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- [00:00]
Payne Lindsey
Foreign you're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast.
- [00:10]
Maggie Freeling
Hey, it's Maggie. Whether you're a new or loyal up and Vanish Weekly listener, we suspect you like to unpack missing persons cases, unsolved murders and wrongful convictions. Which is why we highly recommend the brand new podcast Spotlight Snitch City. From the Boston Globe's award winning Spotlight team, Snitch City brings you inside the secret world of police informants through one small city at the forefront of America's drug New Bedford, Massachusetts. Over the last two decades, the 250 member New Bedford Police Department has been the poster child for informant misconduct, lies, deception, cover ups of COVID ups, and in the last few years alone, officers have fabricated tips, carried on sexual relationships with informants, and even coaxed them to lie in court. Featuring never before told cases, Snitch City investigates how officers have exploited the secrecy of the informant system to enrich themselves, break laws, protect drug dealers and attack perceived enemies, all with impunity. Tune in before the whistle is blown. Follow Spotlight Snitch City on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.
- [01:32]
Kristen Seavey
Up and Vanish Weekly is released every Wednesday and brought to you absolutely free, but for one week early access and ad free listening. Subscribe to Tenderfoot Plus@Tenderfoot Plus.com or on Apple Podcasts. If you're already a subscriber. Thank you for your support.
- [01:50]
Maggie Freeling
This podcast discusses mature and sensitive content, including descriptions of violence that may be triggering for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
- [02:06]
Narrator
It's the week of spring break 1999. 21 year old Tony Torres, a junior at Framingham University, which lies on the outskirts of Boston, is home enjoying a time of relaxation with his family. The Torres household is very close knit, so it's not unusual for Tony, a typical college aged young adult, to make the roughly three hour drive to Denmark, Maine. In fact, it's something he does on a regular basis. One evening a news story flashes across the television highlighting coverage of the recent death of a young girl named Ashley Oled. Ashley's body was found abandoned on a rural road in the nearby town of Scarborough. Ever since the discovery, her death has been the talk of the town. As a somber tone fills the air, Tony grows increasingly restless. And then, turning to his father, he offers up a shocking confession. I know who killed her, he says. Tony's father, Narciso, is caught off guard by his son's admission. At first impulse, he begins to fear what this could mean for Tony. As he begins to process this revelation, Narciso tells Tony he has two tell the police or keep quiet. He knows that even in a small town like Denmark, secrets like this come with a cost. Sadly, this would prove to be true when, just three months later, Narciso's apprehension would take on a grim new reality. In the early morning hours of May 21, Tony Torres would vanish, never to be seen again. In the aftermath, the details authorities have gathered paint a very concerning picture. With two serious crimes remaining unsolved in this small country town, residents have been left to speculate. Could these cases somehow be linked? And could Tony have held a secret that ultimately cost him his life? From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, this is up and Vanish Weekly with Payne Lindsay and Maggie Freelink.
- [05:03]
Maggie Freeling
Hey, y'all. Welcome back to up and Vanish Weekly. I'm Maggie Freeling. Today we're discussing the disappearance of Angel Torres, who usually went by the name Tony. Tony was just a young kid in college when he mysteriously vanished one morning in the spring of 1999. He took a bus ride home from his school in Massachusetts back to his hometown in Maine, never telling his loved ones he was around. And then he vanished. Very little is known about his disappearance, and those who were with him in his final moments have yet to provide authorities with helpful leads. So joining me to talk about Tony's case is Kristen Seavey, a model, actress, and host of Murder She Told podcast, which focuses on Maine and New England true crime and unsolved mysteries, specifically advocating for victims and their families. Kristin, thank you for joining me today to talk about Tony's disappearance. Can you tell me a bit about why you wanted to cover this case?
- [06:03]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah. So I don't often hear Maine or other states in New England on big shows, and there's just so many cases that really need attention.
- [06:12]
Maggie Freeling
Your desire to focus on the families separated you from the rest of the podcasts out there about missing and murdered people. I liked that you gathered your own information about who Tony was and what the family is doing.
- [06:25]
Kristen Seavey
Even when I don't work with the family, like, I try to really gather as much information as I can and paint, like, a portrait of who that person was and not just like the surface level. Like, they lit up a room and they, you know, had a lot of friends and they were funny, but just like the stuff that kind of makes them human at their core. I really feel like those are the things that we need to lead with when telling stories about people who are affected by crime. But I do think that conversations like this are important so that we can, you know, move forward and learn for the future and give cases that need attention, more equal attention.
- [07:03]
Maggie Freeling
It's just so frustrating. There are so many cases that need attention, but so few of them get that attention to help increase awareness, you know. So, Kristen, from your episode on Tony, I know the Torres family was very close and Tony's parents played a huge role in his life. And from what you documented when Tony was very young, the family went through a pretty significant transition which would unknowingly have some potential crossover into his disappearance. Here's Rob with more on this.
