
In early 2011 near Toledo, Ohio a home invasion became a double homicide investigation. This was a night that shook an entire community. What happened that night? Why were these two victims seemingly targeted? Who could do something this heinous and evil to two people that were so young. This case can still be solved. Join Nic & Captain in the Garage and find out how. If you know any information about the murders of Lisa Straub and Johnny Clarke please call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111, or the Lucas County Detective’s Bureau at 419-213-4917, or reach out to reporter Brian Dugger at bdugger@wtol.com
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Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host Nick and with me as always, is a man who in each of our episodes likes to establish the run early. Here is the Captain.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Foreign. This week we are very excited to be featuring Midwest IPA by the hard working crew over at Great Lakes Brewing Company. Midwest IPA is the unofficial India Pale Ale of the Midwest available in draft and the Great Lakes most recent variety pack. This delicious IPA features a sensible amount of hops that politely greets a mild mannered finish. Garage Grade four and a quarter bottle caps out of five. And let's give some thanks and praise to our hard working and hard listening friends that helped us fill up the garage fridge this week. First up, a shout out to Joseph Guidry from Tomball, Texas.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
And a big we like your jib goes out to Eric Smith from Bridgeport, Texas.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
And last but certainly not least we have Jason from Wilder, Kentucky. Everyone we mentioned, they helped us out with this week's Beer run and for that we thank you.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, BWR you and beer run. Make sure you sign up to check out our bonus content on Patreon or through the Apple podcast subscription. And colonel, that is enough of the business.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
All right everybody gather round. Grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. Toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate, but to win friendship and understanding. The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. From the book Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community? By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is true Crime Garage. Longacre Lane is the true crime story of a still very much ongoing case, crimes that took place in Northern Ohio. And the story starts with a series of events and horrific crimes that started in early 2011. Now the name of the road, Longacre Lane makes it sound like this road is a long winding road out somewhere in the countryside, but it is not. Long Acre Lane, which is the location at the very center of the of this week's case, is not a very large street at all. Longacre Lane is in the near center of a really cool looking neighborhood. It's located in Holland, Ohio, which is best described as the greater Toledo area, a suburb of Toledo and for those of you outside of the great state of Ohio, Toledo is in the northern part of our state, right up there by the old Michigan Ohio border. Longacre Lane is a pretty average sized street with only nine houses. It's a unique looking neighborhood because there's everything here from average sized homes and lots to very large homes and properties. Some of the homes have swimming pools, a couple have both a swimming pool and a tennis court, and there is one property that features a very large pond. The nine houses on Long Acre Lane are somewhere in between the two ends of this spectrum. The homes are a little larger than average and the properties appear to be a little more than an acre for each lot. But These are not McMansions but just very nice larger homes and lots. The property that we will be discussing is this week is 2161 Long Acre Lane. It's a home located in the middle of the street surrounded by other homes on all sides.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
The two individuals that are at the center of this case are Johnny Clark and Lisa Straub.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, we're going to be talking a lot about Johnny Clark and Lisa Straub. Johnny Clark and his mother and father are Maite and John Clark. And we are also going to be talking about Johnny Clark's girlfriend Lisa Straub and her parents Jeff and Mary Beth Straub. So let's start with Johnny. I've always really liked the name Johnny, but his given name is John S. Clark, but almost always known as Johnny. Now back in 2011 where we pick up the story, Johnny is 21 years old. Johnny was always a popular guy. He had a lot of friends. Johnny's mother Maite characterizes her son as an unapologetic mama's boy and Johnny was proud of that title. The Clark family was very close, his mother Maite says, between her and her husband they would regularly talk to their son about a dozen or so times a day. He is the oldest of their children. Johnny had recently enrolled in barber school to pursue a dream of being a small business owner. Now remember, he is an adult at this time, 21 years of age and he frequently lived with either his folks or his girlfriend Lisa's parents. Johnny was saving money for school and and some words of wisdom to the younger listeners out there. If mom and dad don't say you got to leave, then stay. But of course don't be afraid to buy them dinner once in a while or pay the Internet bill. So Johnny is enrolled to go to the school and saving money to pay for the school. So In January of 2011, Johnny is living with his girlfriend Lisa Straub at Lisa's parents place on Longacre Lane in Holland. A Ohio. Lisa Ann Straub is a kind and this, she's kind of this fun loving, maybe a little goofy even at times personality. She is the outdoorsy type. She's an animal lover and photography is a longtime hobby of hers. The Straub family is very close as well. Lisa enjoyed hanging out with her sisters. They were popular and the Straub sisters would often go to parties together. Lisa was the youngest in this family. In fact, it's at one of those parties with her sisters that Lisa in fact meets Johnny Clark. The two of them eventually start dating and become an official couple in 2009. Then in late 2010, Johnny and Lisa take the relationship to the next level and they decide to live together. So Johnny moved in at Lisa's parents home. So in January of 2011 where we pick up this story, Lisa is 20 years old and she's working at a local TGI Fridays restaurant as a server. She has her future mapped out as well. Wanting to be a nurse, she was all set to begin classes as a nursing student.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
