Attempted Fetal Abduction

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Attempted Fetal Abduction"

Podcast Information:

• Title: We're All Insane
• Host: Devorah Roloff
• Episode: Attempted Fetal Abduction
• Release Date: February 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of We're All Insane, host Devorah Roloff welcomes Angelique Garbledo, a brave survivor who shares her harrowing experience of an attempted fetal abduction. Angelique's raw and unfiltered storytelling provides listeners with a deep dive into her life-threatening ordeal, the aftermath, and her ongoing journey toward healing.

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Angelique’s Background

Angelique begins by setting the stage for her story, explaining her circumstances as an 18-year-old high school senior living in Maricopa, Arizona. She reveals the challenges she faced, including feeling isolated from her peers due to her pregnancy and the difficult choices she had to make.

Angelique Garbledo [02:06]: "What saved my life was what I call an intuition feeling. You can look at it from different ways...that is what saved my life."

Meeting Cassandra

Angelique recounts how she met Cassandra through a mutual friend, Hannah. Cassandra, a new and pregnant girl in town, seemed like the perfect companion for Angelique, who was seeking someone to relate to her unique situation.

Angelique Garbledo [06:15]: "So I had become friends with this girl named Cassandra. It was the opportunity I was looking for...someone that could relate to me."

The Incident

The pivotal moment unfolds on February 16th, when Cassandra visits Angelique's home under the guise of delivering baby shower gifts. As the day progresses, subtle red flags emerge—Cassandra's intrusive questions about Angelique's C-section scar and her unusual behavior begin to unsettle Angelique. Despite her growing discomfort, Angelique remains calm, trying to assess the situation.

Angelique Garbledo [10:00]: "She wanted me to go to the park multiple times...I just wanted to stay here."

The tension peaks in the late afternoon when Cassandra's demeanor shifts dramatically after Devorah Roloff's absence. Alone with Angelique, Cassandra's intentions become clear as she begins to execute her plan: setting a slow fire in Angelique's closet to incapacitate her and perform a C-section to abduct the unborn child.

Angelique Garbledo [39:04]: "I start feeling like she was going to stab me...this is nuts."

In a moment of sheer panic and instinct, Angelique escapes the immediate threat by fleeing to the light, prompting Cassandra to abandon the abduction attempt. The ensuing fire consumes Angelique's closet, but fortunately, she survives without physical harm.

Aftermath and Investigation

Following the ordeal, Angelique grapples with disbelief and fear, struggling to convince others of what transpired. The incident is treated by authorities as arson, with Cassandra later confessing to her heinous plan. Despite the confession, gaps in the investigation raise questions about the motives behind Cassandra's actions and the thoroughness of the authorities' response.

Angelique Garbledo [65:19]: "She never was pregnant...she returned to the hospital and escaped."

Media Portrayals and Public Perception

Angelique shares her distressing experience with media outlets, particularly her appearance on the Dr. Phil show. Contrary to her hopes for support and understanding, the portrayal was exploitative and dismissive, leaving her feeling humiliated and invalidated.

Angelique Garbledo [74:19]: "He cuts out a lot of the things...they just went with whatever they wanted."

This negative media interaction compounded her trauma, leading her to withdraw from public discourse for years. However, recognizing the importance of sharing her story for the sake of others, Angelique eventually embraced platforms like TikTok and Instagram to advocate for awareness and support for survivors of similar traumas.

Angelique Garbledo [105:11]: "Talking about it helps me heal better and helps others realize they're not alone."

Healing and Coping Mechanisms

Angelique delves into her ongoing battle with PTSD and the coping strategies she has developed over the years. She emphasizes the significance of intuition, self-awareness, and the importance of believing in one's instincts to prevent future tragedies.

Angelique Garbledo [135:10]: "Believe in your instincts. Sometimes it's been yourself."

Through therapy, self-reflection, and support from loved ones, Angelique continues to rebuild her life, striving to create a safe and nurturing environment for her son, Rylan.

Angelique Garbledo [132:36]: "I've been clean and sober since that day...Rylan saved my life more than he'll ever understand."

Conclusion

Angelique Garbledo's story is a testament to resilience and the human spirit's capacity to overcome unimaginable challenges. Her candid narrative not only sheds light on the rare and terrifying phenomenon of fetal abduction but also underscores the critical need for support systems, mental health resources, and societal understanding for survivors of trauma.

Angelique Garbledo [137:36]: "My story wasn't told correct...it's my version of my truth."

By sharing her experience, Angelique empowers herself and others to recognize the signs of potential threats, trust their intuition, and seek help when needed. Her journey serves as an invaluable resource for listeners, highlighting the importance of awareness, empathy, and the pursuit of healing.

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Notable Quotes:

• Angelique Garbledo [02:06]: "That is what saved my life."
• Angelique Garbledo [39:04]: "This is nuts."
• Angelique Garbledo [65:19]: "She never was pregnant."
• Angelique Garbledo [105:11]: "Talking about it helps me heal better and helps others realize they're not alone."
• Angelique Garbledo [135:10]: "Believe in your instincts. Sometimes it's been yourself."
• Angelique Garbledo [137:36]: "My story wasn't told correct...it's my version of my truth."

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Key Takeaways:

• Understanding Fetal Abduction: A rare and terrifying phenomenon where individuals attempt to abduct unborn children.
• Importance of Intuition: Trusting one's instincts can be a lifesaving mechanism in dangerous situations.
• Media Representation: The portrayal of trauma survivors can significantly impact their healing process, for better or worse.
• Healing Journey: Coping with severe trauma involves therapy, support systems, and self-empowerment.
• Awareness and Support: Sharing traumatic experiences can foster community support and prevent future occurrences.

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Resources:

• Angelique Garbledo's TikTok: @angelique_insane
• Instagram: @angelique_insane
• Book Recommendation: The Gift of Fear – A guide on understanding and trusting your intuition.

If you or someone you know is experiencing trauma, please seek professional help or contact a trusted support system.

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Contact Information: To share your story on We're All Insane, email [e-mail] or fill out the submission form.

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This summary aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Angelique Garbledo's powerful story as shared in the "Attempted Fetal Abduction" episode of We're All Insane. Through her courage and honesty, Angelique offers invaluable insights into surviving and healing from extreme trauma.

Transcript

[Angelique Garbledo]

Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University, our game changing flexpath learning format lets you set your own deadline so you can learn at a time and pace that works for you. It's an education you can tailor to your schedule. That means you don't have to put your life on hold to pursue your professional goals. Instead, enjoy learning your way and earn your degree without missing a beat. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella Eduardo My name is Angela Garbledo, and When I was 18 years old, my friend came to my house and plotted to kill me and perform a C section on my body to take my unborn child. She then set my house on fire to burn my body with all of the evidence. She did not succeed. And that's kind of what we're gonna get into today.

[Unknown Host]

That was perfect.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Took me a second. That was perfect.

[Unknown Host]

That's wild.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It is. It's a very unbelievable story. Something that I don't think is talked about enough. Did you know that the number one cause to death in the US for pregnant women is murder?

[Unknown Host]

I did not.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's murder. Not stating that all murders are based off of like, fetal abduction, but we have, like, that's just the number one cause of death to pregnant women in the US which is mind blowing.

[Unknown Host]

Right?

[Angelique Garbledo]

We're gonna definitely with my story with a fetal abduction, it's uncommon, but it's becoming more common now. When it happened in 2011, to me, I honestly had never heard about this. And the reason I tell my story is to let other people know, first off, like, what fetal abduction is and to also let them know that not to. Not to trust everything. There's a. What saved my life. And what we'll go into is that I had this, what I call an intuition feeling. You can look at it from different ways that people like to think of it as, you know, intuition, as God, as a spirit, their ancestors. I've gotten so many different, you know, people that tell me, no, it's this, no, it's that you can believe, you know, however you want to believe it is. It's. That is what saved my life, though.

[Unknown Host]

So either way you got the feeling.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Either way you got the feeling, however you got it, though. That's why I feel like we have to teach the younger generation to know, to understand and to learn what the difference is between anxiety and what this feeling is. Because it could be the one thing that saves your life.

[Unknown Host]

Absolutely.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And then should I just start going, like, I'm going to start off in the beginning.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. I was going to say also, I feel like it's something that you. You feel like you'd only see in a movie.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Like, it's one of those things that you're like, oh, that would never happen to me. How does that happen?

[Angelique Garbledo]

That's exactly what happened. And that's why when I. When this happened to me, I. I was fighting back and forth with myself. Because first off, being a senior in high school, we'll say in 2011, like, when we didn't have social media, we didn't. We had Facebook in my space. Like, there wasn't too much that was publicly posted about stuff like this. Yeah. We watched crime shows. I watched svu. So I knew that things could happen. But we're not taught at an early age, like, hey, someone can come to your house and try to kill you and take your baby. Like, you're not. It's just something that is uncommon and not talked about and not, like, literally unheard of. Yeah, unheard of. How do you. How do you even predict this is going to happen? And that's what I feel like, like I said, it's happening more and more now. And it's happening with, like, people getting baby clothes. It happens with a best friend being jealous. It happens with mentally ill people. Like, it's just a wide range. And so I think it's just one of those topics that is going to blow people's minds, but also open their minds into a different direction, especially when you're pregnant. Because we're most vulnerable then. We are. We're hormonal. We have. You know, we want to make friends because we. You lose your friends through pregnancy. Sometimes, as becoming a new mother, you lose your friends. So you want to attach to other people that have something in common with you, which, in my aspect, it was. I lived in a small town in Maricopa, Arizona, and when that happened, I was the only pregnant woman, like, pregnant girl in my class. I had a friend. I had a couple friends that had babies prior, but their kids were already one or two. And so I remember being pregnant and thinking, nobody can relate to me right now. My best friends, they're seniors. They're having the time of their lives. They're out partying, they're out doing what seniors do. And I'm not. Yeah, I'm not. I'm left out. And it was a choice that I made, a choice that I would never take back on, but it was a choice that I made, you know, to do this and that made it difficult. So that's what kind of opened my mind into wanting to maybe find somebody that was pregnant also someone that was my age that can relate to what I was relating to. I do want to state, and you, you can use this if you want to. If I laugh throughout any part of this interview, it's not because I think something's funny, it's because I'm either A, nervous or B, I just really, really do have. Where I guess you could say, like, it's not that my trauma's funny, it's that like, that's how I cope. It's a nervous laugh. Right.

[Unknown Host]

I'm the same way. Like it's one of those things that whenever people, you talk about something that I think is uncomfortable, like even though it's your story, I think it's not always comfortable to talk about the uncomfortable. So the way we cope with that is we laugh. Not everybody tries or gets upset.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. What is it called? I know, trauma humor. Yes, trauma humor. Absolutely. Yeah, that's exactly what it is.

[Unknown Host]

And I think it's important for people to know that because I think it's easy to. When you're watching something, if you're hearing a story that's heavy, you might feel the heaviness. And then if somebody that's telling it, you know, they might seem more light hearted, but they might think that it takes away from the story. But it doesn't at all. Like everybody deals and heals different.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

And I think people need to know that because it doesn't take away from anything. So I'll leave that in there. I think people need to know.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I think, I think so too because I did. I watched somebody the other day and they were doing a story and somebody was like, why are they laughing? And I'm like, that's literally, that's that's just their trauma response. That's their response right now of how they're feeling. And, and it doesn't mean that they actually think their trauma is funny. It's literally just how they're coping with that. And that's important to allow them to do that because it's their story and if they want to laugh about it, let them. Why is it hurting you exactly? It shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable.

