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- [00:00]
Narrator
Now streaming on Prime Video.
- [00:02]
Detective Alex Cross
You can call me Detective Alex Cross.
- [00:05]
Narrator
Based on characters created by James Patterson.
- [00:07]
Jared Akron
We have to catch this serial killer.
- [00:08]
Narrator
I don't kill for fun. And created by Ben Watkins, this killer.
- [00:12]
Detective Alex Cross
Thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. Aldous Hodge is DC's funnest Alex Cross.
- [00:17]
Jared Akron
If we don't find him soon, we may never have another chance.
- [00:19]
Christie Akron
Clock's ticking.
- [00:20]
Jared Akron
You think you can stop him? I know I can. Because I know him better than he knows himself. Cross.
- [00:26]
Narrator
A new original series only on Prime Video.
- [00:29]
Christie Akron
Watch now. This message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest. With your guardrails in place, with Greenlight, you can send money to kids instantly. Set up chores automate allowance, and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Sign up for greenlight today@greenlight.com iheart good.
- [01:01]
Detective Alex Cross
Sleep should come naturally. And with the new Natural Hybrid mattress, it can. A collaboration between Leesa and West Elm, the Natural Hybrid is expertly crafted from natural latex, natural wool, and certified safe foams to elevate your sleep sanctuary and support a greener tomorrow. Breathable organic cotton and moisture wicking Joma wool consistently provide cool and comfortable slumber. Every purchase helps fuel Lisa's work with shelters and those in need. Visit Lisa.com to learn more. That's L E E S A.com.
- [01:37]
Narrator
Avila, Pennsylvania. December 6, 2020. Jared Akron woke to his home completely engulfed in flames.
- [01:52]
911 Operator
911 response. What's your emergency?
- [01:54]
Jared Akron
Fire truck.
- [01:55]
911 Operator
Sir, where are you located? Is anyone hurt?
- [01:59]
Narrator
Are you hurt?
- [02:00]
Jared Akron
No, everybody's okay. Everybody's okay. We just. I just need somebody to put the fire out. I need a fire truck over here right now.
- [02:05]
911 Operator
Sir, I need you to give me all the details that you can calmly.
- [02:08]
Jared Akron
No, nobody's hurt. Nobody's hurt except for the. I just. We need a. Need a fire department.
- [02:13]
911 Operator
Okay, we'll have units over to respond to you short.
- [02:34]
Jared Akron
I don't think I'll ever forget that day in my entire life. There was a huge cloud of black smoke that engulfed me. As soon as I opened that door, I saw flames go up. Then I hear the window bust.
- [02:50]
Narrator
On that frigid December morning, Jared was having the worst day of his life. He'd watched his child at home burn to the ground, along with all his possessions to make things worse, he and his wife, Christie were expecting the birth of twins any moment. As Jared watched the flames destroy his childhood home, he had no idea that this was just the beginning of his nightmare. If anything, in the coming days, things would get a whole lot worse. They were the picture perfect couple. Jared was a hardworking farmer who loved nothing more than hunting and fishing on the weekends. Christie was his opposite, lively, always chasing the next adventure, mostly through the lens of her phone. Her life was a constant stream of Facebook posts and Snapchat stories, each one more elaborate than the last. But looks can be deceiving. This seemingly happy newlywed couple soon found themselves at the center of a shocking series of crimes. I'm Tricia lafache. I'm a writer, director, actor and federal criminal defense attorney. You might have also seen me on Amazon Prime's Jury Duty arguing in a fake courtroom. It's true, isn't it, sir, that you were once arrested for masturbating in a public movie theater? That's correct, isn't it? I'm going to tell you a story that's all too real, about love, lies, and the lengths people will go to for attention. It's a story that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about truth, about reality, and about what happens when the two collide in the most unimaginable way. From Audio up and Jesui Press Productions, this is the Unborn. Coming up this season on the Unborn.
- [04:46]
Jared Akron
If the fire marshal didn't tell me there was previous fires in her life, I don't think it would have crossed my mind. But after that fire marshal said, hey, this is not the first fire she's been involved in or been around. It really makes you think, hey, do I really know who I'm married to? I don't know if she was trying to kill him or I have no clue what was going on with her. That type of thing, that's something you see a movie on that's don't happen here in this area, but it did.
