← The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole
The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole
Bryce Laspisa: The 30-Hour Drive to Nowhere
00:54:16
Loading summary
Transcript105 lines
- [00:00]
Sarah Turney
Foreign. This is Crime House. It's August 30, 2013, 5:30am at the Castaic Lake State Recreational Area In Southern California, 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles. You're looking at a beige 2003 Toyota Highlander SUV. It's lying on its side in the middle of an access road that leads down to the lake's boat launch. There's a rugged slope overhead that ends in a 15 foot drop. The car appears to have fallen off the edge. Next to the car is an abandoned duffel bag. Inside the vehicle, near a couple tiny spots of blood, sits a laptop, wallet and cell phone. These items belong to the car's owner, 19 year old college student Bryce Laspisa.
- [00:52]
Courtney Nicole
A fall like this could have easily killed the driver. But what's interesting is Bryce is nowhere to be found. The glass has been broken out of the car's rear window from the inside. Which makes you wonder, was Bryce in the car when it crashed? Did he survive the impossible? Or did something else happen entirely? Every year over half a million people go missing. And that's just in the United States alone. Most of those stories barely get a headline. Some don't even get a flyer or a tip line. And when cases do get media attention, we usually only get the broad strokes.
- [01:32]
Sarah Turney
But for those of us who have lived these true crime cases, we know the devil's in the details. This is the Final Hours A Crime House Original Powered by Pave Studios. I'm Sarah Turney.
- [01:43]
Courtney Nicole
And I'm Courtney Nicole. Every Monday, Sarah and I will be looking at the final hours of someone's disappearance. The small, seemingly mundane moments to see if there was anything hiding in plain sight.
- [01:54]
Sarah Turney
Looking back at those last conversations, connections and choices is critical and it could be the key to unlocking it all. Each episode I'll offer insight on what those close to the victim might have been going through and Courtney will use her expertise to give more context into the crime scene, the red flags and the investigation itself. And we want to thank you for being a part of the Crime House community. Please rate, review and follow the show and for ad free access to every episode. Subscribe to Crime House on Apple Podcasts.
- [02:23]
Courtney Nicole
Today we're discussing the disappearance of 19 year old Bryce Laspiza. In August 2013, Bryce started his sophomore year at Sierra College in Rockland, California. He was excited to get back to school, but when he got to campus, something changed. The week classes began, Bryce broke up with his girlfriend, gave away his things, and seemingly headed back to his parents house. But he never completed the journey home. Instead, his car was found crashed and abandoned with no sign of him anywhere.
- [02:54]
Progressive Insurance Advertiser
Insurance isn't one size fits all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name youe Price Tool for years. With the Name youe Price Tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they show you options that fit your budget enough. Hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to see your options. No guesswork, no surprises. Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the name your price Tool a try. Take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law
- [03:41]
Sarah Turney
what they did to your family. You're lucky to make it out alive.
- [03:45]
Progressive Insurance Advertiser
Screaming on Peacock these men are going
- [03:47]
Sarah Turney
to come after me. Taking them out. It's my only chance.
- [03:50]
Courtney Nicole
Put a bullet in her head.
- [03:52]
Sarah Turney
From the co Creator of Ozark Looks like a family was running drugs Execution style killing it's rare for the Keys. Any leads on who they might have been running for? The cartel killed my family.
- [04:03]
Courtney Nicole
I'm gonna kill them.
- [04:05]
Sarah Turney
All of them.
- [04:05]
Courtney Nicole
MIA Streaming now, only on Peacock. Bryce Laspiza's case is a plot twist in its his life before his disappearance seemed picture perfect. He was gregarious and well loved by his parents, girlfriend and social circle. He was getting good grades in college, building a hopeful future on a stable past. Until one day when a shift in Bryce's behavior took him on a long drive and a decade later, we still don't know his final destination. But before we discuss Bryce's fateful car ride, let's talk about his life.
- [04:44]
Sarah Turney
It's 2013. 19 year old Bryce is Mike and Karen Lapisa's only child, but he's everything a parent could want. Their relationship is easy, and there's seemingly no subject he won't talk to them about. He's an open book, a trait he inherited from his mother. Bryce is social, funny and charismatic, which has earned him a ton of friends. According to them, Bryce can light up any room. He seems genuinely happy. Bryce grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a large suburb of Chicago, 30 miles outside the city. In after he graduated from Naperville Central High School in the summer of 2012, newly retired, Karen and Mike moved the family to California. They settled in Laguna Niguel, a small city just east of Laguna beach in Orange county, about 50 miles south of Los Angeles. That fall, Bryce went nearly 500 miles north to Rockland, California, near Sacramento. He started his freshman year at Sierra College, where he planned to earn credits before transferring to a four year university. Bryce hadn't settled on a career path yet, but he was considering a major in industrial or graphic design. He'd always been a talented artist with a gift for both drawing and building, and he was putting together a very impressive portfolio. His social life was just as promising. He became close with his roommate Sean Dixon and started dating his classmate Kim Sly. Bryce and Kim became Facebook official pretty quickly, which back in the 2010s meant things were pretty serious. The couple posted pictures together and he appeared to be a good boyfriend. Mike and Karen noticed how respectful he was as a partner. After his freshman year, Bryce spent the summer of 2013 at his parents house in Laguna Niguel and took an English class at a local school. But he couldn't wait to get back to his life at Sierra College.
- [06:26]
Courtney Nicole
I think it's really easy for young adults going off to college to have like this idea in their mind of what the college experience is going to be like. I mean, it's their first time away from their parents and kind of like making a life for themselves. So I, I feel like it's really easy to have this idea that everything is going to be great. But sometimes, you know, there are things that make it not so great. Like safety concerns.
