The Prosecutors — Episode 339

Title: The Strange Disappearance of Bryce Laspisa
Hosts: Brett & Alice
Date: December 9, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Brett and Alice dive deep into one of the most confounding cold case disappearances of recent years: the 2013 vanishing of college student Bryce Laspisa. Often called “the male Maura Murray,” Bryce’s case is a swirling mystery of mental health struggles, erratic behaviors, and interactions that left friends and family deeply concerned. Alice and Brett, bringing their prosecutor’s lens, methodically break down the tangled timeline and raise probing questions about events leading up to Bryce’s disappearance and the actions and motivations of those close to him. This is part one of a two-part examination.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Was Bryce Laspisa?

[07:37] Brett:

• Bryce, only child of Mike and Karen Laspisa, was born April 30, 1994.
• Grew up in Naperville, Illinois; described as well-liked, funny, charismatic, and artistic.
• Attended Sierra College in Rocklin, California for industrial and graphic design; parents moved to Laguna Niguel, CA (7 hours away).
• Freshman year at college uneventful and successful; summer at home uneventful.

“By all accounts, everything is fine. No cause for concern whatsoever. But weirdly, things began to shift almost immediately when Bryce returned to school in August of 2013.” — Brett [09:54]

2. Sudden Behavioral Changes

[10:17] Alice:

• Upon returning for sophomore year, Bryce began drinking heavily and using Vyvanse recreationally (not prescribed for him).
• Staying up all night, giving away possessions, broke up abruptly with girlfriend Kim Sly by text.
• Sean, his roommate, becomes alarmed and calls Bryce’s mother, Karen.

“He was staying up all night, which is not surprising when he’s using a stimulant recreationally.…All of this combined prompted Sean to call Bryce’s mom.” — Alice [10:19]

3. Escalation and Alarming Messages

• August 27, Bryce stays up all night.
• August 28, texts Sean:

  “I love you, bro. Seriously, you are the best person I’ve ever met. You saved my soul.”
  Sean replies:
  “I love you too, man. You have an amazing life full of love and blessings. Don’t waste that. You have too many people who love you, Bryce.” [24:32]

[25:41] Alice and Brett's Analysis:

• Unusually deep and somber for 19-year-olds.
• Sean responds with “anti-suicide type talk.”
• Suggests ongoing emotional crisis, not an isolated episode.

4. Concerns Raised by Friends—Parental Response Questioned

• Sean calls Bryce’s mother with his worries.
• Bryce had been giving away possessions, including his Xbox and diamond earrings from his mother.
• Both hosts sharply question the parental response.

“If my child’s roommate called me...I would be on the road immediately. I would be like, Sean, I will see you in seven hours.” — Brett [32:18]
“I will give kind of the 180 perspective...Unless there’s more to this story...(sometimes) the angst or whatever is happening is stemming from his parents.” — Alice [33:56]

• The podcast flags that the Laspisas’ repeated lack of hands-on intervention is highly atypical and possibly suggestive of unspoken family dynamics.

5. Breakup Incident at Kim’s Apartment

• Bryce unexpectedly appears at his ex-girlfriend Kim’s apartment in Chico (~90 miles away).
• Kim is worried, takes his car keys, insists he call his mother; mom persuades Kim to return the keys after a phone call with both of them.

“She (Kim) was so worried about him driving that she’s taken his keys away from him.” — Brett [39:00]

• Alice points out that it’s unusual for both Sean and Kim to call on a parent for help at this age and situation, pointing to Bryce’s crisis being more severe than usual college drama.

6. Overnight Timeline—The Missing Hours

• 11:30pm: Bryce leaves Kim’s house to return to his apartment (should be a 90-minute drive).
• 1:00am: Bryce calls his mother; she assumes he’s home, but phone pings later show he’s heading away from his apartment, south on I-5 toward the mountains.
• Parents, once learning from insurance that their son called for roadside assistance at 11am, check credit card records (odd choice, suggest hosts), locate a charge at Castro Tire in Buttonwillow.

“If the 1am call went the way Karen says it went, then at this point, she knows that Bryce was lying to her. Bryce wasn’t fine.” — Brett [51:30]

7. The Buttonwillow Oddness

• Roadside worker Christian brings gas to Bryce at around 9am; three hours later, Bryce is still in his car, unmoving.
• Christian, at Karen’s request, physically checks on Bryce, then hands his phone to him for mom to talk to Bryce.

“Three hours have passed. Christian drives out to where he last saw Bryce, and he’s still sitting there. Bryce is sitting in his car.” — Brett [55:08]

• Parental reaction remains oddly passive.

8. Hosts’ Ongoing Questions About Parental Response

Both Brett and Alice repeatedly return to the incongruity between the urgent warning signs and the parents’ lack of physical mobilization.

“When Sean called mom, probably it would have been an overreaction to head down there at that point...when you hear...he’s still sitting on the side of the road for three hours...I would be on the phone; Christian, I’ll give you a thousand dollars, stay exactly where you are.” — Brett [57:31]

• They note other cases where parents immediately hit the road upon receiving far less alarming information.

9. Acknowledging Difficult Criticism & Subtext

• The hosts emphasize that their purpose is not to demonize or blame the Laspisa family, but rather to scrutinize all available behavior for insight, as a means to thoroughly examine all angles of the case.

“I think there are a lot of people out there who are hesitant to appear to be criticizing victims’ families at all...But if part of the story is the relationship with the family...you have to be willing to discuss or you’re not doing the story justice.” — Brett [63:32]

10. Timeline to be Continued (Part 2 to Come)

• Many strange things left to discuss.
• Bryce’s erratic drive continues; more missed opportunities, more odd interactions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Human Mystery:

  “Aren’t we just all aimlessly wandering, trying to find our purpose in this life? And so is Bryce really lost or are we all lost?”
  — Alice [02:32]

• On Parental Inaction:

  “I don’t think you should shy away from [questioning families] if it’s part of the story. If part of the story is the relationship with the family, the things going on in the background, then I think that’s something you have to be willing to discuss or you’re not doing the story justice.”
  — Brett [63:32]

• On Bizarre Timeline:

  “12 hours have passed, and he’s not at home or his apartment. Things are not well.”
  — Alice [57:02]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 07:37 — Bryce Laspisa’s background and move to California
• 10:17 — Return to college and immediate behavioral spiral
• 24:32 — Sean and Bryce’s poignant text exchange
• 32:18 — Roommate’s call to parents and hosts’ critique of their response
• 38:37 — The pivotal incident at Kim’s apartment
• 45:46 — The 1am call and subsequent movements
• 51:30 — Discovery of Buttonwillow gas station stop
• 55:08 — Christian finds Bryce still sitting in his car
• 63:32 — Justifying why questioning family behavior can be critical to the case

Tone and Language

• The tone is conversational, analytical, and at points, deeply empathetic but candid.
• Both hosts are careful to balance critical inquiry with compassion, repeatedly reminding listeners of the purpose behind their questions.
• The episode features light-hearted moments and banter but pivots to a serious, searching tone when discussing Bryce’s state of mind and the gravity of disappearances.

To Be Continued...

• Part 2 will continue the timeline, probe further missed interventions, the final movements, and prevailing theories about what happened to Bryce Laspisa.