief search that morning for Ann's Toyota, Ann's friend Karen Epel and her husband Mark found the car abandoned in that Kmart parking lot. They immediately called Brad, who rushed to the scene and next flagged down a squad car on Lake Street. That car belonged to Officer Kurtz, who was having breakfast at Perkins Restaurant. Epel told Kurtz they were looking in that specific area because of its high rate of crime. At 8:30 that morning, Sergeant David Voss was notified of the discovery of the Toyota and he arrived on scene 15 minutes later. Kurtz briefed him on the situation and noted that friends and family of Ann's had already gathered at the scene. Voss was told the family wanted the trunk of the car open. They were quite anxious about this. Voss opted to treat the car as a crime scene and ordered that no one be allowed to touch or disturb it in any way. Voss first meets Brad Dunlap surrounded by friends, many of whom helped at the search party that morning. He notes Brad appears to be calm and again asks Voss to have the trunk open, which Voss has to explain he cannot do at this time. Voss notes Miti also at the scene. And this is Gail and her cameraman. She asks to speak to Brad and he agrees. What you're about to hear are portions of an unedited interview. It's available on KR11's YouTube page. It's 30 years later and Gayle can't be quite sure, but she suspects it was cut into a two two and a half minute segment and she's almost certain the story led all three newscasts that evening. So what we're going to do here is let Brad tell his story, let him be a narrator, and we'll jump into, fill in the blanks with some additional information we know, much of which is unknown to the public until now. So here's Brad and Gail. January 1, 1996.
- [14:25]
Interviewer
Tell me what happened yesterday.
- [14:27]
Brad Dunlap
Actually, it was Saturday. Saturday at 2:30 she left our house to go to Mall of America just to do some shopping. It was gonna be a quick trip to look for some shoes at Nordstrom's where she buys all her shoes. She was gonna be home at 4:30.
- [14:42]
Narrator
Okay, so two things jump out for me here. First, Brad is definitive, no question about it, and went from the barber home to the Mall of America to get shoes to go to Nordstrom's. No question. Definite statement on his part. So going over old files, investigating, this is really the first time that he says this without any doubt. On December 30th, the day Ann went missing. At 9:30 that night, Brad makes his first 911 call, talks to the emergency operator who tells him that the police don't take missing persons Reports right away. Remember she's now gone missing only a few hours. He asked the operator if she call hospitals and asks if there's a general number he can call for all hospitals. He tells the operator that Anne's been missing at that point for seven hours. The operator tells Brad he should check all local hospitals and jails himself. First call later on, generally after 24 hours. The next morning, the 31st, at 6:45, he calls a fifth precinct to ask for the making of a missing persons report he wants to file. One Officer Bob Olson tells him the Minneapolis Police department policy is 48 hours before report is taken and he should maybe call the Bloomington Police Department because Brad Dunlap told him that maybe Ann went to the mall. So that's our first one. Olson saying that Brad told him not that she was definitely at the Mall of America at Nordstrom's, that perhaps she was at the mall. That's first. So that same morning, December 31, 1995, Sergeant Cheryl Alguire receives the case. She looks at the report and decides to call Brad Dunlap at approximately 8:30am he first tells her he spoke with his wife and she told him that she was going to buy a pair of shoes that she left their home at approximately 2:30 on the 30th. That's a barber home. Lori Laner, Ann's running club friend, was interviewed by the police on January 9. They asked her about her first conversation with Brad after Ann went missing. This was on December 31st. They asked her if Brad said anything to her about where Ann might be going. And she said the very first conversation he asked where she was going, if I knew she was going shopping, anything about her whereabouts. Again, no mention of Mall of America or Nordstrom there in that conversation with Lori Lahner. Second point Brad mentions in the end took just a quick trip to the Mall of America to get those shoes at Nordstrom. So from the barber home to Mall of America is about a 16 minute drive, just under 10 miles. We did it back in February on actually a pretty snowy day and it took us about 16, 18 minutes and then the same we did round trips. So about, you know, you want to say 38, 40 minutes, I guess I can give you that. It is, remember a holiday weekend at that point, New Year's Eve weekend, Christmas is just over. Mall of America is relatively new at that point, only a few years old. So it's booming there that weekend. Nordstrom isn't anchored, has its own parking lot and its own garage. So she gets in there Gets out, you know, want to give her 10 minutes maybe round trip, getting back and forth, that's an hour. So that gives her, you know, an hour at the very least to go get a pair of shoes at Nordstrom and get back in her car and make her way back to the barber house. Ann is not a toddler. She's plenty focused. Everyone tells you that. We'll learn that later on as the series goes on as well. So she had plenty of time. A quick trip to me, just to me, to the mall and back from there. Wouldn't be two hours, probably an hour maybe. But Brad has her from 2:30 to 4:30. Was gonna be her quick trip to Nordstrom to get a pair of shoes at the Mall of America.
