Larry and Connie Van Oosten

Summary

True Crime All The Time – Episode 477: Larry and Connie Van Oosten

Release Date: March 5, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson ("Gibby")

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike Ferguson and Gibby dive into the harrowing abduction of Connie and Larry Van Oosten, a retired couple from Erie, Illinois, who were kidnapped from their own home in February 2017. The hosts unravel how the seemingly safe life of this couple was shattered by a meticulously planned kidnapping, executed by a trusted member of their community. The episode covers the investigation, the shocking reveal of the perpetrator's identity, and the couple’s ordeal in a makeshift dungeon. Ferguson and Gibson bring their signature blend of seriousness for the crime and lighthearted banter to the discussion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Van Oostens’ Background

• The Dream Retirement:

  • Larry and Connie, both retired in their early 60s, had been active community and church members ([04:48–05:15]).
  • Larry formerly ran a pest control business and Connie a flooring store, both providing comfortable means for their “golden years.”

• Family & Community Ties:

  • Their daughter, Amy, took over Connie’s business; Jeff pursued farming in Florida.

The Abduction

• The Crime Scene:

  • On Feb 8, 2017, Connie entered First Trust and Savings Bank requesting $350k, passing a note stating she and Larry were being held hostage ([06:23–07:04]).
  • The note, written on a church bulletin, led to police involvement after Connie left the bank, returning to the abductor ([08:05–09:35]).

• Investigation Unfolds:

  • Police discover Taser confetti, blood, and broken basement window at the Van Oosten home—evidence of forced entry and violence ([11:36–12:01]).
  • The case rapidly escalates with FBI involvement, scrutiny of Van Oosten children (ruled out promptly), and the discovery that the getaway vehicle was identified as an early 1990s Chevy Caprice ([13:41–14:06]).

The Suspect: Chad Skipper

• A Familiar Face:

  • Vehicle registration links the Caprice to Chad Skipper, a local financial advisor and former church youth group peer to the Van Oosten children ([16:14–17:12]).
  • Larry previously refused Chad’s financial services but discussed their finances with him, revealing significant assets ([20:16–20:35]).

• Premeditation and Discovery:

  • FBI trace Skipper to two properties; insufficient evidence initially to search ([20:43–21:15]).
  • Skipper spotted near Van Oosten home, flees a police stop, and is apprehended after a crash ([22:24–24:09]).

• Evidence & Motive:

  • Car search turns up a “hit kit”—shovel, duct tape, saw, plastic sheeting—suggesting intentions beyond ransom ([26:17–27:16]).
  • Chad, once valedictorian and well-liked, confesses, motivated by dire financial straits after losing money in bad investments ([35:11–35:20]).

The Makeshift Dungeon & Rescue

• Ordeal in Captivity:

  • The Van Oostens are found alive in a reinforced steel and drywall room hidden under a steel hatch, visible only on an internal surveillance monitor ([28:47–30:11]).
  • The dungeon featured supplies (ramen, toilet), handcuffs, and was clearly pre-planned ([32:05–32:47]).

• Rescue & Survival:

  • Agents break in at 3am, discover the hidden chamber, and free the couple—"It was a very joyful moment" (Larry, [30:25]).
  • Larry and Connie later describe the abduction: gunpoint awakening, forced to handcuff each other, trunk transport, and the terror of being told they’d be killed after the ransom was paid ([39:57–40:36], [41:59–42:19]).

The Aftermath

• Legal Outcomes:

  • Chad Skipper is promptly charged with home invasion, kidnapping, and related offenses ([44:26]).
  • His financial crimes extend to his own parents, from whom he stole nearly $450,000 in retirement savings ([45:16–46:35]).
  • Sentenced in 2019 to 60 years without parole ([49:43]).

• Family Testimony:

  • Connie’s courage is acknowledged—she risked her own safety by returning to Chad with the cashier’s check to protect Larry ([43:39]).
  • Larry calls his wife a hero: "She didn’t have to come back. She could have stayed right there at the bank ... She came back to save me" ([43:34–43:56]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Home Invasion Fears:

  • "There's something about a home invasion that I think really scares people."
    – Mike Ferguson ([03:33])

• On Community Shock:

  • "They couldn't believe that Chad would be involved... He attended their church, was in their youth groups."
    – Mike Ferguson ([16:21–17:09])

• On the Dungeon Discovery:

  • "How do you have a room with no windows or doors? ... During the search, the agents noticed that it looked like a wall had recently been put up in the basement."
    – Mike Ferguson ([28:15–28:47])

• On Survival:

  • "When they were rescued... Larry recalled that it was a very joyful moment."
    – Mike Ferguson ([30:25])

• On Motive and Regret:

  • "I wanted to do it and I did do it. Money was tight and I kept trying to find a way... It was only about the money."
    – Chad Skipper (reported by Mike Ferguson, [35:11], [38:53])

• On Chad’s Betrayal:

  • "How do you do that to anyone, let alone your parents? Almost half a million dollars."
    – Mike Gibson ([46:35])

• On Connie’s Bravery:

  • "She didn’t have to come back. ... She came back to save me."
    – Larry Van Oosten ([43:44–43:56])

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Important Timestamps

• Abduction and Bank Note Uncovered: 06:23–09:35
• Initial Police & FBI Investigation: 10:55–14:06
• Discovery of the Vehicle and Suspect: 14:41–17:12
• Dungeon & Rescue Operation: 28:47–33:04
• Confession and Motive: 35:11–39:04
• Survivor Testimony (Larry & Connie): 39:57–44:15
• Financial Crimes Against Chad's Parents: 45:16–46:35
• Sentencing: 49:43
• Reflections on Justice & Sentencing: 50:00–50:49

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Style & Tone

The hosts balance gravity and empathy with their usual light banter. They focus on the horror, premeditation, and betrayal underlying the crime, while commiserating about retirement dreams and drawing broader insights on human motivation and criminal hubris. The interplay between Ferguson and Gibby maintains a conversational, sometimes humorous, yet always respectful tone—especially around the personal courage and ordeal of Connie and Larry.