- [07:37]
Narrator
New York city in the 1980s is a sight to behold. It's a worldwide destination, a melting pot of cultures with a bustling nightlife. But despite all its appeal, the glamour of the city that never sleeps is becoming overshadowed by the scourge of rising crime and drug epidemics. A city that has historically offered promise and opportunity is now coming to terms with its rapidly declining reputation. It's a growing problem that citizens can't turn a blind eye to any longer. Against this backdrop, Narciso and Ramona Torres are navigating the struggles of life in the Big Apple. The couple is from Puerto Rico and seeking to make a better life for their young, growing family. Coming to terms with the hardships of life in a large city, the couple set their eyes on a new horizon, planning to put down roots in rural Maine. One thing is certain. Denmark, Maine, is a stark contrast to New York City. The small town, roughly 130 miles outside of Boston boasts a population of less than 1,000 residents. And a Latino family like the Torres's will inevitably trade the familiarity that comes with living in a highly diverse city for the tranquility of small town life. But over time, their sons, Luis and his younger brother angel, who goes by Tony, find ways to adjust to the new environment. Tony is popular and has a larger than life personality. He's social, smart, athletic. He excels in school and manages to stay out of trouble. But the older Tony gets, the more he begins to spread his wings, a common ritual for many during maturity. But in tandem with their son's growing independence, Narciso and Ramona will ultimately learn that the snares and vices of a large metropolis can still find a hold even in rural Maine.
- [09:55]
Maggie Freeling
So I found the storyline about the family's move to Maine and why they moved to Maine to be really interesting, especially because it does end up playing a big role in Tony's disappearance. But first, let's talk about Tony. So what stood out to you about him?
- [10:12]
Kristen Seavey
I think Tony was just at his core, a really likable guy. That just got along with a lot of people. He fit in regardless of, you know, the fact that he probably stuck out like a sore thumb in Maine.
- [10:24]
Maggie Freeling
We'll talk about that. So he's Puerto Rican? Yeah, came from New York. What are the demographics of Maine, particularly Denmark, Maine?
- [10:31]
Kristen Seavey
Small town Maine is. Everybody knows everyone, and everyone knows everyone's, you know, grandparents and great grandparents. And it's just kind of this connected web. Maine is very, very white. Um, it is. I don't know the exact number, but it's like 98% white. So somebody like Tony would have stuck out like a sore thumb. But I. I don't think that he had a hard time making friends. I think that, you know, he was. He was likable. He liked to play basketball. He was active. He, I think, got involved with stuff. Um, so I feel like he fit in.
- [11:08]
Maggie Freeling
Can you tell me a bit just about his family life? Like, who were his parents? Why did they move to Maine?
- [11:14]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah. So in 1985, Ramona and Narciso decided that they were fed up with all of the crime and stuff that was happening in New York. And, I mean, New York in the 80s was a pretty rough period. So they decided to move to this tiny town in Maine to get away from the crime. I think that the Torres family was really family oriented, and I think that Tony is no exception to that. I think that you have this family that moved to a tiny town. I'm sure there was a little bit of culture shock there, and they're also trying to bring some of their culture with them. You know, Tony loved food. That was something that he liked to share with his friends and share with his family. And I think that that was something that they kind of gathered around.
- [11:55]
Maggie Freeling
So he goes to school in Massachusetts. He studies business, psychology and Spanish, and he wanted to help underprivileged children. What else do you know about that? I mean, that's pretty admirable.
- [12:08]
Kristen Seavey
I think that says a lot about his character, too, you know, like that the fact that he wants to work with kids and who are underprivileged, I think says a lot about his character.
- [12:18]
Maggie Freeling
He was pretty close with his parents as well. He traveled a lot from Massachusetts to go visit them once he went to college.
- [12:25]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, I think that he would come up quite often. I think family is like this really important core value that he holds. And he visits his mom and dad and family just pretty frequently.
- [12:38]
Maggie Freeling
So at college, Tony partied. He's a normal college kid. We're talking about 1999. So no cell phones.
- [12:47]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, he's just partying.
- [12:48]
Maggie Freeling
Probably had a beeper or something. And he's a drug dealer. We find out what do you know about the extent that he's selling, dealing, doing drugs kind of in that scene.
- [12:58]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah. So I'm under the impression that Tony really wasn't a big time dealer. And Lieutenant Grib of the Maine State Police who worked on this case a while back even told the Boston Globe as much. He said that Tony was basically just selling to his friends to make some extra money kind of thing, just really small time deal. And I feel like this is probably a situation where, you know, he's coming from a more urban area in Framingham and he's got friends down there. They probably know that he comes up to Maine often and just offered him a way to make a little extra money. That being said, I don't think it was something that his family knew about. So that is something that he's likely hiding from them. Right.
- [13:37]
Maggie Freeling
It kind of sounds like they're a bunch of college kids just maybe smoking weed, doing some party drugs. More on this case after a quick break.
