You Got Served

Summary

The Unborn: Episode "You Got Served" Summary

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "You Got Served" from The Unborn, produced by iHeartPodcasts, listeners are plunged into the unraveling of Jared and Kristy Akron’s seemingly idyllic life. Living the quintessential small-town Pennsylvania dream with a recent wedding, a new home, and twins on the way, the couple’s facade begins to crumble as Jared uncovers disturbing truths about his wife Kristy.

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Unraveling the Perfect Life

The episode kicks off with Jared's growing suspicions about Kristy's erratic behavior. Kristy, who has always yearned for motherhood, starts exhibiting strange actions—secretive doctor visits, odd late-night activities, and a determined effort to distance Jared from her. These behaviors cast shadows over their perfect exterior, prompting Jared to investigate deeper.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [02:04]: "I intend to get the donation money back to anyone who wants it. I intend to get a lawyer to help me get out of my marriage with Christy."

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Confrontations and Discoveries

Jared’s investigation leads him to involve his mother-in-law, Sheila, who suspects that Kristy might have faked a C-section scar. Sheila insists on having a psychologist present during the confrontation, leading Jared to reluctantly agree.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [03:21]: "Your wife's batshit crazy. You need to run as fast as you fucking can and never look back."

However, the psychologist quickly realizes that confronting Kristy without proper therapeutic support could be dangerous, further complicating Jared's situation.

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Christy's Troubling Past

Through interviews with Christy's former friend, Jenny, the episode delves into Kristy's tumultuous past. Jenny reveals that Kristy had reportedly faked a miscarriage and displayed erratic behaviors even before marrying Jared. Kristy's excessive obsession with social media and manipulative tendencies become apparent, painting a picture of a deeply troubled individual.

Notable Quote:

Jenny [12:27]: "This bitch is crazy. There were some times where I was like, what is happening? What is going on?"

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The Turning Point: Legal Maneuvers and Financial Strain

Desperate to escape the marriage, Jared seeks an emergency annulment based on fraud—a rare legal action that requires proving the marriage was fundamentally flawed from the start. As Jared attempts to secure his finances, Kristy grows increasingly suspicious and confrontational.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [09:38]: "Monday, the wheels fall off the wagon. I mean, it just goes completely haywire because I know I have to make it to the lawyers, I have to make it to the bank and before she finds out what's going on."

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Draining the Bank Account

Jared's plan to retrieve donation money hits a critical point as he begins draining their shared bank accounts. Kristy's frantic attempts to reach him and her escalating threats reveal the depth of her instability. Amidst this financial turmoil, Jared grapples with the fear that Kristy might still possess a missing firearm, raising the stakes of their confrontation.

Notable Quote:

Kristy Akron [07:58]: "I have no idea what was going on, but you need to talk to me."

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The Final Confrontation: Serving the Annulment

The tension culminates in a dramatic confrontation at the bank. With his lawyer’s assistance, Jared successfully serves Kristy with the annulment papers. As he drives away, fearing for his safety and that of his dog Ada, Jared reflects on the heartbreaking dissolution of his once-perfect life.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [35:27]: "If I run to the car, shut the door and drive off, I don't say a word. I'm headed straight to the rental house to go check on my dog, get the dog and get out of there as fast as I can."

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Aftermath and Resolution

In the aftermath, Jared discovers the missing gun, alleviating some of his fears. He composes a heartfelt letter to the community, thanking donors and providing clarity on the false narratives that had surrounded his and Kristy's life. Jared’s use of social media, ironically criticized during his marriage, becomes a pivotal tool in setting the record straight.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [39:58]: "I want to apologize to all that have been hurt or feel betrayed, but I want to set the record straight and at least try to give some relief to the rumors and that the children did not pass away."

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Insights and Reflections

The episode sheds light on the complexities of mental health, deceit, and the lengths one might go to protect or escape a toxic relationship. Through Jared’s journey, listeners witness the unraveling of truth and the painful consequences of hidden traumas and lies.

Notable Quote:

Jared Akron [44:42]: "But something made me keep them, and I don't know why."

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Conclusion

"You Got Served" masterfully intertwines suspense, emotional turmoil, and psychological depth, offering a compelling narrative that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish. Jared and Kristy's story serves as a haunting reminder that beneath the surface of perfection can lie dark, unsettling truths.

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Notable Additional Quotes:

• Jared Akron [41:00]: "I want to apologize to all that have been hurt or feel betrayed..."
• Jenny [13:05]: "She's crazy. Like, she lies. She lied about like, the, like, being pregnant."
• David Akron [19:32]: "If somebody said their kid's an asshole. I always say if you plant corn, you get corn."