There's a lot of moving pieces and parts to this case, so make sure you pay attention. Let's dive into the timeline.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, let's go through the day in question here. Captain, this is Sunday, January 30, 2011. We have Johnny Clark and his mother Maite, who, as said, we're close. So they're in constant contact with one another, touching base with each other daily and multiple times throughout each day. This day would be no different. We'll start our timeline at approximately 8pm that night. This is when Maite, the mother, calls her son. And it's not for the first time that day. Now, while sometimes the constant checking in from mom would annoy the young man, Johnny did not dare to not pick up mom's calls. You pick up mom's call. So Johnny, slightly annoyed by another phone call from mom, picks up his cell phone and they have a brief conversation. And then at some point she asked if he's okay. And he says in a sarcastic manner, jokingly, yes, Mom, I'm still alive. And she says, you know, don't say that. Don't joke around like that. Maite's just checking in with her son, who as we said, is staying at Lisa's parents house. Johnny tells his mom that his plans, his current plans for the evening are that he's going to be watching the Pro bowl or is already at a friend's house watching the Pro bowl, the NFL Pro bowl on tv and that he would later be picking up his girlfriend from her work and that they were going to stay in that night and just kind of chill out. So let's be perfectly clear here. This is what he tells mom. He's 21, so we cannot say with 100% certainty that this is what he actually intended to do that night.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
He's also considers himself a mama's boy, so he might alter the stories he tells to his mom for her protection.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
There's been multiple sources out there that have said that Johnny wouldn't lie to his mom. And I have no reason not to believe them. But again, we, we don't know everything 100%. We can only report it as what our findings were. So he tells mom that he is at a friend's house and there are three other persons there with him. He names them on the phone with mom and says, we're watching the Pro bowl on TV and then when Lisa gets off from work when her shift ends at TGI Fridays, I'm going to go pick her up, we're going back to her house and we're just going to hang out. Now there is something that is key here, Captain, and we can get into that later. We can get into this later. But I do not think that this is purely coincidence, but the Straub's, Lisa's parents, Jeff and Mary Straub, are out of town this weekend. The two are off on a Caribbean Cruise celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. So that is important to the story as well. So now this will take us to 10pm approximately Saturday, January 30, 2011 on our timeline, at 10pm approximately, Johnny picks up his girlfriend, Lisa Straub. She's working that night at TGI Fridays in nearby Toledo. Her shift ends at approximately 10pm and he picks her up afterward. And there are three major routes that one could take from the Friday's restaurant to the Straub house. And this is a short drive, 8 to 11 minutes depending on route. So the couple head back to Lisa's parents house on Longacre Lane where they both are staying.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
And so just a little after 10:30, Johnny calls a friend.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
During this call, Johnny mentions that one of his other friends, a guy by the name of Anthony Watson, who also goes by Tony or Tone, is supposed to be stopping by the Straub house sometime that night. Now during another phone, this is where things get a little wonky in our timeline. So he's either on the phone with this same friend having that conversation or there's another call that he's on. But what we do know that happens is Johnny, shortly after this, gets an incoming call on his cell phone. So Johnny clicks over to the incoming call. The caller is a friend or someone who is always being listed as a friend of both Johnny and Lisa's. This person's name is Tiffany Williams. Tiffany Williams is a couple of years older than that of Johnny and Lisa. So she's calling Johnny and according to what Tiffany Williams says, she's calling Johnny to firm up plans that the two had made earlier. The original plan was that Johnny and Lisa would leave the Straub home at some point late that night, go pick up Tiffany and this other friend that Zach Burkett, and sometimes Zach. A lot of these people in our story have nicknames, right? And we're going to see that that will add confusion to the investigation. Now Zach Burkett, his nickname doesn't add much confusion to the investigation because his real name is included in that nickname. And you're going to like this one, Captain. His nickname is Fat Zach. Oh. So that either means he's a larger person, or sometimes you get a really thin person that ends up with the Fat Fat Zach name. Key thing, though, is this is Zach Burkett. Now, despite the fact that they are strictly instructed not to have parties or have people over at the Straub's home, especially in their absence, the plan was, according to Tiffany Williams, that the four of them, after Johnny and Lisa picked them up, would return to the Straub home to shoot some pool.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, and again, the definition of party depends on who you're talking to.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Everybody says, we're just going to be hanging out, shooting some pool. And from my understanding, I viewed the layout of the Straub home in great detail. They do have a very nice billiard area in the basement of this home. Tiffany was calling at this time to let them know that she decided that she needed to run a few errands first. So she's kind of pushing back the start time for this hangout session at the Straub house, and she wanted to tell Johnny that we're going to run some errands and then we will be ready to go around midnight. However, Tiffany says she never got to explain any of that information or tell Johnny why she was calling in the first place. Because when Johnny clicks over and picks up her call, instead of greeting her, she heard Johnny. And most of the time, the way this is described, she says that she heard Johnny shout in a very angry tone, bro, what are you doing? Who are you? What do you want?