- [13:48]
Narrator
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- [14:48]
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- [15:20]
Maggie Freeling
All right, we're back. So we start to see that it's through this party scene in rural Maine that there is an interesting connection between Tony and and this young girl named Ashley Ollette. Ashley is tragically killed and the circumstances around her death are really suspicious, which as we'll see, may also have a direct connection to Tony's disappearance. So let's briefly talk about Ashley's death. Here's Rob.
- [15:55]
Narrator
The unsolved death of Ashley Olette still sits heavy on the shoulders of Scarborough, Maine, a grim reminder that tragedy can strike even the most tranquil of places. Her family remembers her as a social butterfly, self assured, with an underlying innocence in striking similarity to Tony. Ashley was popular, outgoing and she loved her family unconditionally. She was always smiling, something that captured the attention of her peers. And in another parallel narrative, as she began to mature, Ashley likewise started to express typical teenage rebellion. And this too would tragically set the scene for her untimely death. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 10, 1999, Ashley's remains were discovered on a dark two lane country road around 4:00am Mike Lopez and his mother were braving the bitter northeastern winter as they made their way down the snow covered path. As he glanced out the car window at the snow covered landscape, Mike remembers the shock of what they stumbled upon. He would later go on record as saying, we turned around and there was this girl lying face down in the road. She was blue and she had blood around her mouth. My initial thought was somebody had been hit by a car, but she was placed so perfectly. Her hands were right by her side, legs straight, toes pointing down. Her autopsy would reveal that Ashley, just 15, had been strangled, her lifeless body discarded in the unforgiving terrain for a complete stranger to discover. Decades later, her murder remains unsolved. Yet the circumstances around her death have been the source of growing unrest. On the Evening of Tuesday, February 10, Ashley spent the night at a friend's, but just a mile away from her own home. Her mother never knew that this sleepover would ultimately become an unsupervised party with underage drinking. Eventually, Ashley made her way to the home of a classmate. She was met at the door around 12:30am and she stated that she had a fight with her parents and needed a place to stay. Her hope was that she would be able to see her classmate's brother, who she had a crush on. Little is known about what happened from the time she stepped foot into the home, but several people were confirmed to have been with Ashley in the hours around her death, including a young man named Jason Carney, who went by Jay in the wake of her murder. A myriad of evidence has been gathered, yet no charges have ever been filed. Authorities believe the group of friends that were with Ashley that night knows more than they're telling. A group which shares a peculiar link to Tony Torres, leading many to wonder how deep the ties may go between the two cases. It's an unresolved mystery that is yet to be explained.
- [19:37]
Maggie Freeling
So it might seem strange to shift focus to Ashley Ollette when we're talking about the disappearance of Tony. But as you mentioned in your episode, there's a reason for this.
- [19:47]
Kristen Seavey
The two cases of Ashley Olette and Toni Torres kind of go hand in hand, like they've been paired together. There is a possible legit connection to each other. My episode on Tony came out in early of 2021, and I think that was the first podcast episode, at least that I could find, that exclusively covered Tony's case as its own story. Everything that I found up to that point felt like it was Ashley's story, and he was just a footnote on her story. And Tony deserves to be more than a footnote on somebody else's story. And I. I also want to say that, like, by comparing the cases, I don't want to take away from the fact that Ashley's case is also still unsolved and deserves attention.
- [20:32]
Maggie Freeling
Tell me about Ashley.
- [20:33]
Kristen Seavey
So Ashley was 15 years old, and she went to Thornton Academy in Saco. She was just a typical teenager. Like, she liked boys, she liked attention. She wanted to make sure that her hair looked good, stuff like that. She was kind of struggling in school. I think she was trying to find her footing. She had some behavioral issues, and I think that she was trying to find her footing and get back on the right track.
- [20:56]
Maggie Freeling
So there is a potential link between the disappearance of Tony and the murder of Ashley Ollette.
- [21:04]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah.
- [21:05]
Maggie Freeling
The connection is they're both last seen with Jay. Who is Jay? What do we know about him?
- [21:12]
Kristen Seavey
I think Jay was just like a. A party guy known in the area. Like, he went to school around the, like, Biddeford area. He was friends with Ashley, and Ashley was kind of in this circle of friends as well. And I think Tony got in that circle of friends. Like, growing up in Maine, you know other people at other schools. So even though Tony went to Bonnie Eagle High School and, you know, Ashley went to school in Saco, like, all of these people probably hung out at the same parties.
- [21:42]
Maggie Freeling
So high school kids would just kind of know each other from around, just going to the same kind of places. Even though there's no MySpace, no Facebook, nothing like that.
- [21:50]
Kristen Seavey
I mean, just, like, from experience, like, you know, people at other schools, you're going to parties where there's, you know, other kids from this school and that town school and, you know, three towns over. Like, that's just kind of the way it went. Um, and they went to high school before me. But I'm. I'm just going to assume that it's probably a similar situation where there's just a lot of crossover.
- [22:12]
Maggie Freeling
What was the circumstance that Ashley is last seen with Jay?