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Takeaway

This episode illustrates the chilling disruption of safety and trust by someone within the community, the egregious violation of familial and professional relationships, and, most inspiringly, the resilience and bravery exhibited by Connie and Larry Van Oosten. The investigation highlights the importance of vigilance, law enforcement collaboration, and the quick thinking by the victims that ultimately led to their safe recovery and the perpetrator’s conviction.

Transcript

[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Ferguson]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode 477 of the True Crime all the Time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson, and with me, as always, is my partner in True Crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?

[Mike Gibson]

Hey. I'm doing pretty good. How about you?

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm doing great.

[Mike Gibson]

That's good.

[Mike Ferguson]

Having an amazing week, to be honest with you.

[Mike Gibson]

Why does it have to be amazing?

[Mike Ferguson]

Because that's how I roll.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. You know, you could say I'm having a mediocre week.

[Mike Ferguson]

I work in superlatives. That's just. That's just how I am.

[Mike Gibson]

Throwing your big words out again.

[Mike Ferguson]

All right, buddy, we're jumping right in.

[Mike Gibson]

We are.

[Mike Ferguson]

We're talking about the abduction of Connie and Larry Van Oosten. And I found this to be just a fascinating case. In February 2017, Connie and Larry Van Houston were abducted from their home by a masked man and held in a makeshift dungeon inside a basement. Authorities were shocked when they learned the suspect was someone from the Van Oosten. Small, peaceful town. And we're going to get into all the details. Right. As we always do. But, you know, I. I think. And you and I have touched on this before. Your home, kind of your. Your safe place, your sanctuary, for sure. Right. When that is invaded, I don't know. For me, there's like, an extra element to it. Now, it would be horrible to be snatched up on the street, but there's something about a home invasion that I think really scares people.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, because after that, if you survive, where would you ever feel safe again?

[Mike Ferguson]

Right. Because that home is the place where you are supposed to. To feel safe.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Connie and Larry Van Houston are a married couple from Erie, Illinois, a small town in Whiteside County. They have two children, Amy and Jeff. Connie and Larry were both in their early 60s, and they were both retired. Connie once owned a flooring store, and Larry operated a pest control company. Now, their daughter Amy took over the flooring store after her daughter was born. Jeff didn't want to take over the pest control company because he was already pursuing a career in Florida farming.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

Larry sold that business, and it was said that he made enough money to, you know, invest, live off of that, and retire.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, there you go.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I'm kind of viewing this as, like, the dream. Right. You have a couple of businesses, you made money. You're able to pass one of them down, sell the other. But you're in your kind of golden years, your retirement years, and you have enough money to live on.

[Mike Gibson]

You can do those things you've been wanting to do.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, absolutely. And he and Connie did some traveling. They also dedicated more time to their church and volunteering in the community. They also loved being grandparents to Amy and Jeff's children. My wife and I keep dropping subtle hints to our daughters, you know.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Especially our oldest daughter. Not our youngest. Yeah. But my oldest, who is getting married this year. You know, we keep saying we can't wait to be grandparents, you know, to

[Mike Gibson]

have a true crime all the time. Grandchild.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I will have onesies made up. I'll go. I'll do it all.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I think a pacifier that says TK

[Mike Gibson]

Why do I feel like you have the diaper stamp with Gibby on them?

[Mike Ferguson]

This One's full of gibby.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

This one's been used. So, I mean, that's good. Right? We work essentially our whole lives, if you think about it.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Now we are living longer. Right. People are living longer than they ever have before. But you work, work, work, work to get to the point where you can retire and then hopefully still be in good enough health to do some of the things you want to do.

[Mike Gibson]

That's the plan. Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

I think the other thing that goes along with that is you have to have the money.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, you do.

[Mike Ferguson]

So that means during all of that working time, you have to have saved enough to have a nest egg that you can live off during retirement. At 4:45pm on February 8, 2017, the Whiteside County Sheriff's Office received a call about a possible kidnapping at First Trust and Savings bank in Albany, Illinois. What happened was Connie Van Houston entered the bank and she requested $350,000. She passed a note to the teller indicating that she and her husband Larry were being held against their will and they needed help.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, that would be an interesting note to receive as a teller. I mean, 1, $350,000. I don't know if most banks even have that type of cash on hand without a fair notice ahead of time.

[Mike Ferguson]

I think most banks do you. Yeah. But how many people actually walk in and say, you know, by the way, I need $350,000 in cash. Yeah. Not many. And you're going to be questioned.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, for sure. I mean, you can't even get $3,000 out without them saying, what's this money used for?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And we know, having worked, and you still work in the financial industry, but, you know, anything over, what, 10, then you're. You're getting into the area of, like, a suspicious activity report. And there's. There's protocols around that. $350,000 is definitely going to make the alarm bells go off.