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The Unborn continues to explore the intricate dynamics of Jared and Kristy's relationship, promising more revelations and emotional depth in future episodes.

Transcript

[Jared Akron]

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[Christy Akron]

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[Tricia Lafache]

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[Narrator]

Jared has much to do and little time to do it. He intends to get the donation money back to anyone who wants it. He intends to get a lawyer to help him get out of his marriage with Christy. All the while, he believes Christy may have his missing pistol. But then another twist enters the story. Jared's mother in law, Sheila, wants to confront her daughter to check if Christy indeed has a C section scar or if it's all a lie. But Sheila wants a psychologist present, knowing her daughter's fractured state, Jared, kind hearted to a fault, agrees to meet the psychologist.

[Jared Akron]

Long story short, we're in a car for. It's a couple hours. I'm sitting in a car with her. I'm like, how did I get roped into this? Tell her the whole story, go through the whole nine yards, tell her every little detail, because she's kind of doing what we're doing, going through, hey, what happened here exactly? And I'm giving her the whole entire kick and caboodle there.

[Narrator]

The psychologist, who was originally on board to help confront and talk to Christy, who now knows Jared is missing a firearm, who now knows the entire truth of what Jared has endured at the hands of his wife, gives Jared the following advice.

[Jared Akron]

She basically said, your wife's batshit crazy. You need to run as fast as you fucking can and never look back. Monday morning, go drain your bank accounts and go get a lawyer. At the end of the day, the psychologist was like, I'm not going down there. I'm gonna get in my car and leave. Without even talking to Sheila and her.

[Christy Akron]

Husband.

[Narrator]

The psychologist decided after talking to Jared, going with Sheila to confront Christy was not going to be therapeutic. In fact, it could have been flat out dangerous. But how did she enter the picture in the first place? Here's Jared.

[Jared Akron]

So Saturday night, I actually ended up going back to the rental house. She's sitting on the couch watching some movies. I'm only there maybe 15 minutes. I get a call from my father. Hey, come meet me up at the bar up the road, maybe two miles.

[Narrator]

Jared's dad, David, didn't tell him why he wanted to meet because he was afraid if Jared had him on speakerphone that Christy would hear what he was about to say, which was that Sheila had told him that Christy had faked a miscarriage in the past. Meanwhile, David had no idea that Jared already knew there were no children. From what I can tell, David really just wanted Sheila to go down to the house and check to see if Christy had had a C section. That's what he wanted Sheila to do.

[Jared Akron]

She had a C section. She should be cut. She should still be in the hospital.

[Narrator]

Sheila apparently wanted the psychologist to be with her when she confronted Kristi. And Sheila asked David if Jared would be willing to meet with her first.

[Jared Akron]

My father actually called me and said, hey, your wife's mother and stepfather are there with a psychologist. They're gonna go down and confront Christie about all the lies. Check for a C section. And, long story short, ends up this psychologist gets in my car and wants to talk to me before she goes down and sees Christy. Yeah. And it was, hey, I'm sorry to hear what happened. We just want to go make sure she's okay. I'm like, be careful going down there. At this point, I actually tell her, hey, I'm missing a firearm, too. And through this entire episode, I haven't told anyone. It's in the back of my mind, hey, what happens if she has that gun? She's already suicidal. I'm worried about it. And I'm like, don't go down there unless you feel safe.

[Narrator]

I'm Tricia lafache. I'm a writer, director, actor, and federal criminal defense attorney. 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 Je Suis Press Productions, this is the unborn. The psychologist obviously didn't feel safe, and neither did Jared. We tried to get an interview with this psychologist who was initially responsive but went radio silent. After several attempts on our part to make a plan to meet, Jared has now told someone all that he knew, how he was feeling. And although initially he went home to the rental and spent 15 minutes with Kristi, he was now having second thoughts about staying the night with Christy. He made an excuse to go to his parents.

[Jared Akron]

Saturday was the first night I didn't stay with her. I ended up telling her I'm sorry, I was drinking and fell asleep on the couch, which was flat out lie. I was not drinking. I didn't sleep.

[Narrator]

But it was now his turn, out of necessity, to lie.

[Jared Akron]

Of course. My mind's running 100 mile an hour. Hey, what's gonna happen? How do I keep this up? How can I keep these lies without her finding out? I mean, just the pressure was kind of on. So Sunday is kind of when things start going south with her. I know, babe. It's gonna be hard, but we're gonna get through this.

[Ada Akron]

I find a therapist that specializes in infant loss. I will be going.

[Jared Akron]

That's good, babe.