- [05:14]
Narrator
Got a fire and beer and a crazy ex wife.
- [05:17]
Jared Akron
It's a full blown story.
- [05:18]
Christie Akron
We kept saying she's probably not that crazy. There's no way somebody would do that, right?
- [05:25]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Oh, yeah, she's certifiable. She went batshit crazy, shot and killed all her farm animals, slaughtered them in front of the kids what tried to burn her house down.
- [05:40]
Narrator
I want to start by letting you know that we are not professional journalists or investigators. Rather, we're true crime fans who love the genre. This story came to us by chance, my husband, Frank Rodriguez Mal is also a screenwriter, but at one point he worked in the outfitting business, guiding deer hunts in the Midwest. He also took a turn as an amateur boxer. But that's a story for another day. Years later, he's still extremely close with his former boss on the ranch, Mitchell. On December 12, 2020, Frank got a call from Mitchell.
- [06:14]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
He basically called and said, frank, you are not going to believe this story I just heard at camp.
- [06:19]
Narrator
A man we'll call Henry, who is Jared Akron's closest family friend, was at hunting camp. And Henry had a front row seat to a story that was unbelievable and it was playing out in real time.
- [06:31]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
So Mitchell called and said he heard the craziest story at hunting camp that he's ever heard. And if you know anything about hunting camps, the stories can get tall. Getting stalked by a mountain lion while tracking a deer, the 10 foot tall grizzly bear that ripped into your tent while salmon fishing in Alaska, or some other woodmanship heroics fueled by fireside whiskey. That usually borders on bullshit.
- [06:54]
Narrator
But this one wasn't bullshit. In fact, Mitchell thought it was something out of a movie or TV show. And he decided to call Frank, his Hollywood screenwriter friend, while Henry was still at camp.
- [07:07]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
So I had the idea that it could be a great true crime podcast and asked Mitchell if Henry and Jared would be willing to talk to Trish and I because I thought it would be the perfect thing for us to do together.
- [07:16]
Narrator
They said yes, and we were on the phone with them the very next day, a mere two days after the whole thing went down. And from there, we decided to tell this story about what happened in Avila, Pennsylvania to Jared Akron. What we heard wasn't typical campfire fodder, more like something out of a Coen Brothers film, or even better, a Scooby Doo mystery. Call it Western Pennsylvania Gothic. Small towns often have secrets that go back generations, and a villa has more than its fair share. And that's what we set out to uncover over the next seven episodes. So if we fail to introduce a source or present proper evidence, sorry about that. All I can say is what you're about to hear is 100%. The names have all been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty alike. We're in Avella, a western Pennsylvania farming community. It's picturesque, peaceful, a slice of Americana. Rolling green hills and forests, cobblestone main streets, farms that have been in families for generations. The current population is about 800 people. As you would guess, this is a tight knit community, the kind of place where people look out for one another. It's also the kind of place where everyone knows everything about everyone else's business. And everyone in Avila can tell you the kind of family the Akrons are. They own a feed mill. They're honest, hardworking, and their oldest son, Jared is no different. How would you describe your son?
- [09:05]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Sensitive and thoughtful.
- [09:07]
Narrator
That's Jared's father, David.
- [09:09]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
I mean, he'll go help anybody out that needs help. You know, he helps me quite a bit. I would consider him one of my best friends.
- [09:16]
Narrator
Stubborn, hard headed. That's Jared's mom, Kathy. He's a good kid. I think he's loving and I don't know. Here's Henry, Jared's boss. For Henry, Jared isn't just an employee. He's like family. In fact, Henry is best friends with Jared's father, David. He affectionately refers to Jared as Pork Chop or Big Sexy.
- [09:43]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Yeah, he's PC or Big Sexy. Yeah, he beat anorexia. You'll see. He's a great kid. Raised by a good family, best friends with his dad my whole life. Raised around the farm, showing cattle and stuff with them, and he just couldn't be any nicer. Yeah, Big Sexy is a sweetheart.
- [09:59]
Jared Akron
My name is Jared Akron. I'm 24 years old. I grew up in Avello, Pennsylvania. It's a former coal mining town. Right now I sell metal fabricating equipment. You know, anything that cuts your Benz metal. I also help my folks run their feed mill. I'm just your basic small town dude trying to make ends meet. I was a young graduate, just bought a house. I had a good job. I made all my payments and had money left over, no care in the world.