- [06:48]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, it's a hard thing, right, because it's like so many kids getting their first taste of independence. And you're in this, you know, spot, if you will, this location, this college where you feel like it should be safe. You're surrounded by people your age doing the same thing, taking the same classes. It almost feels like a bubble, um, that sometimes maybe some of these kids, you know, for lack of a better word, they are adults. But kids, in my mind, they don't really understand the dangers just yet.
- [07:15]
Courtney Nicole
Sometimes until you get there and then you start experiencing things and then it can be kind of like an eye opener. And I feel like, you know, in Bryce's case, he grew up really in like a really good family in a really good area. And so I feel like sometimes when, you know, people have that perspective, I feel like that can also be kind of like an eye opener when you get to college. Not everybody has that same shared experience and so that can add to, I guess, your, your overall college experience.
- [07:41]
Sarah Turney
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's a lot of young people coming together from different walks of life. You know, a lot of the times when you grow up in the same city, you're going to school with all the same kids from the same area, and you just don't get that same diversity that you do at college.
- [07:54]
Courtney Nicole
Yeah. And now you're completely on your own.
- [07:57]
Sarah Turney
Yeah. I mean, it's a lot to deal with and I think everybody takes it a little bit differently. I think a lot of kids embrace it and other kids have a harder time.
- [08:08]
Courtney Nicole
Well.
- [08:08]
Sarah Turney
On Monday, August 12, 2013, Bryce finally gets the moment he's been waiting for. His parents move him into an off campus apartment with Sean in Roseville. It's five miles away from Sierra College, his sophomore year. Classes start in two weeks and Bryce seems eager to get started. But when Bryce's parents leave, something shifts. Shawn and Bryce's girlfriend Kim notice his behavior change instantly. Bryce ramps up his alcohol intake and starts drinking hard liquor almost every day. In one weekend, he polishes off two bottles. After two weeks of this, the new year kicks off on Monday, August 26, 2013. At first, it seems like everything might go back to normal. Bryce shows up to his speech and web design classes. That afternoon, while playing video games, someone snaps a picture of Bryce and he looks happy. He even calls his mom around 5pm to let her know how much he's enjoying being back in school. They have a great conversation and she doesn't notice anything wrong. But the next day, on Tuesday, August 27, 2013, Bryce does something confusing and unexpected. Without saying why, he gives his roommate Shawn two of his prized possessions, his Xbox and a pair of diamond earrings that his mom gave to him. Then he texts Shawn in an unusually sentimental message, he tells him he loves him, he's the best person Bryce has ever met, and he saved Bryce's soul. Later that same day, he also texts Kim. But those messages seem colder. He tells her she's better off without him, and when she asks if he's breaking up with her, he answers yes.
- [09:46]
Courtney Nicole
Around the same time, Bryce admits to Kim that he's been taking a prescription amphetamine called Vyvanse. It's a strong stimulant most commonly used to treat adhd, a condition that Bryce does not have. Some students use this kind of drug to study, but he's been taking it to stay up late drinking and playing video games. Sean also hears about Bryce using Vyvanse. By the next evening, Wednesday, August 28th. He's concerned enough about it to call Bryce's mom. Sean tells Karen about her son's alcohol and drug use. He notes that Bryce has been taking the drug to pull all nighters, playing video games with a friend, and his behavior has been off since he came back to campus. Now Karen is also extremely worried and things escalate before the night is over.
- [10:29]
Sarah Turney
Later that same Evening, Bryce drives 90 miles north of his apartment to Chico, where Kim now lives. Around 10pm, he breaks up with Kim in person. But more than being worried about her relationship, she can tell there's something serious going on with Bryce. She thinks he's acting strange and shouldn't be behind the wheel, so she takes his keys. Bryce is upset about this, so he calls his mom to mediate. Kim gets on the phone and tells Karen the situation. Bryce isn't acting like himself and she doesn't think it's safe for him to drive. But Bryce insists that he's fine and wants to go home. At this point, Karen and Mike are worried, but they don't know how to help Bryce from a distance. Karen asks if she can fly out to NorCal tomorrow, but he tells her not to book a flight until they talk privately. He says they have a lot to discuss. Karen asks Kim to return Bryce's keys. At the moment, she doesn't get the impression that he's too heartbroken, distraught or impaired to drive. So she tells him to go back to his apartment, get some sleep and call her in the morning. Bryce agrees. Then around 11:30pm he finally leaves Kim's apartment in Chico. After they hang up, Karen and Mike wonder what Bryce meant when he said he had a lot to talk to them about. They have no clue what's going on. He spent the whole summer with them and has only been back in classes for a few days. But his best friend and girlfriend clearly see an issue. So what could have changed so quickly?
- [11:51]
Courtney Nicole
Sarah, what are your thoughts on Bryce, like, suddenly giving away all of his, like most personal belongings, like his Xbox.
- [11:57]
Sarah Turney
Oh, the Xbox, I think is the biggest red flag for me. And that's coming from somebody who gamed I used to, especially in this era, and I remember spending many nights on Xbox. Right. So I actually did a little bit of extra digging because I wanted to know if maybe there was like a newer model coming out, if there was like some better explanation for him giving it away. But no. So he gave it away in August 2013 and the new Xbox One wasn't released until November 2013 and I know it's, like the most nerdy, like, niche thing, but like we say, the devil's in the details. And for me, just a young kid like that who loves to play Xbox, like, why are you giving it away?
- [12:40]
Courtney Nicole
I think that's what's really concerning to me, because he went from literally taking a prescription drug that he wasn't prescribed just to stay up and play games on his Xbox to suddenly just giving it away, like, he has no interest in it anymore. I feel like that is a big red flag to me. And like you said, he is really young, and these are just the things that he loves to do on a daily basis. And so for him to just immediately just be giving them away like that and not feel sadness over that, that's a big red flag to me.
