Paige Coffey ////// UPDATE

Summary

True Crime Garage – Paige Coffey ////// UPDATE (May 5, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Nic and the Captain revisit the tragic case of Paige Coffey, a young woman missing since 2019 from Cleveland, Ohio. They provide an update with somber news: Paige's remains were recently discovered, closing one chapter of her disappearance but opening new questions about her fate and the conduct surrounding the investigation. The episode digs deeply into the red flags and systemic failings in Paige’s case, especially in the context of domestic violence and law enforcement’s response. The hosts interweave family interviews, police reports, firsthand messages, and their own nuanced commentary to shed light on Paige’s final days, the primary suspect, and what the community and listeners can do to seek justice for Paige.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Who Was Paige Coffey?

• Background: Paige grew up in the Cleveland area, graduated from Charles BR School (2010), attended North Coast College, and studied fashion merchandising. She worked in retail, often at Steelyard Commons.
• Described as artistic, outgoing, reliable, "bubbly and a talker"—yet changed markedly after becoming involved with Patrick Samar Mason Jr. (“PJ”).
• Family Ties: Exceptionally close to her mother (Trinetta), aunt, and cousins. Daily contact was the norm; any silence was alarming.

“Paige has a very close relationship with her parents, her grandparents, brothers and cousins. And there is no way she would go over nine months without contacting her family.” – Paige’s Aunt [05:00]

Relationship with "PJ" & Signs of Abuse [07:40–10:15]

• Host and family accounts detail PJ’s isolating and controlling behavior: restricting social media, breaking Paige's phones, discouraging work or socializing, and growing secretiveness.
• Escalation: Incidents include Paige’s purse being found abandoned on a freeway, a bizarre episode where PJ claimed Paige shot him in the head, and mounting evidence of coercion.

“She is becoming more and more isolated...He wants to make her life so shorty that she has no choice but to always need him.” – Nic [17:20] (quoting Paige’s friend)

Timeline Leading to Disappearance [16:14–21:00]

• Late April to early May 2019: Paige attempts to distance herself after a hospital stay but ends up back in PJ's orbit.
• May 6–7: Last seen alive with PJ at a motel and at a Home Depot in Steelyard Commons, caught on surveillance.

“So what we do know is that they were together on this Monday, May 6th. Now, the following day, Tuesday, May 7th...they left the store together.” – Nic [19:03]

• Post-visit, Paige ceases all communication—no social media, bank activity, or contact with family, especially notable on Mother’s Day.

Law Enforcement Response & Frustrations [35:09–41:33]

• Mother files a missing person report May 17, 2019.
• Initial police focus: More on mental health than likely victimization, issuing an alert but framing Paige as endangered due to “change in mental status.”

“Even if Paige was struggling mentally, she would not have ever just dropped off of the face of the earth and stopped all contact with them.” – Nic [35:09]

• Press conference (nine months later) acknowledged lack of progress but did not fully treat case as foul play, suggesting she “could be sitting on a sunny beach somewhere.”

“No activity on her bank cards. She has money sitting in a bank, and she's just not going to take any of it out.” – Captain [41:12]

Spotlight on PJ: Background & Violence [21:00–29:00; 44:45–60:00]

• Extensive criminal record: Felonies for burglary, theft, robbery, multiple domestic violence convictions, including toward prior partners.
• Known for extreme violence: Court documents and Paige’s own texts to friends mention physical and sexual abuse, threats, and control tactics.

“For two years, he nearly killed me. I've been shot at, strangled, stabbed, beat, burnt with milds, raped and embarrassed, and I still tried to stay...” – Paige (text message, read by Nic) [25:37]

• Post-disappearance behavior: PJ allegedly torched his GMC truck, possibly to destroy evidence.

“PJ’s sister...told a cousin that after Paige vanished, PJ torched his GMC truck and got a new one. I mean, that sounds suspicious.” – Nic [44:16]

Family and Community Pushback [45:33–46:51]

• Some of PJ’s own relatives reached out to Paige’s family, reporting concerns and revealing continued violence in his subsequent relationships.
• Despite evidence, police seemed hesitant to aggressively target PJ or treat the disappearance as homicide for months.

PJ’s Arrest and Prosecution [47:54–60:50]

• Arrested in 2020 for being a felon in possession of a firearm, PJ was eventually locked up for violating parole and continuing to abuse women, including strangulation and threats to family.
• Numerous attempts to secure bail or reduce sentences; courts ultimately kept him incarcerated. No murder charges have been filed (yet) in connection with Paige.

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The Update: Paige Coffey’s Remains Identified

Discovery of Remains [66:02–71:57]

• April 17, 2026: Skeletal remains found in an abandoned house in the 3800 block of East 142nd Street, Cleveland.
• Late April: DNA confirmed remains as Paige Coffey’s. Details about the cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
• No arrests or new charges have been announced, but law enforcement insists the investigation is active.

“Investigators confirmed that skeletal remains found...in an abandoned house in Cleveland belong to Paige Coffey, the woman whose disappearance had haunted her family...” – Co-Host [69:08] “Her family...thanked the people who searched and the media outlets that continued to tell Paige's story.” – Co-Host [73:35]

Reflections & Call to Action [75:27–86:37]

• Hosts emphasize missed opportunities by law enforcement, dynamics of control and abuse, and reinforce that Paige’s inability to leave or communicate was due to PJ’s manipulation.
• Highlight importance of authorities treating missing person cases with suspects of violence as high risk.
• Urge anyone with knowledge of PJ's activities around May 7, 2019—especially about the missing truck or the area where Paige was found—to come forward.

“We hope that this is just the first answer in a series of answers that will bring this to a close and that we can get justice for this young woman.” – Co-Host [86:37]

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Memorable Quotes

• On abusive partners:
  “If you Google signs of a controlling boyfriend, the first thing that pops up is that they increasingly isolate you from friends and family.” – Captain [10:03]

• On law enforcement’s early response:
  “For all they know, Paige could be sitting on a sunny beach somewhere.” – Brattonall Police Chief (quoted by Nic) [40:05]

• Family on Paige’s character:
  “She would not put family through this. She spoke to her mom all of the time...” – Paige’s Aunt [41:33]

• On tip that Paige was trafficked:
  “There’s a chance that Paige was trafficked and she’s in the San Jose area...the answers likely are much closer to home.” – Nick [43:14]

• On justice and the community:
  “This guy's too dumb not to talk...Somebody absolutely knows something.” – Co-Host [85:48]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [04:05–06:45] – Family’s initial pleas, reporter summaries, background about Paige
• [07:40–10:27] – Relationship with PJ, onset of isolation and control
• [13:16–16:14] – Purse on the freeway, gunshot incident, hospitalization
• [16:14–21:00] – Timeline to Paige’s disappearance; last days and phone/in-person contact
• [25:34–26:35] – Paige’s text message about abuse
• [35:09–41:33] – Reporting Paige missing and police response
• [44:16–45:31] – PJ torches his truck after Paige vanishes
• [46:06–51:00] – Family of PJ comes forward, police reports on further violence
• [66:02–71:57] – Breaking update: Paige’s remains discovered and identified
• [75:26–84:46] – Hosts’ heartfelt commentary, calls for tips, specifics on what to look out for in future updates

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Actionable Information

If you have information about Paige Coffey’s disappearance or the circumstances of her death:

• Contact the FBI Cleveland Office: 216-522-1400
• Crimestoppers: 216-252-7468

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is both analytical and personal, combining gritty, unfiltered banter and deep empathy for Paige and her family. Nic and the Captain do not shy away from criticizing law enforcement shortcomings or highlighting the patterns of abuse that so often precede tragedies like Paige’s. Their urgency is matched by a deep respect for victims’ families and a call to listeners: be vigilant, break the silence, and advocate for justice, no matter how long it takes.