[Unknown Host]

It didn't happen to you.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, perfect. No, I think that's important.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So I had, when I was 18, I had become friends with this girl. Do. Do. Am I allowed to say like her first name?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it's whatever you're comfortable with.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So when I was 18, I had become friends with this girl named Cassandra. I had a friend, her name was Hannah. And she had messaged me and was like, hey, like, I haven't seen you in a while. I met this girl. Her name is Cassandra, and she's pregnant, just like you are. And she's new to our town. Would you want to come hang out? Sure. Why not? Like, this was the opportunity that I was looking for. This was. This was somebody that could relate to me, unlike all my other friends. So I. I literally went in thinking this was going to be fantastic.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And it was. We just went out to. So I lived. I lived in Maricopa, Chandler's about 20 minutes away. We went to a Denny's that was, like, right off Chandler Boulevard. And it was me, Hannah, Cassandra. And I think it was one of our other friends. I just can't remember their name.

[Unknown Host]

Now, the Cassandra girl, she did not go to school with you guys. She just was newer to town and.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Correct. She was. She had lived in Mesa from prior. She was from Arizona, though.

[Unknown Host]

How did your friend meet her?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Just because she moved to our town.

[Unknown Host]

Got it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So I ended up finding out later, which is really my friend Hannah. A lot of people, when they hear my story, they always question, did she have something to do with this? Like, her introducing you? Was this. Like, was she a part of this whole plan? The answer to that is no. She absolutely had no idea. I will say that Hannah and I did not talk about what had happened after. Like, she found out everything because she had felt so much guilt. And I actually just found that out, like, maybe a couple weeks ago.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I always wondered why we never talked about it, but I've always just let it go. And it was because she felt so much guilt and. But she told me things that I had no idea about. She told me, I thought personally, that she had met Cassandra first and that she just introduced her to me. It was completely backwards. Cassandra actually met a lot of our friends before she met Hannah.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Cassandra was living with one of our friends. His name was Sebastian. And I don't know how they got introduced, but somehow she was living with him. She had made up this whole story about how she had nowhere to live. It was wild, though. Like, she was married and her husband had lived far away. Her mom had passed away. Her dad had passed away. There was just. It was a crazy story, but everybody felt really bad for her, so she went to go live with our friend Sebastian, and Hannah had met her There at a party, like a kickback. And she was just cleaning up and doing dishes because she's pregnant. So she was just kind of doing things while everybody else was hanging out. And Sebastian had complained about her. Like, oh, she's. She just sits here. She just says this. And Hannah felt bad. So Hannah was like, do you want to come to my house? Like, I'm a girl. Like, it's so nice to meet you. Like, she was just trying to be nice.

[Unknown Host]

Got it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So Cassandra went to her house and lived with my friend Hannah for like, two to three weeks on her couch. So that is how, like, Hannah had met her. And then Hannah was like, hey, let me introduce you to my friend. Her name is Angelique. She's pregnant. You guys will have so much in common. And so that's kind of how we just got introduced. And it was just a sit down at a Denny's, just talking. But we had. We had hit it off, like, really, really fast. Like, it was one of those things where you meet somebody and you just. I wouldn't say click. It's more of just we got each other. And you could tell that we were having a good time.

[Unknown Host]

Were you guys both. How far along was she?

[Angelique Garbledo]

So it was around. I remember was around Christmas time. So it had to been like the beginning of December. So I think I was. I was due in March, so I think I was approximately about six months, maybe a little bit more. And she was approximately, like, three months.

[Unknown Host]

Got it. Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So she was really tiny still. She did do, like, this thing where she had her hand on her hips and she would, like, kind of push her stomach out. A lot of people always ask, like, didn't you tell she. She. Like, she didn't show. I didn't start showing till I was like five and a half months.

[Unknown Host]

Right. And everybody is so different.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So different. And so at that moment, she was just barely pregnant. I was already six, six and a half. We somewhere between there.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And so we had went to the mall with our friend Hannah. We went window shopping. Hannah was buying gifts for her kids or one of her kids. And then, like, her mom and dad and stuff. And so we ended up going after that to, like, Babies R Us. And at Babies R Us, they, like, you can do your registry. So, like, you had the little gun and you could just like, walk around and start like, oh, I want this, I want that. So me and her had decided to just. Might as well, let's just start a registry. And let's just start, you know, Sc. It was fun. Like, it was. It was fun. I had a lot of fun with her at that moment. We, you know, went back to Maricopa and exchanged phone numbers, socials, which was just MySpace and Facebook. Facebook was fairly new, though, and that was it. I never met up with her again after that. That was our only interaction together. But we did remain in contact that whole time. So I remember her, like, messaging me like, oh, I have really bad heartburn, or, oh, this is happening. So, like, we were able to really connect and talk about things that we couldn't talk about with our other friends, or we felt like they wouldn't understand. And that was really important to me because I couldn't just tell my friend, like, oh, I have heartburn. Oh, why do you have heartburn? Well, because I'm growing a human inside of me. Like, there's a lot of things that changed with my body that I couldn't understand. And so it was really nice just having her to do that with. Months had went by, so I believe this was either the end of November or the beginning of December when we met. It had now become February. Honestly, what's today's date? I would probably say, like, around this time. Fourteen years ago, almost exactly. I had invited her to my baby shower, and she told me she would make it. She wasn't able to make it. So, yeah, she wasn't able to make my baby shower. And she had called me one day and was like, hey, like, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to your baby shower. I. I did buy you a bunch of gifts, and I would love to come over to your house and give those gifts to you. And I was like, oh, yeah, that would be great, actually. I'm sorry I lied. She wanted me to go to her house.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So she was trying to get me to go to her house in the very beginning, but I was nine months at that point. I was pregnant. I did not want to go anywhere. I didn't feel good. I had started getting what I didn't know I was. I had preeclampsia. So I didn't know why I wasn't feeling good and why I just felt sick all the time. I just thought it was because of pregnancy, but that's the whole reason I didn't go to her house. So I had invited her over to my house, which I lived with my parents at the time because I was only. I barely turned 18 years old. I hadn't moved out at that time, and so I felt comfortable with inviting her over. So she. I Think we just, like, picked a date for her to come over, which ended up being February 16th. She had showed up at my house early in the morning, probably like, around, like, 9:30am My brother answered the door, and she just walked in, and we just hung out literally all day long. My mom was there, My two brothers were there. Everything seemed normal. We were just sitting on the couch at this point, like, teen. I think it was 16 and pregnant at that time, had just been, like, the original OGs. Like, they were the ones that we were watching, and we were just talking. Like, that's all I can really remember is just having a good time with her. And then there was a moment where she wanted. She was. She started asking me and my mom questions about, like, births and, like, C sections and things like that, which is normal conversation. Like, that's normal conversation. Like, if you had just become pregnant and, you know, you knew that I had a C section, you'd be like, I'm scared. My doctor said that I possibly might have a C section. Like, can you. Can you explain that process to me? Like, it's very normal. So my mom. She had asked my mom that my mom had had a C section, and she was like, can you explained to me, like, how the whole C section thing worked? Mom was like, yeah, you know, they. They will, you know, cut right here. And she started, like, explaining the process, and immediately Cassandra was like, wait, where? And my mom was like, oh, right here. She's like, Cassandra literally stood up, pulled her shirt up, and was like, can you show me? Like, she wanted to know exactly where the scar would be. My mom was like, my scar is right here. But, like, when they cut you, like, it's. It's lower. It's just that when you start to heal it, like, you know, rises. Your stomach is big type of thing. And she was like, oh. And then she was like, well, what happens if they start choking or they're not breathing? And I'm just kind of sitting back, just like, this is weird. Like, yeah, when I say weird, I just mean, like, I don't. I never really thought about all of this. Like, this is crazy. Like, now I'm getting scared that I might have to have a C section one day, right? And my mom starts telling her, well, you know, they grab the moco sucker, which is, like, little bulb that you squeeze. And she was like, oh, I've never seen one of those. And I was like, you've never seen one? She's like, no. And I was like, oh, I got one for my baby. Shower. And she's like, oh, can you find it and show it to me? And I was like, no, like, I'm not gonna go back in my bags and go look for that. Because my, My whole couch was like, I had like one of those L couches and the whole. I had such a big baby shower that, like, all my gifts were just. There were so many. And I was like, I was very blessed, but I was very much like, I'm not gonna go through there and look for that. So she got up and started looking through my bags. And I was like, what are you doing? She's like, I just want to see what this thing is. And I was like, I'll. I'll google it. I'll google and show you, like, what it is. Like, it really was. She would do random things.

[Unknown Host]

She wanted the tool.

[Angelique Garbledo]

She wanted the tool. And it's like, hindsight 2020 now. Like, that I'm like, as I'm telling it, the reason I'm going into details is because you're going to start to realize all these little small details and be like, wow, these were signs. But hindsight 20 20, you don't know that what's going on until later when you can start putting things together. And yes, you can put these as like, red flags, but if I was looking, if I was looking for a bulb, I would not think that some girl is going to try to kill me. So, like. But these are things that are really important and to know behavior wise of, like, how badly she was trying to put this plan together that she had put in her head already, but she wanted to execute it. She wanted it to be perfection. And so this was the way that she could make it like that. And it's just crazy because I feel like at that moment that my mom and I were just feeding her information, not knowing that we were just giving her information and tools that she had no idea about.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Which is crazy.

[Unknown Host]

Step by step, basically.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Step by step. Especially with my mom going like, well, they cut here, they do this, they do that. Like, I'm sure Cassandra, hopefully she had done a lot of research before she came to my house and, you know, like, hopefully she understood what she was coming to my house to do. Because what were you gonna do? Just cut me open and just take my baby and be like, okay, bye. Like, you could, you could cut his finger off, you can cut his toes off, you can kill him. Like, there were so many different aspects to this plan that I, I honestly still wonder, like, how somebody can go into this, especially As a teenager thinking that you can. You can do this, right? It's successfully. Successfully. It's mind blowing. So we had. We had done the whole thing, so the whole C section thing, obviously, like, with us talking about it, that was something that I always want people to understand, like, and to see. There was. There was a moment where I had felt like she was mimicking my life. And the way the. And the only way I can put it was like, we were sitting down. My mom, we had. We had gania sada and chicken left over from, like, the baby shower. And so my mom ended up, you know, making some of it, made us some rice and beans, and we had sat down at the kitchen table and all three of us were talking. It sounds weird, but, like, we very much. It was all within one day. And we were kind of just jumping around from different places, like my bedroom, the couch, the kitchen, and just kind of.

[Unknown Host]

She just spent the day with you?

