Brianna Vibert (Jack of Hearts, Michigan)

Summary

The Deck Podcast: Episode Summary – Brianna Vibert (Jack of Hearts, Michigan)

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Deck
• Host: audiochuck
• Episode: Brianna Vibert (Jack of Hearts, Michigan)
• Release Date: September 18, 2024

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Introduction to Brianna Vibert's Disappearance

In this heart-wrenching episode of The Deck, host Ashley Flowers delves into the mysterious disappearance of Brianna Vibert, affectionately known as the "Jack of Hearts" from Michigan. Brianna's case is one of the many cold cases where law enforcement agencies have sought innovative methods to uncover the truth, including replacing traditional playing card faces with images of missing individuals to encourage inmates to provide crucial information.

Ashley Flowers [01:03]: “It was 3pm on Monday, July 17, when a man named Michael walked into the Flint Township Police Department to report his daughter Brianna missing.”

Background and Circumstances Leading to the Disappearance

At 24 years old, Brianna was grappling with personal turmoil. She had recently divorced her husband and was living with an allegedly abusive boyfriend, Brandon. Battling personal demons, Brianna's disappearance on July 15, 2017, left her family in deep concern, especially since she was not in contact with her children—a significant red flag.

Detective Lacey Lopez [03:46]: “They were very concerned. She has children and she had not been in contact with her children, which is a huge red flag.”

Initial Missing Persons Report

Michael Vibert, Brianna's father, along with her ex-husband Eric, promptly filed a missing persons report, showcasing their deep worry for Brianna's wellbeing. Their proactive approach provided police with substantial information early in the investigation.

Ashley Flowers [04:20]: “Because they'd already done so much digging on their own, they had a lot of information to provide police.”

Investigation Steps and Early Leads

Detective Lopez spearheaded the investigation, utilizing security camera footage from a local gas station where Brianna was last seen. The footage revealed Brianna leaving the gas station with an unknown black male in a Pontiac Aztec around 1:00 AM, a pivotal lead that directed the investigation towards Dale, a 47-year-old neighbor.

Detective Lacey Lopez [05:59]: “He did allow him to watch the cameras. And she left with this unknown black male and a Pontiac Aztec.”

Cell Phone Tracking and Additional Evidence

Despite Brianna's cell phone being turned off, investigators requested an emergency GPS ping to track her location. Although initially unsuccessful, historical phone records indicated that someone had been tampering with her phone, turning it on and off while checking voicemails.

Detective Lacey Lopez [09:26]: “It'll pop up on your email and say no phone or phone is off, service is off, something like that.”

Suspects and Persons of Interest

Dale – A Neighbor with a Suspicious Alibi

Dale became a person of interest after Brianna's cell phone was traced to his mother's house. His evasive behavior and discrepancies in his statements raised suspicions. Dale claimed he and Brianna visited a strip club, Teasers, where Brianna's arm was bandaged, but inconsistencies in the timeline and missing evidence (like Brianna's purse) left many questions unanswered.

Detective Lacey Lopez [15:44]: “So Dale said that he was driving down Mill Road, stopped for gas at the gas station...”

Brandon – The Allegedly Abusive Boyfriend

Brandon's relationship with Brianna was tumultuous, with reports of physical altercations. Despite initial hesitance to cooperate, Brandon eventually provided a narrative that contained several inconsistencies, particularly regarding his whereabouts during Brianna's disappearance.

Detective Lacey Lopez [29:20]: “She had gone to a friend's house on Vermelia when her and Brandon would fight. And I think that's where she was trying to go.”

Inconsistencies and Unresolved Leads

Several discrepancies emerged in the accounts provided by Dale and Brandon. Notably, Brandon mentioned visiting a vet to handle a hit-and-run involving a cat, a claim that couldn't be substantiated as his name didn't appear in vet records. Additionally, time gaps in their stories left critical questions about their true actions during the crucial hours of Brianna's disappearance.

Detective Lacey Lopez [41:44]: “So I looked up that call. There was a call, in fact, for a disorderly person at the vet office.”

Reopening the Case in 2021

Years after the initial investigation, Detective Lopez re-engaged with the case, driven by the lack of closure for Brianna's family. She re-interviewed roommates and delved deeper into the conflicting testimonies, uncovering more inconsistencies that heightened suspicions against Brandon and Dale.

Detective Lacey Lopez [37:09]: “I just asked for this case because I took the initial report. I feel for her family. I feel for her children.”

Ongoing Efforts and Family's Plea

Despite extensive efforts, Brianna's whereabouts remain unknown. Detective Lopez emphasizes the importance of public assistance in solving the case, highlighting the emotional toll on Brianna's four children who continue to live without knowing their mother's fate.

Detective Lacey Lopez [46:47]: “If someone knows something but is unwilling to speak on it, please think about Brianna's children and the rest of her family and how they feel.”

Conclusion and Call to Action

The episode concludes with a heartfelt plea from Detective Lopez and Brianna's friend Courtney, urging anyone with information to come forward. A $2,500 reward is offered through Crime Stoppers of Genesee County for any leads that could crack Brianna Vibert's disappearance.