Notable Closing Line:
“We hope that this is just the first answer in a series of answers that will bring this to a close, and that we can get justice for this young woman.” – Co-Host [86:37]

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For further details or to support ongoing efforts, visit TrueCrimeGarage.com.

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

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[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Looks like another spell of itchy, swollen,

[Co-host/Commentator]

red or skin colored hives.

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If you have chronic spontaneous urticaria or csu, there may be a different treatment option. Worried about your chronic hives interrupting our next episode? Learn [e-mail] Garage.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Sam. 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, ladies and gentlemen, we have an honorary member of the Bill's mafia. With us here is the Captain.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, 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)]

This week we are getting geared up for the holiday season. We are drinking one of the the very best holiday beers, Great Lakes Christmas Ale. This is one of my favorite December and January beers. This is a delicious ale with holiday spices and sweet honey and it's perfect for this holiday season. ABV 7.5% garage grade four and a half bottle caps out of five. And here are some wonderful people that we would like to celebrate this holiday season with. First up, cheers to Tegan and in New Haven, Vermont and a big shout

[Captain (Co-host)]

out to Catherine in Preston, United Kingdom.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Next we have a cheers that goes to Deanna in Kuna, Idaho.

[Captain (Co-host)]

And big we like your tip to Emily in Concord, California.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Next we have a thank you from Jillian in Australia. And last but certainly not least, we have Teresa in Janesville, Wisconsin. Thank you to everyone who helped us fill up the fridge for this week's show. And if you want to help us out for next week's show, go to truecrimegarage.com and click on the donate button.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, say it with me. B W W R U N beer run. Go to our website truecramegarage.com go to the store page and get you some. And 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.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Sa.

[Reporter Kendall Forward]

The family of a missing 28 year old woman held a press conference today searching for answers. Paige Coffey has been missing for nine months now. Her family says she would never have left without telling them. The reward for information now up to $5,000. Kendall forward live in Cleveland now with more details on this Kendall.

[Reporter Erin Page]

Erin Page was last seen here at surveillance video at the Steelyard Commons seven months ago on May 2. Now her family hoping someone somewhere might have some information on where she is now. They say she was so close to her family and she never would have wandered off without telling them.

[Paige Coffey's Aunt]

Paige is a wonderful young lady. She was very close to her family.

[Reporter Erin Page]

After nine months, Paige Coffey's family still searching for her, still searching for answers. Her aunt, with Paige's heartbroken mother standing by her side, says she never would have left without telling her family.

[Paige Coffey's Aunt]

Paige has a very close relationship with her parents, her grandparents, brothers and cousins. And there is no way she would go over nine months without contacting her family.

[Reporter Erin Page]

Paige was Last spotted on May 7 on Steelyard Commons surveillance video. Her family saw her just a week prior. Her aunt describes her as reliable and dependable, an art lover with a great personality. Her disappearance is completely unlike her and she knows something is wrong.

[Paige Coffey's Aunt]

There would be no reason for her to just walk away that we could think of. She was just a great girl.

[Reporter Erin Page]

Paige, now 28 years old, lived in Cleveland and worked in Macedonia at Torrid, a women's clothing boutique. She attended Youngstown State and visited her grandmother in Bracknell often. Bracknell police now investigating, searching for answers. And they say no tip is too small.

[Captain (Co-host)]

It's extremely unusual that nine months have

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

passed and no one has heard or seen Paige Coffey.

[Reporter Erin Page]

The reward now up to $5,000 for information to find Paige. Her family begging for some sort of information to help bring her home.

[Paige Coffey's Aunt]

No, no tip is too small. It's been agonizing over these last nine months.

[Reporter Erin Page]

Now, we showed you her picture there, but she's about 5, 8 and also has a tattoo on her arm of piano keys. Again, this was the last place she was spotted on surveillance video here at Steelyard Common. So if you have any information or know where she might be, contact Crime Stoppers or Bracknell Police reporting live at Cilliers commons. Huddle forward 19 news.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Paige Coffey is a young woman who grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. She graduated from Charles BR School in 2010 and enrolled at North Coast College. Paige wanted to study fashion merchandising, something that she loved and something that came naturally to her. She worked throughout her teens and twenties at various retail stores and women's fashion retailers, at least one that is located in the Steelyard Commons shopping area, which is in the Greater Cleveland area. Paige is one of those young women who is always trying new hairstyles, experimenting with makeup and wearing carefully curated outfits. Prolific selfies of her show. A young woman who rarely smiles for the camera, yet looks as though she's enjoying herself. Paige is very close with her mother, her aunt and her cousins. She spoke with them daily, if not several times a day. Her aunt says she is very artistic, outgoing, reliable and dependable. Paige's mother, Trinetta Williamson, who we spoke with at length and who is the major source of information for this episode, said that Paige is super outgoing, a talker, someone who is friendly and bubbly. Mother and daughter share a loving relationship. They were very close. In 2012, when Paige was still young, she got married to someone who we will call Tea Coffee. The two met in high school. Paige's mother, Trinetta, was against the marriage because she thought that the two were too young. She wanted Paige to focus on college and her career. Paige and T got hitched anyway and moved to Hawaii where he was stationed with the Army. But the young couple struggled and the two high school sweethearts divorced. This in 2016. After the marriage, Paige was living back in the Greater Cleveland area. Then in 2017, Paige met someone she started dating. Patrick Samar Mason Jr. He was in his mid-20s, from the Greater Cleveland area. They dated on and off for about two years. And this is where Trinetta says Paige started to change.

[Captain (Co-host)]

According to Paige's mother, she could tell early on in this relationship that Patrick was pretty controlling.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, Patrick goes by the nickname of pj, so we will refer to him mostly as pj. Throughout this episode, Paige stopped posting on her social media. And her last Facebook post was in early March 2017. She told her family that PJ would check her Instagram account and see what she was doing and who she was talking to. And with this, Paige's personality began to change. All of her life, she was always the chatterbox. Now she was becoming closed off, hardly speaking at all. And some would say she was becoming rather secretive. Paige started dropping out of touch with her family and friends for days at a time. She was unreachable. And then later would say that she lost her phone or it was broken. Her family would get her a new phone so they could keep in touch. And time and time again, the replacement phone would break or. Or get lost.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, if you Google signs of a controlling boyfriend the first thing that pops up is that they increasingly isolate you from friends and family.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

The phone always seems to be the first cutoff point for these types. Yeah, by this time, Captain, we have Paige. She's living in a house on Oakshore Drive in Brattonall. Now, we are not liking what we are seeing here, are we, Captain?

[Reporter Kendall Forward]

No.

[Captain (Co-host)]

I don't like any time I hear about somebody being isolated within a relationship now.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So now in our timeline, we are in the early 2019 timeframe, March and April of 2019, to be more on point. This is when something incredibly alarming happens. Things start to get scary. This is when an officer from the South Euclid Police Department was out front knocking on Trinetta's door. When she answered, the officer said that he was there to return a lost and found purse that belonged to a Paige Coffey and asking if she was there. Now, Trinetta told the officer that Paige no longer lived there, but it makes sense that they went to Trinetta's home because the address listed on Paige's driver's license was still Trinetta's home home address. The officer asked the obviously concerned mother if she had any idea why the police found Paige's purse full of personal items on the side of the highway. Trinetta said no, it didn't make any sense. The officer asked Trinetta if she could get in touch with Paige as the officer would like to ask her some questions, mainly to make sure that the young woman was all right. Trinetta explained how Paige had recently become distant from the family and how she was very difficult to get a hold of, telling him she didn't really respond to text or even pick up the phone when called. The officer left the purse with Trineta and before leaving, took an incident report to document the situation. Now, Paige's purse was actually recovered by Macedonia police, which is nearby. They gave it to the South Euclid police because of the address listed on the driver's license found inside. This making the situation even more of a big question mark for both police, but more importantly, Paige's family. So now because of this whole weird purse thing, Paige's family is just perplexed and extremely concerned for Paige's well being. It's not good when you can't get a hold of a loved one and, and then police show up at your front door because they found her purse full of personal items on the side of the freeway.