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
So it sounds like there's an intruder in the house.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Something's going on on the other end, according to Tiffany Williams.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
And she says that he did repeat some of these lines multiple times, as if speaking to someone in person. And not Tiffany on the phone, obviously, but then Johnny, in a much more calm manner, then tells Tiffany that he will call her back. And I believe Tiffany Williams says that his exact words, or something similar, would be, tiff, I'll call you back. He doesn't. He never calls Tiffany back. Now, let's go to Monday, January 31, 2011. We're already pretty late in the night on the 30th. So now, I want to be very clear here. We say that we flipped over to Sunday on our timeline, but we are talking about very early Sunday morning, in the small hours, if you will. Tiffany Williams is now concerned that her friends Johnny and Lisa has not called back. She Completed her errands. And now she's more focused on the idea that Johnny, Lisa, her and Zach would be hanging out late that night shooting pool at Lisa's parents home. And here it is now a little after midnight. This is right around the time that she wanted to hang out. And she's not heard from Johnny. In fact, she says that she's tried to reach out to Johnny, she's tried to get in communication with Lisa, and that Zach is doing the same thing periodically. Sometime after that call was received, Tiffany calls Johnny.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Johnny picks up the phone, it sounds like he's talking to possibly like an intruder or somebody in person and then tells Tiffany that he'll call her back.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Correct. So this is a very short call. Now I'm glad you are honing in on this because this is a huge part of this case and what this could mean for the events that are to come and who may be responsible for what in this case.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Well, like you said, there's a lot of moving pieces. So my question for you is at this time that Johnny gets this phone call, is Lisa present with him at the time?
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
So in the home at this time it would be Johnny, Lisa, and then there's a, there's a puppy dog there as well. And from every source out there, from all of the information in the case, this should, they should be the, this should be the only presence in the home at that time. Johnny, Lisa, little dog.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Now I'm glad you're honing in on this call not just because of its significance to the case, but also let's focus in on this for just a second because one thing that is not in dispute, this is proven by phone records. Tiffany Williams, 100%, without a doubt, her cell phone calls Johnny Clark's cell phone at 10:41pm January 30, 2011. That is, there is no doubt about that that happened.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
What I think we need to speculate on later and make mental note of now in our timeline is what was said on that, on that phone call because unfortunately Johnny will not be around to tell us his version of that conversation. All we will have is Tiffany Williams version of that conversation. So we know that a short call took place from Tiffany Williams phone at 10:41pm that night and Johnny Clark's cell phone picked it up. They were on their phones, communicated together for several seconds, maybe even a minute. It's a very short call. And then according to Tiffany Williams, Johnny says I'll call you back, but never does. And we've already covered that. Tiffany Williams and her friend. I'm a little uncertain of their relationship, this Zach Burkett, because he's a little bit younger than the rest of them. So Tiffany is about 24 at this time. Jim, Johnny is 21, Lisa is 20. And from my understanding, Captain Zach may be as young as 17. I'm not able to fully verify that. But he's younger. I do know 100% certain he's younger than Johnny. As said, Tiffany Williams did try to get in contact with Johnny and Lisa periodically leading up to this point in our timeline, which is 12:30am Zach did so as well. Now, at 12:30am this is when Tiffany becomes so concerned that she and Zach drive over to Lisa Straub's home.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
And again, just to be clear, they're supposed to get picked up by Johnny.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Correct.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
So they are so concerned by what she heard on the phone and the fact that they're not answering, they're not coming to pick them up, that they make arrangements and they actually travel over to Lisa's house.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
And everything out there suggests that they would have had to borrow a vehicle to do so. Zach doesn't have a car and neither does Tiffany at this time. So they go over to the home and according to Tiffany, they ring the doorbell, knock on the door, front door. Nice neighborhood. Again, that's what's weird about this neighborhood. I, I would encourage everyone to look it up on Google Maps or on Apple Maps. It's a really interesting neighborhood because you have very average sized homes, but you also have very large homes and then some that are somewhere in between. And this home is a very nice home and it's on a larger lot. And so she's ringing the doorbell, knocking on the door. She says that she peers inside the, the, the windows, trying to look into the windows to see what's going on. And here's where things get a little more wonky. Right. We have, we have some questions in our timeline, but we're also going to have some questions with individual statements because they gave more than one statement. And this is coming from multiple sources. And so I want to be very clear here. Some of the sources cite that Tiffany Williams says that there was no answer at the door. She tried a couple times, and so her and Zach left. Other sources say that she saw and noticed that there were lights on in the home. And this caused her even greater concern because of some kind of rule that she was aware of in the home that you, you know, the Straub's have this rule that you always close the door behind you. Always turn off the light behind you. So she was concerned that, well, they're here, but nobody's answering the door for whatever reason. We're supposed to be friends, right?