Ashley Flowers [47:36]: “If you know anything about Brianna's disappearance, you can reach out to Detective Lacey Lopez's direct office line...”

Notable Quotes:

• Detective Lacey Lopez [03:46]: “She has children and she had not been in contact with her children, which is a huge red flag.”
• Detective Lacey Lopez [07:50]: “This lady is not contacting her children or her ex husband even about the children. It's been since the 14th. It's now the 17th.”
• Ashley Flowers [46:47]: “They need answers and someone has them and is choosing to stay quiet.”

Final Details:

• Brianna Vibert's Last Seen Location: July 15, 2017, at around 2:45 AM at the Mobile gas station on South Saginaw Street, Flint, Michigan.
• Description: 5'9", 120 lbs, cream-colored top, black capri pants, flip flops, tattoos on right shoulder and both wrists, pierced nose and ears.

Contact Information for Tips:

• Detective Lacey Lopez: Flint Township Police Department, Phone: [phone]
• Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County: 1-800-422-5245

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Brianna Vibert's case remains unsolved, but through detailed investigative work and public awareness initiatives like The Deck, there remains hope that justice will eventually prevail for Brianna and her family.

Transcript

[Ashley Flowers]

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[Detective Lacey Lopez]

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[Detective Lacey Lopez]

They were very concerned. She has children and she had not been in contact with her children, which is a huge red flag.

[Ashley Flowers]

That's Flint Township Police Detective Lacey Lopez, who took the initial missing persons report. At the time she was working as a patrol officer. Part of Michael's concern and sense of urgency centered around the fact that the boyfriend Brianna lived with at the time, Brandon and their housemates had apparently known she'd been missing but hadn't sent said a word to them or been the ones to even call police. They just posted about it on Facebook and word made its way back to Brianna's ex, Eric.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Eric stated he received a screenshot on Facebook messenger by one of the roommates that Brianna lived with. And it was a post about Brianna being missing and not having been seen since July 14th.

[Ashley Flowers]

Couple this with the knowledge that the two had a rocky relationship that had gotten physical in the past. And you can see why Michael was so concerned. Though he didn't run straight to police when he got that message, Detective Lopez believes that they thought they could handle finding her themselves.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

It appeared that they kind of did their own investigation for a few days or a day before they actually came in here and made a report.

[Ashley Flowers]

Because they'd already done so much digging on their own, they had a lot of information to provide police. They'd even been able to trace Brianna's last movement before she disappeared. The two had learned from Brandon that the last time he saw Briana was on Friday. She was intoxicated and the two had gotten into an argument. Sounds like it was about her possibly cheating on him. Police at least seem to think that's the case, but Detective Lopez points out that they don't have any direct evidence to prove that. So whether cheating was the cause of this argument or not appears to be a little murky. But he says that she got so upset she threw a brick at the house and then left, walking in the direction of the Marathon gas station on Miller Road. Now, as luck would have it, Michael actually knew a guy named Sam who worked at that very gas station. So he and Eric went there next. Sure enough, Sam told them that Briana was there in the early morning hours at around 12:30am on what would now be Saturday, July 15. Like Brandon, he also mentioned to them that she seemed intoxicated. And there was something else.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He did allow him to watch the cameras. And she left with this unknown black male and a Pontiac Aztec.

[Ashley Flowers]

Sam indicated that Brianna didn't appear to know this guy, but she got into the front seat and they left in an unknown direction at about 1:00am no license plate could be seen, but this gave Michael and Eric a crucial tip. Something tangible that they could give to police. But they needed to make sure she was really gone. I don't know if they knew about the true crime trope where families are told their loved ones will just show up. I don't know if they just wanted to be prepared and make sure that they could tell police. They already checked with every single person they could think of before resorting to them. Or maybe they still just thought there was no way this could really be happening to them. A missing loved one that only happened to other people. Whatever it was, Michael and Eric checked with friends and family, and they verified that no one had spoken to or seen Briana since the 14th. A family member of Brianna's actually paid for her cell phone, and through her, they found out that her cell phone had been turned off. They also spoke with another friend of Brianna's who we'll call Casey. And she said she got a text from Brianna at around 1:30 in the morning on the 15th asking if she could stay with her, and she said yes. But Brianna never arrived. Now, there is some conflicting information on this because Detective Lopez believes that this was actually a call that happened around 1:48 in the morning and lasted 25 seconds. So just like, you know, 18 minutes difference here. Now, when Michael checked with Brianna's work, he was told that she didn't show up and that a check was waiting for her there. So the fact that she wasn't even picking up money was alarming. So this is just red flag after red flag. This is when they knew it was time for the real detectives to take over.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

I went into the detective bureau immediately because this lady is not contacting her children or her ex husband even about the children. It's been since the 14th. It's now the 17th.

[Ashley Flowers]

The detectives already had a head start because of Michael and Eric's legwork. And so their first step in the investigation was an obvious one. They went to the gas station to look at the camera footage themselves.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Brianna is obviously upset in the store, and one of her arms appears to be injured, like she's holding it. And I think it was bleeding.