[Mike Gibson]

Sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

But then on top of that, Right. You have this note.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And it was said that Connie wrote the note on a church bulletin that she had in her purse. So, you know, you've seen that before in movies, you know, pass a note to the teller. Hey, we're being. We're being held up. Bank employees tried to talk Connie in to stay, but she said she was afraid her husband would be killed. And if she didn't leave, the bank tellers agreed to give her the check because they didn't want anything to happen to her. And, you know, I thought, okay, a check seems strange. If someone is holding you for Ransom or holding you against your will for money. Normally, they want cash because a check is fairly easy to trace.

[Mike Gibson]

It's very traceable, even if it's made out to cash. Right. You're going to at least know what bank it was cashed at and what.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, who's going to. Who's going to cash a $350,000 back? And if you deposited it, obviously they're going to know where it was, you know, what account it was deposited into. But I also understand, okay, Connie's hesitant to stay. On the one hand, she could be safe if she stays in the bank, but then she's leaving her. Her husband and. Okay, most spouses wouldn't want to do that.

[Mike Gibson]

There's some spouses that might do that, but.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, yeah, my wife probably would.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Maybe she's like, I know I'm safe. Hopefully he's. Everything goes okay with him, but good luck to you. If not, you know, we'll make it through.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Connie left the building, and the staff called the police. Connie was captured on surveillance leaving the bank, walking down the street and getting into a vehicle that then drove out of the area. The problem was the license plate wasn't visible in the video. Jeff Van Oosten called his sister Amy around 5:30pm to tell her that their parents had been abducted. A friend in the police department told Jeff what had happened. And that's a tough call to make to your sibling.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, hey, mom and dad have been abducted. I don't have all the details, let's say I don't know what's going on, but, hey, it's not good. Amy then soon received a call from the police asking her to meet them.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, I'm sure the police want to try to gather as much information that maybe the kids can help with, you know, maybe fill in some. Some blanks or. A lot of blanks. Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

In the process of what happened.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and depending on what the police know, they have to rule the kids out. Right. Because the kids are most likely heirs. Yeah. To the money. At 6:15pm deputies went to the Van Houston's home and found Jeff already there. Jeff said that he'd been away from home on a business trip in Washington and hadn't heard from his parents. Deputy searched the property and discovered that a basement window had broken or had been broken from the outside.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay, so point of entry, most likely.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I think, you know, if you're the authorities, you kind of have to go that route. Inside the house, they found Taser, confetti And a few drops of blood on the carpet.

[Mike Gibson]

So maybe where the Taser hit somebody.

[Mike Ferguson]

Mm. I don't know if there's, you know, stuff that comes out.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Along with the probes, typically.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, you have not been tasered, have you?

[Mike Ferguson]

No, no.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, that's something I try to stay away from.

[Mike Gibson]

It doesn't feel good.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it doesn't look like it. On the body cam videos that I watch now, I did learn that there is a very distinct difference between when they press the taser onto you.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Which does cause pain.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Versus when they shoot you with the Taser. And the barbs stick in. Right. That's where you really get the, like, involuntary muscular incapacitation.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

The other one just hurts.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I did not know that.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. That's when I wet myself that one time. Yeah. It happens.

[Mike Ferguson]

Stop doing yourself. Stop doing questionable stuff, and you won't have that problem. So, you know, what we have is a. A bad situation. Right. From what we know so far, Whiteside county authorities reached out to the FBI for assistance. Both Jeff and Amy were questioned to rule out their involvement, which we talked about. Right. They have to do that protocol. Jeff faced more scrutiny because he'd been out of town and was at the house before the police arrived. He was asked if he was having financial trouble or if he'd borrowed money from his parents. Jeff was more than willing to answer all of their questions, and he and Amy were cleared of any involvement in. In their parents disappearance.

[Mike Gibson]

That's the best way to get cleared. Be upfront, honest about everything going on. No surprises.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Be truthful.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Right. Well, if you haven't done anything wrong, it's very easy to be truthful.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, that's true.

[Mike Ferguson]

The FBI determined that the vehicle captured on surveillance was a Chevy Caprice from the early 1990s. So. All right, we're talking about 2017 here. By 2017, how many early 1990s Chevy Caprices are still operating?

[Mike Gibson]

Probably not very many.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I would think it would narrow the number quite a bit. We're not talking about a 2015 F Ford F150. Right. Where there'd be. Oh, my God, Tons and tons of them. But nothing showed up in the computer system, so the surveillance video was just distributed to the media.

[Mike Gibson]

This Caprice were huge. The 1990 ones.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Were they the rounded ones? Because in the old days, they were boxy.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Really boxy.

[Mike Ferguson]

And then I thought they went. They went to more of a rounded look, but I don't know if that was the early 90s or not.

[Mike Gibson]

I think it was like mid-90s. They finally went to that look. And short. They were shortened up to a little bit.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, they were boats there for a while.

[Mike Gibson]

They were.

[Mike Ferguson]

But I. You know, to me, that's a smart thing. Right? You have surveillance video. Get it out to the media. Kind of reminds me of the Nancy Guthrie case that is very current, dominating the media right now. And, you know, like that. The FBI received multiple tips in this case. One witness saw the vehicle in Geneseo, Illinois, or as you like to say, Illinois.