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
And again, it's not like she's overly concerned for no reason. She hears what she believes is a confrontation. The phone when she called Johnny.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Correct. But let's keep in mind that's about two hours earlier.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
So she, yes, she's concerned, she says, but let's factor in she doesn't seem to be overly concerned to the point that she allows two hours to elapse before she goes to physically check on her friends.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Now, the third version from other sources, and I'm not. This is not yours truly, the crispy colonel, telling you that she gave three different statements. I'm telling you that these are different words that are coming from different sources. The third version is that when she looked inside the home that she that the home appeared to have been ransacked. And this caused great concern. Of course, it should cause great concern for anyone if they witness anything like this. The pair then exits the property. Now, we are a little after or about 1am on our timeline at this
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
point, she is going to call her friend Sharita Crumbie.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
She calls Sharita to tell her what has happened, her version of the events. Crumby then calls Johnny's mother, My Tay, to alert her that no one is able to reach Johnny and that now we got a handful of people that are concerned. And on top of that, Tiffany is relayed to Sharita. Look, when I spoke to him at 10:41, there was this weird business going on. He picked up. It sounded like there was some kind of commotion, some kind of confrontation. I'm not really sure what it was, but it sounds like he was getting into it with somebody. And of course Maite is going to be extremely concerned. She loves her son and as said they were very close. And she's a bit of a helicopter mom. Right? Always checking in on the kids.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Well, let's be clear though too. It's not just this confrontation call. It's he's not answering the phone now. And then when we go over to the house, we don't see signs of Johnny or Lisa. So much more to get to after this. Quick beer break.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
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Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
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Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
All right, we are back. Cheers mates. Onward and upward. Cheers to you Colonel.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Onward and upward. Cheers to the people in the back. Now as we said we have Johnny's parents who are now been alerted that friends are concerned about Johnny and they're concerned about his girlfriend Lisa. No one's able to get a hold of them. So we have Maite who's going to begin calling her son's phone texting trying to get a hold of him. And father John is doing the same thing. However, Johnny's not responding to mom's calls or texts. And what did we say earlier? Johnny always answers mom's calls.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
And you also have to be a little more concerned because it's getting later and later.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
It's in the middle of the night. Right. And these parents have been woke up in the middle of the night by. To be honest with you, it sounds to me like they don't know. They know Sharita, but they don't know her. I'm not 100% on how well they know this individual because Sharita is more of Johnny's peers than my taste.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Well. And she's been given the task to contact the parents. And so if. If I'm Johnny's father, I'm very concerned because somebody I don't really know that well is contacting me going, hey, look, we can't get a hold of your son.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, she. She knows them well enough to have their phone numbers. The thing that we should mention here, too, around the same time that Tiffany calls Sharita, we have Zach, who's with Tiffany. There's no doubt about that. Zach's with Tiffany. And he has attempted to reach out to Johnny's like, lifetime lifelong best friend who, you know, some of us are lucky enough to. When we are best friends with somebody that we know their families very well as. As well.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right, Right. They become almost second parent.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Correct. And so Johnny's best friend would have had the ability to get in contact with the parents as well.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah. And if you're his parents, you're also more concerned, too, because you're not in the same town, right?