[Ashley Flowers]

This was an injury her boyfriend Brandon had mentioned to Michael and Eric when he first spoke with them. Brandon said he suspected that Briana had self inflicted a wound on her arm, possibly in an attempt to take her own life. Briana apparently had a history of self harm and attempted a suicide that was known to both Michael and Eric. So it was possible. If anything, it just reinforced the urgency for police to find her. And to find her, they needed to find out who that guy driving the Pontiac Aztec was. So they got a copy of the footage and distributed it everywhere they could. Local news, social media, just trying to capture a broad audience.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

We had even asked some family members and friends if they knew who that black male was, and they did not. They had no idea.

[Ashley Flowers]

Police turned to Brianna's cell phone records and GPS data, hoping that they could help track her down that way. Her phone was still off, so it wasn't helpful at first, but they requested an emergency GPS ping allowing Brianna's phone to be pinged for its location every 15 minutes in case it turned back on, even briefly.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

It's pretty simple. It'll pop up on your email and say no phone or phone is off, service is off, something like that. But if there is, it'll give you latitude, longitude of the coordinates with the approximate meters of how far away it could possibly be from that cell phone tower.

[Ashley Flowers]

Now they just needed the phone turned on long enough to get that ping. They could tell from cell phone records that someone had been turning the phone off and on over the last few days. They could see that someone had been checking the voicemail from the 16th to the very last day. They got this ping approved on the 18th, but there was still no sign of incoming or outgoing calls during that time, just someone checking the voicemail and then apparently shutting the phone off again while they waited. The historical phone records they had were helpful in other ways. Detectives started tracking down some of the last people who'd been in contact with Briana leading up to the time she went missing. They saw that she had called a co worker around midnight, right as the 14th turned into the 15th. That coworker told detectives that Brianna had called asking for a ride. They said she sounded intoxicated and that she said she was walking down Miller Road. But this co worker wasn't able to pick Briana up. So Brianna just hung up, but then called back a short while later and told her she was going to ask another co worker for a ride. Detectives confirmed that there was that text or call to Brianna's friend Casey, one to two hours later, presumably the one where she asked if she could stay the night.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Brianna had told her that she had gotten a ride to take her there. That's it. She never heard back from Brianna. She had tried texting and calling her, which is confirmed on phone records, and Casey could ever get ahold of her again. And that was the last anybody ever heard anything from Brianna.

[Ashley Flowers]

Now, as I stated earlier, there's some conflicting information on when this text or call took place. Some police records have it at 1:30 in the morning. Detective Lopez thinks it was at 1:48. Either way, it begs the where was Briana between leaving the gas station at 1am and then reaching out to her friend 30 to 50 minutes later? Everyone's got a thing, whether it's vinyl records, sneakers, or sports memorabilia. And talking to people about how you found them on ebay can quickly become your whole personality. Even at 2am when you can't get your obsession off your mind, you're on ebay for sure. Scrolling your favorite sellers storefront, setting search alerts, building the watch list of your literal dreams, and making everyone in the group chat jealous. Maybe you've even gotten your bestie onto ebay too. And it's pretty likely that when they found out that they could get their favorite thing and for a good deal too, well, it's game over. And if vinyl records, the newest sneaker drops, and sports sports memorabilia aren't your thing, the best part about ebay is that it doesn't matter what you're into. Designer watches, car parts, vintage furniture. It's all there. You might just discover your next passion on ebay too. So go find the things that keep you up at night. Ebay. Things people love For a gift that is always on time and lasts a lifetime, you can't do better than Masterclass. Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 plus of the world's best instructors. Learn from any Masterclass instructor anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart tv or even in audio mode. With Masterclass, your loved ones can learn from the best to become their best. And listen, you're clearly a crime junkie. I bet you have crime junkies in your life. They have masterclasses from people like John Douglas, one of the fathers of the Bauer. I mean, take it from me, in another life, I wanted to be a profiler. Well, welcome to Masterclass. In this life I can be. Masterclass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to masterclass.com deck for the current offer that's up to 50% [e-mail] deck masterclass.com deck the next day, July 19, police get what seemed to be their first promising tip. Someone thought they knew where they might be able to find the mystery Pontiac Aztec and its driver. No one was home at the address they were given, but a neighbor told the detective that a woman owned the home and she had a boyfriend who fit the description of the person they were looking for, one who had the same kind of car that was parked there occasionally when he was over. The man the neighbor was talking about was a 47 year old guy named Dale who wasn't actually a boyfriend, but rather the homeowner's fiance. Detectives learned that Dale might not actually live with his fiance. Likely he was just visiting her from time to time because he had another address tied to him. This other address was his mother's house. So the detective tried tracking him down there, but he didn't see the car parked in the driveway. They were on to something big because Dale's mom's house is where they should have been all along. And they found that out the next day on the 20th when the police got a ping from Brianna's cell phone. And wouldn't you know it.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

So when detectives knocked on the door, mom and Dale came to the door and Dale was immediately acting like hesitant to talk. And the detective at the time had told him he was there about Brianna's cell phone and he immediately asked for an attorney. So he was allowed to call an attorney. After the phone call to the attorney, he said he wanted to talk, but not in front of his mom. He saw the press release on the news of him and Brianna at the gas station. And then he stopped talking and said, I'm going to wait for my attorney. That was all he would say right away.