[Angelique Garbledo]

She literally spent the day with me. And at this point, it was probably about lunchtime. It was like 11 o'clock, maybe 12. And she was sitting down and we were. All three of us were sitting there just talking. And we started talking about things. She wanted to know more about, like, my life. And just, like, was asking my mom, like, oh, what kind of kid was Angelique? And I'm like, oh, gosh, let's not talk about this. I was a really bad kid. I was horrible. I was horrible. Like, I was growing up. I lived in California. I had moved from California to Arizona my seventh grade year, which is like a prime year. Like, you moved me in my middle school year to some place. I have no idea. And you have to make new friends. It was wild. And this town that I lived in was so small that it was a middle school, high school, and elementary all put in one. Like, I would walk from classrooms and see high schoolers and see elementary kids. Like, yeah, my parents had moved me from a really, like, rich, like, I call it a pinky uptown because we were like the poor people there. We lived in a really nice mobile home, but that's what I always called it. And so she wanted to, like, know just, like, more about my life and who I was. And unfortunately, I became like a really. I changed everything about myself when I moved to this town because nobody liked me for who I was. I. I guess I was too nice. Maybe I was just too sweet. So I had to change everything about myself. And I became like. I put on this, like, bad girl, like, vibe. I mean, I think at some point I even thought, like, I even thought I was a gang banger. I think at some point, like, it was. It was kind of embarrassing to talk about, but it's the truth.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And so my mom started telling her stories about, like, when, like, I ran away when I did drugs, like when I drank, like all these different things. And all of a sudden, like, she would mimic the story almost down to a T. Like, my mom was like, oh, yeah, Angelique, you know, ran away one time and she jumped out her grandmother's window and hopped the wall and ran away. And she was like, oh my God, the exact same thing. And I was like, oh. And she was like, yeah, like, I jumped out of my grandma's window and I did that. Like, exact same story. And I remember sitting there going, like, do we really have this much in common? Like, to the point like, where we've done. We've done everything that, like, you're. You're me basically, or is she just like mimicking me? And I guess the only way that you can understand that is put yourself as being an 18 year old girl again, a teenager. Put yourself as being a teenager and hearing somebody mimic stuff about you, you kind of get annoyed by it. You're like, what's going on? Like, it's kind of weird.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And people always ask me like, oh, you had these weird feelings about her. It wasn't that I had weird feelings about her, it's just that I kind of got annoyed by her and I felt like she was looking for attention all the time. And so there was a moment after that, conversations of just like, her saying that everything that I've done, that she did too. I had pulled my mom aside and I was like, what do you think about her? My mom was like, well, what do you mean? And I was like, what do you think about her? Like, do you think she's weird? My mom was like, no. And I was like, I think she's weird. My mom was like, you're being judgmental. Like, she, like, she. She had told us about her mom. Her mom had died from breast cancer. She. Her dad had passed away. She was living with her sister. Like, she got married to this guy named Edwin, like, who doesn't treat her right. My mom was like, honestly, she just seems like a broken girl who just needs a friend. Like, I think that she's just trying to relate to you. And I think she's just really, really trying to get you to like, like her. Then that made me feel like crap. And I was like, man, mom, good job. You just made me. You. You did what a mom's supposed to do and you reassured me that everything's okay. Whatever I'm feeling is just, you know, me overreacting. But she honestly is just a teenage girl that just wants to be accepted.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And so that changed my whole perspective on whatever I was feeling prior.

[Unknown Host]

Well, also, once again, you know, even if in those moments you were to find out right away, like, everything that she was saying was a lie, your mind would more so go to, okay, she's troubled, she has issues of some sort, but you would never think she's going to try to kill you.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly.

[Unknown Host]

Like, you know what I mean? Like, because I even think about it of people that I've come across and met in my life that have done weird things or had things that are odd about them and, you know, everybody's different. And I think you can when that, when you see these things, you either decide, do I want to keep hanging with this person or do I not? But you never jump to the conclusion of, oh, this person actually is thinking about murdering me and stealing my child.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. Like, far, far fetched. Right. Like, how do you, how do you just get these vibes? Like, yeah, you. And that's what people. It's weird because, like, you'll have people specifically on social media that will be like, oh, you felt weird about her. I would have kicked her out right away. No, you would not have. Yeah, you would not have. And maybe if you would have, then maybe that's just your personality. But like, realistically, nine out of 10 people wouldn't just kick somebody out because why? Because you think that they're lying about.

[Unknown Host]

Something, like, or that they're weird or.

[Angelique Garbledo]

That they're weird or that they may just have. And again, being a teenager, like, I feel like when you say somebody's weird as being a teenager, it's more like judgmental.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's because we're, you know, we're young, we don't understand life, we don't understand the heartaches that people go through. Maybe I'm not fortunate enough to understand, you know, what it's like to lose a mom, a dad, and then, you know, get married. Like, you don't understand all of this. You. I always state that in order to understand somebody's story, you have to start from the beginning because you have to understand who that person is to understand why they are the way they are. And it's extremely important, especially not even with her situation. Just like in a, in any type of survivor situation, you Always hear the, well, I would have done this or I would have done that. And it's like, you have no idea what you would have done because you and I are different people. So the way that you and I react is going to be different because you don't know. You don't know. You don't know.

[Unknown Host]

But also, I don't think anybody can really know how they're going to react until they're just in that situation. You don't know what your body's going to do.

[Angelique Garbledo]

You have no idea.

[Unknown Host]

I feel like your fight or flight takes over. You don't even have any time to really think half the time.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Absolutely. And that's kind of like your instincts. Your instincts that just kick in. So definitely. I definitely agree with all of that. So once my mom had told me everything was, like, fine. Like, I. That put me literally at ease. I felt so much better about whatever I was feeling, and I just continued my day with her. There was some moments that. And the reason. I just want to reiterate the reason why I'm bringing these moments up is because they're going to make sense later on.

[Unknown Host]

Got it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

All of these things that I'm kind of talking about throughout the day are going to make sense. Like, as we start to get through everything, you're going to be like, wow, that makes sense.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So she kept wanting me to go to the park. So I. There's. In Arizona, every development. There's. There's a park. There's a park in every little development. So there was a park right down the street. And she kept on wanting to go for this. Go for a walk. And I was like, girl, I don't want to go for a walk. Like, I don't. I don't want to. It's hot outside. I'm nine months pregnant. I don't feel good. Like, that's the reason I invited you to my house. Like, I just want to stay here. And I feel like it was a few times that she had brought this whole park situation up. Like, oh, let's go for a walk, Larry. Sure you don't want to go to the park? And I'm like, yeah, I'm sure. Thank you. Like, I don't want to. Thank you. And so we had not gone to the park. There was also another moment that she speaks Spanish. I. I actually am full. I won't say full. I'm. My majority is Hispanic, though. My mom, my dad, my grandparents all speak Spanish. My mom's. She wasn't very fluent, but she understands Spanish. So Cassandra would constantly go on the phone, and she'd be talking to somebody in Spanish. And then my mom, like, she made a joke, and my mom laughed, and she goes, you understand Spanish? And she was like, yeah. Like, you know, like, I understand it. I can't speak it fluently, but, yes, I do understand. And that threw her off. Like, she kind of was like, oh. And then she went into another room. So now every single time she answered this phone call, she would go into a different room because she didn't, like, want my mom to hear. That is something important to remember for later on. But what I do want to say about that is that the way I've had people tell me, like, oh, that's weird. Like, you should end that. Do you like people to listen to your conversations?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, if I'm. If I have an important conversation, I'm gonna leave the room, and I'm gonna go talk. If my husband's calling me as, like, hey, something's wrong with the kids. I'm gonna leave and go talk to somebody else. So it was. It was weird, but it wasn't at the same time. Once she realized, like, oh, she understands now. She felt like her privacy was taken away. It's kind of how I look at it. At that moment, I was like, oh, she's just wanting to have a private conversation. So that was something that was. That she would go do after she realized that my mom does understand Spanish. And then the whole rest of the day, I feel like we just sat on my couch. I do feel like that's all we did. I got to a point where I wanted her to go home, and it was because I was kind of, like, mentally exhausted by her. I was exhausted also just from being pregnant. I wanted to take a nap. There was a lot of things that were kind of coming into her.

[Unknown Host]

You didn't want to entertain anymore?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I didn't want to entertain anymore. And I was nine months pregnant. Like, at that point, I just wanted to lay down and just sleep. So there was a moment where I was, like, trying not to be rude. So I was, like, stretching, like, oh, like, I'm so tired. You know, yawning, and, like, getting my blanket and my pillow on the couch, like, you know, trying to get a little snug. And she was like, I'm so sorry. Like, I didn't bring my key, and my sister isn't gonna be home until, like, this time. So once I realized, man, she's stuck here. Like, she's stuck here. I'm stuck with Her. So now I might as well just keep posting. So I then, you know, get up and I feel like we just, I feel like we just watch TV the whole day. I feel like we watch. I literally think that we just watched 16 and pregnant the whole time. Maybe it was Teen Mom, I don't remember, but that's what we were watching. I remember us just talking about certain things and then all of a sudden at that point, it's getting to like, midday, like almost evening, and it's time for my brothers to go to football practice. So my mom comes into the room and she's like, hey, like, I'm going to be going to football practice. It's at the park. It's probably about 10 minutes away. And she had offered, like, do you guys want to get out and go for a walk, like at the park? I'll take you. I'll even bring you guys because it's two hour practice. She's like, I'll even bring you guys back early, like if you start to get tired. And I was like, you know what? I could do that. Like, I, I rest. I. I laid down. I rested. Like, I did everything. I was like, that actually sounds nice. Like, Cassandra, do you want to go do that? And she was like, oh, no. I was like, what do you mean no? Like, you just, you wanted to go for a walk at the park? Like this whole time? Like, we asked me a few different times. She's like, I don't feel good. I. I just, I'm starting not to feel good now and would it be okay if we stayed at the house? And I was like, you know what? I understand. I declined you earlier. Like, I'm thinking this in my head. I declined her earlier. So, absolutely, let's go ahead and just stay at the house. I told my mom, hey, mom, it's fine. You know, we're just gonna chill. I think we're gonna do our nails. I ended up pulling out like all my nail polish, nail clippers, you know, everything to kind of do our nails. And I said, we're just gonna stay here and do that. And she was like, okay, that's fine. So this was the opera. This was the moment that left me and Cassandra by ourselves at the house. And at this point, it was probably about 5:30, almost 6. The sun was just starting to set. And right when my mom left, it was like every. It was like everything changed. Like her whole demeanor, her body language, everything about her had just like, just. It was like a light switch went off and she was like, she was still herself. So, like, I didn't start catching on until later. Like, until, like, started things started happening. But that's, like, the only way I can put it was like, she just, like, was like, oh, she's gone. Like, now I can, like, do this. So all of a sudden, she came to my house originally because she couldn't make it to my baby shower.

[Unknown Host]

And this was the first time you and her hung out? Just you two in person?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Just us in person.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Just me and her. This is now the first time we had talked on. We did talk for. From whatever, like, beginning of December to that time.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So we had talked on over social media, and we almost talked. Like, I would. I wouldn't say every single day, but I would say quite, like, probably, maybe at least a few times a week we had talked. So I felt like I knew her. Like, I felt like I felt comfortable enough to be home alone with her. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Even so, though, like, something I want to mention also is it's easy to comment because obviously with you saying that you posted on social media and people ask a lot of questions or say what they would have done differently, it's easy even for you, I'm sure, now that you're older, to look back and say, yeah, I actually would have picked up on that or should have picked up on that or whatever else. But at 18 years old, you're still a kid yourself. Like, you don't pick up on things like that. I don't think our brain is equipped to pick up on red flags like that. I just don't think it is.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I personally don't either. And I think that's extremely important because people will tell me, oh, you were naive. And I'm like, I was 18. It was funny because I was. Me and my husband were having this conversation this morning. I was like, people will literally be like, you're naive. And I'll be like, is that supposed to be an insult?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, are you. Are you trying to insult me? Because it doesn't feel like an insult. It feels like something naturally. Like, it's natural. It's normal. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, whatever the occasion, it just got a little more personal with meaningful photo gifts from Shutterfly. Add a silly photo to a gold rimmed mug for your bestie. Put your sweet puppy on a cozy fleece blanket for your teen. Gift your husband a desktop plaque featuring all the kids. Enjoy. 40% off orders over $29 with code [e-mail] and make something that means something. The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you go from I know the way to I've arrived with our top 10 ranked online MBA. Gain skills. You can learn today and apply tomorrow. Get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving. Visit strayer.edu Jack WelchMBA to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia. Nobody can sit here and say that they have never been naive at least once in their life. That is how we learn. We learn from situations and we. That's how you do it. Like if you, you know, when you're a baby and you learn certain things like that's just how it is. You. That's how we're supposed to evolve. That's how we supposed to, you know, adapt to life. It's.