- [22:16]
Kristen Seavey
So what we know of for sure is that the night that Ashley was killed, she went to a party at her friend's house. She went to the Sanborn Brothers house. There's two brothers, and Jay stopped at this party. So he was definitely last seen with her at the party that they were at. The Sanborn house was the last place that Ashley was seen alive. So they went in, you know, with crime scene unit and did all of the testing and, you know, processed the full crime scene and then interviewed the brothers. And from what I've read, it seems like one of the brothers was about to tell exactly what happened. And then his mother, which, you know, rightfully so, he is a minor, I do want to point that out, stepped in and got a lawyer and did not talk after that.
- [23:07]
Maggie Freeling
And you talking about how everyone knew everyone, I'm starting to think, like, is it that weird that Tony would know Ashley? At first I was thinking, like, oh, wow, this is totally connected. But now I'm like, well, it is.
- [23:19]
Kristen Seavey
A small town, so it is a weird connection. But when you break down, like, who is around them, it's really not because, like, these schools are only about 30 minutes apart, which Denmark is a little bit further away from Bonnie Eagle. But I do know that he went to Bonnie Eagle High School. And there's a lot of crossover in social circles. So Ashley has a crush on one of the Sanborn brothers, and Tony's hanging out with the Sanborn brothers and. And Jay, like, all of these people just know each other.
- [23:49]
Maggie Freeling
In March 1999, Tony goes home for spring break, and he's spending time with his family. Ashley had just been found murdered in February, and it comes up on the news and he mentions in front of his parents, I know who killed her. And Tony's dad said, go to the police or keep your mouth shut. Be careful who you talk to about this. And then shortly after, Tony is missing.
- [24:19]
Kristen Seavey
I mean, this, what he told his dad was, is pretty striking, you know, and then the fact that he went missing after, like, just kind of adds to that. We really only have Tony's dad's word to go off of. But, I mean, he has no reason to lie about what Tony told him. And then it just bolsters the fact that all of these people are in the same circles.
- [24:39]
Maggie Freeling
I. You know, in a couple months, a disappearance, possibly a murder, and a murder happen in Maine, in this particular area where this does not happen. You know, it's like lightning doesn't strike twice. Like, they must be connected. Right.
- [24:53]
Kristen Seavey
I just. I don't think that coincidences like that are actually coincidences. It's just too perfect.
- [25:00]
Maggie Freeling
So, Kristen, why do you think that Ashley's case happened exact same time as Tony has got so much more coverage than Tony did?
- [25:11]
Kristen Seavey
I think that Ashley has a lot of things that the media loves, like, she's cute, she's a young teen. There are some salacious elements to her case. And there's also a body. So there's all. There's more to report on with the media when there's a body versus a disappearance. And meanwhile, Tony, he's an adult. He's not from Maine. Being from away means that you weren't born and raised in Maine. And I do think that there's a little bit of bias with that. And Tony was from away. He wasn't a born and raised Mainer.
- [25:47]
Maggie Freeling
Mm.
- [25:48]
Kristen Seavey
He's not one of us, exactly, but he is, like, he doesn't have any memories probably of New York City. He grew up in Maine, so he is a Mainer. I think, just like the. The media and probably the public, I think looking at somebody from away, it might. It might make a difference. Maybe not as much now, but I think back then, like, now there's a lot of people that have come up, you know, with like, the pandemic and stuff like that. But I think back then you didn't see as much of that. And I think, too, like, when there's a drug angle, that that's what people kind of walk away with. And, you know, there. There's other episodes where people have been involved with drugs, and I'm like, I want people to see, like, the human side of it because I want them to be able to connect with that and not just be like, oh, he was involved with drugs. Like, obviously something happened to him.
- [26:38]
Maggie Freeling
Which is crazy because reading about Ashley, I mean, her case seems very much drug involved as well. In some way.
- [26:45]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, I mean, you know, she was also, like, into the party scene. She was a young teen. Like, a lot of teens kind of dabble in that kind of stuff. But I think it's just the way that we, like, frame it is kind of what, something to think about.
- [27:01]
Maggie Freeling
Absolutely. That's. That's the part about the body, too. That was what struck me more, was like, there's something to grasp onto.
- [27:10]
Kristen Seavey
Right.
- [27:11]
Maggie Freeling
It's like, oh, my gosh, we know this person was murdered. We have to solve this. Whereas, like, there still could be people that believe Tony is just off on his own and there's less. Less to grasp onto.
- [27:22]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, it was a short life, but she made obviously big impressions on a lot of people. You think about what could have been. You can't always be that way. But you can't help it.
- [27:38]
Maggie Freeling
You're a mother.
- [27:39]
Kristen Seavey
You've got somebody out there who's still out there today. And it's not just my case. It's other cases.
- [27:50]
Maggie Freeling
More on our case after this. You're listening to up and Vanish Weekly.
- [27:56]
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- [28:29]
Payne Lindsey
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- [30:20]
Maggie Freeling
And now here's John with this week's critical missing case.