[Ashley Flowers]

After a brief discussion with his client. When he arrived, the attorney gave police permission to enter the house. While Detective Lopez was unwilling to give us specific, specific details on what exactly happened in the house or even where the police searched, she would say that Brianna's cell phone was found there. What wasn't found there was Brianna not in his car either, which they also searched. Still, Dale clearly had a lot of explaining to do.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

So Dale said that he was driving down Mill Road, stopped for gas at the gas station at Lennon and Miller Road when he pulled any enter the gas station and Brianna was there inside the store. He saw that she had an injury to her arm and asked her if she was okay. He said that she looked at him and gave him a look that he thought indicated that he was bothering her. So he exited the store and left. When he left, he stated that he felt that he was at the gas station for a reason, and he felt the reason was to help her. He said that him and his fiance were very religious, so he returned to see if she needed help. When he returned, Briana asked him to take her to an address off of Vermelia street in Flint City. She actually told him he better not take advantage of her, and he responded with, you better not blame me for that, indicating you better not blame me for the injury on her arm.

[Ashley Flowers]

The house she asked Dale to take her to belonged to Brianna's friend Casey. But as they drove, she changed her mind. Near Casey's house was a strip club called Teasers, where she used to work as a shotgirl. And Brianna asked Dale if he could take her there instead. She said she still had friends there who could help her, so he did, even went inside with her. Dale hung behind while Briana went into the back, and a little while later, she came out with her arm bandaged. They then left together, presumably the plan still being to take her to Casey's. But they had to make another stop because Dale said he needed gas again.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He bought $5 worth of gas at that marathon at Atherton and Saginaw. And while at the gas station, Brianna went inside. He waited for her to come out, even went in the store trying to find her, but he couldn't find her in the store, so he waited by the front door, looking outside for her, and she eventually exited from a back room inside the gas station. They both exited the store, and he got back into his Aztec. As he was getting back into the Aztec, a green truck pulled up next to a pump, and Brianna went over and began talking to the people in the truck. He got sick of waiting for her, and it appeared that she knew the people, so he left.

[Ashley Flowers]

Dale told detectives that as he was driving, he realized that Brianna's purse was still in his car. So he turned around and went back. But when he pulled up, he said she was gone. So Dale said he then went to McDonald's to get a bite to eat, where he decided to throw her purse into the trash. Dale said he was afraid his fiance might find it, and she wouldn't have approved of him having a girl in his car, let alone going to a strip club. He said he found Briana's cell phone in the car the following day, and when detectives asked why he kept turning the Phone on and off. Dale told them this.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He gave the explanation that his mother had once lost her phone and someone found it, and she just kept calling her phone until someone answered. So he was turning it on and off to check voicemails to see if she had called looking for her phone. He was hoping Brianna would have called it, leaving a message so he could get it back to her. He said he only did this because he thought it was the right thing to do. He claimed he did nothing other than give Brianna a ride as she asked.

[Ashley Flowers]

Detectives were now tasked with proving what, if anything, in Dale's story was true. They got the security camera footage from the strip club Teasers, and it's all there. It shows Dale and Briana going in. Later, Brianna has her arm bandaged, and the two of them left the club together. Detective Lopez told our reporter that the employees at Teasers who helped Brianna that night have only recently been identified. So what Briana might have told them about how she injured her arm or about any fight she might have had with Brandon or anything about Dale remains to be seen. But what Dale told police about their stop at Teasers was lining up. And everything he said about the second gas station proved to be true as well. The employee working that night told the detective that the Pontiac Aztec pulled into the station and the car caught his attention because it was the only one to pull in. Brianna entered the store and wandered into the back room for employees, where she was caught on camera. Dale is also seen on camera near the station's front door and then eventually looking for Brianna.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Why he couldn't find her was because she went to the back room. She appeared really unsteady on her feet, like she was lost, didn't know where she was.

[Ashley Flowers]

Now, there's some speculation that Brianna could have maybe taken something at Teasers, which is why she was so unsteady on her feet at the second gas station. But Detective Lopez says this is not something they have confirmation of. And according to her, it appears Dale was not a known drug user. Eventually, Brianna came out of the back room just like he'd said. She and Dale exit the store just like he said. And the employee also witnessed Brianna walk up to a green S10 or Ranger style pickup truck and start talking to the occupant or occupants. I don't know which it is because there's nothing about this employee being able to describe whoever's in that green truck. But the employee said that Dale at some point drove away, and then he watched Brianna leave the gas station on foot. A Few minutes later, he confirmed that he saw the same Pontiac pull back in circle and then leave. Now, the gas station did have cameras outside, but unfortunately, the only footage police could get was from inside. And that's because by the time police got there, the footage had already been deleted. The only reason they even had what little they did from the inside was because the employee had taken a video of the security camera feed with him. His cell phone. Like a recording of a recording. Brianna had trespassed by going into the back room, and he thought that they might need that footage to ID her. But according to Detective Lopez, there is other footage that hasn't been released publicly. It sounds like from another building, and that's of Brianna outside of the gas station.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

We have video that shows her walk away from this green truck and walk kind of like towards the back of the gas station, which would be east on Atherton. And it gets really dark and it's really dark to begin with, but that's it. It's like she vanishes into thin air.