[Captain (Co-host)]

No, that's a very bad sign.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Now, if that wasn't weird enough for you, well, Then check your head, because things are going to go from scary to very strange with the quickness. Because on that same very day, and even though PJ knew Trinetta did not like him one bit, Trinetta receives a text from pj. So PJ is texting Trinetta, and, boy, does he have a story to tell. PJ told her that Paige had shot him in the head.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Say what?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Minutes later, Trinetta receives a photo of PJ's bloodied head. A few minutes go by, and then boom, another photo. This time, he sent her a photo of a handwritten note. It's a note in Paige's handwriting in which she is confessing to shooting PJ in the head. So now the police are involved once again regarding Paige. This is on the same day as the purse incident. The police intervene and ended up putting Paige in the hospital for a psych evaluation because she was completely hysterical. So, Captain, even though we have this note that appears to be Paige's handwriting, a note saying she shot PJ in the head.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

It looks like this whole incident is not so cut and dried. It's more complicated than that and a little confusing to boot. Palava, one of the sergeants told Paige's family that he feared a murder suicide was in the future for these two.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, because these people are so abusive and controlling and they manipulate you, a lot of times you don't feel like there's any way out.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Yeah. And it's not really clear exactly what happened here in this situation. Now, one thing that is fact is PJ actually had bullet fragments in his head. So he was shot, but so was his car. His car was shot up, so he was shot, too. But no one was really for sure who actually fired those shots. The hospital would be a chance for Paige to get away from PJ and out of what is clearly a horrible situation. Even if she did shoot him in the head, which I don't think that he. She did, this is clearly not a good situation for anybody.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

While in the hospital, Paige told her mom that PJ forced her to write the gunshot note at gunpoint. And we know that his car had been shot up. That portion of the story was on the news, and at least one eyewitness confirmed bullet holes on his vehicle. So it looks to me like PJ is in it with somebody else. He's got something else going on here. And he might be using this situation where he's already controlling this young woman who's in a air quotes relationship with him, and he's going to use her as the scapegoat for why he ends up shot, forcing her to write a note at gunpoint.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, this is some wild.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

In April, Paige was released from the hospital. Now, she told her mom that she was trying to get away from PJ and while it is unclear as to the details, it appears that the two eventually reconciled. And unfortunately, within a month, Paige would be gone.

[Captain (Co-host)]

But there are some more interesting events leading up to her disappearance.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

This takes us to Tuesday, April 30, 2019. This is when Paige asked her mother to give her a ride to Oakwood Village. Trinetta did not ask Paige what she was doing there or what she intended to do there, because she knew PJ Lived in that area. Paige knew that her mom did not approve of P.J. s treatment of her and wanted to hear nothing about him. And of course, Trinetta was upset about the choices that Paige was making, and she let Paige know about it. Paige got out of the car and walked away. And that's the last time Trinetta saw her daughter. The next day, Paige texts her mom and asking her to add $30 to a cash app card. After the stay in the hospital, Paige was without a vehicle and without a job. It appears that the only thing she thought she had at that time was P.J. and her mom. Unfortunately, for reasons we won't pretend to understand, it looks like she was choosing PJ and because of this, she is becoming more and more isolated. And this was because PJ Wanted her all to himself. Here's some proof from a series of texts. We found one between her friends that says, quote, paige told me before he took her phone and didn't want her to have a job. He wants to make her life so shorty that she has no choice but to always need him. Yeah, use a real piece of shit. On May 5th, Trinetta got a phone call from a work connection of pages who was trying to get in touch with her. She texted Paige to let her know this, but got no response. Police later told Trinetta that at this time on May 5, they verified that Paige and PJ were staying at a cheap motel in Copley Township near Akron, Ohio.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Hotel. Motel.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

But they got evicted in. And on the 6th, they left the motel.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Police are going to tell Paige's mother, Trineta, that on Monday, May 6, she went to work with P.J.

[Co-host/Commentator]

right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So she's not working at this time. We know that, but PJ Is working. He's a landscaper and, well, she was

[Captain (Co-host)]

working at a boutique.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Not after she got out of the hospital.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, right, but this is another way to control her. Now, she doesn't have her own money. And hey, we know that she loves fashion. We know that she wants to study fashion. What better place to learn about the business than a boutique? Well, separate her from anything that she loves.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So what we do know is that they were together on this Monday, May 6th. Now, the following day, Tuesday, May 7th, police knew that PJ went to see his probation officer for a required check in. They found surveillance footage of Paige and PJ together at a Home Depot in Steelyard Commons. This is a large shopping area in Cleveland. They each purchased something. Records show that Paige bought a candy bar and PJ bought a Snickers and some brake fluid and they left the store together. Unfortunately, there are no surveillance cameras outside of the store that show where Paige and PJ went when they walked out. So no one really knows where they went after that. Or really what happened after that. Police say that Paige's phone pinged that evening. This is May 7, around 6:00pm now, police will not comment on the cell phone activity after that. The obvious inference here, Captain, is twofold for me. One, we know police have all of the cell phone science and information. Which leads us to number two, that they are likely keeping this information hush hush as it's crucial to their investigation and holds evidentiary value.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We have been told from Paige's family that after this, she never contacted her family again. And after the 7th of May, her phone went right to voicemail. She has never posted on social media since then. And law enforcement says that Paige Coffey has not used her Social Security number. She's not used her cash app or card. She's not made any electronic payments. It seems like after this trip to the Home Depot, where we have them both on surveillance footage in the store together, poof, Paige is gone after that.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Do we have a record of what her financial transactions were before then? Did she transfer money to pj?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

I don't believe that she did so.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Or if she did, they're just not reporting it.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Correct. Her family and the police have that information. That's not information that we have. So who is this pj?

[Co-host/Commentator]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Who is this PJ character? We already said his real name is Patrick Samar Mason Jr. And I'm just taking a wild guess here, Captain, but I would be willing to bet all of the beer in the garage fridge that the Mason family are probably very thankful that this guy is not going by his birth name or throwing that last name of Mason around too much. In fact, if they are smart, well then they won't have anything to do with him at all. Don't drop by here on Christmas. Patrick Samar Mason Jr. Or PJ. The doors are closed. Now. This case has received virtually zero media attention and so your boys here in the garage decided to step in. We dug up some background information on PJ because, well, federal court documents are publicly available. In 2020, Patrick Samar Mason Jr. Or PJ was 29 years old. He dropped out of high school after his junior year, but went on to get his GED and even had two semesters of college where he had an overall GPA of 3.0.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Surprisingly.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Apparently he had a psych evaluation at some point and it was determined that, quote, though he has a number of mental health diagnoses, he is not intellectually disabled, end quote. But he has a lengthy criminal history dating back to when he was 17 years old.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Right. So he's mediocre at school, but an overachiever at being a shitbag.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