- [30:25]
Kristen Seavey
On Wednesday, February 12th of 2025, 22 year old Nicholas Castelluccio went missing from the Camden, New Jersey area. Nicholas, who also goes by Nick, was staying at his grandmother's house in Westchester, Pennsylvania, but he left her residence on Wednesday, January 22. Now he was reportedly treated at a hospital in Camden, New Jersey on February 12th. It's not reported what the nature of the treatment was, but it's believed that Nick had been traveling on foot. Nick is of Caucasian ethnicity and he has a height of 5 foot 11 inches and a weight of 170 pounds. He has thick curly medium brown hair with longer curls on the top of his head and that hang down over his forehead with a shorter cut on the back and sides. Nick wears dark brown wire rimmed glasses and sometimes he has medium to dark brown facial hair and also black painted fingernails. Now Nick has several identifying marks including a birthmark below his left eye, a mole on the right side of his neck, and some scarring around his right wrist and forearm from a previous injury. Nick was last seen wearing a bright turquoise North Face brand puffer jacket, an all black baseball cap and white Nike Air Force One sneakers. Now listeners, Nick's family has not had any contact with him since he left his grandmother's house. So if you know any information about his disappearance, please contact the Aston Township Police at 610-497-2633 and you can reference case number Alpha Tango 2500603.
- [32:10]
Maggie Freeling
All right, now back to our case. To explain the possible link between Ashley's death and Tony's disappearance, we have to understand what was happening in Tony's life leading up to when he lost contact with his loved ones. Here's Rob with how details on everything unfolded.
- [32:33]
Narrator
After confiding in his father over spring break, Tony returned to school in Massachusetts and tried to settle back into a normal rhythm. He started working a summer job as a waiter and was making arrangements to move into a new apartment with his girlfriend, Beth. Despite a conscience burdened with a devastating secret, his life seemed bright and full of hope. On Wednesday, May 19, Tony called his parents to wish them a happy anniversary. During their conversation, he explained that he and Beth were finishing their move, but he'd call them again in a few days once their landline was set up. But just days later, Tony's mother would learn some troubling news that would change her life forever. On Saturday, May 22, Tony's girlfriend Beth called Ramona, asking if she'd seen or heard from Tony. Beth said on Wednesday, May 19, the day of Narciso and Ramona's anniversary, Tony had made arrangements to head home to Maine. She explained that she had dropped him off at the bus station but had since lost touch with him. The family hadn't seen or heard from Tony since his call several days earlier, so they immediately contacted police and filed a missing persons report. As authorities began the search for Tony, they started with those closest to him, and what they discovered would lead them to believe that Tony may be in imminent danger. They would soon confirm that on Wednesday, May 19 and Thursday, May 20, Tony spent the night at his friend Jason Carney's house. Jason, who went by Jay, said that the two spent several days partying and selling drugs, something the two had been known to do in the past. On Friday, May 21, Jay says he and Tony went to a house party and left the residence around 2am but according to witnesses, when Jay returned, Tony wasn't with him. Tony's ex girlfriend, who was at the house when Jay returned, noticed that Jay was jittery and frantic. When she asked where Tony was, he simply said he left. In addition to Jay's odd behavior, witnesses state that his pants were rolled up and were dripping with mud and water, a sight that, when paired with his cryptic words, gave them an uneasy feeling. And authorities would agree Jay's unconvincing explanation and his close proximity to two Major Crimes over a several month period would inevitably lead them on a chase to ascertain the truth.
- [35:38]
Maggie Freeling
So there's a number of things about the timeline and the events leading up to Tony's disappearance that stand out. It's interesting to me he didn't tell his family he was going to be in Maine when he called to say happy anniversary.
- [35:52]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, he comes up to go to a party probably to sell some drugs, which, you know, he'd been making some small money selling some drugs. So this wasn't like a big time operation. But, you know, like, you're young, you're also grappling with this thing that you haven't told your parents yet. And you know that your parents probably aren't going to approve of that. Like, the Torres family moved away from New York to get away from drugs and crime. So, yeah, I could see him not wanting to tell his family that because I think there would be an expectation that if he was coming up to Maine, like, why wouldn't he be with his family on a Friday night?
- [36:29]
Maggie Freeling
I feel like when I would go home from college, I wouldn't tell my parents because then they'd just be like, come see us. And then I couldn't. Parties.
- [36:35]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah.
- [36:35]
Maggie Freeling
Like, I wonder if it's as simple as, like.
- [36:37]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, yeah. It's probably just like. I mean, here's what I. I think that he probably was like, all right, I'm gonna go up. I'm gonna, you know, go to this party. I'm gonna do the things that I need to do, and then I'm gonna go visit my family and surprise them and then go back. I feel like that's totally reasonable.
- [36:52]
Maggie Freeling
So Jay and Tony leave this party together around 2am it seems to be some drug thing that they leave for. And Jay comes back without Tony, and he's apparently muddy and wet and frazzled. Can you tell me a bit about what Jay said happened?