[Ashley Flowers]

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[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Done everything legally that they can do with Dale.

[Ashley Flowers]

So if Dale was involved in Brianna's disappearance, detectives would need more. And if not Dale, then who? On the same day police had talked to Dale and began trying to corroborate his story, they received another tip from a neighbor regarding Brianna. They had found a bag of her clothes in a ditch.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

The bag was found towards the area of the gas station. It did contain things that obviously belonged to Brianna. There's a couple pair of shorts, her work stuff. I think even the work stuff might have had her name tag on it. She worked at Taboon Restaurant at the time as a waitress. There was no blood or anything suspicious about the bag.

[Ashley Flowers]

Looking at this today, it appears to Detective Lopez that this was stuff Brianna might have packed from her house.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

So let me get away for overnight. This is what my guess would be. And she had done that in the past. She had gone to a friend's house on Vermelia when her and Brandon would fight. And I think that's where she was trying to go. I actually know that's where she was trying to go.

[Ashley Flowers]

Police suspect Brianna put this bag in the ditch to later come back and retrieve it. The gas station was just a short walk from Brianna's house. And from what I can tell, the place where her clothes were found was kind of in between the house that she left and this gas station. Over the course of several days and weeks, police continued to canvas the area where Brianna was last seen. And at the same time, they weeded out potential sightings of her.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

We had gotten a couple sightings of Brianna and none of them were ever confirmed. I think, you know, she is a taller girl, but she. I think she's kind of a normal looking white female, and it probably could be easily confused for other people.

[Ashley Flowers]

It wasn't just the police dealing with false Brianna sightings. Brianna's good friend Courtney experienced this firsthand while searching with Eric and Brandon.

[C]

One day we were, like, driving down, I think it was Atherton, maybe somewhere around there. And this girl was walking down the street with her head down, and she kind of looked like her. So we were all freaking out, like, super excited. I parked the car really fast, and it wasn't her, obviously.

[Ashley Flowers]

On August 1st, police did a canine search in and around the second gas station where Brianna was last seen. There were several vacant houses and a large wooded area, but ultimately nothing was found. And it sounds like there were multiple organized searches like this happening around this time. Brianna's friend Courtney even remembers being part of one.

[C]

We all Just kind of walked like arm's length from each other and just walked straight. Looking at everything on the ground, sitting through the woods, it was like, I hope we find her. But at the same time, like, I hope we don't, because I don't want to see that, you know.

[Ashley Flowers]

While police had done their legwork on Dale, one person they still hadn't talked to was Brianna's boyfriend, Brandon. Detective Lopez isn't sure why it took so long because there was definitely reason to be suspicious of him. During their investigation, police learned from another family member that a month before she went missing, Briana had asked her for help getting away from Brandon. She wanted out of the relationship, according to the family member. When they replied and asked how they could help her out of the situation, she never responded. And then they never spoke again. Briana's friend Courtney points out that she thinks Brandon was a violent guy.

[C]

She had like messaged me at one point saying that he choked her or whatever, and they were broken up at that point. But then I heard that they got back together like a day later. I don't know now.

[Ashley Flowers]

It wasn't that police had forgotten about him. Early on. They were having some trouble getting ahold of him. They played a game of phone tag. And then the one time they got him on the line, it was actually because they'd called Eric, who said he was out with Brandon at the time. And detectives said, well, put him on. He was hesitant to get on the phone, and when he did, he claimed that he was concerned about being arrested because of something known as a friend of the court warrant that had been issued for him, which in Michigan appears to revolve around child support. So Detective Lopez chalks up his hesitance to disliking the police. Brandon also claimed that he had some cell phone issues at the time, making him even more difficult to get a hold of. But you can't avoid Johnny Law forever. So on August 17th, Brandon finally came in to be interviewed. At first, he just briefly explained how he and Brianna met in 2016 while they both worked at a club. Brandon was a bouncer and she was a waitress or shotgun.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He did admit that the relationship did turn physical a few times, but he said he would never hit her. She would freak out and he would have to grab her to restrain her. Brandon said that he never hit Brianna. There were several times that she would hit him.

[Ashley Flowers]

What Brandon didn't know was that detectives had pulled Briana's medical records before he showed up. On at least one occasion, Brianna had gone to the hospital.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

She had a final diagnosis as a contusion on her head, lower back and pelvis, laceration to her left hand, and a traumatic rupture of her left eardrum. She was listed in the records as a victim. And the records reflected that Brianna informed medical staff that she was arguing with her boyfriend and was thrown to the ground. She then grabbed a knife and threatened to harm herself and accidentally cut the palm of her hand. And it was documented in medical records that Brianna opted to leave the hospital prior to treatment.