[Unknown Host]

There could also be two 30 year olds and one has a lot of trauma and experience and one has had this like, you know, sheltered, protected life. That 30 year old that has had nothing happen to them probably is going to be more naive. They're going to think that nothing bad could happen or will happen, whereas the other person that's experienced trauma is going to sit there and be like, you have to have your guard up, you have to be careful.

[Angelique Garbledo]

That's. I absolutely agree with all of that. It's hindsight. Like I said, Hindsight 2020. Also like when you stated right now like somebody might have like go through trauma. I. Everybody's like, you were, oh my gosh, you were so sheltered. Is that bad? Is that bad that I was sheltered from bad things? Like I didn't have to go through experiences like that I had. I'm not saying I'm privileged, but like I'm happy that like I got to, you know, live life the way that I lived in order to. Who wants to go through something like that? Nobody.

[Unknown Host]

And nobody wants to live a life feeling like you have to look at everybody like they're bad.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. And that's honestly. And we'll get into that with. When it comes to the healing part, but absolutely like I deal with that every day. It's a struggle. It's when you go through a trauma, especially something with like someone trying to kill you or you having like an almost like something happening where you're almost going to die. You then look at everything like, should I do that or am I gonna die? Like it's halt. This has halted my life for years. Like I wouldn't ride Quads. I wouldn't go into the lake. I wouldn't. I'm scared I'm gonna drown. I'm afraid my kids are gonna get hit by a bus. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of everything in this world. And it all comes back down to my trauma. My trauma has made it where I saw that evil can happen, and I saw that something bad could happen to somebody. What else on this earth is gonna happen to me?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And it's hard. It's hard to cope with. It's something. It's something that you have to, like, go through, you know, the steps of whatever you need to go through. But I think that's why people are just like, oh, one bad thing happened to you. Like, oh, you don't understand, though, that one bad thing can change your whole life forever. And it makes you have a different outlook on life altogether, too.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Okay, so she had came originally. The reason she came to my house was because she didn't make it to my baby shower. So she had brought these baby shower gifts. The whole reason she came to my house was because she wanted to give me these gifts, which we completely forgot about the whole time. Like, there was. We didn't even talk about the gifts. So now all of a sudden, she has. She brought this, like, diaper bag, and it was like a square rectangle. Like, not a square rectangle. Diaper bag was pretty big. And she started telling me, oh, I have these gifts for you. And I was like, oh, yeah, the gifts. And she was like, I want to give them to you. And I was like, okay. And she was like, okay. She grabs a chair, puts it in the middle of the kitchen, and I'm like, what's going on? And she's like, sit in the chair. And she's, like, super excited. I'm like, okay. And she's like, yeah, just sit down and turn around and close your eyes. What? Yeah, turn around and close my eyes. Like, okay. So I'm sitting in the chair, and all I can keep thinking about is what's kind of gift giving is this. But she would come up behind me and drop a gift in my lap one by one. So she would come up behind. Like, I could sit in the chair. She would come up and just drop a gift in my lap, and I would grab it. And they were. None of them were wrapped either. But it would be, like. I'd grab it. It would be like a onesie. Like a. Like a newborn onesie, a receiving blanket. And I would just kept. She would go one by one. Just back and forth, back and forth and drop it. They were gifts. I mean, she was handing me things very strangely. But, like, you know, I was, thank you, thank you. I just kept saying thank you. Like, and it was one of everything. Like booties, mittens, receiving blanket, regular blanket, like an outfit, a beanie. It was literally one of everything. Just one of everything. After you have a baby, like, you just want to take your baby home with. And I remember taking them and smelling them because they had this, like, scent to it. And it smelled like a man had, like, rubbed it all over himself. Like, it smelled like cologne. Like somebody had just sprayed a bunch of cologne on it or just went like this and rubbed it. I don't know. But I do remember smelling it and thinking, these are used. But my mom had taught me to always be respectful, no matter what kind of. Even if you don't like the gift, whatever it is you, you, you were to say thank you and just, you know, be happy about it. Yeah. Act like you like it. Act like you like it. Even if you don't like it or you're gonna do whatever you want with it. That is completely fine. Put it aside. So I was just. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, my gosh, I love this. This is so cute. And she was like, you really do. And I was like, yeah, yeah, I really like it. And she was like, I have one last gift. I have another gift for you. And I was like, okay. And she was like, she pulls out this, like, baby wearing, like one of those baby wearing things. I called it a baby carrier. And people were so confused. They were like, she put a baby carrier. I'm like, well, it was like a.

[Unknown Host]

Wearing where you put the baby in it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

In it. Yes. Yeah, yeah. And there weren't a lot of front backpack type of deals. Yes. And there weren't a lot. 2011. There weren't. We didn't have all of these, like, brands that are out now. Like, they're so cool. I wish I had them when I was younger. But, like, they were just generic. Just a generic, you know, black baby caring thing. And so she had given me one, and I did not get one for my baby shower. I was actually really excited about it. I was actually super excited. But I know how much these things cost. And 18 years old don't make. I worked a jack in the box. Like, I made, you know, $7 an hour. Like, I definitely, you know, didn't come from money. So I'm thinking, like, I don't know, you that well. And you just bought me. You bought me this. Like, it made me feel uncomfortable because I don't know her like that. And not even my best friends would get. I just didn't think that that was. It made me feel weird. I did. I felt weird. And I remember telling her, I can't accept this. I can't. I know how much this thing costs. You already got me all these gifts. And she was like, no, no. I just feel something different with you, Angela. Like, you're so nice. You accepted me. And I was feeling weird about the whole gift giving. And then she says this about how much she likes me and how nice I am. And she told me, like, I just feel like when I moved here to Maricopa, like, I wasn't accepted, and, like, people didn't like me. And you just made me feel a whole different way. Your generosity, like, your parents, like. And I was like, she is so nice. Like, all these mean things. I keep thinking of her, like, I just wanted to get rid of all those bad thoughts because it just made me realize, like, wow, she's just broken. She's just somebody that wants kind of. We went back and before. She just wants somebody that wants to be accepted. Somebody that's just trying to get. And maybe that's why she was mimicking my life. Maybe that's why I kept going back, thinking about all these different things that I felt weird about her and kept thinking, like, she just is a. She just wants to be accepted. She just wants to be loved. She wants to have a friend. And so I was like, she's so nice. Like, that's all I kept thinking. Like, I'm just so. She's so sweet, and I'm a nice person. That's just. Realistically, I'm a nice, genuine person. So once that happened. Once that happened, she. Then I. I talked about this. Do you remember? Like, I think they were like, pillow pets. Or, like, it was like. And it shined like your pillow pet. And, like, it had, like, a light that shined on, like, on the ceiling. I wanted one so badly. They were always on tv. They were always, like, on tv that you could buy one. I wanted one. They're not even that expensive. But I wanted one so badly. And I did mention that at some point throughout the day, I had mentioned how I did not get one and how upset I was about it. So she goes, I have a special gift for you. And I was like, oh, you do? I thought that was a special gift. And she's like, no, it's it's something that you wanted really badly. And I was like, oh, what is it? She was like, I had a light specially made for Ryland. And I was like, what? And she was like, yeah. Like, it's a light and it shines and it has his name. And I was like, no, you did not. And she was like, yes. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I love her. She was like, I want to show it to you. And I was like, okay. And she was like, let's go somewhere dark. So she was like, your room would be perfect, because at this point, the sun had started to set. It was pretty dark in my house. So we went into my bedroom. She did the same thing. She was like, turn around and close your eyes. And I was like, oh, here we go again. Make me turn around and close my eyes. Yeah, make me feel uncomfortable.

[Unknown Host]

Everything's a surprise. It seems.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Everything is a surprise. And so I'm just like, okay. So I'm standing there. I don't have my eyes closed because it's already dark in the room, but I'm standing with my back turned to her, and she closes the door. And it's pitch dark in my room. So the sun has fully set at this point. It's pitch dark. And I'm sitting. I'm standing there, and I can hear her, like, going in this bag. And all of a sudden, I start. Like, my hands start to shake, and I'm like, what's going on? And then all of a sudden, I start to get, like, this weird feeling, and I started to think this is all happening within, like, a minute. But I'm standing there thinking, what would you do if she tried to stab you? How would you protect yourself? How would you fight her off? And then I'm like, whoa, whoa. That's a. That's a. That's a dark thought. Like, why am I thinking this? And the only way I can explain it is, like, you know, like, when you watch those cartoons, and it's like the bat, like, the evil guy, like, the. The angel. It was kind of like I was going back and forth with myself. I was like, you're gonna die. No, you're not. You're gonna die. You're crazy. Like, it was literally a full conversation in my head that I was having, and it was like somebody was whispering, telling me what was about to happen to me before it even happened. And specifically, I always. In the. In my. In the confession. Like, in, like, confession, in the reports of everything, like, when I have, like, the ice state, I felt Like, I was about to be stabbed in the back. Like, that's what I felt. And she's at this point, she's just digging through this bag, and I'm feeling all these thoughts, and I start to get nauseated, and then I start to, like, try to get myself out of feeling that way. And everything in my body just feels like. Like I'm scared. I'm terrified.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And I can't. Yeah. I can't figure out why, because I've never felt this feeling before. So I'm standing. Like, if I'm standing right here, she's back here. My bed is right here. Closet's right here. I literally turn around and sit on my bed so that I can see her. Made me feel better. Oh, what are you doing? Oh, my back's hurting. My back's hurting really bad. And that's all. That's what I kept stating. She goes, oh, okay, I'm almost done. Sorry. I'm just. I'm hooking it up, and I'm like, okay. She then grabs the bag, gets on top of my bed behind me, and now I'm feeling even worse. Like, these thoughts are just like, you're going to die. You're in. It's like. It's like somebody's literally, like, going, you're going to die. You're going to die. Like, it's literally in my head that I grabbed my phone, put my mom's phone number in and put it to my chest, and I have my finger on the call button. I went so deep into thinking that if I were to die, that my mom would hear me. If. If I. If she answers the phone, if I leave a voicemail. Like, if something happens, I'm pressing the call button and throwing my. My phone to the floor. That is how in depth I got of how I felt like I was going to die. But I kept trying to get myself talking out of that, because why. Why would someone do that to me? And I kept.

[Unknown Host]

She didn't really. Even if. Even if she did all of these weird things, she didn't really give you a reason for you to think she'd kill you.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. So then I started thinking kind of. Exactly. You said, like, who does that?

[Unknown Host]

Right? Like, this is nuts.

[Angelique Garbledo]

This is nuts. And then I kept thinking like, that I was just crazy. And so, like, everybody's like, well, you were doing this forever. No, this is literally like a minute. This all happens super fast, but all the thoughts in my head are just how I can explain it. And so I. I have the phone to my chest. I'm saying that I go, cassandra, what are you doing? She goes, I got it. I got it. Okay, ready? She's like, I'm just gonna put it over your head. Like, I'm gonna. Your. My closet was so. Now bed's right here. I'm sitting right here. She's behind me. Here's my closet. She said she was gonna, like, put it over my head, and it was gonna shine onto the closet so I could see it. And I'm like, okay. At this point, I'm like, show me the gift. Like, what's going on? Show me the gift. And she goes, okay, ready? And she puts her hand on my shoulder, and I'm nine months pregnant. And she leans me forward, and I'm at this point, I'm like, what are you doing? And she's like, 1, 2. And right when she starts to say 3, I. Something literally screamed, get up. Like, get up. That's all I heard in my head. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.