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah. They're not very far away. I want to be clear about something here that they are. They are in the suburb of Toledo, and so they're not very far from the Straub's home because they all live in this suburb of Toledo, which is not a very big area. We're talking about, I think 1200 people in this suburb. Don't quote me on that, Captain. It's.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Well, it's on record now, so.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
So, yep, you can. You can hold me. Put it on my permanent record. Yeah.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
So like strike 98.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Mom has decided a couple things are going on here.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Tiffany says, look, I can. I'll come and get you guys and take you over to the straw, pal. So she comes over, she grabs Johnny's father, John. Johnny. John hops in the car, rides over, and because Maite can't leave, remember, Johnny's not their only Child. And they got a couple of people in the house. And so Maite's thinking, well, he'll pick up the phone. Eventually. Johnny will pick up the phone. Eventually it's all just a misunderstanding, and everything will be fine. Well, that doesn't happen. And when John gets to the house with Tiffany, he's now on the phone with his wife saying, look, I think we got to call the cops. So my Tay, then, is in the process of trying to do a couple things. She's still trying to get a hold of her son. She's trying to get the police on the line to request a welfare check for her son and his girlfriend. And she's also in the process of trying to get over to the property herself.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
So let's take a listen to the first 911 call from Johnny's mother.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
Hello?
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Toledo 911. Ma'. Am, my heart is beating out of my chest. I just got a call from one of my son's friends. Okay, her phone number, I have it right here. She just picked my husband up. To my son and his girlfriend live out at 2161 Long Acre Lane. I believe that's Holland. This girl says she was on the phone with my son and his girlfriend, and he was supposed to go pick her up. He was telling her he was going out the door, and all she heard was the phone drop and heard my son saying in the background, who are you? What do you want? What are you doing here? And she said she just drove by the house, and the house looks ransacked. All the lights are on. My son's not answering, and neither is the girlfriend. Okay, you said it was 2161 lawn? Acre? Yes. Lane. Oh, my gosh. I got heart problems, and my heart's beating out of my chest right now. All right, I understand. Do you know if that's all one word, or is it two? Separate. It's no, it's separate words. Acre. Yes. Long. O, N, G. Acre. A C, R E. Lane. Oh, my God. Is she still there? No, she just came by here to pick up my husband, my son's dad, and I'm here with the other two younger kids. All right. What is your name? My name is Maite Vasquez Clark. Oh, my God. I have the girl's phone number that he was talking to that heard all this going on in the background. Okay. Her parents. My girlfriend saw. My son's girlfriend's parents are out of town. They left for Puerto Rico two days ago. I don't know how to calm myself down. My heart's beating out of my chest. Okay, what did. What you did. Did your son tell her? My son was like, hey, Tiff, we're on our way out the door. We're coming to get you. And then all she hears is the phone drop and my son Johnny saying, who are you? What do you want? What are you doing here? Who are you? And no more. No more answers. That's all she hears. And then she says that she starts getting worried because neither of them are answering the phone. And she goes out there by the house and she sees all the lights are on and the cabinets look ram sacked. Okay, but you don't have any idea where your son's at? He was there at the house with his girlfriend. That's where. They're house sitting for her parents. Okay, but. But she doesn't. He wasn't there when she went over? No, no, she rang the doorbell and nobody came to the door. Nothing. Oh, my God. Ma', am, I'm so afraid something happened. Bad. Okay. Oh, my God. What's your son's name? John S. Clark. Clark is with the E at the end. Is he white or Hispanic? He's white in Hispanic. He looks more white than anything. How old is he? He's 21. Date of birth is 4. 1589. And the girlfriend is. Okay, is somebody gonna meet us over there? Yeah, my husband's on his way there right now. Oh, my God. My hands are ice cold. My heart's beating out of my chest, like. Do I need to send you medical, ma'?
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Am?