[Ashley Flowers]

As for what happened in the hours leading up to Briana's disappearance, Brandon was oh, so vague.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He stated that the night they had both been drinking and Brianna was drunk, and when he returned, she was gone.

[Ashley Flowers]

Brandon had his own kids that night, and he had decided at some point to go drop them off at his dad's house.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

And before he left, she was sitting Indian style in the front yard with her bags, like, packed. Nothing was said between them. He said that he was told by one of the other roommates that when he left, she was bleeding. And he told the detective that he thinks that Briana cut herself because she has a history of that and that she had also texted him, quote, unquote, angry s. And she then stopped returning his messages.

[Ashley Flowers]

Brandon was also under the impression that Brianna was getting a ride from this guy named Q. Q. Whoever he is has remained a mystery. Detective Lopez says they've never been able to identify him. And as far as Brandon was concerned, that is who picked Brianna up. Well, in reality, he thinks that she's.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Getting a ride to go do something, not realizing that she walked to the gas station and got a ride from a stranger.

[Ashley Flowers]

One thing Detective Lopez points out with Brandon's statement to police is that it's different than what he told Eric and Michael when they came to talk to him. In that version, Briana threw a brick at the house and she walked off. In this version, Brianna was still at the house when he left. So Brandon was now telling a new story or a slightly different version of events. Before he left detectives, Brandon agreed to do a polygraph at some point. He also promised detectives that he would forward any leads he received to them. Brandon had been very vocal on Facebook about Brianna's disappearance, but according to Detective Lopez, it was never really about Brianna.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He was really loud about trying to help find Brianna and how devastated he was. He made several posts about how terrible he felt. It was really about Brandon. Brianna's the one missing, but it was really about Brandon, and he wanted to make sure people knew he was upset.

[Ashley Flowers]

So upset that it took him over a month to finally come and talk to the police. Whether Brandon could have had anything to do with Brianna's disappearance remained to be seen. And remember, her cell phone was eventually with Dale. So Brianna had no way of contacting Brandon at a later point. So the thing to think about is if he found her, it would have had to have been by chance, something Brianna's friend Courtney points out.

[C]

I stop and think like he wouldn't have known where she was because she got that ride from somebody and then went to these different places.

[Ashley Flowers]

When it was time for Brandon to take his polygraph, he said that he was going out of town to Florida to help with some hurricane relief. Interesting timing. From what I can gather, Brandon never took that polygraph. According to Detective Lopez, at some point, police checked out the house Brianna was staying in but found nothing of evidentiary value. And so just weeks after the investigation began, it seemed to stall out. And it continued to stay like that for years. When Jo was little, Eric and I used to hate the saying that every parent told us, the days are long, but the years are short. But now Joe is about to turn three and it's so true. I am so grateful for every moment we have captured, which is why this is my psa. To those with or expecting babies, Nanit Baby Monitor is an absolute must have baby product. The high def camera captures every precious moment and allows you to see your baby from anywhere, anytime, all on the Nanit app. Nanit allows you to track your baby's breathing, sleep patterns, and developmental milestones and even gives you personalized insights. This adds up to more sleep for your baby and more rest for you. In fact, Nanit parents get an extra 36 nights of sleep a year and Nanit babies sleep 10% longer than average. The Nanit Baby Monitor won over 25 awards in 2024 alone from sources like Wirecutter, Parents Magazine, and more. The Nanit Baby Monitor is the MVP of baby gear. It's the one baby item you won't be able to live without. And of course, we have a special offer just for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order with code DREAM20. That's D R E A [e-mail] now that's D R E A M20nanit.com Now N A N I T.com everyone's got a thing, whether it's vinyl records, sneakers, or sports memorabilia. And talking to people about how you found them on ebay can quickly become your whole personality. Even at 2am when you can't get your obsession off your mind, you're on ebay for sure. Scrolling your favorite seller's storefront, setting search alerts, building the watch list of your literal dreams, and making everyone in the group chat jealous. Maybe you've even gotten your bestie onto ebay, too. And it's pretty likely that when they found out that they could get their favorite thing and for a good deal, too, well, it's game over. And if vinyl records, the newest sneaker drops, and sports memorabilia aren't your thing, the best part about ebay is that it doesn't matter what you're into. Designer watches, car parts, vintage furniture. It's all there. You might just discover your next passion on ebay, too. So go find the things that keep you up at night. EBay. Things people love. It wasn't until 2021 that Detective Lopez, who was obviously no longer a patrol officer, took up the case. And that's when things picked back up.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

I just asked for this case because I took the initial report. I feel for her family. I feel for her children. Just. It devastates me when I think about it. I can't imagine as a child, like, not knowing where your mom is the whole time you grow up not knowing if she's dead, she's alive.

[Ashley Flowers]

One of the first things Detective Lopez did was to start gathering information about some of the players involved in this case.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

I was able to get phone records for several people involved, which shows their GPS locations, and Facebook records also contain your private messages. So any messages that you have between each other, I have copies of, and that's pretty much all I'll say.