- [10:29]
Christie Akron
He was kind of frat boyish, where he wanted to drink all the time and loved being around people.
- [10:35]
Narrator
That's mom. She's Henry's daughter and one of Jared's oldest and closest friends.
- [10:40]
Molly
Other than the frat boy lifestyle he.
- [10:43]
Christie Akron
Had, he was also a farmer who helped his parents at the feed mill. So I would say he's very hard working and friendly and he likes to drink.
- [10:51]
Narrator
Jared was living that small town life where everyone's just working for the weekend. Except here. You drove your tractor to the bar.
- [11:01]
Molly
Where'd you get those shoes? Easy. They're from dsw. Because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between because you do it all in really great shoes. Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or DSW.com this show.
- [11:32]
Narrator
Is sponsored by BetterHelp and I want to help you by reminding you to take a second to say thank you to someone in your life that you're grateful for. Could be your partner, your parent, your pet, or even your therapist. And also to thank yourself, which is a hard thing to do and easy to forget, for doing the things that you want to do and the things you don't want to do, which may include going to therapy. I recently restarted therapy, so I'm going to give myself a big thank you for that. One of the most rewarding parts of therapy is talking to someone who's completely objective, whose feelings you don't have to manage, who you don't have to worry about, what they'll think of you. If you're interested in starting or restarting therapy, I would encourage you to check out BetterHelp. It's all online so you don't even have to leave your house. All you have to do is fill out a questionnaire to get matched up with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time at no additional charge. Let the gratitude flow with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com unborn today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp H E L P.com unborn it's just one more thing you can thank yourself for.
- [12:47]
911 Operator
Now I'd like to introduce you to Meaningful Beauty, the famed skincare brand created by iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford. It's her secret to absolutely gorgeous skin. Meaningful Beauty makes powerful and effective skincare simple and it's loved by millions of women. It's formulated for all ages and all skin tones and types. And it's designed to work as a complete skincare system, leaving your skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. I recommend starting with Cindy's full regimen which contains all five of her best selling products including the Amazing Youth Activating Melon Serum. This next generation serum has the power of melonleaf stem cell technology. Its melon leaf stem cells encapsulated for freshness and released onto the skin to support a visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles. With thousands of glowing five star reviews, why not give it a try? Subscribe today and you can get the Amazing Meaningful Beauty system for just $49.95. That includes our introductory five piece system, free gifts, free shipping and a 60 day money back guarantee. All that available@meaningfulbeauty.com.
- [13:50]
Narrator
I wouldn't say that Jared was Wren from Footloose.
- [13:53]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Tell you something, man, if I got to get up in front of that council, then you are going to learn.
- [13:57]
Narrator
How to dance more like the Chris Penn character.
- [14:01]
Jared Akron
I told you. All right, I promised Rusty no fights tonight, okay?
- [14:04]
Narrator
But it was a town just like that. Tractors on the highway. Everyone knows everyone else's family going back generations. You can't escape your past here. And if you've done something crazy or mean or downright shifty, you might as well pack up and leave because there's no living that down. But Jared and his friends were neither me mean nor crazy. They were kids who liked to drink and carry on.
- [14:29]
Jared Akron
It's a close knit community that we're around. Everyone cares about each other. It's always a good time. It's kind of a, hey, we don't really care how we do. But it was a good time. You get to see all your buddies you don't always see. And it's a Saturday morning, you're usually out of there by 1:00.
- [14:45]
Narrator
It was one of those Saturday nights when Jared reconnected with Christy for the first time since. Since high school when they did 4H together, showing animals at the county fair and sneaking kisses behind the barn.
- [14:56]
Jared Akron
Pigs, cows, sheep and goats.
- [14:58]
Narrator
It was Molly's 21st birthday and Jared was texting with Christie already. The two had found one another on Facebook.
- [15:06]
Jared Akron
I actually ended up sliding in her DMs.
- [15:08]
Christie Akron
I will say it was me that pushed her to come to the bar.
- [15:12]
Narrator
That's Molly again.
- [15:14]
Christie Akron
They were texting and I told him to call her. And then I took the phone and went outside and was like, hey, you should come down.