[Mike Gibson]

And I would say Genesosi, Illinois.

[Mike Ferguson]

Okay. I'm not sure I said it correctly, but I know for a freaking fact you. You didn't say it correctly.

[Mike Gibson]

I would love it.

[Mike Ferguson]

Genesosi.

[Mike Gibson]

Somebody from Genesis. Jenna. Genesis, Genesiso.

[Mike Ferguson]

You've said it four different ways now, and none of them have the correct number of consonants to support that.

[Mike Gibson]

That's true. That's true. But maybe somebody. Hey, actually, that's how we say it here.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, maybe.

[Mike Gibson]

I'd love it.

[Mike Ferguson]

People say that just because they want to be on your side, though, too. So a witness saw vehicle. The car was heading northbound. The FBI learned that Connie obtained the $350,000 and in the form of a cashier's check that was made out to a company called the Storedge LLC, which

[Mike Gibson]

I find very strange because you can search LLCs.

[Mike Ferguson]

Oh, absolutely. Find out who owns it, all of that. An older model Chevy Caprice was registered to an individual connected to the business, a man named Chad Skipper. And investigators, you know, what they had to do was establish some type of connection. Right. Between the Van Oostens and Chad Skipper. Jeff and Amy were completely shocked, and they couldn't believe that Chad would be involved in abducting their parents. They had both known Chad for many years. He attended their church. He was in their youth groups. Chad was a year ahead of Jeff in school. They didn't have the same friend group, but they were friendly with each other and said hello in passing.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay, but somebody they knew.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, somebody they knew. But also, back to some of the things that you've been talking about. Didn't take authorities very long to figure out who this was. Right where you had the kind of. I don't want to say odd but not very plentiful car, the Chevy Caprice. You've also asked for the check to be mailed out to a business that you actually have a connection to.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. You had the check made out to this llc. Doesn't seem like you're very smart about this.

[Mike Ferguson]

So what does that mean? Either the person is, like you said, not very smart or wasn't planned out well, was, you know, spur of the moment and they just didn't know what to do.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, didn't think it through.

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[Mike Ferguson]

Chad was valedictorian of his class. Jeff looked up to him because of his intelligence. And this Chad guy seemed like he had it all together.

[Mike Gibson]

So he's not somebody that's dumb.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, no. He obviously must have been smart. And I think he was popular as well. Chad and Larry were both elders at their church a couple of years prior. Chad was starting out as a financial advisor and Larry decided to seek him out and, you know, meet with him about potentially becoming a client.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

When Larry reviewed Chad's proposal, he decided not to work with him because he didn't think it would benefit his investments. They discussed their investments with Chad during the meeting, which is important because that means he was acutely aware. Right. Of just how much money they had.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. At that point, he knew there was 350, 000 sitting in the bank.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and they could have had a

[Mike Gibson]

lot more than that, but he knew that. Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

At least they had that. Yeah, probably. Jeff and Amy recalled their parents mentioning this meeting when it happened. In the early hours of February 9, 2017, the FBI linked Chad Skipper to two properties in Geneseo. One of the addresses was a large rental home with a four car garage. Agents went to the property, but they didn't find anything out of the ordinary unusual from the outside. So they didn't have probable cause to

[Mike Gibson]

conduct a search, which I find strange. Right. I mean, you know that where the check was made out to, you know about the Caprice, you have some other knowledge around it. But know, obviously the courts must need a lot more information than that before you can enter the home.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I mean it's, it's, you know, it's one of our protections that we have. And I get it. I, I don't want police coming into my house for no reason just because they think I might have some done something or know something about something.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, you do.

[Mike Ferguson]

I know some stuff about things you've done.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, I didn't want to say that on camera, but yeah, let's go ahead

[Mike Ferguson]

and throw it out there. Agents split up and they conducted surveillance on the rental home and the Van Houston home in Erie. A deputy watching the Van Houston house saw a silver Caprice in the area and they attempted to pull the driver over. The driver acted like they were going to stop, but then they sped up. And I see this actually quite a bit on my body cam videos.

[Mike Gibson]

Love that stuff.

[Mike Ferguson]

I do love the, the videos, but people will pull over and it's like they wait for the police officer to get out of the car and maybe get about three fourths of the way to their car and then they take off because they know it's going to give them a little bit of lead time. The officers then got to race back to their car, get in.

[Mike Gibson]

I, I guess if you stole the car, that might work for you, but if you didn't steal the car, well, they see your license plate, they have your license plate, they know who you are, where you live.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and also look at the technology today with helicopters, you know, you can't outrun a radio, you know, so, you know, there's night vision. There's just so much technology. Also, if I'm being honest, I don't know that a early 1990s caprice is the best vehicle to choose to try to get away from Police?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, probably not. I'm sure it had a big V8 in it. Probably.

[Mike Ferguson]

But still, it also weighs a ton. You know, we're not talking about a Hellcat or, you know, a Corvette, a Lamborghini or something like this. You're. You're basically driving a tank, a tank down the road. Now if you want to ram into some people or you want to try to not get, like, pit maneuvered, yeah, that might be a good car for it, but I just don't know. I don't think you're out running anybody.