His juvenile adjudications include a traffic related offense, theft related offenses and failure to comply. He has four prior adult felony convictions involving burglary and robbery. And he has a misdemeanor convictions involving theft, domestic violence and menacing. And to no one's surprise, PJ has been arrested for domestic violence toward the women that he has dated this even prior to Page, but it wasn't just pushing or shoving. Here is what the courts say. He was charged by Cleveland police for aggravated menacing on January 12, 2017. The court record stated domestic violence, high risk and a refer to a psych referral as well. A no contact order was issued in this situation prohibiting PJ from having any contact from or with the victim, or better said, domestic violence survivor. Then on January 26, 2017, PJ was again charged with domestic violence and also unlawful restraint. An arrest warrant was issued and he was arrested on September 16. So it looks like he was on the run for quite some time. PJ was found guilty and received a sentence of 180 days, 166 days suspended, 14 days credit for time served. In other words, all he got was probation.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, slap on the wrist.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

This is surprising and horrifying because PJ already had a record. We found three separate arrests in 2011 in Cuyahoga county for burglary, theft, aggravated theft, aggravated robbery, a firearm was used, and grand theft. He did about 10 months in prison for those charges. He was arrested in the Same county in 2014 for complicity to burglary and obstructing official business. Usually that means, like, during the course of an investigation, he. He may have lied to the police or did something of that nature.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And he did time for those charges as well. Long story short here, Captain, PJ is and was bad news, and Paige was mixed up with him and had been withdrawing from her family and seemingly falling increasingly under PJ's control. She didn't tell her mother the worst of it, but Paige sent electronic messages to one of her friends telling her the things that PJ had done to her. Now, he is not named specifically in these messages, which we viewed, but her friend knew who Paige was talking about in these messages, and the messages say

[Captain (Co-host)]

it was implied because they were obviously in a relationship.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

That's right. And the messages say, I'll read from the transcript here. The friend says, hey, mama. How you been, girly? Paige replies, girl, shitty, but I'm a survivor. Friend says, what's going on? Paige replies, I got a divorce two years ago, jumped into a relationship, got dogged and humiliated, then into another one, where for two years, he nearly killed me. I've been shot at, strangled, stabbed, beat, burnt with milds, raped and embarrassed, and I still tried to stay. I had to ask myself, why just out of that now. So I'm trying to get my shit together. So based off of this here, Captain, it sounds like this is kind of fleshing out what we already knew was a terrible situation. But she's adding some horrific details to that. And it sounds like she thinks that she's out of this relationship at this time when she's having a conversation with her friend.

[Captain (Co-host)]

But that's why it's so hard to leave these abusive situations, because when you think you're out, that's probably the most dangerous time for you.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, and the thing is, we say leave, but we often see in these situations, that person is not allowed to leave. Now, this was not just a case of a domineering boyfriend. This was violent physical abuse. And then after May 7th, Paige seemingly vanished. No one heard from her after that for about a week. Trinetta said she was concerned because it was so unlike her daughter to be completely out of touch for that long. And no call or visit on Mother's Day, May 11. This is when Trinetta really knew something was very, very wrong. Even if Paige was furious at her mother for objecting to the PJ situation, she would have at least called her on Mother's Day if she could. Now, desperate, on May 16, Trinetta called PJ and he told her that he and Paige were not together anymore and he had not seen her in weeks. Now Trinetta knew that this was a lie, so she called PJ's mother, whom PJ sometimes stayed with, and she said that they had not seen Paige in months.

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[Captain (Co-host)]

All right, we are back. Cheers mates.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Cheers to you Captain. Cheers to all the people in the back on May 17, Trinetta went to the Bracknell Police Department and filed a missing persons report with the sergeant on duty. The incident report, dated May 17, 2019, reflects that Trinetta told the sergeant that she had not had any contact with her daughter in more than two weeks and she believed her to be in the company of Patrick Samar Mason Jr. Or PJ. So Bracknell Police took on the case, but noted in the report that there was friction between mother and daughter over the boyfriend. It also notes that Paige is bipolar and may be off of her meds. They asked Trinetta if Paige was depressed and she answered yes at times. This, in my opinion, had a good and unfortunate result. Both good and unfortunate, right? One the good is a missing persons alert for Paige was issued at that time, but it read that she might be in danger because of a change in mental status. This was something that I and her family disagrees with. Even if Paige was struggling mentally, she would not have ever just dropped off of the face of the earth and stopped all contact with them. Then, frustrated about the total void of information about Paige and trying to get information out of PJ, Trinetta had her goddaughter Vanessa call PJ. This call took place on May 20, 2019 at 9:32pm and it was recorded. Now we made a transcript of this conversation as best as we could make it out. It starts off saying, hey, it's Vanessa again. I just got a quick question because we're so worried about her. Where do you see her at the last time you've seen her? PJ's response is left her downtown. Last time I seen her I went to court. I was coming downtown. He seems to be saying that Paige went to court with him. He could not remember which day, whether it was a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We know that it was in Fact that Tuesday. Vanessa then ask, you went to court together? PJ says, no, she. I went to court, though I can't quite make out everything he's saying there. Vanessa then says, because we don't know why she hasn't called or anything. You all get into an argument or something? PJ says, no. And something else, which is inaudible. Vanessa then says, have you checked up on her at all? PJ says, I text her a couple of times. I called her a couple times. He says something else that I can't understand, and then says, changed her number. She was talking a bunch of crazy stuff. Vanessa says, do you know where she could possibly be? She's usually with you all of the time. PJ says, no, she ain't with me. We broke up I don't know how long ago. And then it says something else, which I can't understand. Vanessa then says, and she was downtown question mark. When? Question mark. To which PJ says, Monday or Tuesday. Now, as you can put together, based off of that, PJs basically sticking to his story that he has no idea where Paige is at this time. The family knows that she's missing, and he says that they've broken up and he hasn't seen her in a while or so on, according to his words. This despite the fact that the police have verified that Paige and PJ were together at the hotel, they were together at his work, and they were together at the Home Depot. So this takes place on that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, May 5, through May 7, of 2019. They're together. He claims we're not together. I don't know when it was that I last saw her. Boom. She disappears right after being with him.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, the first red flag is that his memory is so fuzzy, I don't really remember. We broke up a while ago. Not really for sure.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Nine months after Page's disappearance, the FBI and the Bracknell police held a press conference to announce a $5,000 reward in exchange for information about Page's whereabouts. Now, during the conference, the then Bracknell police chief noted that it was unusual for Paige to be out of contact with her family and stated, quote, numerous investigative leads have been conducted, but to date, nothing has led to the location of Page. We strongly believe that someone in this community has a vital piece of information that law enforcement needs. End quote. Despite this seemingly interested involvement by BPD, the chief made it clear that they were not 100% on board with foul play having befallen Paige.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

He said that Paige actually lives in Cleveland and the Bracknell police were just helping out because Paige's grandmother lives in Bracknell.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That's horseshit.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

The FBI was just assisting. He said, for all they know, Page could be sitting on a beach. Actually, his words were, for all they know, Page could be sitting on a sunny beach somewhere. I do want to point out a couple things here before we move on that brat. And all police, if you watch that press conference, and this is very unfortunate, this takes place nine months after she's been missing. So if you. You could believe whatever you want. The day or two after she, no one can get a hold of her. But after nine months has gone by and she's not popped up or not returned to her family, you got to recognize that you're dealing with a serious situation. Now, could she be on a beach? That. I guess that's possible. Does anybody think that? No. So why he bothered to go out of his way to say that seems a little weird. And also saying that they're just helping out because Paige actually lives in Cleveland. Depends on who you talk to if you want to say that the. The hotel where they were staying is where she was living then, I guess. But in all reality, no, she was last living in your community in Bracknell, Ohio.