Adobe Acrobat Advertiser
Please do. Okay, let me get this call in real quick and I'll send you medical, okay? I have these kids. Okay, please make the call her. The girlfriend's name is Lisa Strauss. Okay, what's your husband's name? John P. Clark. What kind of car is he driving? I don't know what the girl's car is that picked him up. I'll give you the girl's phone number. The girl, Tiffany. You know how long it's gonna take him to get over there? Probably 10 minutes. Oh, my heart. My God. I can't take this. What? What's his girlfriend's name? Lisa Straub. S, T, R A U B. What's her cell number? This is his girlfriend. This is not the girl that called me from the cell number. The girl that called me is Tiffany. I don't know her last name and her cell number. Okay, but we can get a hold of Lisa on that number. No, Lisa's with Johnny. That's what I'm telling you. Lisa and Johnny are boyfriend and girlfriend. They were leaving her mom's house. John, they were on the phone with this girl named Tiffany. The number I'm going to give you. The cell phone number that I'm going to give you. They were talking to her on the phone when all this commotion went down. I thought the. I thought the girlfriend called you saying that she was on. No, no, not the girlfriend. Her friend. The girlfriend's friend called me, and she's the one that just came here now to pick my husband. I thought. I can't take this. All right, well, they're already in route. I'm just getting all this information. Okay, okay. Let me give you Tiffany's cell phone number. Okay, Hang on. Oh, Lord. Oh, my God. Please, I'm praying that my son is okay. Oh, lord. All right. What? Tiffany Sell. Okay. Oh, man. My heart is beating out of my chest. I understand. Oh, my God. Giovanni, open the door so when the rescue squad gets here, you can let them in. I have to sit down on the bed, son. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. What's your address, ma'? Am? What is your name? My. Oh, my God. Hang on. My phone number. Yes. All right, stay on the line and talk to medical while they're on their way there. Okay? Okay, hang on.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
So you Hear it there? Captain Maite calls 91 1. That call took place at 1:21am that night. And we have Maite begging for emergency services to send out the police to the Straub home for a welfare check on her son. And her son's girlfriend, Lisa, she's calling from her home, and as you hear, her husband's in route with Tiffany Williams to the Straub home. And poor Maite has this heart condition. And now she's up at the middle of the night frantically worried about her son. One thing that I want to point out here, we were talking about different sources reporting what Tiffany's report was when she arrived at the Straub home without any of Johnny's parents.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
She is there by her own words with Zach. They go there because they are worried about their friends. We had the different sources, some saying that she knocks on the door. They tried the door a few times, nobody answers. They leave. Other sources say that they see lights on, and this was of a concern to Tiffany, and that's why she alerted the friends. The other sources say that she saw that the home was ransacked, looked through the windows, could see that something had taken place, maybe a struggle or a robbery or something of that nature that caused her Enough concern to track down Johnny's parents and get them involved that night?
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Well, because they have options at that moment. Do we keep ringing the doorbell and possibly run into the individuals that did this ransacking, or do we keep trying to find a way into to enter this house? And I think they did the smart thing by going, let's try to contact.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
But I want to point out a very key part of that 911 call. We have those different sources saying different things, different observations were made by Tiffany Williams when she arrives without Johnny's parents.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
We have confirmation that she says ransacking because at 1:21am Maite, who's not been to the property yet. Correct. Her husband's not been to the property yet.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Correct.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
He's not on the phone with 911. Maite is at her own home. She is reporting to 911 what was told to her and her husband by Tiffany Williams who sparked and ignited this whole thing to get them involved and bring one of them to the scene. So ransacking. Regardless of what the sources were saying, this 911 call at 1:21am that night confirms that Tiffany Williams told them she witnessed Saul with her own two eyeballs through the windows of the Straub home. That ransacking or burglary or robbery, something of that nature has taken place. Now, unfortunately, after this 911 call, Maite, still concerned, still hasn't heard from her son. She's unable to reach her son Johnny. She, she again calls police and Emergency Services at 2:27am Some sources report that it is 2:07am but still roughly, what, an hour later. I've, I have spoke to people very close to the case and they are confirming that the correct time is 207, 207am so the earlier time that's been reported in the papers and on the news, she is at this time requesting another welfare check or for at least police to come back to the scene. And we have that call as well.