[Mike Gibson]

I don't think you're going to be able to get away.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's kind of like Jason Bateman and horrible bosses when he's driving the Prius and they're talking to the police and he says he drag races and he says, I don't win a lot.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, of course not.

[Mike Ferguson]

Which I thought. It's just the way he delivers the line that to me is so funny. So obviously a high speed chase ensues, and it ended on Illinois Route 84. The driver swerved into the opposite lane as another car was approaching. They were, you know, going fast, obviously it's high speed, and crashed into a guardrail. Luckily, the other driver only had minor injuries, and the driver of the Caprice was identified as Chad Skipper. Okay, so you talked about probable cause before. You know, I think, you know, the burden's high, right, to enter someone's home. But pretty obvious what we're dealing with here.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Why does this guy not want to pull over? Why does he not want to stop? And then why are you trying to run away from police? And he pretty readily admitted that he was holding the Van Houston and even gave the address that FBI agents were already staking out.

[Mike Gibson]

He came sort of clean or he came clean.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. And, you know, I'm always fascinated by interrogations. Right. They can go a couple of different ways, a few different ways. You have the people who, no matter what you say to them, no matter what mountain of evidence you throw at them, they're never going to admit to what they've actually done. And then you have the people who, you know, right out of the gate, they say, nah, you got the wrong person. It wasn't me. But they wear down.

[Mike Gibson]

Sure they do.

[Mike Ferguson]

And then they kind of fold as time goes on. And then you have some people who just, like, right off the bat are like, yeah, you got me.

[Mike Gibson]

I just. I think Chad was going to have a hard time explaining some items that were in his car when they did finally get a Hold of him.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. Because when they searched his car, they found a shovel. They found plastic sheeting, duct tape, a saw. I mean, basically, this is some Dexter type stuff. Indications that he was planning on burying a body or multiple bodies.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, a saw. I mean, he was playing on cutting them up.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, potentially. Yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. But I mean, we all carry things inside our vehicle. What most people don't carry is essentially a hit kit or an after a hit kit to bury a body. Yeah, you might take a shovel if you're going to do some work. People might have duct tape just for general repair or whatever. But it's. It's all of it together. Right.

[Mike Gibson]

You know, before I leave here tonight, I need to leave something in your garage.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I would prefer you didn't. Yeah. So that's kind of a standing rule that we have. No leaving stuff in my house.

[Sponsor Announcer]

That's right.

[Mike Gibson]

Take my stuff with me.

[Mike Ferguson]

You've tried multiple times.

[Mike Gibson]

A few.

[Mike Ferguson]

So at 3am Agents kicked in the door of Skipper's property. They cleared the entire house, but they couldn't find Larry or Connie. During the second round of searching, they discovered a TV monitor on the floor of one of the rooms that showed a surveillance video feed. And they could see footage of two people lying on a mattress in a room with no windows or doors. Agents had a feeling that, you know, Connie and Larry were inside the house. They just weren't looking in the right spot. They just couldn't find them. This gives me a little bit of like saw vibes.

[Mike Gibson]

It does, yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Right. You have the surveillance video that, you know, the saw guys looking at or whoever is the saw person at that point. Those movies get a little convoluted a little bit. Yeah, at times. But how do you have a room with no windows or doors then? That's an interesting concept. It also makes it kind of hard to find people. You don't think about searching that?

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

Right. But during the search, the agents noticed that it looked like a wall had recently been put up in the basement. In an upstairs closet, an agent removed a piece of plywood covering the floor, revealing a solid steel hatch. Agents cut the lock and opened the hatch, which then led to a secret room in the basement.

[Mike Gibson]

Wow. I mean, some of that planning.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, what does that tell us, though? This guy didn't abduct these two people and then all of a sudden install all this?

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

This was done ahead of time.

[Mike Gibson]

Definitely pre planned.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. There's no doubt about it now whether it was specifically for them, you know, we'll have to talk about. But, you know, it's a little bit. I don't want to use the word ingenious, because I don't want to give this guy credit. But, you know, if you're searching, let's say, my basement here. Right, Right. The studio is in my basement. You look over and you see that wall. There's no door. There's no nothing. You just assume there's nothing behind it.

[Mike Gibson]

But little do they know there is.

[Mike Ferguson]

There isn't, because that's concrete, But.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, is this. When we go. It's concrete.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's concrete. Concrete. But is. It's a little bit of an ingenious plan. Although I hate to give this person credit. Inside that room were Connie and Larry, who were lying on a mattress. Larry recalled that it was a very joyful moment.

[Mike Gibson]

I bet it was.

[Mike Ferguson]

When they were rescued.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. I'm sure you thought things were going to be over soon.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I could imagine in a scenario like that, whether you're by yourself and, in this case, husband and wife are together, you are probably, I would think, Gibbs, at the very least, making right with the situation, that you may not come out of this a lot. So to all of a sudden have law enforcement show up and save you. I. I can't even imagine what that feeling would be like, because, obviously, I've never been in that position.

[Mike Gibson]

I think you would definitely be. Happy.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's your adjective.

[Mike Gibson]

Happy.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah. I'll go with happy. There are a lot that you could use, but. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, happy.

[Mike Ferguson]

So, you know, I. Again, joyful, happy. Whatever you want to call it. Larry said they told us it was the FBI and they were here to rescue us and that we were safe. And again, at that moment, it had to be one of the better feelings that they'd probably experienced in their lives.