[Unknown Host]

No, you're fine. I'm like, it's giving me chills.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And I literally jump up and run to my door and turn the light switch on. And when I do that, she's putting something back into her bag. The news will tell you that I saw two metal objects. That's a lie. I never saw two metal objects. There's nowhere in any of my statements that I will tell you that I saw two metal objects. I couldn't see anything. It was pitch dark. But she's putting something back into her bag and. Coincidence. Like, what a big coincidence. Her phone immediately rings, and she answers the phone and starts talking to someone frantically in Spanish. And I'm like. I'm, like, standing at the light, and I'm just like, what the fuck just happened? Like, what just happened? And so, like, I. I'm alive. Like, I'm not. I don't see any. What? That's all I could think. And so I. She's just talking to somebody. I walk out of my room, and I just go sit on my. Like, at my table where all the nail stuff is laid out, and I just start doing my nails, and I'm just. I'm replaying everything in my head, and I'm thinking in my head, what just happened? Why did I feel that I'm alive? Nobody stabbed me, but maybe she was going to stab me. Oh, my gosh. And then I start thinking back to svu, and I'm like, okay, if she's going to kill me, Like, I can't Say anything. I can't tell her I know, because if I tell her I know, then she's just going to kill me. But if I do tell her I know, or if I. Or if I do call 911 and they come here, then everybody. All my friends are going to think I'm crazy because I just accused our friend of trying to kill me when she was just trying to give me a gift. Like, there were so many different aspects to this of being, like, a young teenager. Yeah. I cared about what my friends thought of me. Absolutely I did. I also didn't want to be like, give this accusation of this girl when nothing happened. All I had were these feelings and all. I don't know what's going on. But with that being said, I now know what my feelings are, and I'm not going to let those feelings go. But I'm the type of person, which could be bad. I'm an investigator. Like, I will very much, like, investigate until I can figure out whatever's going on. And that's what I decided to do. So I decided, you know what? I'm just going to pretend like nothing happened, and I want to see what happened. Like, I want to see where. What her, like, body language. Obviously, if she starts getting, like, weird, I'll call the cops, but, like, I want to see what her body language is going to do. She comes in and she's normal. Everything's normal. I don't even bring up the light. I don't even bring it up. I don't want to talk about the light. I'm like, let me just see what's going to happen. So I'm sitting there doing my nails, and she's like. I'm like, oh, who was that? And she was like, oh, it was Edwin. I was her husband. And I'm like, oh, what's going on? She was like, well, he's gonna come down. He wants to take me out to dinner. And I was like, oh, she's leaving. She's leaving. She's gonna leave my house right now? Yes. So, like, cool. She could sleep. And she's like, yeah, he's gonna come down right now and wants to take me out to dinner. She's like, but I have nothing to wear. And I was like, oh, I have a closet. Go into my closet. Go look in there. Go see what there is. She. She, at this point, would have been about five and a half to six months pregnant. She did have a little pudge. And I do remember at some point asking my mom, you know, why Isn't she showing? My mom was like, all women carry differently. And she has really big hips. She's. She's a really skinny girl, really skinny tall, probably about 5, 9, 5 10. And she had a big butt, big hips, and just really tiny. But she had a pudge. And she would constantly, like, kind of go like this when she walked. So she. I mean, she looked like she could possibly be pregnant. So she could still fit my clothes. Like, my clothes would still fit her. So I told her, go into my closet. Go find something to wear. At this point, I'm just thinking in my head, like, I get to get rid of her. Like, she's going to leave and everything's going to be fine. Like, whatever. I was. Whatever was happening. Like, that's all. Whatever. So she starts going through my closet, and she closes the door and tries on some outfits. And she. Right before she did that, though, I lit a candle in my room. There is no specific reasoning as to why I lit this candle. None. I just like candles. So it was like a teacup candle. And it was when those incense things came out. So you would put, like, the little dots on, like, drops onto it, and then it would, you know, make it smell good. That's what it was. So I had lit the teacup candle before she even went back into my room. And at that point, that's. That's on. She's now in my room, looking through my closet, and she pulls out some clothes. She tries them on.

[Unknown Host]

So you both are back in your.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Room at one point we are. When I light the candles, she's pulling out clothes, laying them out, and then I leave her, and I close. She closes it. I give her privacy. She closes the door, and she's starting to get dressed, and she comes out and she's like, oh, I really like this. And I was like, cool. Have it. Keep it.

[Unknown Host]

Never come back.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Never. Like, I don't know, like, give me some space right now and maybe you can come back later. But, like, at this point, I'm just like, everything seems again. I'm testing. I'm testing the waters. And I'm like, at this point, if I can get rid of her, cool. Because nothing had happened. All I had were these feelings, and nothing had happened. She was being weird, but, like, nothing. So she closes the doors, tries them on, comes out. I tell her it looks cute. Have it. Go ahead and keep it. And I walk into my room, and it smells like smoke. And I'm like, what's that smell? And she's like, oh, I Don't know. And I look at the candle, and the candle's out. And I'm like, well, why is the candle out? And I look up at the fan. Like, immediately you think, like, did something blow the candle out? So I look up at the fan, and I'm like, the fan's not on the A's. The air is not on. And I'm like, why is that candle out? She was like, oh, I don't know. And I was like, do you smell that? And she was like, no, I don't smell that. I was like, it smells like something's burning. And she was like, no. And now I'm just like, what? So then I start looking through my room. I look in my closet. I start opening drawers, because I can't. I'm dead set that it doesn't smell like a candle went out. It smells like something's on fire. I can't find anything now. There's nothing. No fire anywhere. So I'm just like, that's weird. And then this, like, image and thought come into my head. Like, light another candle. So I grab. I'm like, okay. So I go grab another candle, I light it, put it back underneath there. And then she goes, oh, can I try this on? And I'm like, yeah, go ahead. So she closes the door, goes back into the. Like, she goes back to the room, closes the door, and I go back and I sit down, and I'm sitting there staring at my door, and I'm like, she's starting my house on fire. She's starting my house on fire. That's what's going on. You cannot convince me otherwise. There's not a lot to go off of, except for the fact that the candle went out and I smell something. So I go to. Now. Now I'm gonna tell you guys where my room is. My room is right here. My garage is right. Like, the garage door is right here. Right here would be my pantry, and this is the kitchen. So I'm in the kitchen. I walk to the pantry so that I can see diagonal to my room. And I can see her pacing. I could see her shadow. She's pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Whatever's going on to that room, she's feeling uncomfortable about. So I pretend like I'm going through bags of chips and making noise. Cassandra, do you want some food? Are you hungry? No, no, no. I'm fine. Are you sure? I'm just staring at the door, like, just messing with bags. And I can. I know something's going on. And I'm like, angelique, she's starting your house on fire. She's starting your house on fire. So then instantly she opens the door. I ram myself back in there. At this point, I'm a little aggressive, and I look at the candle and I go, why is the candle out again? And she's like, I. I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about, but it does smell a little weird. And I'm like, it smells like something's on fire. And so then I'm like, panicking at this point, and I start looking through everything. I do the exact same thing. I even run to my brother's room next door just to double check the smell isn't coming from there. So I know for sure it's coming from my room. So I do the exact same thing. I look in my. I look under my bed, I look in my drawers. I. I look everywhere. The last place I look is my closet, and everything is in flames at this point. When I opened the closet, not even like five minutes prior, there was. I didn't see anything. So within that moment, in five minutes, my whole closet is in flames. So, like, my. My. All my clothes are on fire. And I immediately start panicking. And I don't even think about the fact that she started this. All I'm thinking about is my house is going to burn down if I don't put this fire out. So I frantically and, like, running to the kitchen, grabbing big pots, filling the pots. If I throw a pot at Cassandra, and I'm like, fill this up with water. Like, help me, help me. And so I'm running back and forth with pots and pans, and I'm throwing it on the fire. And then I grab my phone. It's a flip phone. That's what we had, you know, flip phones. I grabbed the phone, pick it up, and I just panic, and I just dial. The last person that called me, which was my best friend, Skyler, so he was the last person that called me. And I'm just like, click, click, click, click, click. And he's on the phone, and I'm like, call 91 1. My house is on fire. Help. Help. Help. Like, he lives only, like, three minutes down the road, so he immediately calls 91 1.

[Unknown Host]

Was she helping you?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I don't know.

[Unknown Host]