- [13:10]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, you'd think, like, you know, I know that the diamond earrings are sentimental, right? But for me, the red flag is the Xbox. I wonder if they went into his account and looked at any conversations he might have had with somebody online or investigated who he might have been talking to online to see if they gave them any more information. I mean, if, let's say, Bryce might be going through some type of crisis, he might have felt more comfortable confiding in some anonymous person online than somebody who knew him in real life.
- [13:38]
Courtney Nicole
That's a really, really good point, because I do know that some people do, like, open up better to strangers rather than, like, their closest loved ones. I feel like I used to be like that. I always circle back to, like, My biggest question is, when Bryce started taking this Vyvanse, was he already in a bad headspace then, and that's one of the reasons why he started taking it, or was he perfectly fine, started taking it, maybe overdid it a little bit, and then that's kind of what caused him to get into a bad head space and start, like, giving away his personal possessions. Like, that's a big question for me that I really wish that we had the answer to.
- [14:12]
Sarah Turney
I mean, it's so hard to tell, right? And everybody reacts differently to medications, they act differently to alcohol. You know, for all we know, Bryce could have had a bad hangover and decided to, you know, give up his Xbox because he wanted to, you know, better himself in some way. It's. I just wish we could get inside of his head and know what he was thinking.
- [14:31]
Courtney Nicole
I do, too. And I covered this case, actually, on my TikTok, like, I think a couple months ago, and one of the big, like, the top comments that kept coming up was About Vyvanse itself. I've personally never taken it, so I can't give any, like, advice on that. But I feel like the comments were really split down the middle, like, 50, 50. Some people who were prescribed it that took it had a really horrible reaction to it and kind of caused them to get into that same type of headspace that we see with Bryce. Whereas the other 50% that took it, that were prescribed it, there was no reaction at all. And it. And it helped them. And so I feel like it's something that really sticks out to me as this story continues. Like this specific drug.
- [15:08]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I mean, it's a gamble, right? There's a reason why prescription medications are given out by doctors and so they can monitor how you're feeling and if there's any progress, like, all of that. And I get it, right? College kids experiment with stuff, but that is the danger is you never know how your body's going to react, especially if you don't have a doctor there to, you know, talk to about it.
- [15:28]
Courtney Nicole
Or any family close by that can, like, say, hey, this isn't you. Like, this is not normal, like, behavior.
- [15:34]
Sarah Turney
I mean, family's one thing, right? I think parents are always gonna, you know, be overly cautious, at least the best ones, in my opinion. But when it comes to your friends and when you're all in college, like, how do you know when your friend is crossing that line between experimenting and it being, you know, really out of control and extremely dangerous?
- [15:52]
Courtney Nicole
It's hard. It's really hard because you don't want to overstep, especially with friends. But I feel like in this case, now you have two people really close to him at the college that are like, okay, this is concerning. Like, we need to get other people involved.
- [16:06]
Sarah Turney
Well, after a pretty concerning night, Bryce calls Karen again at 1am on Thursday, Aug. 29. He doesn't mention his location, but she assumes the call means he's back at his apartment. But he's not. After Bryce left Chico, he kept driving south past his apartment and then ended up cruising down Interstate 5 towards Southern California.
- [16:27]
Courtney Nicole
Eight hours later, around 9am, Bryce calls roadside assistance from a rest area in Buttonwillow, a small California desert town described by some people as one big truck stop. He's calling because the gas tank on his 2003 Toyota Highlander is empty. So a repair shop driver from a place called Castro Tire and Truck brings him three gallons of gas, enough to get him to the next station. But here's where things get confusing. Button Willow is only about a six hour drive from Kim's apartment, which he left around 11:30pm the night before. We know that he didn't stop back at home. So what was Bryce doing in all that extra time?
- [17:05]
Sarah Turney
It's an excellent question, one Karen and Mike are soon asking as well. Because at 11am they get a voicemail from State Farm Insurance saying Bryce used their roadside assistance on his car. So Karen calls Bryce, but he doesn't pick up. Which is why Karen calls Sean next to ask if her son is there. Much to her surprise, Shaun tells Karen that Bryce never came home last night. With no idea what's going on with Bryce, Karen and Mike start searching his credit card statements for clues. And they see that charge for roadside assistance in Button Willow. Since it's about four hours away from where they live in Laguna Niguel and about four and a half hours south of his school, they take it to make. Bryce is on his way home. Mike traces the credit card charge back to Castro Tire and Truck and calls them. The tow truck driver confirms he brought Bryce gas, but he doesn't know anything more about their son's whereabouts. Still, this guy Christian wants to help. He offers to go back to the rest stop and see if Bryce is still there. Karen and Mike are very grateful. And sure enough, a little after noon, Christian finds Bryce still sitting in his car. He's parked in the same spot he was three hours ago. So Christian dials Karen and puts Bryce on the phone. Karen asks Bryce what he's doing. Buddy tells her nothing. At this point, he's more than halfway to Laguna Niguel. So Karen tells him to fill up his tank and come straight home. It seems like Bryce is listening, so she figures he should get to their house in about three or four hours, depending on that notorious LA traffic. He does a refuel at a gas station, but four hours later, there's still no sign of Bryce.
- [18:42]
Courtney Nicole
Karen thinks maybe he hit Labor Day week in traffic. But she calls his cell phone at 3:30pm just to check in. Only she gets his voicemail. For the next several hours, Karen keeps calling and leaving messages. But Bryce never picks up.
- [19:03]
Sarah Turney
This episode is brought to you by. Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories. And the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus. Elle Every year after the Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point and more Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime Girl.
- [19:33]
Ross Advertiser
Winter is so last season and now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders that perfect hang on the patio. Sundress those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done. Hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open that envelope. It's time for a little in person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic.