Adobe Acrobat Advertiser
Listen, ma', am, I am a concerned mother. My son was at 2161 Long Acre Lane with his girlfriend, house sitting. Lisa Stroud lives there because her parents went to Puerto Rico two days ago. I get a phone call about a half an hour ago from his friend Sharita that some girl named Tiffany called her saying that Johnny and Lisa were supposed to pick her up at 11 o'. Clock. And she was on the phone with Johnny, my son, when he was walking out of this house, his girlfriend's house, with his girlfriend to come get her and Supposedly she heard a guy in the background screaming at my son and my son saying, what do you want? Who are you? Get away from us. And what have you. Okay, Four cop cars were already out at this residence. They're not there, and her car is in the driveway. I want to know where my son's at. Okay? I want to know where my son and his girlfriend are. I want to know if they got abducted by whoever tried to assault them and rob them. And it's pretty funny that this girl named Tiffany, which is there right now by the residence, waits two hours to call somebody and report this. Okay, well, like I said, we were out there. There was nothing going on there. Okay, where is my son and his girlfriend and her cars in the driveway? How would I know that? Ma'? Am? I need to report my son missing. Okay, where are you at? I'm coming up to the residence right now. Which. Which resident? Lisa's house. Okay, I need an address. 2161 Long Acre Lane. And what's your name? My name is Maite Vasquez Clark. This is the street, I think, Mama. Long Acre. This is it. This is it. I'm with my cousin right now that's in the military. What's your phone number? My phone number? I want this girl's plate number before we go anywhere so I can give it to the sheriff on the phone and they're back pulling in the driveway. I want this plate number. Ma', am, I'm going to give you this plate number, okay, that this girl's car is driving. I'm gonna stay calm. I am. Will you stay on the phone with me, ma', am, while I talk to this girl? Who are you going to talk to? Okay, listen, here's the plate number. That is the girls, the plate number of the car that this girl is driving that my son was supposed to supposedly pick up. Now, these two people right here, that's Johnny's phone. Oh, I don't know. It's my parents. Probably call them back. Oh, my God. Ma'. Am. Okay, is it. What kind of vehicle is it? What kind of vehicle is that you're driving? What is it, a Corolla? I have a feeling you set up my son. My son is missing. He's nowhere to be found. Do you want to tell the police what you just got done telling me on the phone? Okay, come here. Ma', am. I'm gonna let you talk to her because I have her blocked in Lisa's house driveway. Okay? Okay, here, you tell me. I will. Hello? Okay, what's what's going on? Okay. My friend Johnny and Lisa, they were supposed to come pick me up, me and my friend from our house. And this was like 11 o', clock, and he. I was on the phone with his girlfriend Lisa, and then he hung up. And we all hung up. He said they were on their way. Then he. I called Johnny right back because I was going to tell him that I was going to run to the store and then I was. I would meet them at the house. Well, he was yelling at somebody like, I'm on. He go. He goes, bro, who are you? And then I caught. And he caught him right back, and he didn't answer. So I text my friend Lisa's phone, and I was like, where are you? Are you guys okay? And they have not answered to me or nothing. They have not answered the phone. And I've been calling and calling and calling. So I drove out to their house after my friend's mom got home and nobody answered the door. So I drove back by our house and see, maybe they went to his mom's house and he wasn't there. So his dad called my phone and I was like, do you want to ride out there? And he said, yeah. And I brought him out here and now his mom's arguing with me, saying I set him up. And, you know, they're my friends and I'm worried about them and I don't have, you know, I'm worried about my friends because they were supposed to come pick me up and they never showed up. Okay, does anyone have. What's. What's the son's name? What's her son's name is Johnny. Is that his name? Yeah, Johnny Clark. Does anyone have. Have his number? Yeah, I do, but his phone shut off. Okay. See, and we was calling and it was ringing and then it was shut off all of a sudden. And then I was calling my friend's phone and I've been texting her, asking her if she's okay. Are they okay? Because they wasn't answering. And then I text her, like, last I talked to you, I heard him arguing. And then now all of a sudden, they haven't picked up the phone or nothing. Okay, are you out there? Is there a couple officers where you. Yeah, there's some. Yeah, there's some officers out here. Okay, why don't you go talk to them and they can help you. Okay. Okay. I'll put his mother back on the phone. Okay. Actually, I don't need to talk to her. She talked to the officers. Okay. Okay. All right, bye. Bye.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
So what we hear there, Captain, we have Maite, Johnny's mother, on the call with emergency services again for the second time. This is after, this is after her husband has arrived on the scene. She's on her way, pulling into the property while on the phone, she's got a couple people in the vehicle with her. They arrive in a Ford F150. Mom is already suspicious, as you can hear on that call of this Tiffany Williams individual. So much so that she's trying to feed information about this person even though she knows little about her right. Of what kind of car she's in the license plate and trying to get Tiffany to speak with emergency services as well. So they pull up in an F150 and they actually block the driveway because mom and the family members do not want this person leaving until police are there. So police have already been to the scene once. They knock on the doors too. There was like four cars out there, police cars. They look around, they don't see anything suspicious. They leave. Now they're calling for a second visit. And when they arrive, when police arrive this time it's more of the same. They check, they knock on the door, they shine their flashlights around, they're looking around, they don't see anything that gives them probable cause to enter the home. And keep in mind, this is not, we don't have nobody there that is present who's called for police can authorize the police to enter the home.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Right.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
The Straubs are gone, nobody's answering the door, nobody's answering the phones. The Straub's, Lisa's parents are gone, they're out of the country. Their, their Caribbean cruise or Portugal somewhere off celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
Yeah, and if they're on a cruise, they're. Cell phones probably don't work at all.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
And on top of that, it's really a whole lot of the same where police, they snoop around for a little bit, they talk to Maite and John and they speak with Tiffany Williams and they, they again leave the scene and leave the property.