[Ada Akron]

Are you coming home to stay tonight?

[Jared Akron]

I don't think I can tonight. I'm gonna find someone to talk to and get an appointment.

[Ada Akron]

Okay. I hope you can sleep. I love you.

[Jared Akron]

I love you, too.

[Ada Akron]

I told them not to worry about staying. My brother should be here soon. I understand that you don't want to be around me right now. I won't do anything stupid. I just need time to cry and hurt and I can't let people here give Ada a hug for me. Good night.

[Jared Akron]

Sunday, I ended up going helping my dad. We were cleaning up the house. I had to keep up. Hey, I'm trying to get a house on here. Still trying to work toward that. Hey, here's what I'm doing. I'm not gonna have my phone.

[Narrator]

Jared's lies and his distance from Christy continues as he plotted through the weekend. Monday couldn't come soon enough.

[Ada Akron]

Jared, please answer my call. Please answer your phone, it's important. Ada's chasing Dear up in the woods. Please answer, Jared. She ran up over the hill and needs you to answer.

[Narrator]

But Jared's distance only raised her suspicions further.

[Ada Akron]

Doesn't seem like you care, but we finally got her after 30 minutes drop and hurt your parents. And then I'm leaving. I have therapy and stuff later. I hope you get whatever you need because I'm highly upset now and pissed off because I just had to chase her and I thought I was gonna lose her. And I've been worried about your ass for the last 12 hours.

[Jared Akron]

And at that point, I stopped replying so often. I did set my phone down every half hour. So I check it, say one word, answers back like, hey, I'm fine. She's going on and on like, hey, you need to pay attention to me. I'm like, listen, I need my space. Just like you have your way of coping. This is mine. I need a little bit of space. And she kind of understood it, but you could tell there was like a. Something was nagging at her.

[Narrator]

Jared has spent the bulk of two days away from his wife, her suspicions now in overdrive. And Monday has finally come.

[Jared Akron]

Monday, the wheels fall off the wagon. I mean, it just goes completely haywire because I know I have to to make it to the lawyers, I have to make it to the bank and before she finds out what's going on.

[Ada Akron]

Jared, please think about it. We both lost our kids, not just you.

[Jared Akron]

I mean, it's like a whole new person was born. She's losing her mind. Here is where I find out. She's driving around looking for me. She's calling my brothers and sisters, she shows up in my parents shop. She's threatening to pack up everything that she owns at this rental house. She's going to let my dog out. And I didn't really know what was going to happen. I'm getting phone calls out to Wahoo I can't even talk to my lawyer on the phone. By the time it's just beep, beep, beep. And you can't hear a conversation when you're getting a call like that. And it was insane.

[Narrator]

And it was about to get worse. We made several attempts to reach out to people in Christy's camp. We wanted to see the story through the lens of someone who knew Christy intimately. Was everything Jared told us the truth? Were there things he missed? No one from Christy's world was willing to talk to us until we found Jenny, a hairstylist, who at the time was Christy's best friend.

[Jenny]

So Christy's ex fiance would come in with his son, and Christy would come in with them occasionally and get their hair cut. And then one day she just appeared and came in and got her hair colored and cut, and she started crying. And I asked her what was wrong, and she said that they were no longer together. She said that they broke up and she was pregnant with his child. And I was like, oh, okay. And then I guess that's where our friendship began. There was a time where she was having a miscarriage. And I do remember going to her apartment because we lived apartments away from each other. We all lived same building type thing. Very weird. I know. I remember going to her house after she said that she was getting the DNC and she was. I saw blood. I did see blood, but I never. She never showed me, like, any proof of ultrasounds or anything like that. Just the one that she had put on Facebook.

[Narrator]

Christy had posted a sonogram photograph of the baby she was expecting with her ex. But when Jenny went back to look for it on Facebook, it was gone. Jenny was very candid about her initial impressions of Christy.

[Jenny]

Can I cuss?

[Narrator]

You can cuss.

[Jenny]

This bitch is crazy. There were some times where I was like, what is happening? What is going on? Like, it just seemed like she was, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. 24 7. Like 24 7. It was go.

[Narrator]

But it wasn't just Christy's excessive energy that struck Jenny. She was warned not to be friends with Christy.

[Jenny]

Yeah, there was. I. I obviously did my Facebook stalking before I became friends. And there was people telling me, don't. Don't be friends with her. And I ignored it because she didn't seem that way towards me.

[Narrator]

Jenny and Christy had a fast friendship, and Jenny genuinely loved Christy as a friend. But that didn't stop the warnings from coming in. People telling Jenny that Christy's crazy and a liar.