- [37:14]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah. So Jay said that they went to an apartment earlier that night and that somebody, one of their customers, was upset over the quality of drugs that they had sold to him. I don't know how true that is, though. It seems like the police don't believe his full story. It does feel, though, like there are grains of truth in that. Like, I could see that happening. And that may be playing into some of the stuff that happens later. And then he just says that he dropped Tony off at this convenience store that was probably closed, and that he got into a truck, it was a red truck, with a man that he didn't know. And that was it.
- [37:49]
Maggie Freeling
And the red truck and the man have never been found or confirmed?
- [37:52]
Kristen Seavey
Never been found. Nobody else has come forward with information about them. I mean, I'm sure there's been tips, but nothing has ever, like, led to anything.
- [37:59]
Maggie Freeling
How did he explain or did he ever have to explain why he was wet and muddy?
- [38:05]
Kristen Seavey
To my knowledge, I don't think he ever explained why he was wet. He just said that the guy in the pickup truck picked Tony up and that was it. But like, why are your pants wet? It just doesn't make sense. I mean, it is mid May, so like that's. It's a touch past what Maine calls mud season, but it's still spring. So if he went into the woods somewhere or out into a field, it's not unlikely that he would have come back wet or muddy. It just doesn't add up to me. I mean, when you really break it down like this is 2:00 in the morning and to my knowledge, the convenience store where he was allegedly dropped off at isn't some 24 gas station. It's like this tiny country store that was probably closed at the point that he was dropped off. Could there be a payphone? Sure. But, you know, he said that somebody was coming to pick him up and bring him home. I'm guessing that by home he means Massachusetts or to North Conway. Those are not close. Those are like two hours plus. Like, I think North Conway is about an hour and a half and Framingham is about two hours. So it's not like it's along the way. You know you're gonna drop someone off.
- [39:17]
Maggie Freeling
Right. So he's really kind of in the middle of nowhere. He didn't really just walk somewhere on his own. He needs to kind of get a ride. He's not going anywhere without a ride.
- [39:28]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah. And Tony didn't have a car, so this. He would have been reliant on people for transportation. And that could have put him in a very vulnerable position. Biddeford is a little more of a city than Denmark, but again, I use that really, really lightly, especially comparing it to like New York City, where you can get a sandwich at 2:00 in the morning and there's people walking around on the streets. Like Maine does not have public transportation, especially at 2am how soon after he.
- [39:57]
Maggie Freeling
Went missing was he reported missing? And then there was an investigation. And did they check the river, the woods maid?
- [40:06]
Kristen Seavey
He was reported missing right away. I think once Ramona talked to Tony's girlfriend and she knew that he hadn't come To Maine. Like, she reported him missing pretty much immediately. I don't know what the investigation was like right away. You know, with missing persons cases, I feel like, especially when there's an adult, it's like, what really can you do, except for maybe ask some witnesses, like, some of the people he was last seen with, who are all gonna probably say, oh, I don't know. He was. He got into a truck and. And that was it.
- [40:37]
Maggie Freeling
Right. So it's not going to be surprising. But authorities were immediately suspicious about Jay's account of things, and they were vocal about their doubts about what he said happened. This is what Lt. Brian McDonough said at a 2016 news conference.
- [40:56]
Narrator
He was an individual with a questionable past and little integrity or credibility. Investigators have always believed Jason Connie was less than truthful in providing accurate information and details of the events surrounding Angel's disappearance and felt he knew of Angel's.
- [41:15]
Maggie Freeling
Demise and of his location. Jay's life in the years following. What do you know about that? He's dead now. He died of a drug overdose. So I'm. I'm gonna guess his life kind of continued on a similar path of. Of this kind of drug lifestyle.
- [41:38]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, I don't think that he cleaned up his act and, you know, had the white picket fence lifestyle. He died really young, so I'm guessing he probably had a tough life. I think he was only 36 when he died.
- [41:50]
Maggie Freeling
You being a Mainer, how do you feel about the kinds of investigations, homicide investigations, missing persons investigations, these departments can do?
- [42:01]
Kristen Seavey
As far as missing persons cases goes, like, now Tony's case is with the Maine State Police, but back then, it probably wasn't, because missing persons cases start local, and then I'm not entirely sure why some cases are with the Maine State Police and why some aren't. But I do know that the ones that are suspected of homicide after a certain time are more likely to be with the Maine State Police, which is why his case is listed on the maine.gov website. But it's. It's a totally different investigation. Like you. When you have a body, there's evidence that you can look for, and, you know, this case is tough. There's drugs involved, there's hearsay. And you can't just talk through the grapevine and then have that go to court. Like, that's not gonna hold up. And I do feel like not having a body has hindered them a little bit. Um, I do know that they. They probably want that to move their case forward. Like, that might bolster something. Like, if they have an idea of maybe what happened to Tony, how he was killed. If that reflects on the bones in a way that might bolster a case that they've already built. They're just waiting for that component.