- [18:04]
Brad Dunlap
She didn't show up. It was starting to snow though, and rain and we had to run an errand because tropical fish tank. We had to get some salt water to make a water change anyway and then we were going to go to dinner. So I decided I would run out and get the water because I figured, you know, snow and everything. It's probably, you know, busy day at the mall. She was just running late. I called her from the fish place and she said, and she wasn't there. And it concerned me a little bit, but I thought, well, you know, maybe she's even in the bathroom or something. So just left her a message.
- [18:34]
Narrator
So Brad notes it was starting to snow and rain about 4:30, according to the Midwestern Climate center, which is part of the National Weather Service. On the 30th that day, there was a total of 1/4 of 1/8 of snow that day on the 30th and precipitation began at about 4:00'.
- [18:50]
Bret Hart
Clock.
- [18:51]
Narrator
Okay, so the fish store he's referring to is Aquapets plus, located on Route 55 west in Plymouth, Minnesota. It's about a 20 minute drive, just under 10 miles. It's also, I think important to note that the fish store closed at 5 on Saturday, December 30. By the time Brad arrived, it was already closed. And I'll also be honest, when we started this investigation, I thought when he said, quote, I called her from the fish place, end quote. I absolutely believed he called her from inside the fish store. I remember this is the error of payphones, but obviously with the store being closed, that didn't happen. Records we obtained and have never been reported show the results of phone dumps requested by the police for the payphone in the complex where the fish store was located. At the Rainbow Food Store. This is verbatim from the records, it should be noted when the phone dump was requested for the payphones at the Rainbow Food Store in Plymouth. The company that handles that particular payphone does not record terminating numbers for phone calls placed from that phone. So there's no direct record of what phone numbers were called from those pay phones. However, a printout was received and the times of phone calls made around the time Brad Dunlap said he made the phone call from the payphone are as 4:57pm, 5:07pm, 5:08pm, 5:24pm, 5:25pm, 5:26pm, 5:38pm, 5:41pm and 5:55pm now if you believe Brad's timeline, if in fact he's late for 5 o', clock, I'll eliminate 4:57, 5:07 and 5:08 for conversation. I think the calls that are most likely his are 524, 525 and 526. Maybe 538, 541 and 555, though that seems late. But 524, 525, 526 definitely seems to be him. And I'll also say I don't know how busy the Rainbow Food Store payphone was in December of 1995, but three phone calls each one minute apart seems unusual to me. Maybe he made more than one phone call, we don't know. But my guess is one of those three phone calls at least was made by Brad.
- [21:03]
Brad Dunlap
Came home and she still wasn't home. And then I started to get real concerned because it was after 6 o' clock by that time and very unlike her, if she's going to be in 15 minutes late, she's the person that would call and just let you know. She's a very detailed, organized person and so being prompt and having things go in order is very important to her. So I started to get real worried.
- [21:24]
Narrator
Okay, so a couple of notes here. As we said earlier, so Ann gives Brad a two hour window. I'm leaving at 2:30. I'll be back from the mall at 4:30. He says here she's very prompt, detail oriented. So does that mean she's going to spend an hour at Nordstrom's when she can just go? I assume she knows the shoe she wants, get them, drive back and do it in an hour. Yeah, probably. I would think so. But to be fair, I don't know. She's the Mall of America. It's a busy weekend. Maybe there's sales, maybe she wants to check out two or Three other stores and it takes two hours. I don't really know but it does seem like a long time for a quick trip to get a pair of shoes to the mall and back. I would think an hour, but she said two hours. According to Brad, Brad also says he arrives back at the barbers after 6 o'. Clock. This is definitely true, but it's almost certainly after 7 o' clock as well. This has never been reported before. Earlier in the episode we referenced a $10,000 check don and Louise Barber gave Ann and Brad on Christmas morning at 6:48pm on December 30th Brad was attempting to deposit that check at an ATM, a Twin City Federal Knollwood, a bank branch located 15 minutes from the barber house. The attempt to deposit the check was rejected. We've assumed all along the dollar amount was too high. $10,000. It's also important to note the check was made out only to Ann. So at the very earliest I have Brad back inside the Barber House at 7:05 and that seems generous. It's definitely after 6 o', clock, that's for sure.