- [20:05]
Courtney Nicole
It's 6pm on Thursday, August 29, 2013. Bryce's father Mike is pacing outside their house waiting for his son's car to roll up. He and Karen are beyond worried. So around this time, Karen and Mike file a missing persons report with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Officers have Bryce's cell carrier locate his phone and what they discover shocks them. Bryce is still in Button Willow, only eight miles from the rest area where he ran out of fuel this morning. He's barely moved for at least nine hours and nobody knows why. Around 8pm Kern county deputies where Buttonwillow is find Bryce parked near Interstate 5. When they ask him questions, he's talkative and alert. He gives good answers to the interviewing officers. Bryce seems normal, friendly even. He takes a sobriety test and consents to a vehicle search. Bryce and the car are both clean. When deputies ask Bryce what he's doing, he explains that he just needs to blow off some steam. It sounds like he's trying to power down and take some time for himself before he heads to his parents house. Nothing he says raises a red flag with the deputies, but he does sound reluctant to call his mom back. Still, the deputies encourage him, telling him she's worried. In fact, they dial his parents number for him, put the phone in his hand and tell him that he needs to talk to his mom.
- [21:23]
Sarah Turney
When Bryce finally speaks to Karen, he tells her he's putting stuff back in his car since the deputies searched it. She wants to know what he's been doing in almost the exact same spot for the last nine hours, but he doesn't give her a clear answer. She encourages him to get something to eat and lets him know that she's worried about him driving in the dark. Karen then asks the deputy on the phone if Bryce is okay to drive. The officer tells her confidently he thinks he is. After Bryce's conversation with Karen, the deputies leave Bryce assuming he's finally heading home.
- [21:55]
Courtney Nicole
An hour later, that tow truck driver Christian calls Bryce's mom again since he missed a call from her earlier. Karen updates him on what's been happening, and he generously offers to go back and check on Bryce. She says he doesn't have to, but Christian is worried about him, so he goes anyway. Fifteen minutes later, he calls Karen back and says Bryce hasn't moved from where the deputies found him. By now, it's been at least 13 hours since Bryce arrived in Buttonwillow, and he's still sitting in his car without any clear reason why. So Christian tries something different this time. He's going to convince Bryce to start driving and follow him to make sure he gets onto the freeway. It takes another 30 minutes, but Bryce pulls onto the i5 south, followed by Christian. He tails Bryce in his truck for about 10 miles before he takes an off ramp and calls Karen. Her son is officially on his way home, and she finally gets him back on the phone again, too. They want to track Bryce's progress, so they ask him to read the names of exit signs, but he insists that he can't see any. Instead, he tells them that his GPS puts him home at 3:25am but before that, at 2:08am Bryce calls Karen. He tells her that he's too tired to keep driving. He's just going to park his car in a suburban neighborhood and sleep for a few hours. Then he'll drive the rest of the way home.
- [23:10]
Sarah Turney
First, can we just wish that both sides of Christian's pillow is always cool for the rest of his life? I mean, what an amazing human. I just wanted to shout that out.
- [23:20]
Courtney Nicole
Yes, 100% Christian is amazing.
- [23:23]
Sarah Turney
But, I mean, yeah, we do need to talk about Bryce sitting in this location for a really long time. I mean, it's one of those cases, I think, that everybody kind of overanalyzes because there's so few clues. But what sticks out to me about Bryce possibly wanting this alone time, if that's truly what he was seeking, is that maybe in his vehicle at a random, you know, truck stop or whatever it is in Button Willow, there is the only place he can truly get privacy.
- [23:50]
Courtney Nicole
It's not unusual for people to, like, blow off some steam and just, like, chill in their car before, you know, getting back on the road. Especially since he's already started driving. He's. He's done a little bit of that road trip after a certain period of time. Like, you know, maybe a couple hours goes by and you're still sitting in your car. I feel like that is like another red flag to me. Like, something is, like, obviously going on that, like, is making him either not want to go back home or turn around and go back to school. Like there's something going on that he's struggling with.
- [24:16]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I mean, I think the timeframe definitely crosses a line from more normal behavior, if you will, to concerning behavior. And that's what's so hard. I mean, taking some time to think in your car feels very normal. But waiting, you know, like, nine hours is a lot. And, you know, I think it's safe to say that he was probably thinking about something. We don't know for sure, but it's sounds like he just wanted some privacy to think things over.
- [24:41]
Courtney Nicole
I know. I feel like a lot of people are really quick to judge the police officers who came to check on him, but, you know, I feel like there's only so much they can do, unfortunately. Like, in hindsight, obviously, we. We know the outcome of this case and we know what's going to happen. But like, I guess if you just put yourself in their shoes, like, they're talking to this, this adult. He seems totally fine. He's being friendly. He's taking a breathalyzer to make sure he's sober. There's nothing suspicious in his car. I feel like there's really not much more they can do, even though I wish that there was more they could have done. I don't know what that could have been like. You can't really hold him against his will.
- [25:14]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, that's the thing. Right. And I know that we so often want members of law enforcement to also be equipped with the skills that somebody like a social worker might be equipped with. Right. But that's just usually not what cops do. I. I mean, I wish. Right. I wish in a perfect world that we had social workers and psychiatrists and, you know, so many professionals out to help in situations like this. But this is one cop, right? And he's asked, is he okay to drive? Right. And he's trained on what to look for in these drivers. Are you coherent? Right. Are you sober? Those types of things. And Bryce checks all those boxes. So to your point, as an adult, he can't hold him there.
- [25:52]
Courtney Nicole
Looking back, I'm sure he probably wishes that he could have done more, would have done more. That's just kind of the name of the game when something like this happens. But I'm sure by assessing him and deeming him, you know, at least coherent enough to drive, it wasn't with any ill intent intentions. Like, he was just doing what he could at the time. And unfortunately, like you said, like, they don't have that same type of training as, like, a mental health professional.
- [26:16]
Sarah Turney
At 8:00am on Friday, August 30, 2013, Karen and Mike's doorbell rings. They both jump up, thinking it's Bryce. Instead, they open the door to find a California Highway Patrol officer and he has bad news. The officer asks if they own a 2003 Toyota Highlander. They say yes, that's their son's car and he regrets to tell them it was found totaled near Castaic Lake. However, Bryce wasn't inside of it.