[Ashley Flowers]

When it was time for her to start knocking on doors, Detective Lopez realized that it didn't appear any of Brandon and Brianna's roommates had ever been interviewed back in 2017. So for her, it made sense to start with them. She went first to talk with one of the roommates, who we'll call Amy.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

She basically denied being home during this fight that they had prior to her picking up her boyfriend. She had been working at Taboon the night that Brianna went missing. She had received a text from Brandon saying that him and Brianna were fighting and that some of her things got damaged.

[Ashley Flowers]

Now, there is some conflicting information here because Amy also said that Brandon told her Brianna had walked off. But we know in 2017, Brandon said that he had left and Briana was still at the house. Brandon also seemed to place his roommates at the house. Now, Detective Lopez points out that, you know, this is years later, memories of events fade. But the other roommate, who we'll call Matthew, who was dating Amy at the time, seems to place both of them at the house.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He explained that she had picked him up from work at General Motors around 11, 11:30 that night, and then they went back to the house. So he's contradicting what she just said, that she wasn't there. He guessed that they arrived at the house between 11:45 and 12:00am and when they arrived, Brianna and Brandon were arguing.

[Ashley Flowers]

Because Brandon's children were at the house, Amy suggested they bring them to Brandon's dad's house, get them the hell out of there. So Brandon, Matthew and Amy got into his car and dropped the kids off. And then by the time they got back, at around 12:45, maybe 1am they said Briana was gone. So, for the most part, some hiccups aside, Brandon's original story matched up to this one. But this is where things get fuzzy and where some suspicion starts falling on Brandon. Matthews said that after they got home, home, Brandon went to look for Briana. He returned sometime later and said he had found her in a parking lot of a Pizza Hut. They decided to break up, and then she was apparently going to get a ride. Now, when Briana could have been in this Pizza Hut parking lot is unknown, considering most of her night was documented on surveillance video and by witness accounts. And to me, the one missing hour we have from her, I don't think that could be it, because you would think that Dale would have said something because in that hour, he is presumably with her. Now, Detective Lopez told our reporter that there was a Pizza Hut across the street from the first gas station, but they don't have surveillance footage from it to prove if what Matthew was saying was true. And by this point in 2021, Brandon wasn't answering any questions, so he's never been asked about this Pizza Hut story. But to go back to what Matthew was telling her, he stated that after that, Brandon and another friend, who we'll call Keith, went up the street to look for Briana at the gas station, which Detective Lopez takes the time to point out would be odd if Brianna and Brandon had just broken up. Like, why are you now going to look for her? But Matthew said they didn't find her at the gas station, and so they decided to get in the car and look elsewhere. But when they pulled out, they didn't realize that Amy's cat was on top of their car, and sadly, they ran over it. So this story was just going from bizarre to More bizarre now with an injured cat, this crew supposedly drove to the vet.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

He estimated that they arrived at the vet around 2am and were there till 4am he said that Keith and Brandon never left the vet office while they were there. After they left the vet, they arrived back home around 4am Brandon wanted to go back out looking for Brianna, but everyone convinced him to just go to bed.

[Ashley Flowers]

Matthew also mentioned that at one point he got upset at the vet for not helping. Like, so upset that the vet's office actually called 911 on him. And this is where some of the strangeness in Matthew's version actually starts to pay off. Because when Detective Lopez followed up on this, she found something very interesting.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

So I looked up that call. There was a call, in fact, for a disorderly person at the vet office. And the only record that they have of people that were there is only Matthew and Keith.

[Ashley Flowers]

Matthew and Keith, but apparently no Brandon, who, by the way, never mentioned anything about a vet visit in his initial interview with detectives, which you would think is kind of important. You think you'd remember running over someone's cat, considering it had just happened weeks before. He met with detectives and on the night his girlfriend disappeared, not to mention, putting himself at the vet would have given him an alibi. During the timeframe, Brianna would have been walking away from the second gas station.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

I even got with the officers that responded, and because it was three years later, they didn't remember. They weren't sure. And even the staff at the vet facility, I went to see if they remembered and they did not remember.

[Ashley Flowers]

So Detective Lopez chased down Keith, and when I say chased down, the dude dodged her. But she did eventually talk to him. And when she asked him if he was at the vet that night, he said he wasn't. Which Detective Lopez points out seems almost impossible.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Mind you, I've confirmed that he was there based on officers running his name through the system and it's all documented.

[Ashley Flowers]

This same logic goes for why we know Brandon wasn't there. Police had run their names through the system. Brandon's wasn't one of them. So if he wasn't at the vet, where was he? Did he slip out before the police arrived? Or is it something else Detective Lopez is interested in knowing and she even has a possible theory. Remember that green truck?

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

It could be somebody that Brandon knows and called Brandon and told him where she was, because Brandon has a lot of friends in that area. And one theory about the green truck. We had received some information that one friend of Brandon's possibly had a green truck back then, but we could never confirm it.