[Captain (Co-host)]

It's like they don't want to take full responsibility. And I understand law enforcement's. You know, is it possible that she just said, you know what? Life sucks, and I'm going to move away? Sure. But no activity on her bank cards. She has money sitting in a bank, and she's just not going to take any of it out.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, at this same press conference, Paige's aunt was. She speaks right after the chief does and makes it very clear that Paige is not sitting on a sunny beach somewhere. She says, quote, she would never have just walked away from her family and friends. She said all they have is speculation, but they know that something happened to Paige. She said, I've known her her whole 28 years. She would not put family through this. She spoke to her mom all of the time, end quote. Now, Trinetta does not believe that the Bracknell police and the FBI have done nearly enough to try to find her daughter. A detective did acknowledge to her that Paige appeared to have battered woman syndrome. Bracknell's new police chief has been much more helpful and tells Trinetta that the case is being actively worked. And everything I can see, Captain, I'm very confident that this is actively being worked. And a recent tip which is now in the hands of BPD and the FBI came in and says that there's a chance that Paige was trafficked and she's in the San Jose area. This is something that could be true, but I suspect that it's probably not the case. But it is information that has made its way to law enforcement.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, and again, at first, she wasn't reported as an endangered missing. I hope she is now, because if this tip is. Is somewhat true, yeah, she's alive, but she's in a dangerous situation.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And it hurts me to say this because I've met some of her family, and I picturing, you know, I want to have something positive to offer them some light at the end of the tunnel here. But none of the information that we are digging up or that has made its way to law enforcement, none of it is a good result. None of it is anything that anybody wants to hear about one of their loved ones. Now, in regard to the tip that I'm talking about, this could be a good tip, I guess. But again, the information we've uncovered is screaming loud and clear that the answers likely are much closer to home. Because as you will see, the sources of this information are close to home. More importantly, close to Patrick Samar Mason Jr. And that is PJ's sister, who told a cousin that after Paige vanished, PJ torched his GMC truck and got a new one. I mean, that sounds suspicious.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, that's a huge red flag. I mean, why would you set fire to your vehicle? Insurance fraud or maybe to cover up evidence.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, thankfully, the cousin reported this to the police. So the police passed along that information to Trinetta, saying, hey, we're looking for this guy's truck. We've. We've received some credible information that he torched it after your daughter disappeared.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Right.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

He's telling us that he sold it, but can't provide any proof of that. And on top of that, there's no record of the sale of a vehicle with that vin. So the truck is missing, and everybody's looking for this truck.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, you know, his initials shouldn't be pj, they should be bs because this guy is full of bullshit. I mean, he wants to sit there and say, I don't know. Last time I saw her, I haven't seen her for weeks. And then we know that's a lie because he saw her on Sunday and Monday and on Tuesday. And now he's saying, oh, yeah, I sold this vehicle. But there's no proof that he sold the vehicle. Just another bullshit lie.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

This guy's serving up horseshit Sandwiches.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And I'm jumping out of the line, my friend.

[Captain (Co-host)]

They stink.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Stink. In November of 2020, Paige's family received communication from a man named Devon. This is PJ's half brother.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, I'm glad you're bringing this up, because let's be clear. This is PJ. Mr. B asks himself. This is his family coming forward. They know what kind of creep this guy is, and they're coming forward with information. And that's what's going to solve this case, is them coming forward with information. Friends of his, acquaintances of his. This guy has told somebody something.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, and listen to this. This is Devon again, a family member of P.J. s who's reaching out to Paige's family because he's concerned. And he says to the family, I really wish the best for you all. And I really had deep feelings for Paige. And it's still bothering me that no one knows anything about her whereabouts. And then goes on to say, last thing I heard about PJ is he was in Oakwood Jail being held without bond for trying to choke out and smother the girl that he was with most recently. End quote. Let's be clear. This is a relationship that he took on after Paige is missing.

[Captain (Co-host)]

It's not a relationship. It's a relationship.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And he is locked up for now, abusing this person. So this guy's got a history of violence and he's got a history of domestic violence that doesn't seem to end. Now, this information that came forward from the half brother was true. So he was locked up at that time, PJ was. And he found himself in federal court. This again, about nine months after Paige disappeared, PJ was arrested again, but this time with another young woman. And we're going to read from the court record describing this incident, but it's rather interesting, so bear with me here, Captain. And it says, On January 29, 2020, at approximately 2:39pm Officers and detectives of the Willoughby Hills Police Department responded to a call for two people passed out in a vehicle at the Bishop Shell Gas station, located at 2770 Bishop Road and Willoughby Hills, Ohio, which is in Lake County.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, I actually know this area pretty well because I used to play at Willoughby Brewing Company. So shout out to those guys. Great beer, by the way.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

I wish we were sitting there right now. The car in question was parked next to the gas pumps with the engine turned off. Officer Craig Anderson says that he was already on the scene when Officer Mino arrived and was attempting to wake the subjects by yelling into the vehicle. Wake up. Officer Anderson's police cruiser was parked in front of the vehicle. The vehicle. So if these two wake up and decide to take off, they're not going anywhere.

[Captain (Co-host)]

What losers.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Officer Mino says as he approached, he noticed that the windows were fogged up and he could barely make out the outline of the people inside. He could tell that we have a male seated in the passenger seat who slumped to the right, and a female who was in the driver's seat, and she slumped to the left. Neither individual was moving. So using his baton, he's tapping on the window and again yelling into the vehicle. But both occupants remain unconscious and unresponsive. He says that he planned to break the window to gain entry to the vehicle because he believed that the occupants had overdosed on drugs or blacked out from alcohol. They could need medical assistance or died of stupidity. But forced entry ultimately proved unnecessary, as the female in the driver's seat eventually sat up and she seemed to be partially conscious. At the officer's urging, she manages to unlock the door. Eventually, the officer Mino opened the passenger side door. He looked into the vehicle and observed Mason, we know as PJ still unconscious. He says that he was breathing, but was not responsive to efforts to try to wake him. The vehicle omitted a strong smell of alcohol, and Officer Mino observed that Mason's hand was over a black gun holster. Later, the officer testified that this was a red flag that a weapon might be present in the vehicle. And he has heard on the video recording. You know, they're recording this from the. The dash cam is recording this.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Or body.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Body camera is recording this. You can hear the officer sharing his concerns with the others on the scene that we might have a gun in this vehicle. He says that he also noticed ammunition on the floor of the vehicle, as well as an open container of gin located on the console. He continued to try to wake Mason or PJ and administered a sternal rub, which temporarily caused Mason to open his eyes before he fell unresponsive again. With the assistance of emergency medical technicians and the fire department personnel on the scene, the officer removed Mason from the vehicle and a gun dropped from his pants. Officer Mino took Mason to the ground to render aid as he verbally signaled that he had discovered a gun.

[Captain (Co-host)]

This guy, PJ Is beyond a dirt bag.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, whatever he had consumed that day, either the driver, the female driver, she was either unwilling to communicate that to police or. Or just didn't know. So they're able to wake her. They're not able to wake him until they Pull him out and a gun falls out of his pants.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, again, he's controlling and abusive. For all we know, he drugged her.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, once that weapon is secured, Mason is then detained and the officers run his license, where they quickly determine that he had outstanding warrants. So he's under arrest at this time.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Outstanding warrants and carrying a gun.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