- [26:44]
Courtney Nicole
It had been discovered at 5:30 that morning, crashed on its side at the bottom of a 15 foot embankment. It was off an access road to the Castaic Lake State Recreation Area, about two hours north of where Karen and Mike live in Laguna Niguel. All of Bryce's belongings were with the car. His laptop, wallet and phone were all inside. His duffel bag was on the ground next to the rear window. Outside of the car, there was no blood. If Bryce walked away from the scene, there was no evidence he bled while doing so. But there were two small drops of blood inside. One on the passenger seat headrest and another in the back seat, indicating he was likely still in the car when it crashed. The rear hatch window looks like it's been broken out from the inside. And police suspect that Bryce shattered it to crawl out of the wreckage.
- [27:29]
Sarah Turney
But that thought isn't any more comforting. Bryce's parents imagine him lost somewhere without his phone, possibly disoriented from a brain injury or some other internal damage. Immediately they're asking questions about what the police think happened.
- [27:43]
Courtney Nicole
The lead detective, Sergeant Robert Martindale of the LA County Sheriff's Department, has one theory. It goes something like. Before dawn, Bryce drove west on Lake Hughes Road, an exit off of Interstate 5. Based on where the car landed, it looked like he'd turned off of the road and into a cell tower service area, which sat at the edge of a steep, rugged slope. Bryce drove next to the cell tower and continued off road toward Castaic Lake. He accelerated down the hill. As he sped up, the undercarriage of his Toyota scraped against the large rocks, leaving evidence of his path. Then his car plummeted over the edge of an embankment and fell 15ft onto the the road below. First, the SUV landed on its front bumper. Then it toppled over onto its side. From the detective's view, all of Bryce's actions looked intentional. All of the events culminating in the discovery of Bryce's totaled car pointed to attempted suicide. Detectives suspect that in the gray of early morning, Bryce thought that the lake was much closer to the cell tower than it really Was standing next to the cell tower. The lake does look deceptively close, and perhaps his intention was to sink his car into that lake with him inside.
- [28:54]
Sarah Turney
Of course, police want to get more confirmation about Bryce's mental state before they determine this for sure. So they speak to his roommate Shawn and his girlfriend Kim, and they tell him about Bryce's recent alcohol and prescription drug use. Sean adds his concern that before Bryce disappeared, he started giving away his property, like his prized Xbox and his mom's diamond earrings. Bryce had never done anything like that before.
- [29:18]
Courtney Nicole
According to detectives, when someone starts to redistribute personal property, it can hint at deeper trouble, like plans to run away or die by suicide. The police think Bryce's combined abuse of alcohol and Vyvanse has led to unexpected, fatal consequences. They could have induced a psychotic event or left him with a severe post comedown depression.
- [29:38]
Sarah Turney
But Karen and Mike disagree. Many college students experiment with drugs and alcohol. They knew Bryce drank underage and had a couple minor incidents, but nothing alarming. And when he stayed with them over the summer, they didn't see him consuming alcohol, so they didn't think his intake could escalate so severely in two weeks. The night Bryce broke up with Kim, his parents thought he sounded lucid. Kim's roommate also said Bryce seemed okay to drive. Karen thinks even if Bryce was struggling with substance abuse issues, he likely would have told his parents he always felt comfortable opening up to his mom and dad. They spoke about pretty much everything, including his drinking in the past. But investigators still think Bryce's behavior points towards suicide. And if he was intent on dying but survived the crash, Bryce could have walked the rest of the way to the lake.
- [30:26]
Courtney Nicole
I feel like when it comes to drug and alcohol use involving, like, a missing person, I am really hesitant to, like, highlight it because I don't want people to, like, take that and run with it and think their story doesn't matter, or, like, shrug it off like, oh, that must be the reason why they're missing. So I never want to make that, like, the main point of the story. However, in this case, I feel like, you know, shortly before he disappeared, he was really like, using a lot of the Vyvanse and combining it with alcohol, which, like we mentioned earlier, you never know what kind of effect that's going to have on you, Especially if you've never taken it or if you're not prescribed it and you're taking it anyway. In this specific case, I do think that that use of Vyvanse specifically should
- [31:06]
Sarah Turney
be looked on no, that makes sense to me because you're talking about a bunch of college kids who experiment. And I'm not saying it's right, but we have to deal with the facts here. And saying that, you know, most college kids don't do these things, I. I think it's just factually incorrect. But again, I think it goes back to the way that your body reacts to it. Not everybody has the same reaction. And factoring that into Bryce's disappearance makes sense to me, but at the same time, I just don't think it gives us any definitive answers. Like, we. We can't say for sure that that was a factor. Think it possibly or likely was, but we just don't know.
- [31:42]
Courtney Nicole
I think that's exactly it. I do think that his roommate, his friend, and, you know, his girlfriend did all of the right things, all of the right steps. Like, they firsthand saw what was going on, and even they got concerned. So they did the next best thing, you know, instead of, like, confronting him, which I'm sure they probably did, but they went to the next person that, you know is closest to him, his mom. And I feel like they did everything right. It can be really hard to. Especially when you're college. Like, everyone's kind of experimenting, doing things. Like, occasionally, it can be really hard to see that line between what's, like, typical for the college, you know, atmosphere versus crossing that line into, like, abusing something. And I think they saw it, and I think they did the right thing.
- [32:23]
Sarah Turney
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely right. And again, like, it's hard. Like, we're not condoning this. Like, please don't do these things. We're not gonna in good faith condone these. These things. But I think, you know, the line really becomes, like, it's not fun anymore because now I'm concerned for you. And that's exactly when you should go to somebody. El.
- [32:42]
Courtney Nicole
Help.