- [43:08]
Maggie Freeling
More on our case after this. You're listening to up and Vanish weekly.
- [43:14]
Kristen Seavey
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Maggie Freeling
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Kristen Seavey
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Maggie Freeling
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- [43:45]
Kristen Seavey
I.
- [43:46]
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- [44:55]
Kristen Seavey
Hey listeners, if you have a tip or theories about a case you want to share or a case of interest you'd like to recommend to us, then we want to hear from you. Email us casesenderfoot tv DMUS on Instagram avweekly or give us a call at 770-545-6411. You can also join the conversation on our discord at Discord GG upandvanished. Now back to the show.
- [45:30]
Maggie Freeling
You know, as someone who predominantly works in wrongful convictions, it's very frustrating to me how there can be no evidence and yet some of these people are arrested, charged and convicted. And here I like it's so clear. Yeah, what could have happened. And the fact that we don't have anything to arrest, charge and convict is beyond frustrating to me.
- [45:55]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, I mean, I think that both Tony and Ashley's case, they probably have a pretty clear idea about what happened, but they just don't have that piece that they need that's gonna hold up in court to get the conviction that they want. I think with drugs too, like in Tony's case, that there is a lot of fear, fear of retaliation. You have fear of being charged with a crime, which, you know, in most cases when there's drugs involved, I feel like police would take precedence of a murder over drugs. And one hopes. Yeah, one hopes. I cannot like, you know, guarantee that. But there's also a fear of snitching, you know, whatever the case may be. And then there's hearsay, people talk. This is a small town case. Multi party information just isn't enough. You know, it's not enough to say, like, Bob told me that John told Jim he killed Tony. Like they need to hear from Jim. Jim needs to come forward and say like, so and so told me or I saw such and such a thing happen. You know, like they need more direct confessions. They need people with intimate knowledge or people who participated. They just don't have that. And it's really frustrating.
- [47:07]
Maggie Freeling
How likely to you does it seem that Jay killed Tony because Tony knew what happened to Ashley?
- [47:17]
Kristen Seavey
I definitely think it's possible that he did actually know stuff that could incriminate somebody. I think he knew the people that were involved. Maybe they were talking about it, you know, like in a circle or at a party. But I definitely think that it's possible he had intimate knowledge about what happened to Ashley. Enough that could be incriminating. I think it's possible that Jay may have been involved with the aftermath of her death. I think that there was probably more than one person, But I definitely think that Jay knew stuff that he took to his grave. The police don't think that Jay is telling the truth, but it's just too bad because he passed away.
- [47:58]
Maggie Freeling
So I know we're starting to talk about theories now, so let's just dive right in. If not Jay and the Sanborn brothers or that connection, then who? And there has been speculation that maybe he was at the convenience store, wrong place, wrong time, and it was some sort of hate crime, some sort of predator. What do you make of those theories?
- [48:22]
Kristen Seavey
I mean, never say never. Like it's totally possible Tony did stand out in such an area like, you know, Bitterford, which now it's a little bit more diverse, but back then, especially, like, it's. It's a very white area. Tony's gonna stand out because of his skin color. But I just think that the circumstances point to stronger theories than a hate crime.
- [48:46]
Maggie Freeling
There were some theories that maybe people were jealous of him. I think he was very popular. Like you mentioned, he's kind, he's funny. He wants to work with kids. He's a beautiful man. Could someone have been jealous of him?
- [48:58]
Kristen Seavey
That's totally possible. But I think it's. It's also important to note that, like, at this time, Tony had kind of, like, moved into the next phase of his life, even though he was still, like, coming back to Maine. Um, you know, he had a girlfriend. He had just moved in with her, and, you know, like, he was kind of starting the next phase of his life as an adult away from his hometown in Maine. You know, could it be possible that he's coming up and, you know, someone's jealous? Yeah, that. I think that's always possible, but it doesn't seem as likely. So many years after he graduated. You know, this would have been like, what, like three years after high school.
- [49:39]
Maggie Freeling
I'm wondering, you've looked at this. You've covered it. You've thought about it. If you had to tell me the scenario that happened, if you were the prosecutor and you're putting it out there, what do you think happened to Toni Torres?
- [49:57]
Kristen Seavey
I could see it being a combination of maybe both heightened emotions due to a drug incident. As far as, like, Jay told the police that there was a confrontation from somebody who was upset about the quality of drugs that they sold. So maybe, you know, you have heightened emotions and a fight over drugs, and then if Tony did know something that's always kind of lingering in the back of your head, that he's a threat. I don't know. Maybe it just got, like, out of hand. It doesn't really seem like it was a premeditated situation. It doesn't seem like maybe he was lured to this party on this weekend with premeditated ideas, you know? But I also don't think that it was a wrong place, wrong time kind of situation. And maybe that's just because the possible link to Ashley feels like too big a coincidence to ignore. I don't know. I feel like something got out of hand, and there was a crime of opportunity, and maybe Jay did it, maybe he didn't. But I definitely think that he was there, and he knew if he wasn't the one that physically did it, you.