- [22:51]
Brad Dunlap
Her parents or in laws, we're actually living with them because we're building a house in Medina right now and we're living with her parents for a couple months until our house has been. They were up at their lake home and I called them. They had left that morning and they came back into town and as I called, I called the police. They said just call hospitals, that's all we can do at this point. So as I called hospitals, they went out to Mall of America, drove around the parking lot, checked for the car, couldn't find it anywhere.
- [23:15]
Narrator
So Brad says he calls Don and Louise Barber, Anne's parents. He's living at the Barber home. As we know, when the Barbers were interviewed on January 3rd by Sergeant Voss, they were asked for a timeline. They stated they were at the lake cabin in Annandale. Recalled by Brad about 8pm on the 30th to say Ann was missing. They returned home around 10pm and were told by Brad that she went shopping at the Mall of America. They immediately drove to the Mall of America and searched every single parking lot in around the mall for Ann's car without being able to find it. They then returned home after checking Southdale as well, also not finding Ann's car there. They went back out and researched the area to try a different route and also did not find Ann's car or any evidence that her car was out there. Don and Louise stated they finally arrived home from their searches around 12:30am I guess I'll also just mention here. We said earlier that Voss mentioned how calm Brad seemed. We spoke to Gail as well, conducting this interview. Of course she mentioned that both she and her cameraman were surprised how calm Brad was given the circumstance.
- [24:14]
Interviewer
Anything going on in her life that might make her want to drop out of sight or.
- [24:18]
Brad Dunlap
No, just the opposite. Everything in our life is like the best that it's ever been. She's. She just got promoted at work and things are just going fabulously for her at Kilsberry. She's marketing manager there. We're building a brand new home in Medina. It's her dream home. We're planning a family. Just everything that is. That you want out of life is happening for us. So it's very unusual.
- [24:43]
Narrator
Brad says here, quote, everything in their life is the best it's ever been. It might be true, but records we found show Brad Nam are going to marriage counseling going back to at least April 1990. And on December 18, 1995, exactly two weeks before this interview, Brad applies for counseling in United Behavioral Systems. Presenting problems written by staff. Quote, not sure something needs to be done, end quote. Couples counseling problems on and off for past eight years. Was scheduled for an appointment on January 1, 1996 at 1100 hours. No show. January 1 seems unusual to me for a counseling appointment, but that's what the records show. January 1st at 11am how concerned does
- [25:28]
Interviewer
this make you to see the car here?
- [25:31]
Narrator
Well,
- [25:34]
Brad Dunlap
I'm happy that we found it because I'm hoping that it'll give us some clues on where she might be. I don't know what to think. I mean, it's just at first it scares me because it's here. And I didn't know if we'd find it because I thought the police would find it yesterday. And I talked to a guy at the FBI and he said that generally they find a car after an all points bulletin is put out in a few hours. And so he thought that maybe the car was out of town. She was out of the princess area. So when we found it today, I was really surprised. Our main effort seems to hurt a
- [26:09]
Interviewer
little to realize the car's here.