[Jenny]

Like, she's Crazy. Like, she lies. She lied about like, the, like, being pregnant. And I'm like, there's no way. Like, I saw an ultrasound. And I'm like, now I'm thinking back when I asked to see that ultrasound again, she. She wouldn't show me.

[Narrator]

The person who was filling Jenny's head with reasons not to be friends with Christy was Christy's ex fiance's brother's girlfriend. That same ex fiance who was the reason that Christy and Jenny met. The same ex fiance. Christy said she was pregnant by when the two became friends, a girl that.

[Jenny]

Dated her ex fiance's brother. So she knew the family pretty well. And she was like, no, like, don't. At first I was thinking like, okay, like, I'll see how this goes. Because she seemed nice. And I thought other girl was just like, not wanting me to be friends with her because she didn't want me to be friends with her. And that wasn't the case. She really was telling the truth.

[Narrator]

Everything Jenny tells me about how Christy and Jared met and started hanging out didn't have any new revelations. It was everything we already knew. But then something interesting came up out of her retelling.

[Jenny]

Covid hit. We're having a party, and I was making drinks. Christie was drinking, and she started getting sick. And she was stirring up all day, it seemed like. And close to the end where everyone was leaving and stuff, me and Jared's mom were sitting there saying, like, oh, what's going on? Maybe she was a hospital. And then Christie comes out and Jared's mom says, maybe you're pregnant. I was making the joke and I said, yeah, with twins. And I think that's where it started, if I'm being honest. And she just went with it. The next morning, I get a phone call, probably she always called me so early in the morning, like 7:00, somewhere in there. And she called me and she said, you're never gonna guess this. And I was like, what?

[Narrator]

Christy was pregnant? This time by Jared.

[Jenny]

Then it seemed like a couple weeks went by. And she called me again real early in the morning, and she goes, I'm gonna kill you. And I'm like, why? And she goes, because I found out what I'm having. Like, how many? I go, are you having one? She goes, no, I'm having two. I said, you're joking.

[Narrator]

She said, she's gonna kill you, as if you were the jinx.

[Jenny]

It was the jinx for sure. Next thing that happened, they got engaged. Not only was I in the wedding, she had asked me to Be her maid of honor. And I said no, because I don't like being in a spotlight like that. Not me at all. I don't even like wearing dresses. But I sucked it up and I did it. It was beautiful. It was a dream. It was a dream wedding. It was everything anyone could have asked for. I know Jared's mom and family and friends worked so hard. I myself worked very hard on helping and doing and preparing for that wedding. There were days where I would literally just go up after whatever I was doing.

[Narrator]

Jenny doesn't like to be the center of attention. She doesn't like a lot of pictures taken of her. She doesn't post a lot to social media, something she and her former best friend did not have in common.

[Jenny]

Everything, and I mean everything with social media, anything that they did, anything that she was thinking, she shared. She was constantly sharing. She was constantly posting pictures. Anytime they'd go out or any family functioning. Picture, picture, picture, picture. Anything about the babies picture.

[Narrator]

Jared and Jenny aren't the only ones who thought Christy's obsession with social media was excessive. Gretchen did, too. As a parent, like, as a person, even, like, I'm not.

[Christy Akron]

I know parents.

[Narrator]

If you have a kid that goes into the nicu, you don't take those pictures and post them right away. You want to make sure things, you know, settle down, go smoothly. I see it all the time. And she was just posting that. Technically, Jared was posting the photos, but he was more like the other parents Gretchen describes. His instinct was to not post the photos of his newborn twins. He didn't want to. He initially said no, but Christy wanted those photos up on social media, and she would not relent, regardless of the fact that they weren't her babies and she had no twins of her own.

[Christy Akron]

And I remember this one game night.

[Jared Akron]

She said, I just got a text.

[Jenny]

From my mom saying she's moving tomorrow.

[Jared Akron]

And she's not gonna ever see our baby.

[Christy Akron]

It was just odd timing, which I.

[Jared Akron]

Guess, you know, sometimes families happen like that.

[Jenny]

But, yeah, just very dramatic.

[Narrator]

Christy didn't have a real relationship with her dad, as far as we were aware. We knew that he doesn't live too far away and that Jared's father, David, and he were friends growing up, but he did not attend Jared and Christy's wedding.

[Jenny]

I never asked about history of Christie. Like, I never asked about. I knew she didn't have a relationship with him. I never asked about him. I never asked why. I never asked about her mom. If she were to tell me yes, that would have been fine, but I'm not. I'm not one to cry.

[Narrator]

Henry, of course, had a strong opinion of Sheila and it wasn't a positive one.