You don't remember?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I don't remember. I don't remember her. I don't remember her actually, like, doing anything. I was just frantically, like, running back and forth. But I did throw something at her to help. So I don't know if she actually was. But I. I just. I know that I did that, but I was putting the fire out, and at that point point, my whole room is covered in smoke, and I'm now coughing. Like, I'm. I'm getting. I'm. I'm inhaling so much smoke that I'm just, like. I'm holding onto my bed, and I'm just, like. Just like, coughing and coughing. And then I'm starting to feel contractions at this point. So once I get the fire contained where it looks like it's out, Cassandra was standing next to me, and she was coughing a lot, too. I literally grabbed her by her, like, collar, and I dragged her outside, and I got her out, open the garage door, and smoke just started, like, literally rolling out of my house. And we're both, like, in the middle of, like, my driveway, just coughing and coughing and coughing. My best friend had pulled up with his mom, and she's like, what's going on? Like, she's assessing everything. Cassandra, I don't know what happened at that point. I don't know where she went. I don't know if she went back in the. I don't. I don't know. I literally went to my best friend and I pulled him aside, and I'm shaking, and I'm like, skylar, I need to tell you something, and I need you to just. I need you to just believe me. Like, what I'm about to say is going to be crazy, but I just need you to. I need you to believe me. He's like, okay. And I said, I think she's trying to kill me. I think she was going to stab me. I think that she grind me at this light. I think that she set my house on fire. And I'm talking just, like, how I am now, fast. And his eyes are just like. He doesn't blame me. He's like, what do you mean? And I'm like, I don't know how else to tell you. He's like, this thought, this feeling. I said, yeah. Like, it was like, literally somebody told me what was going to happen. He's like, so do you think you're psychic? I'm like, no. Like, I just. I'm trying to explain this, but again, we're 17. 18. He's 17, actually. So, like, what is this? Like, normal people don't have. Like, you don't just get these thoughts and these feelings, and people don't just. I'm just a normal person. Why would someone come to My house and try to kill me. That's all I kept thinking, like, why me? Like, why would this happen? So even in that very moment, when I said it out loud, it sounded nuts. And I started thinking I was crazy because nobody stabbed me. My house isn't on. Well, it was on fire. But, like, maybe there was an accident. Maybe something happened. Maybe I have laptops in there. Maybe something exploded. And so 911 at that point was already called. People already started, like, getting to the house. The paramedics were there. The firefighters were there, the cops. Cops were there. My mom and dad had pulled up at the exact same time because I think Skyler's mom had called them and told them what was happening. And I decided to stay silent, to stay silent and let them do their investigation. So I'm being treated because I am having contractions. I inhaled so much smoke, which caused the contractions to start. So Cassandra also was having contractions. So she's still there, which makes me think that I'm even crazier. Like, if you were trying to hurt me, wouldn't you run away? Wouldn't you leave? Like, if you think you're innocent, then you would stay. So I'm literally fighting back and forth with myself, wondering, am I literally, like, am I nuts? Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Am I losing my mind?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Am I losing my goddamn mind at this point? Because that's what I feel like. I feel like I've lost my. My train of thought, my mind, any type of, like, conclusion. Just everything. It just feels like a bad. A bad dream. And so I'm letting them do their investigation. I'm not even saying anything. I'm just. I told Skylar, also very important to Skylar, a pinky promised me, pull the pinkies out. Everything. You don't tell a soul until I say that you can. He understood. So I'm sitting there. I'm being treated. She's sitting kind of like, next to me. My mom was, like, sitting next to me, and I was like. Cassandra was, like, crying. I'm not even crying, but she was, like, crying how much pain she's in. And my mom was like, angela, are you okay? And is it okay? I'm going to go sit next to Cassandra? She was worried about her. She doesn't have anybody. You know, she's by herself. My mom and dad are here. My best friend's here. You know, I have people around me. So my mom was like, is it okay? I'm like, yeah, just go over there to her. Like, obviously, she needs you. Like, she needs somebody. She's Crying. So my mom goes over there, and my mom starts to, like, you know, console her. Like, it's okay, honey. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine. So my mom was like, oh, honey, it's okay. Like, you know, rubbing her back. And then the cops started to ask her questions, like, about her. Like, what's your name? Where are you from? What? Like, how many weeks are you? And everything. My mom started to catch on to things. Everything that she was telling us was not what she was telling the paramedics. Her full name was different, her address was different. How many weeks she was. Was different. Everything was different. My mom was, like, strange. My mom started to think strange things, too, because she was like, that doesn't add up. Like, but maybe she's just mistaken, you know, My mom's obviously not thinking anything except for that. So then at that point, we had been sitting there for about oxygen, probably about 30 minutes while everybody's in the back. I hear the param, I hear the police, the fire department come out and they're like, oh, we found these batteries. And I hear them say, like, maybe it blew. Like, something about blowing up. And in my head, I'm like, oh, my God, she didn't start my house on fire. Like, it was an accident. Like, they're starting to investigate. They're coming out stating, like, there's this, there's that. Like, maybe she didn't do anything. So I'm sitting there and kind of just like, obviously talking to myself about all of this. And then I get cleared. She's still sitting there in pain. And all of a sudden, I see my mom, my best friend's mom, talking to my parents. And they're doing this little, like, pow wow, where they're like. And then they all look at me, and then I look at my best friend and I go, you told your mom, didn't you? And he's like, angelique, I had to, like, if this is. If this is real, and she really was trying to kill you. Like, I just. I can't. I can't keep that to myself. And I'm like, you literally pinky promised me. Like, you broke the trust. So I think I was more mad about that. Like, you literally broke everything that I told you not to break. And. But then I said. Then I said, thank you, because I felt relief because I couldn't tell my parents, because I felt like they were just gonna look at me. Like, I was like, how my best friend looked at me if he didn't believe me. How are they going to believe me. They're adults. Like, they're just going to think I'm crazy or maybe I'm looking for attention. I don't know. I just started thinking all these weird thoughts. So she's still sitting there with the paramedics getting checked out. We all go inside my house. My mom and dad are like, what happened? Like, we're all sitting at the table. What happened with her? Not with her. She's actually outside with the paramedics because she's. She is dead set on. I'm in. I'm in labor. I'm having contractions. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, also, while she sitting there, she's, like, laughing and giggling, like, within crying. And then she's, like, talking to somebody, and she's like, me and my friend Angelique are gonna have our babies together. Angelique, what hospital are you going to? I want to make sure I go to the same hospital. And I'm like, don't let her come, please. Like, please. I'm telling the paramedics, please don't let us go together. Like, I don't want to be next to her. And so, like, that. She was. She was definitely, like, on and off, on and off. Hot, cold, hot, cold. So we all end up going inside my house, and the cops are there with us. And I. My mom and dad are, like, angelic. What is going on? Like, why did Skylar's mom tell us that you thought you were gonna die? Like, what actually happened? And so I start word vomiting. Mom, she put me in the middle of the kitchen, told me to turn around and close my eyes. She kept giving me these gifts. It was weird. Then she told me, you know, to go into my room. She told me to close my eyes. She got behind me, put her hand on my shoulder, and, you know, I start just. I think she was gonna stab me. I think she was gonna stab me right in my back. And, like, their. Their faces are just like, why? Why do you think that? And I'm like. I just. I just explained it to you why.

[Unknown Host]

I think that, like, the cops are in there, too.

[Angelique Garbledo]

The cops are in there. They're like. They're just, like, kind of going around, and they're like, they're over here.

[Unknown Host]

But they weren't, like, sitting down with you and your parent.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Okay, no, they weren't sitting down with us. They were kind of going in and out and kind of in the paramedics.

[Unknown Host]

You mean talking to your parents?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I was mainly talking to my parents and Skyler's mom. And then Skyler was there.

[Unknown Host]

Got it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And I was like. And they were, like, in the fire. I said, I don't know, Mom. I. I put my. I put my little teacup candle. It's out. The second one's out. And I go. She kept. They go, why was she in your room? And I'm like, because she wanted to try clothes on. And that's when the cops come in, and the paramedics, and they're like, hey, she's having contractions. She wants to go to the hospital. So we're grabbing. She asked us to grab her things. And they start grabbing my clothes. Like, the clothes that I was gonna let her, like, borrow. And they start grabbing my clothes, and they grab a bat. The bag, and I go, whoa, those are my clothes. Like, she. Those are mine. Like, put those down. And they go, okay, is this hers? And I'm like, yeah. And then they go. They're about to, like. Like, walk out the door. And I go, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. And I run over there, and I go, can I see that bag really quick? And they were like, okay. And I grabbed the bag, and this is where the paramedics and the cops were. There. They were standing right there with me. I grab it. I put it on top of the counter, and I go, mom. She kept saying she had this light for me, like a pillow pet that, like, shine, and it has Rylan's name on it. And I said, if it's in this bag, like, I'm crazy. Like, obviously, I'm nuts. I. I obviously just. I'm not making things up, but, like, I'm just crazy. Yeah. So I'm talking as. I'm kind of just talking to them as I do that. I put my hand into the bag. I don't feel anything except for metal, and I literally grab it, pull it out, and I got goosebumps. Literally two large butcher knives.

[Unknown Host]

And that's all that was in the bag.

[Angelique Garbledo]

A pair of scissors, disinfectant, and gloves. And I dropped them on the counter like that. And I literally look at everybody, and I said, I told you she was gonna stab me. Like, I told you. And at that point, I went into, like, this weird, like, loop where I couldn't stop saying it. I sat there saying, I told you she was gonna stab me. I told you she was gonna stab me. I told you. I just. I couldn't stop. Stop saying it. Like, it was like, now it was real now. I didn't feel crazy. I felt like everything that I had felt that I was talking about with Everyone looking at me, I felt like it was confirmed. It was confirmed. Like, why are you carrying two large butcher knives with you, a pair of scissors and disinfectant and not to mention, guys, all one of everything to take my baby booties, a baby, a baby carrier, a receiving blanket, a regular blanket, a beanie, one of everything. A newborn. One newborn diaper was in there. It was. It was insane. It was insane.

[Unknown Host]

And at that point, and obviously no pillow. Pet with the light shining.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Obviously, no. She couldn't even do me the justice of getting you right.

[Unknown Host]

At least cover up your tools with that.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yes. Like, if you have this whole story, like, at least do that. But no, there was no pet. There was nothing in there. There was nothing in there except for the leftover of what I stated. The. The lot, the knives, the scissors and all of that stuff. And because she had stayed because she's pregnant, and now I'm going to start using air quotes because she's pregnant. They have to take her to the hospital. They have to, like, she has to go to the hospital. She's in distress, you know, whatever. So that was her way to get out. So they end up putting her in the. They end up putting her into, like, the paramedic, into the ambulance, and they take her to the hospital. And at this point now, detectives are called in. My whole sheet, my whole street is shut down. You can't get in. Nobody can get in, Nobody can get out. She was able to get out, but nobody else can get in. Nobody else can get out. So they put, like, literally blockers on my street. And you can't, like, it's now a full, like, crime scene investigation. And they had asked me, you know, why, how do you think the fire was started? I explained it. I said, teacup candles. They said, those are the only things that I had. Was a lighter left in here. No, I brought the lighter with me. The lighter was still sitting at the table. So they were able to see and confirm, like, okay, it's there on the table. And they're now doing their investigation deeper, knowing that this is like, what. What we found and everything like that. And they ended up finding, you know, forensics comes in, does, like, you know, whatever they do. They ended up finding her fingerprints on both teacup candles. So why was she touching the teacup candles? Everybody always wants to know. She actually used that to start, like, a slow fire in my closet. So the first time I went in, it was, like, building up, they said. And when she took that second one, something that she did went kaboom like, maybe I couldn't hear it, but something blew it up, and that's what caused all the flames. I personally don't understand the way that it all worked, but they were able to explain it, like, to a T in the report of how it happened, and they were able to pin that, like, on her for arson. Now, the. She ended up going to the hospital. She ended up leaving the hospital. Like, she got there. They did. They ran a test. She wasn't pregnant. She never was pregnant. And I think once they found that out, she escaped and got out of the hospital. Like, she just left. And the cops were kind of just doing their investigation at that point. My husband, who was only my boyfriend at the time, though, he couldn't even get in. They didn't let him in for, like, two hours. Finally, they let him in. He sat there with me. He had just gotten off like a. He was working. We live in a small town, so he was doing. He works. He was working on a farm with his friend. And it's really weird, but it was like cotton picking season. I don't. I don't know. On the. On his friend's farm. That's what they do. And so he was, like, working, like, really long hours. And so he probably was, like, running off, like, two hours of sleep, working, like, almost the whole day. And he was. I think he even thought it was crazy. Like, everybody still. Even after finding everything, everybody still questioned me like I was crazy. Right?

[Unknown Host]

Because, like, technically she didn't stab me. Right?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah. So now it's still like, did you put these butcher knives in there? Like, now they really have to investigate everything and look at everybody as a suspect because what else are they supposed to do? I will say that in 2020, I did listen to my tape of, like, when they interviewed me. So, like, literally fresh, just like, all right, Angelique, we're going to interview you. Like, like, probably like, maybe like an hour after she went to the hospital. I've calmed down. I'm not screaming anymore. Like, they're interviewing me and they're asking me questions like, oh, are you sure? Like, you weren't just, like, smoking weed in your room? Or like. And I'm like, ma'am, I am pregnant.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, no, I was not smoking weed in my room. I guess she told them that at some point, she told them that we were smoking marijuana in my room, and that's how the fire started. But, like, they were questioning me. Like, they were laughing with me. They were, like, laughing and, like, making. I don't Know, I didn't like it. Yeah, I didn't like it. Like, in that moment, I don't remember all of that, but hearing it and hearing how distressed I am and hearing, like, how uncomfortable I am, they were very much dismissive. Dismissive. And I do think that this comes back to. I was a bad kid. I had been arrested a few times. I had went to juvie for, you know, fighting with my mom. I. I had ditched school. Like, it's a small town. So, like, I had a reputation of being like, this. This little thug kind of thing. Like, I just. I did. I had, like, a reputation of it. And when I got pregnant, Ryland, and maybe I mentioned this in the beginning, but I actually was. I was on meth for a very short amount of time, but that was like, my downfall. And then I got pregnant with Ryland, and he. I've been clean and sober since that day. Like, I haven't touched meth since that day because he changed my outlook on life altogether. I knew that this baby. As much as I didn't want to be a teen mom and I didn't want to go through. Through the heartache of, you know, I have. I work a Jack in the box. Like, I didn't want to go through all of this. I also did not want to live the life that I was living. I didn't want to be a drug addict. I didn't want. I felt like he was my only way out and that he was going to change my whole life for the better. And he did. Like, he did. This was like my full on. Like, Rylan saved my life more than he'll ever understand. He saved me from being whatever I could have been. And so I think that they looked at me like, oh, just this happened. Or, you know, like, they were. They were very nonchalant, very dismissive. I didn't feel good about it. And also, we lived in a small town and, like, nothing like this ever happened. Yeah, it was kind of crazy. That night was very scary because she had not been caught and she was just kind of out and about, just kind of doing her own thing. And at that moment, I had. I told you guys, I'm in my own investigator. I literally took things into my own hands. I. I found information about her. I felt like the cops were not doing things fast enough. So within, like, hours of just me researching and finding people, I ended up finding out that I knew her cousin from middle school. We dated the same guy. Granted, she lived in a different town at this time. She lived like an hour away from me. But I was able to find, like, little connections of things that happened. I found an article from when she ran away when she was like 15 where they stated that she was schizophrenic, manic depressant, bipolar, and that she had multi personality syndrome. Now it's called MDD or DD or so now it's called something different. But back then it was called, like, she had multiple, like, personalities. And at that point, I, like, handed everything over to the cops. Like, hey, this is where she used to live. This is who her family is. This is a news article on her. Like, why haven't you guys found all of this? Like, why am I doing your job? Like, are you not understanding that? Like, I'm scared. Like, I'm terrified. I'm literally terrified for my life right now. And you guys are just pretending like this didn't happen. Like, nothing. Like it's fine.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And I very much. I just felt like they didn't take me seriously. And that's an awful feeling. That's awful feeling because then it just makes you feel like you're crazy again. It did. It made me feel like I was crazy. Like maybe this was all like a dream or maybe like I'm. Maybe I'm feeling something that I shouldn't be feeling. I don't know. It just. It felt weird.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So then they asked me if I would be willing to come in and call her and pretend like I have no idea what's going on. Because she has no idea. She doesn't know what's going on. All she knows is that she was able to get out of my house and go to the hospital.