The female driver was also arrested and taken into custody as she was believed to be intoxicated and became belligerent and combative with the officers. Because both of the vehicle's occupants were taken into custody. The vehicle was impounded.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, in fairness to her, they did wake her up.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Okay, so PJ is drunk and passed out at a gas station, and when police are able to wake him up, this gun falls from his pants. Smooth move, xlax. But here's the court record of the car's inventory, which I think you'll find interesting. An inventory of the contents of the vehicle and on Mason's person revealed a 30 round magazine, loose rounds of 9 millimeter ammunition, a digital scale, an open bottle of Bombay dry gin, and a gun holster. The weapon was identified as a Taurus model PT111 Millennium G2.9 millimeter caliber pistol, serial number TJP 22624. Special Agent Corey Miles with the ATF is the one that wrote that report and took the inventory of the contents of that vehicle and the items found on Mason on pj. So all of this was super bad for pj, but good for the rest of us. Right, because we're going to lock this dude up. But not because PJ can't handle his liquor and was passed out in public. It was because as a multiple felon, he's prohibited from being in possession of a firearm. So PJ was initially charged in Lake County, Ohio, for what will end up being federal gun charges. And this comes about after they do their due diligence. The police were able to show that the gun PJ was found with had crossed state lines, which gave the Feds jurisdiction over this whole mess because PJ was in violation of laws prohibiting him from possessing a weapon that had been transported via interstate commerce.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, and I believe once the Feds get involved, that you can tack on some years for this crime.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

A federal indictment against PJ was filed on April 22nd. The complaint upshot is that PJ violated federal laws against being a felon in possession of a firearm and also specifically against felons convicted of domestic violence of possessing a firearm. The 2017 conviction for domestic violence served as a predicate offense for count two of the indictment. After his arrest, police searched P.J. s house. According to Trineta, they were looking for information on pages whereabouts as well or looking for items belonging to Paige. Right there they found one of Paige's cell phones. Now investigators question PJ about this, but he's refused to discuss the phone. He's refused to discuss Paige with law enforcement.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, because he's guilty of something.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

At PJ's initial appearance, court appearance, this took place on April 24th. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Now the magistrate judge found that there was sufficient evidence to proceed and the matter was bound over to the grand jury to determine whether there was probable cause to proceed to trial. Although the federal Prosecutor requested that PJ be held without bond, the judge permitted PJ to be released on $20,000 unsecured bond. But there were conditions. PJ had to submit to the supervision of United States Pretrial Services. And he had to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and abide by a curfew that precluded him from leaving his grandparents residence after 6:30pm and before 8am this

[Captain (Co-host)]

guy is a known criminal. This guy is a known liar. You're going to give him any privilege? Shame on you. You know what's going to happen?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, it didn't take long for PJ to violate the conditions of this bond.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Of course not.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Right. And a warrant was issued for his arrest. And according to the status report filed by the pre trial services, it states that on May 18th of 2020, PJ left his home without authorization at 9:02pm this breaking the curfew. And the police were called by his grandparents. Again, kudos to his family for stepping in and alerting the police. Hey, he's. He's not supposed to be out at this time. He's left our home.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Hold on. The family should have spoke up at the trial and said look, you don't set bond for this guy because nobody wants him on their property.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We don't want him at our house.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, why would you want to take the risk of that? He's abusive towards women. He's a liar, He's a scumbag. He's probably the reason why Paige is missing. You don't want this scumbag at your house.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well this is interesting too. And this report also provided that the following day PJ sister and girlfriend went to the Oakwood Village Police Department making separate complaints about pj. His girlfriend reported that PJ strangled her and placed a pillow over her face to prevent her from screaming. PJ's sister reported that he had been calling and threatening her. So he's continuing his dirty deeds, beating up women. And he's also threatening his own family, according to these complaints.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, and that's why every individual that has talked to him or has information about Paige needs to come forward to law enforcement and tell them what they know about the scumbag.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

PJ was taken into custody on May 29. The magistrate judge conducted a hearing to consider whether he should revoke PJ's bond and send him to jail while awaiting trial, or whether he should let PJ stay out on bond. And the judge decided to lock PJ up. Now.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Well, that's common sense, right? Yeah.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

I could read for you, Captain, the paragraphs written by the judge and filed in the court records, but our friends out there in listener land and parts unknown, well, their poor little earballs will get bored and spit out their earbuds. But amongst other things, basically, the judge is confirming what we and the courts seem to already know. Simply put, this chump exhibits a history of violence, and it's not safe to have him anywhere other than locked up. So.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Good.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Like we said, common sense. His bond is revoked, and he is now in the custody of the U.S. marshals.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

PJ filed a motion to reinstate his bond and revoke the magistrate's order, basically appealing the decision. Motion denied. That makes three women, now that we know of whom PJ has strangled or suffocated. Patrick Samar Mason Jr. Is a danger to society and as the captain says, a big piece.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Oh, shit.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And good news. With Mason sitting in the pen waiting for trial, the government didn't waste any time proceeding. At a pretrial hearing, PJ's attorney reported to his client that the government had presented a written proposed plea agreement. There was a lot of wrangling over this, but eventually the government agreed to basically reduce the base offense level charges, resulting in a bit less time for PJ. At a November 12, 2020 hearing, the government announced that it agreed that PJ's base offense level would result in a guideline range of 51 to 63 months prison time. Mason's attorney indicated that with that change, Mason would accept the plea agreement and enter a plea of guilty to count two of the indictment. And count one would be dropped, which is a gift for him.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Again, they shouldn't go lenient on this guy at all. A known abuser of women, a known liar, a known criminal. Give him max time for everything.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And not only that, Captain.

[Co-host/Commentator]

There's.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

There's evidence, there's things suggesting Here that this man is much more guilty of things that he's never even been charged with.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Right?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So that should be all done, right? Well, not quite, because on February 10th of 2021, the court received a letter from PJ's attorney. This is this. This guy. I don't know how he got a 3.0 grade average for those two semesters. Maybe he. Maybe you got points just for showing up or something. Anyway, this letter is requesting that he wants to withdraw his guilty plea. So. Oh, yeah, I plead guilty. I admit that I'm guilty. You give me the sentence, and now I. You know what? I changed my mind. I'm not guilty anymore.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, well, again, it was. It was a mistake to plead down the deal anyways. They should hit him with more charges, right?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So, I mean, basically, this guy's full of it. And the court borrowed my beer goggles and saw right through his bs. Again, request denied.

[Captain (Co-host)]

But it's sad. We all go through this life on our journey, and we're looking for somebody that. That makes us feel good about life, makes us feel good about ourselves. And sometimes these guys get involved with these women, and they're con men, and they talk a good little game, and then they start manipulating them, and they start, like I said, divide and conquer. Separate them from their family. People deserve to be happy. People deserve to be in healthy relationships. If you feel that you're in an abusive relationship. Look, I've never. I've never been in that kind of situation. I wouldn't even know where to begin other than to tell you that you deserve better than this. You deserve to be treated correctly. You deserve to be valued and taken care of. And if you feel like you're in a bad situation, call this number. 1-800-799-safe. That's 1-800-799-safe- and good by you, Captain,

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

for putting that number out there. That is the Domestic Violence support line. If anybody out there listening needs some type of support, do not hesitate to call them. So, in short, Captain, what we have here is PJ is in prison. Thank the Lord. He can't hurt anyone else, at least on the outside.

[Captain (Co-host)]

And he can't pass out at any more gas stations.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And you don't want to pass out in prison, from what I hear. Yeah, but what about Paige? And what about her family? What is her family supposed to do now? Again, the current chief of police at Brattonall says the case is active. Says the case is being worked in a meeting with the FBI agents assigned to the case. Unfortunately, they told her family that Paige is likely deceased. The question is, is anyone working to find her or find out what happened to her is what I want to know. And what about pj? I think there's some other things going on with him. We said that, yes, he was charged by the feds for this gun charge.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

But the FBI is still investigating him and seems to be involved in Paige Coffee's case as well. So what else is going on? Or what else was he up to? We still don't know who shot up PJ's car or how he got shot. And what about his GMC truck that he torched after Page vanished? Has anyone subpoenaed PJ's phone records to see where he was in the hours and days after the Home depot outing on May 7, 2019? Yeah, we. We have pages, cell phone information and law enforcement has that. And again, they're very tight lipped on some of that information that they have. But have they looked into PJ's phone records? That's what you want to look at here. Or have they looked at his employer's records to see if he missed any work after the 7th of May? Will we ever have answers to all of these questions?