[Jared Akron]

Like if, like if somebody said their kid's an asshole. I always say if you plant corn, you get corn. So the pear must be enough.

[Narrator]

Jenny also felt pretty strongly that Christy experienced trauma in her childhood. That trauma helped shape the woman.

[Gretchen]

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[Melissa]

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[Jenny]

We were driving to Walmart to get supplies for the rental house and we were passing a hospital. But on that road there's like a bunch of houses that you can rent. And she goes, that house was the house that our mom pulled Christy by her hair and wouldn't let her go to the hospital to tell her tell, to tell the hospital what was going on in the house.

[Narrator]

It was Christie's younger sister that was telling Jenny the story as they drove past their old rental house.

[Jenny]

I'm assuming because of mental abuse, physical abuse, all the above. I think it was the little sister's way of telling me that she wasn't up there, like right because of her past.

[Narrator]

The story is unsettling and sad. Christy was trying to get help and.

[Jenny]

I think the closest thing that she could communicate with was the hospital.

[Narrator]

Whether she got the help she was seeking, we'll never know. But this was not the only story of abuse and trauma that we heard Christy experienced as a child. Henry recounts an extremely disturbing story of something young Christy witnessed at the hands.

[Jared Akron]

Of her mother, Sheila, her old man. They got back together and they tried to work things out and then she went that shit crazy and run off the reservation and shot and killed all the farm animals, tried to burn their house down. Oh yeah, she's certifiable. The mother is like slaughtered them in front of the kids. Yeah, it was pretty crazy.

[Narrator]

Henry claims Sheila got into a fight with her partner, was so enraged that she shot and killed her animals in front of her children and then tried to set their house on fire. Another coincidence or a family pattern? Jenny also noticed an odd relationship between Christy and her mom Sheila. Specifically when they went wedding dress shopping together, it was Jenny, Christie, her mom and her grandmother that participated.

[Jenny]

I don't remember the exact conversation that I had with Christy about her mother, but I knew her mom was not the best mom. I think it was whenever we went wedding dress shopping. That was the first time I think I met her mom. And it was a little off. Everything was off that day, if I'm going to be honest. I think the mom wanted it to be her way. Like everything needed to be about like the mom. I feel like Me, myself, I'm, I guess, the protective friend. So, like, I will voice my opinion if I feel like it's needed.

[Narrator]

Jenny's opinion was that Sheila was too focused on what she would like to wear rather than what Christy would feel good in that she was being insensitive about the fact that Christy was a pregnant bride with a growing belly.

[Jenny]

And I did have a conversation with Christy and I was like, you know, like, this is your stuff. Use, like, do what you want to do, wear what you want to wear. You know, like, you need to be comfortable that day. Because however far along she was, she could have been bigger, you know, And I just wanted her to feel comfortable. Her grandma on her dad's side was there, and she. I feel like she felt more comfortable with her there versus her mom being there.

[Narrator]

It's Monday morning and Jared has a lot to get done.

[Jared Akron]

So Monday Morning rolls up. 7:30 in the morning. I'm sitting at the bank parking lot waiting to go through the drive through, because during all this you couldn't go into banks because of COVID So I'm sitting in the bank waiting for this bank to open up. Christy wasn't awake yet, so I'm not getting these phone calls at this point. I had already went and called. A lawyer was waiting on a phone call back.

[David Akron]

I would say he was sad. He was sad and disappointed and maybe a little embarrassed.

[Narrator]

This is Jared's lawyer again, Melissa. When she first met with Jared, she could not believe what he was telling her.

[David Akron]

I would say disbelief and sad. I had heard of phantom pregnancy, but I had seen the photos and I was shocked.

[Narrator]

Melissa actually knew Jared, though she had not seen him in over a decade. Before Melissa decided to go to law school, she worked at a preschool with Jared's mom, a preschool that Jared himself attended. And even though she liked Jared's mom very much, once she left to attend law school, they did not stay in touch.

[David Akron]

And the fire that occurred with the home, I'm not friends with his family on Facebook because I hadn't seen them in so long, but I saw the GoFundMe on Facebook days before he came in. So when he came in, I started putting at least the fire and him together. And I was like, that's a lot to handle. And then my feeling was, I am going to do everything I can to protect him, and I am going to try to resolve this for him with the least amount of pain possible that I can on the legal end.

[Jared Akron]

So I end up. 8:30 rolls around. I'm first one in line. And the problems begin. We get into. We have this new license that you got because my old license burned up in the fire.

[Narrator]

Oh, dear.