- [51:01]
Maggie Freeling
Know, one of the things that's interesting to me is Tony did go up there, allegedly to stay with Jay. He had some sort of connection with Jay. He stayed with him for two days. If Tony did know what happened to Ashley and Jay was involved, I find it hard to believe he would go to his house and stay with him. What do you think about that?
- [51:25]
Kristen Seavey
That's definitely an interesting point. I don't know. I. I mean, I feel too like Tony was. He had this, like, really sweet naivete. And, you know, maybe he just saw the best in him. Maybe he's like, well, he's my friend, like nothing would happen.
- [51:41]
Maggie Freeling
It's just shocking to me that this has not been solved considering the area and the connections that these people all had to each other.
- [51:49]
Kristen Seavey
Yeah, I think it just has to do with the fact that people aren't coming forward with the right information. There was an article that was published by the Portland Press Herald in 2019, and it's always just really stuck with me. And it was called 7,300 days. And it was a letter that Ramona wrote, and she was talking about how many days it had been since she last saw her. Her baby. And that was on May 9, 1999. And that was over five years ago, 2019 to 2025. That's, you know, five and a half years as of today, this recording, it's now been 9,421 days and counting. That's 25 and a half years since the Torres family saw Tony. And I just want to really give them credit for. I mean, every time they go to the media, like, they just bare their soul. And it's absolutely heartbreaking to see, but I just. I think that even if people don't have the information that would bring a conviction, somebody knows where Tony's remains are. And somebody could just give an anonymous call, an anonymous email, and just tell the police where he's located so that they can bring him home and have that peace. I think I saw them say at one point in the media that they would be willing to trade justice in the legal sense if they could just have him back. And no family should ever have to, like, grapple with deciding which one they would rather have. But that's something that people could do right now. I know that people have that information. Like, I just feel that deep in my gut that people know exactly where he is. And I just don't know why they wouldn't come forward.
- [53:36]
Maggie Freeling
I. I don't know why they wouldn't at this point. I don't know how they didn't. I mean Again, a $20,000 reward is not nothing.
- [53:44]
Kristen Seavey
Right? That's a big reward. I feel like that's life changing money for somebody, at least for a short period. And I think even just knowing that you're bringing family peace that they desperately need and just being able to let them bring their son home is even bigger than the reward.
- [54:04]
Maggie Freeling
Kristin, thank you so much for really being someone to keep Toni's story alive. I very much appreciate you and your work. Where can the people find you if they want to find you?
- [54:15]
Kristen Seavey
Thank you. Yeah, you can find Murder She Told on any social media platform and wherever you're listening now, you can find Murder She Told there as well.
- [54:28]
Maggie Freeling
Too much time has gone by without any information about Tony's disappearance. As Kristin said at the time of this recording, it's been 9,421 days. The Torres family deserves answers and someone has them. Tony's dad, Narciso spoke with WMTW TV in 2016. Here's what he said. There is someone out there that knows what happened to our son. So that person is older now.
- [55:00]
Narrator
Perhaps they have their own children and.
- [55:02]
Kristen Seavey
Perhaps they can have a little empathy.
- [55:04]
Maggie Freeling
For what we're feeling. I can't imagine the toll that Tony's loss has taken on his family, but I hope that with a renewed interest from the media and police, along with the $20,000 reward, that Tony's family will finally get some long awaited answers. At a 2016 press conference, Tony's mom, Ramona Torres pleaded with the public.
- [55:29]
Kristen Seavey
We have hope that everything, everyone working.
- [55:33]
Narrator
Together, maybe we can solve this case.
- [55:36]
Maggie Freeling
Because we're not giving up as long.
- [55:38]
Kristen Seavey
As we're alive and we could do it.
- [55:40]
Maggie Freeling
We continue to work with the state police. I can't help but wonder if Tony's disappearance had received adequate coverage when he first went missing, if it's possible he could have been found and we wouldn't be here telling his story today. Tony is described as being 5 8, 150-160lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. He is known to wear a Gucci chain with a large gold crucifix and serpent pendant. He would now be 47 years old. You can check out the up and Vanish weekly Instagram page to see a picture of Tony. And lastly, if you have any information about the disappearance of Angel Tony Torres, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit south at 2-07-624-7076. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Upadvanish Weekly. Be sure to tune in next Friday as we dig into another new case. Until next time.
- [56:57]
Narrator
Up and Vanish Weekly is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Your hosts are Maggie Freeling and myself, Payne Lindsey. The show is written by Maggie Freeling, myself and John Street. Executive producers are Donald Albright and myself. Lead producer is John Street. Additional production by Meredith Stedman and Mike Rooney. Research for the series by Jamie Albright, Celicia Stanton and Carolyn Tallmadge. Edit and mix by Dylan Harrington and Sean Nurney. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Artwork by Byron McCoy. Original music by Makeup and Vanity set. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing in the Nord Group. For more podcasts like up and Vanish Weekly, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.
- [58:03]
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