[Captain (Co-host)]

Yeah, I'd be very interested to see if they subpoenaed his cell phone records. Not so much for him calling people, but maybe GPS on his phone. And did he go to a field somewhere or a wooded area to possibly dispose of a body? These are serious questions. Or that's what I would be interested to know. If they have received this information. And again, I believe this case will be solved and it'll be by somebody that has talked to pj, whether that's a friend or acquaintance or a family member. He told somebody something because he's a known liar and he. And he's probably lied so much that he can't even stop himself from lying and he's going to get caught in one of those lies.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, and we've already seen some of his family turn in information and pass along information to the proper channels. I feel like we need some more of that family to come forward that, as you pointed out, I think there's somebody out there that knows something. Somebody can fill in some of these blanks here. And again, we've met Paige's family. They're lovely people, they're wonderful people. We wish them the very best. This is not a good situation at all. And there's not a whole lot of hope here, but they deserve to have some answers. Now, Paige is described as 5 foot 8 inches tall, 230 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She has a tattoo of piano keys on her arm. Anyone with any information at all, please please call 216-622-6842.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Update.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We have an update, and it is

[Co-host/Commentator]

not the good kind. Unfortunately, remains were found and they were later determined to be that of Paige Coffey. This is the moment where I have

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

to be a little bit cold.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Right? This is not. I don't think this is a huge surprise to a lot of the listeners out there or persons that have been following this case since 2019 when Paige went missing. In fact, in our reporting, in our earlier reporting, we had told you that there was a meeting that took place more than. On more than one occasion where the FBI met with Paige's family and had told them that they were pretty convinced that she was already dead by that time. This case is a very strange one. Look, they're all strange for any number of reasons. This one seems strange to me because there's something going on with the suspect. And while maybe other news outlets won't call him a suspect, name him a suspect, in this case in particular, he's a suspect.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

He's our suspect.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That's right. And he's the family suspect. And he's truly. If you talk to police and talk to the FBI, which we have, we did several years ago on this case, we've not jumped back into talking to the family or the FBI or police right now for a bunch of reasons. One, the family has asked for privacy. We're going to respect that. They deserve that.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

To the.

[Co-host/Commentator]

If there was a time, if there was that rocket fuel moment for an investigation, it could be now. That's when we have to step back and let them do their thing. And hopefully, you know, Captain, you've seen this dozens of times. Our listeners are well aware of this as well, that sometimes these cases are simply hinging on finding the body. There's. It's very difficult for a prosecutor to bring to trial a no body case. What we seem to have here is a good understanding that this man, P.J. as we referred to him, was, was

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

violent toward Paige Coffey before she disappeared.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And it appears he is one of the last known people to be in her presence before she goes missing.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Yeah, and Paige has been missing for seven years. And so sometimes this is the only answer that the family cares about, especially if you've been screaming to law enforcement and to the public that your daughter would not just walk away and start a new life. We've seen in many cases where the family is saying, hey, come forward with an. Any information, help us find our loved one, and we're not even going to pursue pressing charges.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Yeah. Let's get into some of the details

[Co-host/Commentator]

here of this Update. So on April 29th, the update finally came in, one that many people in and around Cleveland had been waiting years to hear, even as they feared what it truly might mean. Investigators confirmed that skeletal remains found on April 17 in an abandoned house in Cleveland belong to that of Paige Coffey, the woman whose disappearance had haunted her family and friends in the broader community since the year of 2019. The remains had been discovered in a house in the 3800 block of East 142nd Street. For days, the fine sat at the center of. Of careful work, of careful forensic work. And behind the scenes, they were working these methodical steps to figure out who they had found. And the family. Paige's family, unfortunately, already had lived through years of uncertainty. Now they were facing the possibility that the search had reached its end. Late last month, the Cuyahoga county medical examiner, using DNA to identify the remains, confirmed that it was, in fact, Paige Coffey. The announcement brought answers. It answers the question, where is she? That was a big part of this mystery. But another question remains. What happened to her? While we have the answer of where she was found, we don't get any answers as to look. This grim discovery changes everything, or at least the direction of things as far as the investigation, where the investigation sits. But when detectives and forensic teams responded to that house on East 142nd street, they don't have immediate clarity. I don't. We. We would like to know, was this a scenario where something was found and

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

called in, or was there suspicion or

[Co-host/Commentator]

reason for them to go to this location in relation to Page's open case? But even after this DNA identification, officials said the cause and manner of death were still under investigation. No additional details that I could find were released at that time. Things like, how long were the remains? Had they been there? What were the circumstances that led to her death? What were the circumstances that led to finding these remains? And while authorities did not announce an arrest or a clear narrative of what happened, what they did say directly and repeatedly, was that this investigation is continuing well.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

And sometimes law enforcement gets lucky. A body is found and then a confession comes afterwards.

[Co-host/Commentator]

This the suspect here, Patrick Samar Mason Jr. Or PJ as many folks that

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

know him call him that.

[Co-host/Commentator]

He has spoke to police. He has done interviews with the FBI. He's been locked up on and off again before this happened and after Paige disappeared. The part that's weird about this is Bratnell Police Department. Look, sorry to bring up open up old wounds here, but they weren't so interested when Paige was first reported missing to them. And, and then the FBI gets involved, the media gets involved, then Bratton, all police all of a sudden are interested.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Fine.

[Co-host/Commentator]

I'd rather you be late than not

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

show up at all.

[Co-host/Commentator]

So they did show up and they've done good work since then, so I'll give you that. But something the, the FBI is the, I think almost like the puppet master here in this investigation. There's something going on or something that they suspect him of. We know that he had federal gun charges. We talk that at length in our original coverage. I'm almost suspicious that there's more that they think that he's involved in than just Paige Coffey's murder possibly.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Or we have these federal gun charges and we know that he might be linked to this murder investigation. And so if you're, if you're the FBI, you want to finish the job. You want to put a period at the end of the sentence.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And as we said, while, you know, investigators continue to work this case, Paige's family, they received the confirmation first. So they police did this the right way. Contact the family before you make the public announcement. Her family has asked for space in a statement that they shared with the group Cleveland Missing, which is actually how we met Paige's family right through Cleveland Missing. Her family described the loss as too fresh and they kept their words brief. They thanked the people who searched and the media outlets that continue to tell Paige's story. And as we said, this is a local police matter. But also the FBI has been involved in this case in some form or fashion for a very long time now. Some, a little more behind the scenes stuff here. Garage behind the scenes stuff. We met Paige's family at Missing Cleveland and this would have been in mid to late 2021, and immediately took a liking to her family and wanted to tell the story and at first didn't know that there was more beneath the surface to the story other than at the time. There was, there were some very, what

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

you would call a news brief, several

[Co-host/Commentator]

news briefs on this case that were 32nd read, a 62nd read. But when we really started getting to the heart of the matter, maybe that's not a great term, but when we got down to what was really going on in Paige's life around the time and leading up to her disappearance, it all centers around this PJ character, who is very violent, was very violent toward her, according to what she told family and friends.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

What.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

You know, one part that we chose to.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

We.

[Co-host/Commentator]

We left out some of the things that she has told her family. We didn't need to pile it on.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

I'm pretty sure that we left this

[Co-host/Commentator]

portion out that we talked, but we talked a lot about the abuse that she said she had endured over the years, being with this individual, that she had told some of her family.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

She was a little more reluctant to

[Co-host/Commentator]

share this with family than she would be friends. I think that maybe that's a natural. Kind of a natural thing. You get embarrassed when you try. When you tell your family that you're going through this, and.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

And, well, you can get embarrassed, but you can also not want the pressure. Yeah, you're in a very difficult situation, maybe one that you're fearful. And then if you have your family constantly telling you, I don't. I don't want to hear about this guy. I don't want to hear about what he's doing to you. We just want you out of this situation.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Well, and Paige was smart.