- [15:21]
Narrator
Much to Jared's shock, Christie showed up alone and they were pretty much inseparable. After that. Christie told Jared she was an executive managing a warehouse. She had champagne tastes even though Jared had a beer wallet.
- [15:36]
Jared Akron
I really enjoy bar food and chicken wings. She wanted to go to these hoity toity places.
- [15:43]
Christie Akron
She's a very nice girl. She would do anything for anyone. You know, she would go to the moon and back.
- [15:51]
Narrator
This is Jenny, Christy's former best friend. Many people from Jared's circle were drawn to Christy too. This is Molly again. I think she seemed fun.
- [15:59]
Christie Akron
I try not to judge people too fast. My first impression was that she was cool. I tried to always reach out to her and be like, hey, like, what are you guys doing? Do you want to hang out?
- [16:08]
Narrator
It's not surprising given the nature of this tight knit community that Jared's father knew Christie far before she started dating his son.
- [16:15]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Well, see, I've known her and her family for a long time.
- [16:19]
Narrator
Within months they were pregnant and married.
- [16:24]
Jared Akron
This was a shotgun wedding in half.
- [16:26]
Christie Akron
It was beautiful. It was a dream.
- [16:28]
Jared Akron
It was a dream wedding.
- [16:29]
Christie Akron
It was everything anyone could have asked for.
- [16:32]
Jared Akron
I mean, it was pretty big. I bet you we had every bit of 280 people there.
- [16:36]
Narrator
They were ready to embark on their life together. But what Jared didn't know was that this perfect life was not what it appeared to be.
- [16:45]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Her dad is the same age as me, so we grew up showing at 4h and you know, everything, the shows and all that kind of stuff. We were actually pretty decent friends growing up. She never said much when she was growing up.
- [16:59]
Jared Akron
When Jared met her.
- [17:02]
Narrator
You know, I.
- [17:03]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
Had not seen her for a couple years so I didn't know good or bad or indifferent. She's pretty bubbly, you know, she was a farm girl. So I like that, you know, the things that we do are, you know, she's grown up with her whole life too, so it's not foreign to her.
- [17:20]
Christie Akron
We thought she was wonderful. You know, we did game nights.
- [17:24]
Narrator
This is Sarah. She's married to one of Jared's best friends, Wade. Sarah was already a few months pregnant when Christy first discovered that she was. Not only were they pregnant at the same time, but they were due to deliver at the exact same hospital.
- [17:39]
Christie Akron
We, you know, tried to hang out with them often and obviously she was there, so everything seemed really normal to me.
- [17:47]
Narrator
But Sarah's positive opinion on Christy didn't last long.
- [17:51]
Christie Akron
I wasn't questioning her sanity or anything. And then he came over just one random day. Hey, I want to come over.
- [18:00]
Narrator
Sarah couldn't exactly say why, but she immediately felt something was off when Jared called and asked to come over and.
- [18:08]
Christie Akron
He just stopped by and he said yeah, was in the emergency room last night at three in the morning. We took her there because she was vomiting and scared, super sick and they told her she's pregnant. And I said, wow, that's crazy. And well, it was all he say she say because he wasn't allowed in the emergency room. First of all, that was a red flag to me because I had been going through the same thing because I just found out I was pregnant myself. And so I knew that you could have one significant other with you. So anyways, that was one red flag to me. And he said they tested her urine for the pregnancy because she was so sick. And they told her she was four weeks pregnant. So that was my second red flag is one I've never heard of anybody being nauseous before, like, eight weeks at the very earliest. I've never heard of anybody having sickness like that that early. I kind of validated that because I don't know a lot of people who've had twins. So I thought, you know, maybe it's just different. I don't know. You know, I. I don't know. I'm twins. So I just let it play out. So I was a little suspicious at that point.
- [19:15]
Narrator
But Sarah's suspicions continued to grow.
- [19:18]
Christie Akron
But then the next, I don't know, maybe a week later or so, he came over and said they did a blood test and found out it was twins. At that point, they didn't know it was twins. They did a blood test to find out it was twins. And that's whenever he brought a ring over and said, I think I'm gonna propose. You know, we tried to tell him. He. If you feel that that's something you want to do, then that's great. We'll support you. But the blood test got me because I've never. I've never heard of anybody finding out you're having twins by a blood test. I know you can find out the gender by a blood test, but I didn't think you could find out if you're having multiples with a blood test. So I did a little research and asked some people that I knew, and because at that point, I was very suspicious, and it turns out you cannot find out you're having multiples with a blood test.