[Ashley Flowers]

Lopez isn't aware of Keith or Matthew owning a green truck. So if one of Brandon's friends had a green truck, doesn't sound like it was either of them. Detective Lopez plans on re interviewing Brandon. And don't worry, she hasn't forgotten about Dale either. Our reporter Madison, tried reaching out to both Dale and Brandon. She called them, left them voicemails, texts, reach out on Facebook. She even called Dale's attorney. But as of the recording of this episode, Crickets. Detective Lopez wasn't willing to say anything about where her investigation regarding Dale stands today. But she was willing to say that Dale and Brandon are considered persons of interest in Briana's disappearance. And while Brianna's ex husband Eric can't be ruled out, sounds like him and Brianna were even in a custody battle at the time. Detective Lopez doesn't seem to think that he's involved. For one thing, he lived a half hour from where Brianna had disappeared.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

Not convenient for him to be out at like 3am and happen to find her walking on Saginaw Street.

[Ashley Flowers]

And by all appearances, he seemed willing to cooperate with the police, not to mention answered several of our questions, at least via text. And remember, along with Brianna's father, he filed the missing persons report. Now, there is another option that we haven't talked about, that maybe a random stranger could have done something to Brianna. At the time she disappeared in Flint, several other women were missing. At least two bodies had been found that are possibly connected to those cases. And while Detective Lopez didn't go into detail on those because they're with an entirely different police department, she is a little hesitant to even try and connect them to Brianna.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

I have absolutely no evidence showing that she's linked to these females. And unfortunately, a lot of these were sex workers. She's not. It doesn't really match. But she's also walking on the street at very early morning hours. So maybe somebody thought she was.

[Ashley Flowers]

Whatever happened to Briana Vibert in the summer of 2017, one thing is clear. Her friends and her family deserve answers. Brianna has a fourth child, an older daughter who lived out of state at the time of her disappearance. She's old enough to look up things about her mother's case, and it would be nice if one day she could see that it was finally solved. As for who Brianna really was, she shouldn't be remembered for the story of her disappearance or the struggles she was going through. As her friend Courtney fondly recalls, first and foremost, she was a mother.

[C]

I went to her for advice to help with my kids. She was a great mom. We like to do crafts a lot, so we would include the kids in that when they were old enough too. I mean, we would play outside with them, do sidewalk chalk, bubbles, whatever. She was really patient with them.

[Ashley Flowers]

As for Detective Lopez, who went from taking the initial missing persons report to now leading the charge in solving this case, she's hopeful that somehow what you're listening to today can make a difference in getting this thing solved.

[Detective Lacey Lopez]

The biggest reason that I did this podcast is to get any information possible for Brianna. There's so much up in the air with this case and her family and friends, especially her children, deserve so much more than this. So much more. She has four children that are without their mother for the rest of their life. Potentially. They do not know where their mother is. Can you imagine how that must feel, not knowing what happened to your mom? If she's alive, if she's dead, where she's at? If someone knows something but is unwilling to speak on it, please think about Brianna's children and the rest of her family and how they feel. They need answers and someone has them and is choosing to stay quiet. That could not be a comfortable thing to live with. Crime Stoppers at Genesee county in Flint, you can be completely Anonymous. There's a $2,500 reward for any information regarding Brianna Vibert.

[Ashley Flowers]

At the time of this recording, Brianna Vibert would be 31 years old. She was described as 5, 9 and 120 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She was Last seen on July 15, 2017 at around 2:45 in the morning at the Mobile gas station on South Saginaw street walking toward Atherton Road in Flint, Michigan. She wore a cream colored top, black capri pants and flip flops. Brianna has the word Family tattoo on her right shoulder as well as a tattoo on both wrists. She also has a pierced nose and pierced ears. If you know anything about Brianna's disappearance, you can reach out to Detective Lacey Lopez's direct office line at the Flint Township Police Department. Her number is 810-600-3266. You can also anonymously report information to Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee county. Their number is 1-800-422-5245. The deck is an Audio Chuck production with theme music by Ryan Lewis. To learn more about the Deck and our advocacy work, visit the deckpodcast.com so what do you think Chuck? Do you approve? This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. It's a season of wonder all the way At Nordstrom you'll find the best gifts for everyone you love, plus party ready looks for every occasion. It's easy with free shipping and returns in store order, pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] Texas Pete is the sauce that allows you to sauce like you mean it. It's what people gather around. It's generosity in its simplest form and it's a swagger people have who know what's good each Texas Peat sauce is packed with bold, balanced flavor. The signature tanginess is what makes it a legendary hot sauce that can be used on just about anything. It has been at the center of dinner table since 1929 and is still heating things up today. You're definitely going to want to try every flavor. The original hot sauce has a famous secret blend of fermented peppers. The hotter hot sauce is three times hotter than the original and not for the faint of heart. Sabor by Texas P adds authentic Mexican flavor and their dust dry seasoning matches the flavor of the original hot sauce in a flavorful dry rub. I actually put that dry rub on my chicken last week and loved it. Texas Pete Sauce like you mean it. Visit texaspeat.com and use the store locator to find Texas Pete products as well as purchase sauces and get recipe inspiration and use promo code deck24 for 20% [e-mail].