[Mike Gibson]

Music to my ears.

[Mike Ferguson]

But Chad Skipper had created basically a makeshift dungeon right inside the basement. The walls of the room were reinforced with steel.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

Which they'd have to be, because if you think about just putting drywall up. Well, you can bust through drywall. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Kick your way out of that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, you just kick in between the studs. You just walk right through. Like the. Yeah, like the Kool Aid, man. So something's gonna have to be reinforced. And then the metal hatch could only be opened from the outside. And we mentioned it. Right. He had installed cameras connected to monitor the room.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, he did put some planning into this.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, quite a bit, I would think. There were stacks of ramen inside the Room, as well as a shower and a toilet on the other side was a locking mechanism for handcuffing. Oh. So my assumption would be, you know, if he needed to come down.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

He would maybe handcuff one and handcuff the other. There's got to be a system to where you're not putting yourself in jeopardy that you're going to be overpowered.

[Mike Gibson]

Right. He'd have them go to that wall, put their hands through, maybe chain them up, then go down and do whatever. Restock the ramen.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, something like that. Hopefully chili ramen because that's my very favorite.

[Mike Gibson]

I don't know if it's spicy and you're in a dungeon with only one toilet.

[Mike Ferguson]

You're right.

[Mike Gibson]

You might want to rethink that.

[Mike Ferguson]

The room obviously had been designed to hold people against their will. And it was clear, like you said, that Skipper had put significant effort into building this room and also planning the abduction. You know, a thoughtfully built wardrobe comes down to pieces that mix well. And last, that's where Quint shines. Premium fabrics considered design and everyday essentials that feel effortless to wear and dependable even as the seasons change. My wife absolutely adores their lightweight cashmere sweaters. I'm more of a flow knit performance type of guy, but they have everything I need. Lightweight joggers, shorts, tops, but they also have coats. European jersey linen. Quint works directly with top factories and cuts out the middlemen. You're not paying for brand markup but or fancy retail stores, just quality clothing. And they only partner with factories that meet rigorous standards for craftsmanship and ethical production. Right now go to quint.com teacat for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to build your wardrobe and love it. And you will now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to quince.com/tcatt for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comTCAT in his post arrest interview, Chad admitted that he had been thinking about the abduction for a long time. He said I wanted to do it and I did do it. Money was tight and I kept trying to find a way to push it and push it. It was said that he was low on money due to some bad investment.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay, so your fix is to kidnap this couple, take their money?

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, sure.

[Mike Gibson]

And then because you can't have them remain alive, you're going to kill them?

[Mike Ferguson]

Most likely. Also, he can't manage his own money. Probably good that Larry didn't invest his money with him.

[Mike Gibson]

That's what I was thinking the same thing. And then I'm thinking, so you're going to get this money. You suck at managing your own money.

[Mike Ferguson]

Probably going to lose that, too.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And then you're going to be back to square one where you gotta, what, rob somebody else?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. How many people are in this town that you can pull this off with?

[Mike Ferguson]

But, you know, this is what strikes me about a lot of these types of crimes. You have somebody who we'll call it being in a. In a pinch.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

During a bad situation. And I get it. Nobody wants to be bro. Broke or nobody wants to. When. When you're kind of riding on top, let's say stumble, you make some bad investments, you lose a bunch of money. But there are ways to dig yourself out.

[Mike Gibson]

Of course there is.

[Mike Ferguson]

Of any of those situations. But I think so often people want to find the easy way out, the quick solution, even if it involves stealing from or hurting other people.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm thinking this guy here, I mean, if you filed bankruptcy, isn't that better? And you be out of it and, I don't know, four, five, six, seven years versus robbery.

[Mike Ferguson]

Taking the chance on spending maybe the rest of your life in jail. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

If you're gonna have to kill the

[Mike Ferguson]

people, I would think so. It's just, you know, on the one hand, you have Larry and Connie who had essentially worked their entire lives to support their family, raise their kids, and put enough money away to, you know, live well during retirement.

[Mike Gibson]

They did everything right. They did everything they were supposed to do to get to the point that they could retire and do the things they wanted.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yes, absolutely. And then you have their captor who basically wants to skip all of that part and go straight to the money. And. And it just. Could it work? I guess you could get away with it, but, you know, you could also just put in the hard work like the rest of us.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

To get what you want. Chad told investigators, I asked Larry and Connie for money a few years back. If they had helped me out, then things might have been different.

[Mike Gibson]

Probably not because you were not good at investing your own money, but also,

[Mike Ferguson]

what kind of sense does that make? You know, okay, they wouldn't give me any money or loan me money or whatever the situation was. So this is how it had to turn out. No, it didn't have to turn out that way. You know how rich people stay rich? By not giving away their money.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly, exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or not investing it with people who they don't have a Good feeling about.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, they work hard for that money. They have their money. Why would they give it to him? I mean, it doesn't make any sense.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, not at all. Chad admitted that he knew the police could track him through the llc, but said, I was only thinking about the moment and getting the money.

[Mike Gibson]

There you go.

[Mike Ferguson]

It goes back to what we were talking about earlier. He had planned all of this out, but then he doesn't plan. That part just doesn't make sense.