- [20:11]
Narrator
Sarah struggled with the information she knew to be true and what the Akrons were telling her. She repeated her concerns to her husband, but he was steadfast. He did not want them to get involved.
- [20:22]
Christie Akron
I wanted to stepping on any toes. I don't want to ruin my relationship with my best friend. I think you need to keep that to yourself, because she's probably not that crazy. I mean, and that's what we kept saying. There's no way somebody would do that.
- [20:37]
Narrator
Right?
- [20:38]
Christie Akron
So, yeah, it was just at that point, I was. Internally, I was like, something's not right, but it's not my best friend.
- [20:49]
Narrator
She did give Jared one piece of advice.
- [20:52]
Christie Akron
Whenever he brought a ring over that week after she would have been, what, five weeks pregnant or something like that? I told him, I said, you know, there's like, one in four women. Like, 25% of women have miscarriages really early. So maybe Think about that. Is it too early to be asking a big question like that? But obviously now I'm like, I really wish I would have said more, but there's no way I could have known. And I kept telling myself, there's no way somebody would be that crazy.
- [21:20]
Narrator
Sarah's decision to keep quiet was one of the biggest regrets of her life. But even with all of her suspicions, she could have never fathomed what was to come. It's Thursday, December 10, 2020. About 1:30am on this cold, rainy winter morning, Christie tells Jared her water broke. This news is slightly alarming since they had been preparing for a scheduled C section on that Monday. But such is the miracle of life.
- [21:56]
Jared Akron
This is Jared, my wife Christie. She had woken me up at probably 1:30 in the morning. She goes, hey, my water has broken. We need to go to the hospital. So I'm going to get the bags and everything like that that were packed in the house, throw them in the car, help her to the car, take off. We drive the 45 minutes to an hour to the McGehawks. There was a closer hospital, but because her had a what they consider a high risk pregnancy. And the reason they considered it high risk was because she had twins and that she had already lost a child before this.
- [22:29]
Narrator
I'm not a mother, I've never given birth. But I asked around and apparently there's many reasons for a C section to be scheduled. And if your water breaks prior to a scheduled C section, it's not necessarily bad. But it is important to get to a hospital as soon as possible because the water breaking means that the body has started the process on its own. If the baby is not positioned right or if there are blood pressure conditions, it can become a complicated birth. Add to that, as Jared mentioned, Christie was carrying twins and she had suffered a miscarriage before. So there are many reasons why this could be bad, but only if you don't make it to a hospital. Remember that we're at the height of COVID Hospitals were working overtime. Even heading to the hospital was not business as usual. Entering was a process.
- [23:21]
Jared Akron
Drop her off at the emergency room. Then they have to do a COVID rapid test because this is right in the heart of the whole entire COVID pandemic mask everywhere. And so we get there, drop her off.
- [23:34]
Narrator
Christy needed to be tested for Covid and if she tested positive, Jared would be effectively locked out of the birth of his twins.
- [23:45]
Jared Akron
She called me and told me her COVID test had come back positive.
- [23:50]
Narrator
Jared will not be able to enter the hospital to witness his children being born. Information about the virus was evolving slowly. It was scary. No one really knew what it meant for a pregnant mother that contracted. Covid and Jared had a lot of questions about what her positive tests meant.
- [24:07]
Jared Akron
It was kind of a gut wrenching feeling. Hey, what happens? There's not a lot of info out there about can Covid be contracted by small children just at birth? They had adverse effects of being with the mother in the womb. Are they going to be COVID positive? Am I going to be able to see them touching?
- [24:28]
Narrator
Jared was left completely in the dark. All firsthand knowledge of what was going on with their children's birth would have to come from his wife, Christy. At 2:17am, Jared got this text from Christy.
- [24:43]
Christie Akron
They're taking me straight back.
- [24:44]
911 Operator
No check in.
- [24:46]
Narrator
Okay, call me. Give me my phone.
- [24:50]
Christie Akron
They're putting a screen across my waist so I can't see.