Captain (Co-host of True Crime Garage)
So much more to get to. For everything true crime, check out truecrimegarage.com Sign up on the mailing list.
Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)
And until tomorrow, be good, be kind, and don't litter.
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Release Date: March 12, 2026
Hosts: Nic and the Captain
Case: The still-unsolved double homicide of Johnny Clark and Lisa Straub, Holland, Ohio (2011)
This episode launches a detailed, multi-part exploration of the unsolved and unsettling double homicide case from 2011 involving Johnny Clark and Lisa Straub. The hosts set the mood with philosophical reflection, provide background on the victims and their families, and reconstruct the critical timeline leading up to the crime. Listeners are guided through an hour-by-hour breakdown laced with firsthand accounts, 911 calls, and host commentary—laying out a complex, chilling night on Longacre Lane.
Timestamps: 03:12 – 07:32
Notable Quote:
“Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. ... Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.” — Nic, quoting MLK Jr. ([03:12])
Timestamps: 07:32 – 10:54
Notable Quote:
“If mom and dad don’t say you got to leave, then stay. But of course don’t be afraid to buy them dinner once in a while or pay the internet bill.” — Nic ([09:00])
Timestamps: 10:54 – 18:32
Notable Quote:
“Bro, what are you doing? Who are you? What do you want?” — Johnny Clark, as overheard by Tiffany Williams ([17:20])
Timestamps: 18:32 – 27:16
Tiffany repeatedly tries to reach Johnny and Lisa, as does Zach ([19:40]).
12:30am: Tiffany and Zach, unable to get a response, borrow a car to go to Lisa’s house. Versions of Tiffany’s observations vary between sources:
1:00am: Tiffany calls her friend Sharita Crumbie, who then contacts Johnny’s mother, escalating the circle of concern ([27:16]).
Timestamps: 27:16 – 53:14
First 911 Call (Maite Clark)
1:21am: Maite Clark calls 911, frantic and panicked; relays Tiffany’s report of a confrontation, mentions the house looked “ransacked” and all lights were on ([35:34 – 41:38]).
Notable Quote:
“All she heard was the phone drop and heard my son saying in the background, ‘Who are you? What do you want? What are you doing here?’ … my son’s not answering, and neither is the girlfriend.” — Maite Clark ([35:35])
Second Wave of Action
Second 911 Call
Notable Quote:
“My son is missing. He’s nowhere to be found. Do you want to tell the police what you just got done telling me on the phone?” — Maite Clark ([48:52])
Police Response
Ongoing
Notable Quote:
“It’s really a whole lot of the same where police, they snoop around for a little bit…they don’t see anything that gives them probable cause to enter the home.” — Nic ([53:18])
Timestamps: 53:45 – end
This episode meticulously reconstructs the last known hours of Johnny Clark and Lisa Straub, skillfully weaving together host analysis, witness statements, and real audio from the night of their disappearance. The episode lays a foundation of unanswered questions: Who was the intruder? Was Tiffany Williams telling the whole truth? Why did police leave—twice—without entering? These are left for Part 2, where the mystery returns with even deeper focus and urgency.
For more details and future episodes, visit truecrimegarage.com and join their mailing list.