[Jared Akron]

So the only picture they have on file is from when I was 16 years old. There was eight year difference there. So they have to call my main bank. My main bank didn't open until 9:00, so I have to sit there for a half hour.

[Ada Akron]

Jared, please answer my call. Please answer your phone. It's important.

[Jared Akron]

So, of course, now Christie's awake, I'm getting phone calls. So it ends up I'm like, hey, I want to withdraw all my money. They're like, it's Monday morning. We don't have enough money in the bank to give this to you. Like, it's my money. Why can't I get it?

[Narrator]

Jared is set on a course of getting back the money from the donations, but Christy has not been served and she's threatening to leave. Jared had never been involved in a lawsuit, which is what an annulment is. Melissa had to impress upon him that in order for service of process to be effective, they need to serve her in person. And neither one of them can do it. The time for ignoring Christy ends now.

[David Akron]

I told him, I'm afraid she's gonna run. We're not gonna get her cert, and this is going to take a long time. And I wanted this to be done for him.

[Jared Akron]

They're like, hey, we can give you this much money, but you'll have to go to another branch. Ends up, I go to a second branch now, they're already open. I get in line, phone's blowing up still, because she's getting alerts that there's money coming out of these accounts.

[Ada Akron]

I saw you drained the bank account. I don't know what's going on, but you need to talk to me.

[Jared Akron]

My bank calls me. They're like, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm draining my accounts. They're like, well, why?

[Ada Akron]

I have no idea what's going on. I'm a mess and you are, too. I need you to talk to me. It's fine if you don't care about me or want to be around me or love me or can't even look at me. My paycheck goes into our account. Not much because maternity leave, but it feels like you have run away and left me with nothing. I'm worried about you. Please just answer me.

[Jared Akron]

They get the sense of something's wrong. Because, I mean, I go to my bank, I walk in my bank every Friday, so they Know me by name. It's a small town. They're like, has your account been compromised? I say, yes, I think my account's been jeopardized. They're like, okay, go to this bank next. They'll have as much money as they can give you set aside. And then you come here, and we should have the rest for you.

[Narrator]

But Jared wasn't the only one at the bank. Contrary to what she was saying in her text messages, Kristi wasn't just sitting at home getting alerts that Jerry was taking money out of their bank accounts or driving to his parents shop looking for him. Christy was at the bank, too, when that day happened.

[Jenny]

She was at my apartment that morning. And that morning we went to the bank, and she wanted to take all this money out from all the donations and all that stuff. And come to find out in the morning, Jared already got to it and left her with $4,000.

[Jared Akron]

I just need some time. I will meet you at some point today.

[Ada Akron]

You took everything, and I have no money. What are your plans? Are we done? Are you leaving me with nothing?

[Jared Akron]

I will talk to you later. I just need to think.

[Narrator]

Melissa prepared the paperwork for an emergency annulment based on fraud. Annulments are rarely filed, and emergency annulments are even more rare. That's because in an annulment, unlike a divorce, there are very high standards to prove to the state that the foundation of the marriage was so flawed that they don't even have to acknowledge that it ever existed.

[Jared Akron]

So she goes, okay, give me a couple minutes and I will call you back. So I'm driving around. Ten minutes go by. Hey, come up to my office. We need to go over to the courthouse. I have these emergency annulment papers drawn up for you. You need to bring this much money in cash? We can't do a check because they put a hold on it. So I run up there, me and her, we run over to the courthouse, get these papers signed. Then I'm like, okay, what do I do now? She goes, we have to get someone who can go and serve her. She says, hey, I can't do it. You can't do it. Let me call my daughter.

[Narrator]

In case you're wondering, Jared grew up with Melissa's daughter as well. Did you go to preschool with her?

[Jared Akron]

I didn't, actually. I think I probably did.

[Ada Akron]

Ada's at the rental house. I have her water and the last food packet there was, I love you always. I left, and I'm out of your life.

[Jared Akron]

So as we're driving, Christy's blowing up my phone, still saying, hey, I'm done with you. I'm tired of you not answering me. You won't tell me where you are. I've been worried sick. You're withdrawing money. What's going on? The lawyer then tells me, hey, you need to answer the phone. I don't know why I had sticky notes in my car, but my lawyer's writing on sticky notes.

[Narrator]

Jared was frantic and they needed to be covert. The sticky notes were Melissa's way to guide Jared into getting Christy to come meet.

[Jared Akron]

And of course I'm still trying to drive, but I'm having this conversation and Christy can't know that someone else is at the car. Please, Christy, I do want to meet.

[David Akron]

I knew how to get her there. Because if I were a female reaching out to my spouse or significant other and they had not been responding and I became suspicious, I knew what would bring me to come and meet them. I knew what I would, what I.