- [24:52]
Narrator
I love you. Jared did call Christie. She told him she was getting into her gown and they were going to do an ultrasound too to make sure everything's okay. Everything was not okay.
- [25:02]
Jared Akron
So she goes, well, I'm going back into the room to get the gown. They do an ultrasound is what she tells me. They can't find a heartbeat.
- [25:15]
Narrator
Imagine being stuck in your truck, a storm raging outside and being told by your wife that the doctors cannot find the heartbeat to your babies. And because of the nature of the world at the time, as well as your wife's positive COVID test, you can do nothing about it except sit.
- [25:32]
Molly
Holiday magic is in the air. And DSW's got all the shoes to make your season extra merry. Believe you've got parties to attend and list to check twice. So DSW is taking care of the details, like gifts to make their eyes all aglow. Styles that bring joy to your world. Brands everyone wants like Ugg, Nike, Birkenstock and more. And deals to make your budget bright. Find the perfect shoes for you and yours at a DSW store near you.
- [26:00]
911 Operator
Or dsw.com now I'd like to introduce you to Meaningful Beauty, the famed skincare brand created by iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford. It's her secret to absolutely gorgeous skin. Meaningful Beauty makes powerful and effective skin care simple and it's loved by millions of women. It's formulated for all ages and all skin tones and types. And it's designed to work as a complete skin care system, leaving your skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. I recommend starting with Cindy's full regimen which contains all five of her best selling products. Including the Amazing Youth Activating Melon Serum. This next generation serum has the power of melon leaf stem cell technology. It's melon leaf stem cells encapsulated for freshness and released onto the skin to support a visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles. With thousands of glowing five star reviews, why not give it a try? Subscribe today and you can get the Amazing Meaningful Beauty system for just $49.95. That includes our introductory five piece system, free gifts, free shipping and a 60 day money back guarantee. All that available@meaningfulbeauty.com for many of us.
- [27:04]
Detective Alex Cross
The holiday season means more travel, more shopping, more time online and more of your personal information in more places you can't control. It only takes one innocent mistake, even if it's not your mistake, to expose you to identity theft. Not to worry. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself. Even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Gift yourself the peace of mind that comes with LifeLock and spend more time doing more of the holiday things you love. Visit lifelock.com iheartradio and save up to 40% your first year. That's 40% off@lifelock.com iheart LifeLock for the threats you can't control.
- [28:11]
Narrator
And wait.
- [28:12]
Jared Akron
I will send you pictures and stuff when I'm done. I called her real quick, told her he loved her and that was all I heard for probably 45 minutes.
- [28:21]
Narrator
After 45 minutes, Christy texted Jared a picture of one baby. What did it look like?
- [28:28]
Jared Akron
It was a healthy looking baby. They did have some drainage tubes in it.
- [28:32]
Narrator
Twelve minutes later, baby number two was born. Their second child also needed drainage tubes.
- [28:38]
Jared Akron
She told me they had some fluid in their lungs because they were in there too long, but not to worry about anything like that. It's normal for twins to have to have some help at birth. She told me hey put them online and I thought that was a good time. Easier way than to send to all these people in which I did text it to my mom and my dad, but she did want it on Facebook.
- [29:02]
Narrator
Right then and there for context. Throughout their relationship, Jared felt Christy had an extremely unhealthy relationship to Facebook, Snapchat and social media in general. But more about that later. Here's the caption that Christy sent to Jared to post alongside the pictures of the babies.
- [29:24]
911 Operator
After what felt like the longest pregnancy in all the land and the biggest marathon of our lives, we are so unbelievably excited and proud to finally introduce our beautiful, healthy twins, Hannah and Lyle. Lyle, born at 3:56am 5 pounds, 2 ounces, 19 1/2 inches. Hannah, born at 408am 5 pounds, 14 ounces, 20 1/4 inches.
- [29:55]
Narrator
While Jared would eventually post the photos of the children with the caption as sent verbatim by Christie, at that point, he held off on the post. And then what else did you do? Did you call your parents?