[Unknown Host]

And she doesn't know at this point that, you know, she wasn't actually pregnant.

[Angelique Garbledo]

She has no idea.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

She has no idea that I look through the bag. She has no idea. She has no idea of anything.

[Unknown Host]

Got it?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Do you have it? If you. Do you have any questions between. Between anything that I've said.

[Unknown Host]

You're doing so well. Like, you hit everything. And like, I'm very, like, so invested. I feel like I'm like this, like the whole time.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I always have to think about it too. Like, while.

[Unknown Host]

Cuz like, sometimes when I'll watch it back, I'm like. I get so into it at times that my face is. It's almost like I like, melt. And I'm like, all right, I have to keep myself composed over here. Like, I'm like, like, like. Like there's eyes on me too.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Okay, good.

[Unknown Host]

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[Angelique Garbledo]

Yes. So they asked me to come down to, like, the precinct, I think is what it's called. And I go in and. And it's just like a little. Remember, we live in a small town. Like, I had nothing. So it's like a trailer. And so I'm, like, sitting in there, and they're like, okay. So they start, like, hooking things up and, like, giving me these earphones, and they're, like, recording, and they're like, we're gonna call from here, but it's gonna link from your phone. Like, it's gonna show your phone number. And I'm like, oh, this is cool. Like, I saw this in svu. I actually think this is, like, super cool, though, because I'm like, wow. Like, I'm like, investigating. Yeah. I make the best out of everything, to be completely honest. Even out of a bad situation, I'm like, oh, wow. Right? So we're sitting there and they actually give me questions. I don't remember exactly what the question. The questions were very, like, simple. They were like, okay, can you do this? Like, we need you to do this, like, pretending like you have zero clue what's going on. And I'm like, okay, I could do that. Yeah, I can do that. And so I'm, like, talking to her. So it's like, ring, ring, ring. And she's like, hello? And I'm like, hi. I'm like, how are you? And she was like, I'm not feeling good. And I'm like, I heard you went to the hospital. Is everything okay? Did you have to, baby? And she's like, no, no, I didn't. Thank you for. But thank you for calling and checking on me. And I'm like, of course. Like, I just didn't know what happened. Like, you just all of a sudden went to the hospital, and I'm just, you know, can I. Can I ask you, like, what happened? And she was like, well, what do you mean? I said, well, they're questioning me and asking me, like, why my. Like, how the fire started. She's like, well, I don't. I don't know how that happened. And I'm like, no, I know. I don't either. And I said, but they wanted me. Their goal was to get her to admit that she was in the room alone. So that was my goal. They gave me, like, a goal. Admit that she's in the room alone before the fire started. I was like, well, let's just, like, backtrack. I said, so I took the candle and I lit it. And then, like, you went into the room and you tried clothes on? She's like, yeah. And I said. And then, like, you locked the door, you closed it? She was like, yeah. I go, but you did that twice, and you don't know how the candle went out? And she was like, no. And I was like, okay. And I'm. I'm obviously not an investigator, but I'm like, okay. But again, you were in the room alone.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Let's make sure we get this clear. Let's make sure we're on the same page here. And she was like, yeah. And I go, well, did you tell them that we were smoking weed in my room? She was like, no. And I was like, yeah, they said that we were smoking weed in my room, and, like, we ashed it, and that's how the fire started. She was like, no, I would never say that. And I was like, okay, I'm just making sure. But as we were talking, all of a sudden, you could hear this voice in the background saying, cassandra, hang the phone up. Like, very. Just, like mad. And it was a man. And all of a sudden, you hear. And you hear click. And the cops look at me, and they're like, whoever that was, like, obviously caught on to what, like, what questions you were asking. And I'm just like, I'm obviously not a professional. Like, I just did. I'm 18 years old. I just did the job that you asked me. Me to do. But we did get her to admit that she was in the room alone before the fire started with, like, the candle. So, like, that was something that they wanted for arson. So mission accomplished. We got that.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

But now there's this man that was obviously in the background that said all this. And the next very next day, I go into labor. Like, I actually don't even go into labor. I actually go into the. I go into the doctor's office, and my blood pressure skyrocketing. You know, I even told them, like, some woman came to my house, tried to kill me before, form a C section on me, blah, blah, blah, whatever. And they're just like, why? And they're like, well, your blood pressure is elevated. Like, you have a lot of protein in your urine. Like, you have preeclampsia. So I went to the hospital, and now it. I think I'm, like, three and a half weeks early at this point. So I go into the hospital, and it's time for me now to deliver. So now my mission is kind of just to deliver Ryland, but I'm still, like, super scared. Everybody's, like, scared. My family's scared for me. We don't know what's going to happen with this girl. Girl. She's obviously out and about. So they put cops outside my room, and, like, they put me as Jane Doe. So, like, my name isn't even put in the records of, like, they have me as Jane Doe, but, like, they know I'm Angelique Robletto. And so I'm having my baby. I'm having Ryland. It takes. I'm in the hospital for almost seven days. It took three days to give birth, and then four days after, because I had just gone through a lot. Like. Yeah, throughout going. The whole process of giving birth to Rylan was insane. Insane. It was scary. After I gave birth to him, I actually hemorrhaged, and I bled out, and I passed out in a puddle of my own blood, which was, like, traumatizing, too. I literally was in the bathroom, and I passed out, and, like, I had to pull my mom had to pull the, like, the cord so that, like, the lights go shining. But I literally was passed out in a puddle of my own blood in the bathroom. And so I remember after, like, they had given me, like, everything I need. I think they gave me, like, blood transfusions. And, like, after I was stable, I would not let anyone touch Ryland. I was convinced that, like, somebody was trying to kill me. And so I was like, every time a nurse would come in, I'd be like, show me your badge. Show me your badge. Like, I was, like, so just, like, scared that she was gonna come back. And there was plots, Like, I just. My mind could not stop going that I was supposed to die. And I also had this full on. Like, when I passed out, I thought, like, I, like, Final Destination. Like, I wasn't supposed to live. Like, this is how I'm supposed to die. So then I, like, I'm just traumatized going through all of this thinking, like, I cheated death and I was supposed to die. And now I'm not going to be able to, like, watch my son be raised. And, like, I'm literally just fully, like. And I just had a baby. So, like, I'm just going crazy. And I remember four days had passed. I got out of the hospital, and now I'm back at home, and there is no, like, security. There is nobody watching. Now it's just me, my baby and my mom and my dad and, like, my brothers. And I refused to go into my room. I'm so scared of my room. Every time I went into my room, all I saw were flashbacks of, like, flames and just me feeling, like, the thoughts of, like, things happening and thoughts of me still thinking that knife was to my back. Like, it just all kind of just. I kept getting flashbacks. So I actually lived on the couch, and I stayed on the couch the whole time because I didn't want to go to my room at all. And, like, my boyfriend would come over and, like, he would sleep on the couch with me. Like, my parents were very much still, like, you can't live here. Like, my parents didn't even accept him, really. Like, my dad actually had only met him once because my dad refused my dad. My. We're. We're a Mexican household. My dad was like, this white boy. Like, he was like, no, not happening. But then my dad started to let him come over more because he realized, like, that's her comfort and, like, this is Rylan's dad. And, like, she just went through something insane. And, like, he was the only person that I felt like, could protect me, like, if something were to happen. So he started staying with us, like, with me on the couch. And we just kind of had our own little area. And within like a week and a half, still, there was nothing on the case. They hadn't told me anything. They still hadn't caught her. I did. If you remember, I did say a little bit earlier that I did find out that I knew her cousin from high school from, like, or from middle school. We dated the same guy. Well, there was a moment that I called her before I went into labor, and I word vomited to her, like, do you know this girl named Cassandra? Like, I saw a picture of you and her on Facebook. I saw this on MySpace. Like, I started connecting everything, and I'm like, I don't know if you remember me. We used to date Chris and just try to, like, pinger into everything. And then she was like, yeah, I know Cassandra. And I was like, she came to my house with large butcher knives. I think she was gonna kill me. I think she was gonna take my baby. Like, and she's like, that's my cousin. And I'm like, oh. I just, like, told her that her cousin, like. Like, she could. There's either one or two things that could happen. She could very much tell me to, like, you know, off, or she could be like, I believe you. Well, she believed me. She was like, I believe you. Like, my cousin's crazy. She's like, there's a lot of things about her. Like, we don't even talk to her. Like, there's a lot of bad, like, bad things about her. And so that, like, kind of confirmed everything for me. And I said, does she actually have a sister that lives in Maricopa? And she was like, yes, she does, but she's out of the country right now. She's like, we can't even get a hold of her. So we can't even. We don't know the address after where. Where she lives. Like, we don't know anything. So nobody knows where she is, where she's posted, none of that. So that's just something I didn't bring up earlier, but we did have that conversation. So now fast forward. I'm. It's a week and a half later, I've given birth, and all of a sudden I wake up in the middle of the night. It's like, midnight. I think it's like March 7th. It's like I gave birth on the 26th. It was like, March. Maybe it was the beginning of March somewhere in the first Week of March. And I get a phone call in the middle of the night. And my mom comes into the room and she's. Or comes in living room, goes, angelique. And I'm like, yeah. She's like, it's Detective Turner. And I was like, okay. So like, I grabbed the phone and I'm like, hello? And she's like, we have her. And I'm like, what? Like, we got her. And I'm like, what are you talking about? And they're like, we have Cassandra. Like, we caught her. She confessed everything. Angelique. And I'm like, she confessed everything. She said, yes, she was going to stab you, perform a C section on your body. She was going to take the baby. And the reason she started the fire was because she was hoping that you'd become, like, overcome with smoke so that when you passed out, she could do the C section there. Because obviously I stopped her when she said. When she said three and I turned the light on. So game plan two was to start the fire. So I would be overcome with smoke and we just pass out. And then she could perform the C section. Then she also thought, hey, this will also get rid of all the evidence. She'll burn with the body. The body will burn. Nobody will know what happened. It was actually kind of like diabolical, like for an 18 year old to even like think that. And I remember just crying because I still had felt like no one believed me. I felt like this was like an imaginary thought that happened. Like I had told between the incident and between her being caught, I had told selective people, like, selective people, maybe a couple family, maybe like, you know, few people that like, were closer. And like, they didn't believe me. They didn't believe me at all because I just looked like this girl who was stating something happened. But like, yeah, I physically was not stabbed. It does not mean that the trauma did not happen though. But that's what people were kind of like, insinuating. And that's how I felt with people's like, demeanor. Demeanor of how they, like, came off when they would talk to me. So now this was like confirmation. And it went out to the news the whole next day. And it was on every news station, like, throughout the US and at that point I was getting like, people apologizing to me, family members, like, people. Because she fully confessed everything.