[Ada Akron]

Would listen to do. You've left me with nothing and scared me to death today. I have no idea where you are or what you're doing.

[Jared Akron]

I'm just driving around, you know, that's what I do to think.

[Ada Akron]

I don't know if you remember, but I can't drive. I don't have a car or a house or any of my stuff. You also drained over 20,000.

[Narrator]

Christy has told Jared that she is packed, ready to go, and she is leaving as he sits in his truck at the bank drive through waiting for the last of the donation money. Jared and Christy have a phone call while Melissa continues to essentially help him woo a livid Christie into meeting.

[Jared Akron]

This is all why I'm sitting in a drive thru. So this bank is hearing my entire conversation. I don't know what gossip was going on in that bank. Needless to say, I end up answering the phone telling her all these things. Hey, I just needed some time. I love you. Let's meet at the parking lot. At this point, she also has my dog. I mean, that's about the only thing left for that I have. That's mine. It's my dog.

[Narrator]

Chrissy told Jared she's going to let his dog Ada loose the emotions.

[Jared Akron]

I'm furious. I'm afraid my dog's not going to be around. Is she going to shoot my dog? Because I mean, that gun is still missing. She goes, okay, I'll meet you. So we go to the parking ride. I pull up right next to the car. I'm probably four spaces away. I pull up, there's no cars in between us. I get out, I'm walking toward the car.

[David Akron]

It was under. It was under an overpass. It was. It very much could be a movie like setting.

[Jared Akron]

She opens the car door and up pulls my lawyer's daughter. Christie goes, who's that? I go, I don't know. Why don't you ask him? So the lawyer's daughter goes, hey, are you Christy Akron? She goes, yeah, why? You have been served. I run to the car. I never shut the car. If I run to the car, shut the door and drive off, I don't say a word. I'm headed straight to the rental house to go check on my dog, get the dog and get out of there as fast as I can. Because to get in there, it's only one way. The end of the road is blocked off. As I'm driving too, I call my lawyer alert. She's like, hey, as soon as you do it, block her. Okay, These last three messages I get, and then this is verbatim, and this was two minutes after I served her. I'm driving, running like, she has annulment papers. She knows that she has the annulment papers. The three texts I got are an.

[Ada Akron]

Unquote, are you serious? What did I do to you? I have no words to say to you.

[Jared Akron]

I really wanted to respond, but I knew better. See you later. Never. And I. And I have not spoken a word to her.

[Gretchen]

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[Cindy Crawford]

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[Melissa]

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[Narrator]

For Jared's beloved dog, Ada, dog ends up being fine.

[Jared Akron]

I get her in a car and I just drive. I don't know where I can go. I don't know what Christy's gonna do.

[Narrator]

And as far as that missing gun goes, Christy never had it. Jared did.

[Jared Akron]

I did end up finding the gun. So that was, that was huge. It was, it was a couple weeks after and I'm cleaning out my car. I reach under the seat, grab trash out from under there. I feel the gun. I'm like, oh my goodness. All that worry for nothing. And then I start retracing my steps. It just, it was always in the back of my mind, where's that gun? And I don't know if it was because she was in this mental instability or she had that mental instability and suicidal. And I didn't know it was. It slipped my mind and I just wanted to make sure everyone else knew about it too, before they were put in danger.

[Narrator]

In the aftermath of Monday's events, Jared sat down to write a letter. It was nearly 3,000 words. In it, he pours his heart out, his way of trying to make things right with the community.

[Jared Akron]

To whom it may concern.

[Narrator]

I had Jared read me the entire letter. Here he is reading some excerpts from the donations he and Christy received after the fire.

[Jared Akron]

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the help, prayers and donations for my family in the fire on Sunday to December 6th. I'm trying to contact everyone individually who donated in a timely fashion to thank them and see if they have questions.

[Narrator]

To the night of the Births.

[Jared Akron]

She told me they couldn't find a heartbeat and she had to have an emergency C section and I wasn't allowed in. I sat in the car waiting until I received a phone call from her saying that both children were born and both are healthy and they had some fluid in their lungs and they were on oxygen. I got all the dates and waits.

[Narrator]

For the Facebook post to Christy's arrest at the hospital.

[Jared Akron]

Two officers walked her out of the car and told me that she was no longer allowed on property unless she has an appointment.

[Narrator]

And finally, the moment when he uncovered the truth.

[Jared Akron]

A doctor who calls me back and explains that Christy was never pregnant. There is a condition called a phantom pregnancy, and a woman can trick her body into looking and acting pregnant.