- [30:06]
Jared Akron
I called my mom and dad. They were all happy. My grandma and actually even she asked me to call her grandmother and stuff like that. I was excited. I was, because, I mean, that hour and a half that I sat there was grueling. I didn't know what was going on. I knew I wasn't going to be allowed into the hospital. So I take a little nap, then I wake up and then I kind of don't hear anything from her for maybe three hours. So then I actually received a picture from Christie, the picture of both of the kids, with which it was nice because I got to see the placard that I had spent countless, countless hours trying to make it perfect for her.
- [30:48]
Narrator
I'm looking at the photo of the placard. It really shows the level of care Jared put into it. A handmade wooden frame painted white. Intricate wooden letters that detail their joyous news.
- [31:00]
Jared Akron
They had their names. A big part was seeing them without all the tubes and things like that, because at that point they had taken those tubes out and given her a nice picture to put on there. Then, of course, I sent that all to my friends and family.
- [31:16]
Narrator
Even though he could not see his kids and was stuck in a hospital parking lot, Jared finally felt relief and joy. He had the news he had been praying for. His twins were healthy.
- [31:33]
Jared Akron
I actually think that was the picture I posted. Yeah, that was definitely it because I didn't want to put the tubes and things online. So my wife had told me, hey, why don't you go home, get the house ready, clean it? Because we weren't ready for them yet. So I called my parents on the way home, just kind of talk about the picture and they're like all good tubes and all that, all out. They look healthy, happy. They actually got to be together and they put them in the same little bassinet. They said physical touch between them would help them get better soon.
- [32:06]
Narrator
Still disappointed he couldn't witness their birth, but ultimately just happy they were out of the woods. Jared began his 45 minute drive home to get the house ready for his newborns. He was a proud father. But Jared's moment of newfound fatherhood wouldn't last long. While Jared is getting the house in order, his best friend Wade and his pregnant wife Sarah come over to help out. Jared recounts that night.
- [32:32]
Jared Akron
I guess after that I didn't really get any updates, but I'm having dinner with my best friend and his wife. When we get in the house ready, they help clean and things like that. I get a phone call, you need.
- [32:44]
Narrator
To come pick me up.
- [32:46]
Jared Akron
And at that point my heart had kind of dropped, but because, I mean, no one wants get that text, hey, you need to come get me to the hospital.
- [32:54]
Narrator
Jared admittedly did not know a ton about childbirth and probably did not ask enough questions. But he felt in his bones that if his wife Christy was ready to leave the hospital approximately 15 hours after giving birth, something was very, very wrong.
- [33:15]
Jared Akron
I didn't know what to think. Why did Jeanne picked up? You need to call me. I'm getting texts like, hey, did I pay this parking ticket or speeding ticket in a town she got. I mean, I'm. That's the last thing on my mind. So I fly in there course hit traffic.
- [33:33]
Narrator
The pit of dread growing in Jared's stomach as he navigates traffic, the winter roads. Updates from Christie are sparse at best, and it takes him more than an hour to get to the hospital. He finally arrives, Christy instructing him where to go.
- [33:49]
Jared Akron
She tells me to come to the main entrance which. And of course I dropped her off to emergency room. I didn't know where in the hospital the. I guess they called the maternity ward was. So I'm like, okay, I'll just pull up to the front like she told me. I pull up, there's probably three or four cars in front of me. So once I get to the front, I see her walking out, being escorted by two police officers.
- [34:11]
Narrator
She was also in handcuffs.
- [34:14]
Jared Akron
They bring her to the car, help her get in, and then they come and ask for my picture of my license and my license plate.
- [34:20]
Narrator
So they took your license physically and they took a picture of it?
- [34:23]
Jared Akron
Correct. They took a picture of the license plate, of the make and model of the car. He didn't say very many words. This is as close and verbatim as I could remember. Was what's your. I asked what was going on. He goes, you'll have to ask your wife that yourself.
- [34:36]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
It's nothing good, that's for sure.
- [34:37]
Jared Akron
But you look like you're strong enough to handle it, so good luck to you, sir. And he kind of walked away. And I turned to my wife and asked, well, what happened?
- [34:45]
Narrator
Jared continued to ask Christy what was going on, where were the children, were they okay? But Christy was beside herself, screaming and crying, too emotional to answer.
- [34:56]
Jared Akron
Why?
- [34:57]
Narrator
Why are you arresting me?
- [34:58]
Christie Akron
I didn't do anything. My babies. Please, my baby bees.