[Mike Gibson]

And I get it. He was the top of his class,

[Mike Ferguson]

but he's also a financial guy.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, but we know he's not a very good financial.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, that's. That's true. That's true. He claimed he was disassociated during the commission of the crime, saying, I looked at it through as if I was someone else looking through what I was doing. The demon inside me.

[Mike Gibson]

The demon. Huh?

[Mike Ferguson]

Frog demon.

[Mike Gibson]

Frog demon.

[Mike Ferguson]

Which we haven't actually talked about in a long time. He's talking about his frog demon.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. There was a different demon here.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, you have a couple of frog demons that people have sent in. Yeah. To you over the years.

[Mike Gibson]

That's the one I know mostly, though.

[Mike Ferguson]

But, you know, you hear this from criminals from time to time. It's like I was standing above myself seeing myself do this. It wasn't really me. No, it was you.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, it was you for sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

Larry and Connie recounted the abduction in an interview for the show fet. Larry said, it was about 7 o' clock in the morning. I was sound asleep. I thought I was dreaming. I felt a presence in the room. And I saw this person standing next to the bed, dressed in black and with a gun. Finally, I realized this is real. And I yelled. And the next thing I knew, he shot a taser at me. Connie said, the first words that I spoke were, oh, Lord, please help us. Please help us. And his first words to me were, where's your God now?

[Mike Gibson]

Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

Pretty rough for a couple of very

[Mike Gibson]

religious people, including him. He attended the same church.

[Mike Ferguson]

That is true. I forgot about that. But again, as I've said often, you know, these home invasion type scenarios are very scary to me. You know, you're. You're supposed to be all bundled up safe in your home. You're sleeping. We've talked about how vulnerable people are when they're sleeping. You wake up to see a man all in black with a gun. Very scary.

[Mike Gibson]

It would be scary.

[Mike Ferguson]

Connie was forced to handcuff Larry, and the masked man handcuffed her. He put tape on their Eyes and mouths. And they were ordered to keep quiet. They were forced into the trunk of the Chevy Capri and were in the car for about half an hour. Now, those cars did have a big trunk.

[Mike Gibson]

They did. Kind of. Probably kind of roomy. I mean, if you're going to be put into a trunk, that.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's not a bad car to.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

For it to be.

[Mike Gibson]

Stretch your legs out a little bit.

[Mike Ferguson]

Connie said that once they arrived at the house, he took me out first and led me to what I thought was going to be a small room, but it turned out to be a closet. And then I had to climb down a ladder. Connie asked Chad, why are you doing this? He said he would keep them until he got all their money and then he would have to kill them.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, he's being upfront about it.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Which I guess, to me, is kind of a strange way to go about it. Maybe you might want to give the person some hope. I'm not telling abductors how to do their business, obviously, but, you know, when you tell someone that you're going to kill them ahead of time, what do they have to lose?

[Mike Gibson]

What's their incentive to help you get

[Mike Ferguson]

what you need and be cooperative and all that? Connie knew that writing the note at the bank was their last chance to be rescued. They believed that God helped them through their ordeal. Larry recalled the fear he felt when Connie was taken to the bank. He said, when he took her through the bank, I kept going through different scenarios. What should I have done? What could I have done? What can I do? How do I help her? And just being tied up there and knowing there was nothing I could do to help her. I'll never forget that. And that must have been a sense of helplessness. That would just drive you crazy.

[Mike Gibson]

Would it? Would.

[Mike Ferguson]

Connie said, larry never thought that he protected me, but he did. He stood by me the whole time, and he was there and did everything in his power to protect me. And he's continued to do that. And let's face it, what else could the guy do? You have a guy with a gun, right? You're tied up. You don't have a lot of options. Not just tied up. You're handcuffed.

[Mike Gibson]

Very limited.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. You're limited in what you can do,

[Mike Gibson]

but at least you know he's letting her know I'm here with you. We're in this together.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And Larry called his wife a hero, saying she didn't have to come back. She could have stayed right there at the bank and sent the police. But she didn't do it. She came back on her own free will just so they could find me. She came back to save me.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, she really did.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

And that says a lot.

[Mike Ferguson]

It does. I mean, you really have to give her credit for that, because I'm sure that must have been a scary thing to do. But I think it also shows you, you know, how much she loved her husband.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean, she wasn't going to leave him alone.

[Mike Gibson]

Some wives or partners would have stayed. Some might not have even went to the bank to get the check.

[Mike Ferguson]

Just taken off. Yeah. And Left Forever. On February 9, 2017, Chad Skipper was charged with home invasion, kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. Chad's parents, Marlon and Linda Skipper, sued him in July 2017. They found evidence that Chad lied about several investments he made on their behalf. According to the suit, in September 2010, while Chad was working as a financial advisor, his parents invested $160,000 from their 401k into a principal annuity account. Chad closed that account without telling his parents. It was worth about 221,000 by that time. His parents claim Chad took the money for himself.

[Mike Gibson]

He's just a thief.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Not only is he bad at investing, he just takes the investments as well. He also alleged that between February 2013 and February 2017, Chad led him to believe he had invested $10,000 in annuity and $77,000 into a CD. He took that money and $600 a month he received as part of the CD.

[Mike Gibson]

He is just not going to get the son of the Year award.

[Mike Ferguson]

No. I mean, bad enough to do this to other people, but to do it to your own parents and steal their hard earned money, their retirement savings, I mean, that's pretty low.