- [32:43]
Sarah Turney
Right? And in this case, Bryce's parents. I agree. They did exactly the right thing. And it's just. It's so hard, right? We have another case where suicide is a possible option. And I feel like, again, without any type of note, without any type of confirmed words from Bryce, that this is what he was planning on doing. It's all just conjecture. Like, we're all just guessing.
- [33:05]
Courtney Nicole
It's confusing to me that this was kind of like a major car accident. You know, it wasn't just like a little fender bender. Like, you know, he's going over a cliff, and even so, like, they think that he was inside the car when it happened, but there's only two little drops of blood. And then like after that, just nothing. Like no clue on literally anything that could have happened after that moment. It's so confusing to me.
- [33:28]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, well, that's where I want to know everything, right? I'm like, okay, we have these two drops of blood, right? But when did they get there? Is it possible they came from something else? And if they're just two little drops of blood, I feel like that opens it up to so many ways that they could have gotten there. I mean, a paper cut, you bite your nail. I mean, two drops of blood doesn't seem like a huge car crash to me. I mean, we know that it crashed, right? But, but in terms of Bryce being hurt, it's just not the most alarming to me. Without more information,
- [33:59]
Courtney Nicole
one clue did come up pretty quickly though. It came from a camera on Lake Hughes Road. Around 2:15am six minutes after Bryce told his parents that he was pulling off the road to rest. The camera recorded Bryce's car traveling up that street. Two hours later, at 4:29am the same camera captures Bryce's car traveling back up Lake Hughes Road in the same direction, meaning he was driving up and down that road for some time. There's no obvious explanation for this, but detectives think he might have been contemplating something. Whatever he was doing, he clearly was not getting rest. Then, sometime between 4:30 and 5:30am Bryce got into the accident.
- [34:40]
Sarah Turney
On Friday, August 30, 2013, the day Bryce vanishes, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Parks Bureau starts a large scale search where his car was found in the Castaic Lake Recreation Area. Hundreds of deputies comb the hillsides. They search by foot, ATV and on horseback. Cadaver dogs sniffer human remains through the hills and along the shoreline. The park is 11,000 acres, so helicopters help cover the distance. Police divers spend the next several days scanning as much of the 2,200acre lake as possible by boat. And in the water, which in some places is as deep as two to 300ft, Bryce's dad Mike makes flyers and drives to Castaic to hang them up at home. Karen reaches out to media outlets to bring awareness to the case. But all the searches come up empty. There's no trace of Bryce on land or in the water. Every morning, Karen feels a renewed sense of horror. She describes Bryce's disappearance as a nightmare she can't wake up from.
- [35:39]
Courtney Nicole
Then there was a shocking discovery. Around 6am on September 4, 2013, five days after Bryce's disappearance, a cyclist at Castic Lake calls 91 1. There's a small brush fire three miles from the spot where Bryce's car was abandoned. First responders put out the flames to find some the of something horrific. Scorched human remains. Karen and Mike are terrified, thinking that it could be their son. While the Los Angeles coroner works hard to put a name to the victim, bloodhounds are brought to the park to track Bryce's possible next moves. After leaving his suv, the dogs pick up Bryce's ascent from the crash site and follow it all the way down to the lake and then to a dam with a roadway above it. Two separate bloodhounds follow Bryce's scent across the roadway Runway, above the dam and out toward a truck stop on Costaig Road. That's where the scent just disappears. A week after the charred remains are discovered, on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, the coroner learns the identity of the body. It's a homicide victim, but it's not Bryce Laspiza. Actually, there isn't a single trace of Bryce in the whole park, save for the area around his car and his scent. There are no signs of homicide, but none of suicide either. Investigators are starting to think that if Bryce did die in the park, his body would have been found by now. Sergeant Martindale and other investigators on the case now have a new theory. They believe that after the crash, Bryce intentionally looked for a way out of the Lake Castaic park area. One that avoided witnesses. Steering clear of roads, he made it back to the truck stop off Lake Hughes road and Interstate 5. And from there, he could have hitched a ride with a long haul trucker and ended up anywhere to start a new life. If Bryce was struggling with this decision to run away, it would explain his unusual behavior. The circular driving patterns, Sitting in one spot for a long time, possibly thinking, not telling his parents where he was or what he might do.
- [37:35]
Sarah Turney
But investigators believe they're missing one link that could be the key to finding Bryce. The subject he wanted to talk to his mom about on the night he left Kim's. To this day, Sergeant Martindale believes that subject matter is why Bryce walked away from his entire life. School, his friends, his girlfriend, and his parents. Martindale thinks if they can find that answer, they'll be able to solve the case and find Bryce. Karen and Mike, on the other hand, don't believe that whatever Bryce had to say would have made a huge difference. They don't know why he didn't want Karen to fly up to NorCal. Or what he meant when he said he had a lot to talk to her about. But they don't think he would have walked away from his life no matter how big a problem he might have been dealing with. Karen thinks the bond she shares with her son is stronger than any evidence the detectives could find. In fact, she's convinced the only way Bryce is still alive is if he suffered a brain injury or a mental health event that caused him to forget who he was.
- [38:32]
Courtney Nicole
Families do always know their loved ones best. But in this case, you know, Bryce is away from his family, you know, at college. It's all brand new to him. Like he's still like a really young, you know, adult, so to speak. So. And then, you know, add in that drug use. Like there's just so many different factors that could be, you know, altering his brain, making him do things, making him think about things that he normally wouldn't think about. So it's just really, really tough. And I feel like a lot of the times we hear of like, adults walking away from their life because they're adults, you know, maybe they have thought it through. U they have more resources, more life experience, more knowledge about maybe how to do something like that. But when you're like, really, really young, like Bryce, I don't know how likely that is to like walk away and then, you know, nobody has a single clue or there's like no piece of evidence left behind indicating that he did that.