[Narrator]

He ended the letter with a heartfelt plea and apology to all that were affected by the tragedy.

[Jared Akron]

I want everyone to know that I am very sorry and I had no idea about any of this. One day I was going to have a family, and the next, I have no family or home. I want to apologize to all that have been hurt or feel betrayed, but I want to set the record straight and at least try to give some relief to the rumors and that the children did not pass away. I would appreciate it if you could please respect my family and my privacy at this time as we mourn all of the losses that we have incurred. Sincerely, Jared Akron.

[Narrator]

As much as Jared was bothered by Christy's obsession with social media during their marriage, he saw it as a useful tool in this moment. He would post this letter to Facebook.

[Jared Akron]

That may have been the hardest thing I've ever had to write. And it was even harder to click that send button to put that out there into the world for everyone to see. And once I saw how many people actually saw it and shared it, it was even more than the fire itself. Really did the post about that Nick Venmo's and all that, it was. I don't know what words can really describe how I feel, other than that was the hardest thing I've done. I wish I had kind of known we were gonna do that. And I don't know if I would have said yes to doing this, because that's how strongly it still hits me. Like I feel myself sinking into my chair. And it's a tough thing for me to sit here and still talk to you.

[Narrator]

Do you want to take a minute?

[Jared Akron]

I think we can actually. I think I would.

[Narrator]

Okay. With the donation money safely now in Jared's possession, he wanted everyone who donated to have an opportunity to get Their donations back. Any donations he was still receiving by check, he immediately mailed back.

[Jared Akron]

So I guess jumping back into the donations and what I decided to do there, I felt it was appropriate and I didn't want all this money if it wasn't meant for me. So I started the process of sending these checks that were still coming in the mail to my address and being dropped off to me. I decided that I'm going to send them back. I just put a return post on there, put the stamp on, sent them back to these people. And to my surprise, it kind of left me flabbergasted. About a week and a half later, I start getting the same donation sent back to me.

[Cindy Crawford]

Dear Jared.

[Jared Akron]

Dear Jared. But instead of being in Christie and I's name, it's just written in my name, which. And it was people that were closer to her than to me. It was. It was a weird thing. Now, some people did keep their money, which by all means, it's your money. I didn't expect it back or anything like that, but it was very heartwarming and it was a funky feeling.

[Melissa]

Dear Jared, we got your letter.

[Jared Akron]

Thank you, but we cannot accept our check back. Keep your head up.

[Narrator]

Dear Jared, I hope this helps after all you've been through. And it wasn't just checks that Jared was getting. It was people's thoughts and well wishes.

[Jared Akron]

And I think the other big thing was that I actually put that letter. I printed it out and put it in there with that check. The little notes I got back, I still have them all. Honestly, they. I don't want to say. I want to look at them because I don't know how I'll react again.

[Narrator]

But something made you keep them.

[Jared Akron]

But something made me keep them, and I don't know why.

[Narrator]

And while Jared was starting to see a path forward, he was still picking up the pieces of being lied to for nine months. And the question that kept rattling around in my head, had Christy lied about anything else?

[Jared Akron]

I've really been waiting for you to ask these questions. I mean, it's. I could go on the rest of the time we have here. I don't even know where to start.

[Narrator]

Next time on the Unborn.

[Christy Akron]

It'S the money.

[Jared Akron]

I think she was trying to steal.

[Christy Akron]

A baby and sell it for the money.

[Jenny]

And I had said to her multiple times, you need to stop that. Like, you need to block him, delete him, do whatever. Like, just be done.

[David Akron]

Just think what she could have done if she was up to good.

[Jared Akron]

That car they bought was brand new. And Somehow it has 20 some thousand miles on it and they've only had it for four months. So how did that happen?

[Jenny]

It could be that, it could be the money. It could have been the faking everything. It could have been because they faked it and the donations of the fire of the babies. It could have been, it could have been all of that.

[Jared Akron]

It's just like a snowball effect. If the lies that continue to come out and I didn't see any of.

[Narrator]

That, that's next time on the Unborn. 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 producer produced by Jimmy Jelinek, David Thwaites and Jared Gustav Edited by Gerard Bauer and Preston Dawson Sound design and mixing by Jeremiah Zimmerman.

[Jared Akron]

We know you're uncertain about psychics. Is this fortune teller you found on the forum legit?

[Jenny]

Your one true love is me.

[Jared Akron]

That's why California psychics reject 98% of the psychics who apply to work with us. We guarantee if your rating isn't life changing, it's free. New customers receive 20 minutes for just $20. So experience the joy of [e-mail] Good.

[Christy Akron]

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