[Mike Gibson]

Pretty much a scumbag.

[Mike Ferguson]

He also allegedly cashed a check on one of their credit cards and charged over $13,000 to a card he opened in their name.

[Mike Gibson]

Wow.

[Mike Ferguson]

Between September 2012 and March 2013, Chad allegedly rolled money from his parents, 401k into a company called Skipper Financial Services. He allegedly stole around $97,000 during that period. In total, Gibbs, his parents accused him of stealing around $444,000 from that.

[Mike Gibson]

Almost a half a million dollars. How do you do that to anybody, let alone your parents?

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, it's a ton of money, but let's look at what the money represents. Right. Most likely their life savings and what they're going to be relying on to live the rest of their lives after retirement.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Now, now they. Because you did that, what do they have Besides maybe Social. Social Security, what are they.

[Mike Ferguson]

Easy for you to say.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I mean, this probably forced them to keep working longer than what they wanted to, and it's just terrible. They discovered the theft shortly after law enforcement searched the desk in his home. After he was arrested. In September 2017, First Trust and Savings bank filed for foreclosure on a house in Erie owned by Chad. The bank attempted to recover $44,000 on a line of credit Chad took out against the house in 2013. And it's kind of ironic, right? This is the same bank where Chad attempted to cash the $350,000 cashier's check.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

On November 15, 2018, Chad Skipper pleaded guilty to three charges. Two counts of aggravated kidnapping and concealing identity. Home invasion with a dangerous weapon. So, you know, aggravated kidnapping, brutal, concealing identity. All right, yeah, you know, maybe not at the top of the list, but home invasion with a dangerous weapon, that's up there as well. He was previously charged with harassment and witness tampering, but those charges were dismissed with his guilty plea.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm just trying to figure out what the heck did he do with all this money that he stole from his parents? Like, did he have a. I. I don't believe the research ever said. Did he have, like, a. A drug habit, Drug habit or gambling problem or.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it didn't say that. What it did talk about was bad investments.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

So is it possible that, you know, he made some bad investments and then he was. Because this is a vicious cycle, Right. It's like gambling. You lose a bunch of money at the track, so you go get a bunch of money from somewhere else and try to make it up. Gambling on something else, and you just keep getting deeper and deeper in debt.

[Mike Gibson]

What'd he do? Did he invest it with. Was that Leo DiCaprio's Wolf of Wall Street? Wall street penny stocks, yeah. Just didn't pay out.

[Mike Ferguson]

Maybe. We don't know. On April 3, 2019, Chad was sentenced to 60 years in prison without the possibility of parole. He was 40 years old at the time of his arrest. According to the Illinois DOC website, Chad's projected discharge date is 2071. He would be in his 80s by that time.

[Mike Gibson]

I don't feel bad for the guy. His.

[Mike Ferguson]

I don't either.

[Mike Gibson]

His parents are got to be struggling because what he did to them and then obviously what he did to this other family, but. And who knows who else he stole money from, right?

[Mike Ferguson]

There could have been other people as well.

[Mike Gibson]

If you can steal money from your mom and dad, you can steal money from anybody.

[Mike Ferguson]

Oh, I. I would say that's absolutely correct. But you and I just got done dropping a Patreon episode on Saturday night this past Saturday night. And in that episode. Now, granted, we were in Australia. Right. But somebody got like six years or so.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

For doing some really bad things. Now, I'm not saying this is not bad, but what it does show is the difference between countries. And we talk about that quite a bit as far as it come, as far as it goes with sentencing and things like that.

[Mike Gibson]

Big difference.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I'm happy with 60 years.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, I am too. He would have probably killed these two individuals.

[Mike Ferguson]

There's a good chance, if he didn't

[Mike Gibson]

have the accent that he had and they, you know, were able to locate the mysterious dungeon.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, you're probably right. But that's it for our episode on the abduction of the Van Houston's. And you got anything else?

[Mike Gibson]

No. At one point I was going to be Rex Van West.

[Mike Ferguson]

Huh.

[Mike Gibson]

Because like that Vaughn Van west, you know, like.

[Mike Ferguson]

Like Van Helsing.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes, exactly. Go around and chase vampires and stuff.

[Mike Ferguson]

So we didn't. I don't know if everybody noticed, but I got a couple of new signs here.

[Mike Gibson]

Very fancy.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yours, yours has your alter ego on it, but if anybody likes the signs and, you know, you can get these little things made up. They're not very. They're not very expensive at all. But if you'd like to go out to our website, we have our mailing address on there. We do send us a couple. As long as they're not too vulgar, you know, we'll put them up for sure.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes, you will. Especially if they have something funny about me.

[Mike Ferguson]

I know, absolutely. Or if they're funny about me, I'm funny about you. I can take it as well. All right, buddy, that is it for another episode of True Crime all the Time. So we'll talk to you all next week. And for Mike and Gibby.

[Mike Gibson]

And Gibby.

[Mike Ferguson]

I messed that completely up, didn't I? You.

[Mike Gibson]

You do that now then.

[Mike Ferguson]

And for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time ticking. I think it's weird because we don't do the music and we don't do all of that. So I get out of my natural rhythm.

[Mike Gibson]

The intro. Intro and outro.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. To get technical.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

All right. We love y' all and we'll see you next episode.

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