- [39:21]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I mean, it's hard to say. Right. And I don't know that age is always a factor. I mean, you can certainly, you know, make the argument about life experience. Absolutely. I mean, you know, a teenager isn't going to have the same life experience as a 70 year old. I think that's, that's really fair to say. But in terms of saying he was young and he wouldn't walk away, I don't think that's fair either. And of course, you know, I'm always gonna be a little biased that the families know their loved ones best. Right. How do you argue that and how do you determine who's right? It feels impossible.
- [39:53]
Courtney Nicole
One of the biggest questions I will have is why his scent was found at that truck stop. Like, tracking dogs are pretty accurate, but there's always a chance that like, you know, something got mixed up and like it's, it's not 100% and that could be the case here. It's just like one of the few pieces of evidence that we do have. And so I just don't know, like, I don't know why or how his scent would have ended up at that truck stop or what could have happened after that point.
- [40:17]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I agree. I think the scent trails are really hard. I actually just attended, like, my first ever search with dogs, and I learned a lot from these handlers, right? And they're like ex FBI agents. These are, like, really amazing handlers. And what I learned is that there's no, like, universal language for these dogs, right? Cause I thought it was like, if they follow a trail and something happens, they bark or they sit, like there's some universal language, but it's not. It comes down to, in my experience, from what I learned, I'm not an expert, but essentially it's like every handler has a different experience with their dog and a different relationship, and they learn their specific cues versus this hard, fast line of they sat. That's a hit. So, again, it's hard. I think it's helpful. But is it definitive? I don't think so.
- [41:07]
Courtney Nicole
By this point, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has spent almost two weeks searching rigorously for Bryce with nothing to show for it. So at the end of the day, on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, they call the whole thing off. But the case isn't cold just yet,
- [41:23]
Sarah Turney
and Karen and Mike aren't done looking. Neither is their new private investigator, who sparks another search for their missing son.
- [41:41]
Courtney Nicole
Months go by without any movement on Bryce La Suiza's case. While the ground search is over, investigators continue to use every resource at their disposal to try and find Bryce. They solicit tips and follow leads, but none of them pan out.
- [41:55]
Sarah Turney
The same goes for Karen and Mike. For the first year, they get sighting tips monthly. People send pictures to their Find Bryce Las Pisa Facebook page and email address. But so far, they've all been false alarms.
- [42:07]
Courtney Nicole
Bryce's driver's license, passport, Social Security number, and fingerprints are all in the national missing person system. His credit cards and online accounts are being monitored for use. But if Bryce is alive, he's going completely undetected. Sergeant Martindale still believes he's out there somewhere, and he'll be found if and when he's ready.
- [42:27]
Sarah Turney
But Karen and Mike aren't just gonna sit by and wait. In August 2014, almost a year after Bryce's disappearance, they meet with private investigator Denise Savastano. She specializes in missing persons cases and offers to help find Bryce pro bono to her. It's important to let families with missing loved ones know that someone else cares. When Denise gets started, the lack of hard evidence baffles her. But she believes Bryce wanted to go home. That's where he was Headed. His GPS was set and that was the destination he plugged in. But something else happened. She thinks that's the missing piece.
- [43:02]
Courtney Nicole
She also wonders if Bryce sustained a head injury from the car crash. There was only a small amount of blood at the scene, but an internal brain injury wouldn't necessarily leave more. The height of the drop suggests Bryce landed hard. He could have survived the fall, but a concussion can severely disorient a person, even cause them to forget who they are.
- [43:22]
Sarah Turney
Plus, Denise agrees with the last pieces that Bryce wouldn't have consciously walked away from his life and his family. He wouldn't hurt Karen and Mike by letting them wonder what happened to him. So in August 2015, a year into Denise's investigation, she helps Karen and Mike hire a sonar specialist. They go back to search sections of Castaic Lake. Denise thinks if Bryce had been suicidal, they might find his body in a deeper area of the lake called Government Cove. The sonar specialists are looking for Bryce's body in places the divers haven't been able to reach. Places where the lake is 2 to 300ft deep, where a decomposed body wouldn't have been able to resurface. A duo of sonar Specialists search for two 12 hour days, but they find nothing.
- [44:08]
Courtney Nicole
Have you seen it before, Sarah? Where? You know, a PI or a private detective, they offer to work pro bono for a family. I don't know if I have personally, but I feel like more people should. Like, that is really nice to know that someone else is in their corner and, and cares about them and their story and their loved one.
- [44:25]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, yeah, I have seen it before and I think that it's a really nice act. And you know, I think when it comes to PIs and recruiting their help, it really just has to be like a good match all around and to make sure that you don't clash, you want to look at their qualifications, of course, but you know, when somebod offers the help for free, I understand where it kind of gets to the point of what, you know, what could we lose?
- [44:49]
Courtney Nicole
Yeah, yeah, I totally would understand like jumping on that. Like it's, you know, at the very least it's just like an extra set of eyes looking through this case like it really couldn't hurt anything.
- [44:58]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, well, I think one of the biggest concerns with PIs offering help is that they might scam you and when you take the money out of that, you know, equation, it's just a lot less likely and it seems easier to believe that they're there just to help. And Denise clearly seems like she's here to help.
- [45:15]
Courtney Nicole
Yeah, definitely. And I feel like it also. I don't know, I feel like it would make me feel a little bit better too, I guess, if the. If the private detective understood, like, my theory of, like, what I thought could have happened and, like, thoroughly investigated that, like, it sounds like Denise maybe kind of agrees with the family a little bit rather than what the police has to say. And I feel like that could always just be reassuring as well.
- [45:36]
Sarah Turney
Oh, yeah. When I talk to law enforcement specialists and they, like, you know, believe in my theories, it's so comforting because sometimes, especially, you know, when you're working with detectives, they don't always cross that line of telling you what they personally think or they don't go into as much detail as you'd hope. They keep it. I keep saying this episode clinical. Right. Because that's their job. And when you get somebody else who, you know, maybe spends more time with you and breaks things down and speaks to you without that formal line of being your official detective, I think it can be really beneficial and bring a lot of peace.