- [26:12]
Brad Dunlap
Just thinking about it, thinking about her. God, it was very hard for me. I mean, you know, it's tough
- [26:23]
Narrator
maybe. This seems like an unusual spot for me to explain, in part at least, why I picked this story. Season three of this series, season one, which came out five years ago. He tell a missing girl in Brockton, Massachusetts, Jennifer Fay in 1989. Our work helped lead to the rest release of Kevin Mailer for a separate murder of Kevin Craig down in South Carolina. Season two. We looked at Sandra Birchmore, who was believed to be a suicide, we thought was murder by Matthew Farwell, a police officer in Massachusetts. Well, after our podcast, Matthew Farwell was arrested and is now in prison waiting for his trial for the murder of Sandra Birchmore. That was a few years ago. We've kind of started and stopped, looked at different series, traveled around a little bit, got close a few times, but backed off. This story appealed to me. It's one of these things, you don't really know why, but it jumped out at me. And I like the stories that are kind of forgotten. And this one had certainly been forgotten. But this video was sort of one of the reasons why I picked it. I thought it was so interesting. Brad Dunlap standing in that parking lot of the Kmart with the car right there. The detective's right there. At one point a minute or two from now, he's a foot away from this car. I just hadn't seen anything like that before. And where Brad is today with all this money, a fortune, you know, 40, 50, 60 million, who knows? Living sort of this different life than the one he was living in Minnesota. Kind of this squarely middle class guy moves to Arizona and starts this new life. But this video, like I said, was part of the reason that I wanted to do it. And you know, a big part of this video, I think the one that gets talked about the most within this video is the crying, the stuff you just heard. And when you see it, I'll confess it doesn't seem like I see any tears rolling down his face. But I'm not big into that. I don't. There are people much smarter than me, I suppose, who are body language people. Or if somebody says this, it means that I don't know. But I will say when you go through the comments in this YouTube video and there's over a hundred, you know, that's sort of the theme. Tier count equals zero. That's one crying over explaining another. He's overacting. Still a third. Too many details. No tears, excessive blinking, I don't know. It's mentioned a few times. As I said, going forward, it's mentioned a few times in the police report. Neighbors mention it, you know, sort of his lack of emotion. I don't know what that means, but I suppose it is part of it. But this video itself I found compelling and unusual and hadn't really seen anything like it before. So it is a factor as to why we're doing this story.
- [28:51]
Brad Dunlap
It looks. We can't touch looks. It looks totally normal to me and the detective. We kind of peered through the windows and they're, you know, just like I said, there seemed to be just a Hollywood video bag and a drugstore bag and there's a bottle of water and the seat in there, which wouldn't be unusual because she drinks, you know, the bottle of water. Being a runner in an athlete, she.
- [29:14]
Narrator
I don't want the camera damaged.
- [29:16]
Interviewer
And there's been no accident?
- [29:18]
Brad Dunlap
No. It looks like normal. It's an older car, but, you know.
- [29:22]
Narrator
All right, so first, I'm sure you've heard the dogs here throughout the first couple of minutes. From police reports that day, it should be noted that K9 had also been requested. Sergeant Voss, Squad 1110, arrived and was informed of the situation. Officer Roy Engelbretson of the K9 unit arrived with a German shepherd and apparently had not been informed. They were, in fact requesting a bloodhound. A bloodhound was requested from Burnsville PD with an ETA of an hour, hour and a half. I'm very sure you're not watching the YouTube of this interview while listening to this podcast. Maybe you are. If you are. If you pause it at 4 minutes and 44 seconds, you see Brad Dunlap looking at Anne's Celica. It's maybe two, three feet in front of him. Remember, Vossa made it clear he didn't want the scene tampered with or anyone near it. So he's a couple of feet away. Gale and the cameraman are right behind him. And you can see Voss wearing what I guess I would call a fedora and a winter coat, just staring at Brad. He seems confused. There's a photographer nearby as well, various police cars. It's very strange. And you can see the car is iced over and there's some snow underneath it. I would say more snow underneath it than other cars in the parking lot at this point.
- [30:32]
Brad Dunlap
No, they just want to stay away from the car until they get a bloodhound here because they're hoping that we brought some clothes that Ann has worn recently, and they're hoping that a bloodhound can maybe lead them a trail and give them a direction from here.
- [30:47]
Narrator
Again, if you're looking at this YouTube video, you can almost see inside the car here at this point. It's iced over, but you can see a little bit of the interior. Here's what Voss made in his notes. My observations of the car were. There was precipitation in the form of snow forming on the car. However, the entire area underneath the car was clear and free of snow. This included the pavement underneath the wheels. However, there were significantly formed icicles at least several inches in length. They were forming along the bottom door frame on both sides of the vehicle. This area was towards the front wheel wells just behind each front wheel. It should be further noted that it snowed approximately a fourth to half an inch precipitation over the weekend. I later ordered weather reports to verify the air precipitation measurement which we read earlier. I noted that the driver's seat appeared to be further back than the passenger seat. The gear shift was in reverse. The handbrake was set with the handle firmly pulled upward. There were brown dead leaves that I could observe on the left front floorboard mat. There were keys in the ignition which were in the off position. Both doors appeared to be unlocked of the keys were in the ignition. I noted a small keychain type mace container that was in the close leather holder with the snap fully closed. I noted that the vehicle temperature lever was set all the way to the cold position. It appeared to be in defrost mode. Although the vehicle was off and these were my observations of looking at the instrument panel. The indicator on the gas tank was there was approximately half a tank of gas left and the trip odometer was 134 miles. The regular mileage for the car was 108,329. The driver's seat was free and clear of any obstructions. The right front passenger seat had a woman's red colored fingernail on it. Also on the seat I saw a clear plastic bottle of Chippewa water, one liter size with a yellow price tag on the cap that was $1.69 with no decimal point between dollar and 69 cents. I note the bottle is sitting completely upright on the passenger seat. The water inside is completely frozen. It appears to be approximately a third full of the front right floorboard. I could observe two pennies, a pink snow brush and a pair of glasses near the front door frame in the folded closed position. The glove box was closed. I saw a Hollywood video bag that was crumpled and just laying on the floorboard. I could not tell if anything was inside the bag at that point. It should be noted I did not enter the vehicle and these are my observations from looking through the glass without touching the vehicle.