- [35:01]
Jared Akron
I'm confused. I don't know what's going on.
- [35:04]
911 Operator
I'm gonna throw myself out that car.
- [35:07]
Christie Akron
I don't want to live anymore.
- [35:09]
Jared Akron
She won't tell me. Well, there's cars piling up behind me. Cuz it's probably 6:30 now and it's people are coming to visit and things like that. So I pull over into one of the parking lot spots.
- [35:19]
Christie Akron
I don't want to live anymore. I want to die. Oh, let me die.
- [35:25]
Jared Akron
I'm like, well, what's going on? She refused, refuses to tell me. Is just crying and bawling and just making it like a huge show.
- [35:34]
Narrator
I guess I thought about just running.
- [35:37]
Christie Akron
Away and never ever calling you.
- [35:40]
Jared Akron
It just. She was hysterical. Yeah. And I couldn't get any words out of her. I'm just questioning her back and forth.
- [35:47]
Narrator
And she's just saying, I don't want to live anymore. I'm gonna throw myself out this car.
- [35:50]
Jared Akron
I thought about just running away and never calling.
- [35:53]
Narrator
And then finally she said, they're dead.
- [35:57]
Christie Akron
The kids are dead.
- [35:59]
Jared Akron
She basically, she just flat out told me that the kids are dead.
- [36:11]
Narrator
This season on the Unborn. She seemed fun. I don't really like, I try not.
- [36:20]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
To judge people too fast and then all the shit hit the fan and all the wheels fell off.
- [36:28]
Narrator
I don't know. But she's very sick girl, in my opinion.
- [36:34]
Christie Akron
I remember looking at the sonograms and seeing her name and I was like, oh, well, her name's on it. Obviously they're real sonograms because her name's on it.
- [36:43]
Narrator
She had to know that this was not a lie that could go on forever.
- [36:48]
911 Operator
That's almost more of this psychotic kind of delicate.
- [36:52]
Christie Akron
She was planning on just ending it for the both of them. Just trying to be done with life, literally. That morning we went to the bank, she wanted to take all this money out.
- [37:04]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
She's a professional liar because evidently everything must be a lie with her. They tried to work things out and then she went batshit crazy and run off the reservation and shot and killed all their farm animals and like slaughtered them in front of the kids.
- [37:20]
Jared Akron
Picture perfect family. Which furthest thing from the truth.
- [37:25]
Frank Rodriguez Mal
They had her as one of the suspects but they could never prove it.
- [37:28]
Christie Akron
You're going to go to jail if you don't come with us right now.
- [37:32]
Narrator
Everybody's telling her to run to North Carolina cause the authorities are after her.
- [37:38]
Christie Akron
Throughout this whole thing I kept telling myself nobody's that crazy.
- [37:42]
Narrator
Here crazy here crazy crazy crazy and crazy and crazy. The Unborn is a production of iHeart podcasts, audio up and Jesuit Press Productions created by Tricia lafach and Frank Rodriguez Mal produced by Alvin Cohen and Rachel Foley Executive produced by Jimmy Jelinek, David Thwaites and Jared Gustav Edited by Gerard Bauer and Press Dawson Sound design and mixing by Jeremiah Zimmerman With Kroger Brand products you can get all of your favorite things this holiday season. Because our proven quality products come at exceptionally low prices and with a money back quality guarantee, every dish is sure to be a favorite. From sweet sugar cookies and holiday ham to that perfect slice of pie. Whether you shop, delivery, pickup or in store, Kroger Brand has all your favorite things. Kroger Fresh for everyone 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and nearly half of survivors delay leaving because they can't bring their pets with them. Purina started the Purple Leash Project to help eliminate one of the many barriers domestic abuse survivors face, a lack of pet friendly domestic violence shelters. Through the Purple Leash Project, Purina is helping to create more pet friendly domestic violence shelters across the country so abused survivors and their pets can escape and heal together. Visit purina.compurple to get involved. You've almost certainly been prescribed a medication before, but did you understand how it worked? The way your medication works in your body shouldn't be a mystery. Learn how Vivgart, Hytrulo, Fgartigamod, Alpha and Hyaluronidase QVFC works by visiting vivgart.commoa that's V Y vgart.commoa brought to you by Argenics.