[Co-host/Commentator]

She was tough, and I don't think she wanted her family to see her as a victim, which she truly was. Look, it's been reported that she had some mental health issues, some struggles there. I'm a big believer, having reviewed her. Her case and this story and talking with her family. Her family didn't say this to me. I want to be perfectly clear about this. This is my own suspicion. I think she may.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

There.

[Co-host/Commentator]

There may have been a touch of

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

this, but, you know, you and I

[Co-host/Commentator]

live in this world, and we. We try to not shy away from mental health issues. And I firmly believe, Captain, that the trauma in the violence that this guy

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

was putting her through took whatever she

[Co-host/Commentator]

thought she had or may have had. And it just exacerbated that to the. To the point where she was having obvious.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Obvious problems.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And I think it all stems from. Look, you can't be treated that way. You can't be treated that way, and you can't be victimized like that time and time again. And I think. And she was afraid for a very long time. This man isolated her, kept her away from her family, wouldn't let her work, kept and managed to break down communication between her and her family and her and her friends.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

And, yeah, that's what they try to do. They try to divide and conquer.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And this was truly hearsay. Well, actually, it's not truly hearsay, because we do have one of the witnesses.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

But I think I can't go back five years ago and tell you why

[Co-host/Commentator]

we left this portion out. But there was a story that her mother had relayed to us where she had to go pick up Paige. And this was after an altercation between her and PJ that went down somewhere in Shaker Heights. She says when Paige got into her car, she reeked of gasoline. Like, as in gasoline poured on her body or on her body. And she wouldn't talk about what it happened, you know, but we know that she. She did at one point tell her mother that.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

That PJ on one occasion had strangled

[Co-host/Commentator]

her to the point of unconsciousness. We talked extensively in our episode about guns in the relationship and that one officer telling the family that he feared. This was a seasoned officer telling the her family that he was. Look, these guys and these men and women on the police force, they respond time and time again to domestic situations.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And he said, I see the road that this is going down. This, this ends in a murder, suicide,

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

or, you know, if you're just a giant piece of. You're not killing yourself. Right, but, but, but the thing here is we've been doing this for 10 years. The amount of missing person cases that they, they treat as runaways and this idea that so many people are just going missing to start a new life, it's a very small percent of the people going missing. A higher percentage is foul play. And, and that's how these cases need to be treated. So we're not sitting here seven years later trying to find answers.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And I, I guess I just don't get it. And everybody has a boss, so maybe if the problem starts at the top, then every part of the outfits a problem.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Every now and then you have to tell your boss to fuck off.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And every now and then you just,

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

you go rogue a little bit.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Maybe I got too much GI Joe in me. But look, Bracknell is not a crime ridden area. It's not overwhelmed with violent crime to

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

the point that you get a call like this.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Look, you signed up to help people, but you, you also signed up for moments where you can try to save someone where, where you get the opportunity to save someone. And this was an opportunity that was missed. Now, in fairness to brat and all police, it does look to be that I think she was missing and something bad had already happened to her many days before the time she was actually reported missing. And because of the way that this man was isolating this young woman and keeping her from her family is all part of the equation here. They didn't know she was missing because they had gotten used to not hearing from her because he was not allowing her to do so. They were aware of this shitty relationship that she was in and that she couldn't get away from this guy. And it was only when the stuff truly hit the fan that they went and reported her missing.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So she's.

[Co-host/Commentator]

When you look up this case, the first thing you're going to see is that she's been missing since May 17, 2019, when in all actuality, the last two times that we have positive identification of her being alive and well is on May 6 and May 7. And in both of those occasions. On both of those occasions, she's in the company of who? PJ. On the 6th, she's at work with PJ. And on the 7th, they are seen on surveillance footage together at the Steelyard Commons.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

There's a.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Leaving the Home Depot there. The two went in, each purchased a candy bar.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And I.

[Co-host/Commentator]

And one other item. I can't recall what it was like washer fluid or something of that nature, but they were seen.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Unfortunately, there was no surveillance footage in

[Co-host/Commentator]

the parking lot at that time in that. That Home Depot. So they couldn't find what, you know, no direction as to where the vehicle that they were traveling in went or what vehicle they were traveling in. So truly, she was missing since the 7th, as far as we can find on our timeline.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

And, but, and we had said this

[Co-host/Commentator]

before, and I hope that this was done. This guy's got a record. He had a record in 2019. No, and even though, that there, Even though the trail. There's a big gap in your trail here of 10 days between the last time she's seen and when she's reported. Reported missing.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We had said, I hope that they

[Co-host/Commentator]

had subpoenaed his cell phone records just to see the movement of his phone, because her phone magically is not available after that night. Can you put his phone in this location where those remains were eventually found?

[Captain (Co-host)]

Probably.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Or you could put it. You know, is there a time period that his phone goes offline? But look, it's. It's. It's a pathetic situation. Somebody goes missing. She's been reported missing. Yes, there might be a time g gap, but when you have evidence of verbal threats and then you have evidence of physical abuse, and if he is strangling her or he's putting gasoline on

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

her, putting a gun to her head, this.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

This is attempted murder.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

So what are we. What are we doing here?

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

It's. It's look, it's to even suggest the

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

idea that she might have walked away.

[Captain (Co-host)]

Come on.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Right?

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Let's get a, get a freaking brain.

[Co-host/Commentator]

I do want to thank her family, Paige's family, for talking with us back in 2021 and giving us some of the details that were not available in the news so that we could tell the story in an effort to hope, hope to provide some kind of help the best we could. And some of you know that after meeting lovely members of Paige's family at the event in Cleveland in mid to late 2021, we took the case to our friends at Abjack Entertainment, longtime friends of the Garage, Jess Bettencourt and Mike Morford. We did our episode December 7, 2021. Missing persons, their great podcast, did an episode on this case the same week that was a coordinated effort to really get this story out there, sort of a podcast version of a media blast.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

We were just trying to put all

[Co-host/Commentator]

hands on deck and tell the story. And we know what a fine job Jess and Mike do at Missing Persons, so we got them involved immediately. So thank you for their help. They may be running an update on this here shortly. I don't know. I've yet to talk to Mike and Jess, but shout out to both of them. Again, this case is, is still open. It's a newer case, which I often think that that can be a little more hopeful than some of these long cold cases. Yeah, police and authorities are still asking for public, for the public assistance on this case. More information. Look, this PJ guy, a lot of people knew him. They, they had a big group that they hung around on and off. Again, somebody absolutely knows something. This guy's too dumb not to talk.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

So please, please, please, again, jet fuel on this investigation.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Hopefully be a part of that. If you have some information, if you know something, I hope that this reaches your earballs and you decide to do the right thing. Tips can be provided to the FBI Cleveland office at 216-522-1400. There's also crime Stoppers that remains an option as well at 216-252-7468. And again, this case is ongoing and we're hoping that this is just the first. While this is not the answer that anybody was hoping for, we hope that this is the first answer in a series of answers that will bring this to a close and that we can get justice for this young woman.

[Legal/Crime Analyst]

Want to thank everybody for joining us here in the garage. Thanks for telling your mother. Thanks for telling your brother for everything. True crime. Check out truecrimegarage.com and make sure you

[Co-host/Commentator]

subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Join us back here in the garage for another true crime story. And until then, be good, be kind, and don't live.

[Nick (Host of True Crime Garage)]

Sa.