- [33:15]
Interviewer
This isn't an area of the town she would normally come to.
- [33:17]
Brad Dunlap
No. Hey, the thing is when she goes to discount department stor she'd Always shop at Target. She's very Target loyal. She'd never go to Kmart, just in general. And she'd never come to this part of town. Never alone. And never, never this part of town. She's a very careful person in that respect. You know, she carries Mace with her on her keychain.
- [33:38]
Narrator
Although it's less than three miles from the Kmart to the barber house. It's a completely different world. It's also very believable. Ann wouldn't go there alone. Particularly at the end of 1995, a year that saw record 97 murders in the city gaining nationwide attention and the nickname Murderapolis.
- [33:57]
Brad Dunlap
And there's. The keys are in the car, in the ignition, which is. I don't know. I don't know if that's odd or not.
- [34:06]
Narrator
Just a quick note, and it might not surprise you. We've spoken to various law enforcement officials, from FBI profilers all the way down to retired police officers, and they've told us that leaving the keys in the ignition of a stolen car would be quite unusual. So essentially ends the interview. Gail, we talked to her still, all these years later, is kind of amazed at the access she got. She'd have three more years at K than she do another three and a half years. Another TV station, Minneapolis. She's a communications consultant today. Final note, there were 97 murders, as I said, in 1995. That was a record in Minneapolis. And Dunlap was the first recorded murder of 1997.
- [34:43]
Brad Dunlap
6.
- [34:49]
Narrator
While Brad was being interviewed by Gail, Sergeant David Voss had essentially taken over the scene at Kmart. He requested the Bureau of Identification come to Kmart to photograph the Toyota. The car was then towed on a flatbed truck to the Minneapolis police forensic garage. The vehicle was placed into the garage by the tow truck driver. Because the vehicle had its handbrake on, it had to be skipped off the flatbed portion of the truck. So once the rear wheels finally were able to touch the floor, the car held and was set on the floor by the driver. It's now approximately 11:15 that morning. The 30th officer Michael Kalistro and Voss attempted to open the trunk of Toyota using a spare key given to Voss by Brad at Kmart. However, the lid only opened partway and they could not observe readily what was preventing the trunk lid from opening. They reshut the trunk lid and Officer Khalistro, Officer Norris and Sergeant Bill James, all from the identification unit, continued to process the car for evidence. Voss noted some blood droplets on the rear license plate in the corner of the outline of the body for the plate. He had some difficulty opening the trunk but forced the lid open, discovering what prevented the trunk from opening initially was that inside the car, the trunk release cable had lodged between the victim's legs. While looking into the trunk, Voss sees the body of a white female lying on her right side facing the rear of the car. However, from the basic physical description Voss can see and from the description of the victim's clothing is told to Voss and reported by Brad Dunlap. This appears to be the body of Ann Dunlap. She's laying on her right side facing the rear of the car with her head down on the left inside front corner of the trunk. She's wearing a brown leather jacket, a purple sweater, blue jeans and black low cut shoes. Voss notes a noticeable blood like substance on her clothes, specifically the left front thigh and hip area with crease marks in the pants where the blue jeans appear to be free of blood, indicating the victim's pants were crumpled somewhat suggesting crouch position. The blood spatters are frozen and would flow heavily in what would be a downward position if the victim were vertical. There are many blonde hairs inside the trunk and scuff marks against the right side of the carpeting area near the victim's shoes, indicating the shoes scraped up against the sides of the trunk. There is one bloody paper towel crumpled up between the victim's crotch and the rear front of the trunk. Voss next notifies a medical Examiner's office at 1:30 and Dr. Daniel Davis arrives a half hour later and performs a preliminary examination at the scene. Removing the victim from the trunk, Davis observes numerous deep and large stabbing wounds around the victim's throat and head, but not the face. From these observations, it appears most likely she bled to death from severe head and neck