- [46:11]
Courtney Nicole
Yeah, yeah, I can. I can totally see that. Especially in this case. Sergeant Martindale, he seems to heavily believe that whatever it was that took place that caused Bryce to go missing, it was like at his own free will, like he. He did it to himself. Like he. It was like intentional. I don't know how that would really affect the investigation. I would hope that authorities would thoroughly, you know, investigate every single possible theory out there and like, every avenue possible, but it seems like they strongly feel like with what little evidence was left behind, that this was intentional. And I hope that that wouldn't really affect their approach on the case, I guess.
- [46:48]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I mean, it's scary to think that a detective might have their mind made up and that when a certain tip or a lead comes in, that they might filter it through that belief, if you will. Yeah. So I think the best hope for families is that you have a detective who's very open minded and obviously, like, works hard and cares. But I think being open minded to wherever the truth leads them is really, really important. Unfortunately, the sonar search was the last major push in the search for Bryce Las Pisa. Karen and Mike believe that if Bryce is still alive, he must have suffered a brain injury or an illness that caused him to forget his identity. In their mind, there's no way he's out there somewhere in the world consciously not calling his mom and dad Denise. And the Las Pisas also question whether Bryce's combination of alcohol and Vyvanse could have contributed to a mental crisis. Certain mental conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia show up in men between 18 and 25 years old. He was right at the beginning of that window when he disappeared. And these disorders could be heightened significantly by substance abuse. Even if Bryce didn't have a mental health condition, he still could have suffered from the Vyvanse he took. This drug can cause manic and psychotic episodes in people who wouldn't have had them otherwise. And withdrawal symptoms include severe depression and suicidal ideation.
- [48:09]
Courtney Nicole
I genuinely don't know what happened to Bryce after this car accident. I feel like my mind goes a million different ways. And of course I would love to believe that he is still out there somewhere alive, or if he did actually get a concussion from the crash, or if he was suffering from some sort of like mental health episode. But one thing I want to point out is if you don't know what Bryce looks like, I would urge you to look him up because I feel like he is very unique. Like he has really, really bright red hair, he's tall, he has really bright red hair. And I just feel like if you don't what he looks like to look him up.
- [48:41]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, I totally agree. That's a great point. I mean, you know, I hope that Bryce is out there walking around somewhere. And to your point that red hair is very unique in the most beautiful way and very hard to hide. But this is a hard one, you know. Could it have been a mental health crisis? Could there have been some weird accident with the car crash? I don't know.
- [49:05]
Courtney Nicole
I have faith that in this lifetime we will figure out what happened regardless of, you know, what actually went that day. I have faith that one of these days, hopefully sooner rather than later, we will figure out what happened.
- [49:18]
Sarah Turney
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, between the way that Bryce looks and him standing out so much and the amount of media attention that this case has gotten, I think that there's always hope. But especially in these higher profile cases like Bryce's. I mean, it feels like the whole world is looking out for him, which is just amazing. Something that sticks with us about Bryce is how long he waited in his car before he disappeared. In 30 hours. So many things can happen, changes of mind or circumstance. What was happening with Bryce on the long drive, what was going on in his head and what did he want to talk to his parents about? We know that 19 year old Bryce Laspisa had recently started drinking more and experimenting with drugs. He gave away belongings and unexpectedly broke up with his girlfriend. Then on the night of Wednesday, August 28, 2013, Bryce took a very long drive. What should have been a seven hour commute to his parents house from northern to Southern California lasted 30 hours. Along the way Bryce took long stops during which as far as we can tell, he just sat in his car and despite his endless journey, Bryce never made it home. In the early hours of Friday, August 30, 2013, for reasons unknown, Bryce drove in circles around the Castaic Lake recreation area and then his SUV left the road, sped down a hill and flew off an embankment crashing below. All evidence points to Bryce surviving. A smashed out window tells us he got out of the car alive, but he left all of his belongings behind and hasn't been hurt heard from since. Nobody saw the crash, nobody knows where he went, but we do know his parents would do anything to find him, to tell him in their own words how loved he is by his family and friends and that their lives aren't the same without him.
- [51:11]
Courtney Nicole
Bryce Laspiza will be about 32 years old as of this recording. He has red hair and blue eyes, is Caucasian and about 5 foot 11. On his left shoulder he has a tattoo of a Taurus bullhead and his birthday in Roman numerals 4 30, 1994. If you have any information about Priceless Visa, you can visit the Find Priceless Visa Facebook page or contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department at 213-229-1700.
- [51:49]
Sarah Turney
Thank you for listening to the Final Hours. If you have any more information on Bryce Las Pisa, please share it with us on social media. We want to hear from you. Your thoughts, condolences and feedback are what make this community so special.
- [52:01]
Courtney Nicole
At Crime House. We value your support. Share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review and follow the Final Hours to help others discover the
- [52:09]
Sarah Turney
show and to enhance your listening experience. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of the Final Hours ad free along with early access and exciting bonus content.
- [52:21]
Courtney Nicole
The Final Hours is hosted by Sarah Turney and me, Courtney Nicole and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Final Hours team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pertzofsky, Sarah Kate, Camp Dana Brazil Sulavey, Andrew Rosenblum and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.
- [52:49]
Sarah Turney
I'm Katie Ring, host of America's Most Infamous Crimes. Each week I take on one of the most notorious criminal cases in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most infamous crimes available now wherever you get your podcasts. Looking for your next listen? Check out hidden history with Dr. Harini Bhatt every Monday.
- [53:09]
Courtney Nicole
Dr. Bhatt goes where history gets uncomfortable Vanished civilizations, doomsday prophecies, and events that science still can't fully explain.
- [53:17]
Sarah Turney
Follow Hidden History now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.