wounds. Lastly, once the victim had been removed from the trunk, Voss observes a significant amount of blood inside the trunk, especially in the area where the head had been. Also, a pair of gold colored egg shaped earrings remained where the victim's head had been laying. The victim, of course, is Anne Dunlap, dead at age 31, brutally murdered and left in the trunk of an abandoned car in the middle of winter in a Kmart parking lot. As Voss stands in that garage and looks at Anne, he knows his investigation has begun. And he also knows exactly who he wants to talk to. Foreign It's February 27, 2026 and my producer Dave Cullinan and I are in Arizona hoping to speak to Brad Dunlap. We first go to the office of his company now called Best Claim Solutions, located on a rundown street in Phoenix. We enter the small parking lot and take a moment to figure out our next move. We had in the weeks prior spoken to multiple former and current employees of the company and they described an environment of tension, anger and deep concern. Brad wasn't in the same space he was when Phoenix Home and Garden profiled his Pinterest perfect home. In 2018, that dream home had been sold and State Farm, by far Best Claim's biggest client, had left. Bret Hart, his partner, also had his mansion on the market. It's been listed for a year and a half, originally priced at 23.5 million and now yours for the sum of 17.9 million. Jordan sneakers not included. Employees tell us the Brad Brett relationship is strained as the company struggles. Brad is far more hands on with the company as Brett is focused less on Best Claims and more on Attitude is free. His apparel line focused on, quote, promoting the positive attitude no matter the circumstances. Multiple former employees, they've sent us texts and emails from Brett that are verbally and emotionally abusive, bordering on incomprehensible at times. Our plan to head into the offices of Best Claims are stopped by Tom Bilecki, the VP of recruiting development at Best Claims. He politely but firmly asks us to leave, telling us, quote, this is private property. We do as he asks, knowing that Brad's car isn't parked in the spot we were told he usually puts his car in. Blecky seemed to be on high alert, acting more security guard than VP and there could be a reason for that. On February 11, 16 days earlier, in that same Best Claims parking lot, an attempt was made to serve Bret Hart with a subpoena. The subpoena is from Minnesota, where a grand jury is convening in Minneapolis and a 30 year old cold case is suddenly alive.
- [40:20]
Brad Dunlap
This whole time since this has started, everybody's talked about domestic problems. Ann and I don't have domestic problems. I mean, it's just one wonderful relationship.
- [40:28]
Narrator
Christopher Caracostas died just a month after retiring. He was part of A E's first 48 series in 2008, focusing a pair of murders he helped solve in Minneapolis. He was interviewed by A E and said his work was, quote, a privilege. You're working for a victim, you don't even know you can't bring them back. You can certainly do everything you can to try and bring those responsible to justice. And that means something. And that means a lot to me too. And on that day we referenced earlier in March 2020, Karakostas was able to get the reluctant witness to talk. She was a former co worker of Brad Dunlap's in Environmental Graphics. Brad was part of the interview process when she was hired in the spring of 1995. She described him as her mentor and manager. And In December of 1995, the same month Ann was murdered, she told Caracasas the two began a sexual relationship. Our relationship will continue after Ann's death. This season on the case.
- [41:31]
Brad Dunlap
He wants to be superior to her
- [41:32]
Various Interviewees (e.g., Liz Anderson, Louis Porse, Darla Wellna)
in every event, even in death.
- [41:34]
Narrator
I can't figure it out because she is so cautious and she's very concerned about that sort of thing and I just can't imagine how it could have happened.
- [41:43]
Interviewer
In the affidavit, he says Dunlap's motive was to collect his wife's wife $1 million insurance policy.
- [41:48]
Narrator
We fear the boogeyman, but he's the less likely person to hurt us. The case is available on Apple Podcasts and wherever podcasts can be heard. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook, Instagram hecase Podcast. If you have any information on the murder of Van Dunlap or the story itself, you can reach out to us on any of our social media platforms or email. The casearsarsports.com.