[Unknown Host]

Did you find out what made her decide to confess?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yes, actually. That's very important. So remember I told you the cousin said the sister was out of. Out of the country. The sister had gotten back that Day. So most whatever day she was arrested that day, the sister got back, and the cousin called the sister and said, this is what's been going on. Like, we've been trying to get a hold of you, but we could not. But Cassandra right now is being questioned and being like, for, you know, attempting to kill this girl and take her baby. And the sister didn't even bat an eye and think that this was, like, nonsense. She called the cops and had them come to her house and said, she's here. She didn't tell Cassandra. Like, she just called the cops and said, cassandra's here. You can come here and question her. I know you've been looking for her. Because they couldn't find her.

[Unknown Host]

Okay?

[Angelique Garbledo]

So that's why the whole thing that. The whole thing was the cops. And I don't even know how that works. I'm like, you guys couldn't find her, Right? But granted, like, there was nobody knew who her family, her cousin, like, nobody knew names to go off of all her friends that they were interviewing, like, the police. Like, we didn't know anything about her except for what she told us. So at that point, like, we were just giving them the information. So when the sister got back to the country, she called the cops. Cops came, and they questioned her there, and then they asked her, would you be okay coming down to the precinct with us and us questioning you there? And that's when they arrested her, and that's when they get her confession and everything. It's a. I actually have it. I have the recordings. I have, like, the CDs. And it's like, three and a half hours of her just talking and talking and talking. But, yeah, like, she. I mean, within the confession. That's what she says there. I remember, like, it was. Because it was blasted on, like, every news station. Like, I had family members now apologizing, like, now calling and being like, I'm so sorry. Like, it's not that we didn't believe you. You know, you hear the excuses. Not that we didn't believe you. It's that this is unbelievable. Like, who does this? Like, if you look up fetal abduction and you look at something before 2011, like, it's. There's a few. There's a few stories, a few. And so it's not something that you commonly think would happen. So I. I get why people think I was crazy, because I also thought I was.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Did she say why she wanted to do this? Like, was there reasoning behind it? And what. Did she do it alone?

[Angelique Garbledo]

So.

[Unknown Host]

Or was it Just because she was mentally ill.

[Angelique Garbledo]

There was. This is where it gets a little complicated. It does. It gets a little complicated and it gets a little bit longer. How much time do we have? Or. It doesn't matter. Okay.

[Unknown Host]

If you want to explain it, you can do it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It does get a little complicated. I explain it all in my story times. I actually I. I push my. When I do my story time on Tick Tock or like Instagram, Tick Tock. I start off with, like, how, like the kind of, like everything that we went through. And then I get down to sentencing, and then I go to the Dr. Phil show, which is kind of important just because it kind of shows, like, everything that happened to me. And then I go to 2020, which is where I actually. Her release is where I find. Where I find actually the truth out. Okay, so I guess, like, this part, we're. We're. We're done with, like, she got arrested. We do go to sentencing a year later. Now when we go to sentencing a year later, nobody has talked to me between the arrest and sentencing. Not that I remember. And I will say that that year is a very much big blur. I don't remember it. I don't. And it's. I get. I get. I get really emotional because I don't even remember Ryland's first words. I don't remember his first steps. I don't remember what his first food was. I don't remember. She stole. Literally my first year of my life because I was so just going through the motions and pretending. I wanted to pretend so badly that what had happened to me wasn't a big deal because I hadn't gone stabbed. So I thought, like, because I wasn't injured, like, there's no reason for me to feel this hurt and pain. And we didn't have social media like we have now. We don't have Tick Tock. We didn't have Instagram. We didn't have people that were on there to influence and tell you, like, it's okay, what you're. What you're feeling is normal. Like, what you're feeling is normal. To feel almost ashamed or guilty or whatever you're feeling, like, these are all normal things, but instead and scared. And I just. I just went through the motions by myself. And I. Are you okay? I'm fine.

[Unknown Host]

And obviously no, like, therapy or anything at this.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I never went. I. I had a therapist, and unfortunately she actually was moving out of state like, a week later. And I. We didn't really have, like, video callings, but I think we had Skype. It wasn't known, like, how it is now. Like, if I had the resources now, it would have been so different. But because she had left, and she was my child psychologist because I was a bad kid. Like, she was my child psychologist from when I was 16 all the way till, you know, obviously this happened. I had done one or two sessions with her, and then she moved. And so I had felt like the one support system I had was gone. I didn't want to find another one. I didn't feel like there. And going. Finding a therapist is like going on dates. Yeah, it's hard. Like, you gotta feel that connection with that person and trust them enough. And I was not able to feel connections with anybody. I feel like I was so numb. But you wouldn't have guessed it. Like, I was happy, I was smiley. I acted just like myself. Like there was nobody could tell that I was just dying inside. And, I mean, my. My parents did a little bit because they did say for, like, a good year, like, if they were to come, like, wake me up, I would start swinging on them or, like, I would freak out. Like, I would start just randomly screaming. Like. So, like, there were. I had ptsd. And I definitely had moments that, you know, that people could say that they. They saw, but I acted normal. But when I sit there and think about things, like, for that whole year, I don't think anyone even called me. I don't remember having any conversations with, like, prosecutors, with the da I don't even know the terminology for all these people, like, of who they are and what they do, but I just know nobody called me victims advocate, nothing. No one talked to me at all. And then all of a sudden, randomly, it's like a year went by, and all of a sudden I'm getting this phone call that, like, we're supposed to go to trial, and I'm just like, oh, okay. Like, I knew things could take time, and so I just trusted, like, the way the process was working, and I didn't. I was scared to, like, ask questions about it because I felt like if I asked questions, I would break down. And I just didn't want that to happen. I knew that I had to work. I knew that I had to take care of my son. I knew that I had to continue life on. I survived. She was in locked up. And that was good enough for me at that point. So all of a sudden, they're talking to me, and they're like, we want to offer a plea. And I'm like, wait, what a Plea, like, why? And they were like, well, at the time of her confession, they didn't read her. Her Miranda rights. What? What do you mean they're what? Isn't that, like, the number one thing you're supposed to do? Like, it's like the first. I mean, I'm not a cop, I'm not a detective, but, like, isn't that, like, the first thing you're supposed to do is, like, read them the Miranda rights when you're getting a confession, when you're sitting there for hours, like, what? And they were like, yeah. So, like, if we go to trial, like, without that confession, the whole case can be thrown. I said, but you have the butcher knives. You have her finger on the fingerprint. Like, her fingerprints. Like, I start naming. Like, I'm like, frantic at this point, and I'm like, you're telling me that she can walk and she can go do this again to somebody? What? Like, this is insane. And they were just like, we're sorry like this, but we do. We're talking to her lawyer, and we are offering a plea. Like, we want to see if you would be okay with this. And I'm like, what's the plea? They were like, eight and a half years. You can. They were like, we're going to give you the choice to choose either between Ash, which is the Arizona State Hospital hospital, or you can choose to have her go to prison. And I said, can I have some time to think about this? And they were like, yes. So I took, like, a few days. I thought about it. I very much wanted to send her to prison because that was like, you deserve to go to prison. Like, you did an awful thing. Like, rah. That's how I felt. But I took some time to think about it, and I knew that she was mentally ill. So in my head, I thought, if I send her to Ash, the Arizona State Hospital, at some point in her life, whether it's prison or Ash, she's going to get out and she's. She's going to need all the help she can get. So if. At least if I send her to Ash, she can get the help she needs. And when she returns back to society, hopefully she'll be okay and she won't ever try to do this again to somebody. And they also convinced me and told. I say convinced because they told me that she wanted my baby for herself. That was what the story was, that she was mentally ill. She wants this baby. She had miscarriages. This was the baby that she wanted. Wanted. She just mentally thought That I was carrying her child. So I actually felt really bad and pitied her. I actually felt horrible, like, that she had gone through such, like, a horrible thing. And that made her, you know, made her want to do this to me. And so that's, like, what the whole defense was. That's what everything went into. And I went with the plea bargain. I went to sentencing. I had written this, like, long letter, read it to her, and I. I literally bawled my eyes out. It was my first time seeing her in over a year. And, like, I had rehearsed, like, what I was going to say multiple times, and perfection, I could say. I sat in front of the mirror, and I was like, say it with confidence. Like, I went into that courtroom thinking, I'm going to be very confident. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. Oh, no, no. The moment I went in, the tears, I was. A Mascara was everywhere. I was. I looked like a clown, because it was just everywhere. I couldn't stop crying. I just couldn't. It was like, all the emotions I had felt for that whole year had just, like, were. Were literally bursting out of me. And so every second, I was like, my name is angelic. Like, I just. It was horrible. It probably should have taken, like, two minutes, but it took us, like, 15 minutes for me to read it. And I remember feeling so accomplished. I felt so much better. And then it was her time to talk. They were like, okay, okay, Cassandra, you can now speak. She stood up and said, no, thank you. Your Honor sat down. Cassandra, this will be the last time you ever see this woman again. Do you want to say anything to her or her family? No, you, Honor. With a smirk on her face, I felt nothing but rage at that point. I don't know what I was expecting. I don't know if I was expecting her to say, I'm sorry. I don't even know if I'm sorry would actually, like, make me feel any better. But, like, I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting that. She. It looked heartless. It looked like she just did not care. And, like, she was just ready to go serve the rest of her sentencing. And I was like, wow. Like, she's. She doesn't care. And that actually really made me sad. Like, it really, really made me feel, like, really, really sad that she just did not care at all. And then it made me regret, like, also sending her to Ash. But I still. I still stand by what I did. I still think that it's the best thing to do when somebody's mentally ill and they. I still think that's what you should do. And then I just continued my life. And then that's when, like, right when I walked. I had never given any statements to anybody. So when she had gotten arrested and every news station was outside my door trying to get a statement, trying to talk to me, I had declined all interviews with everybody. I didn't want to talk to anybody about it. So once sentencing happened, I had walked out, and boom, there's, like, you know, all Fox News. You know, everybody's outside of. Outside the courtroom now, trying to get a statement from me. And that's my first time talking. I talk. You know, I told them. You know, I read the statement to her. I sent her to Ash. Like, it's the end of my story. Like, end of, you know, whatever's going on. And that's, like, when everybody wanted to start interviewing me. So I had been getting, like, phone calls from Anderson Cooper. I survived, like, the ID Channel. There were some other places that were calling me, too. But I declined everybody because everybody wanted to take my story and maneuver into what they wanted. They wanted to, like, rewrite it and tell it their way and not, like, actually what happened. Like, oh, can we say that she, like, nicked you? Or let's say that she was your best friend and did this to you, because that makes it more, like, you know, more crazy. Or that your best friend did this to you. And I'm like, no, I'm not gonna lie. Like, either take my story how it is or don't take it at all. Like, I don't care about being on tv. I don't care about doing any of this. Like, the only reason I do care is because I do feel like my story can help maybe another young, naive woman, girl like me maybe understand something. But, like, that's not. My goal is to be famous off of this.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And so I started declining places. Well, then Dr. Phil came along, his production team and his producers came, and they painted this beautiful picture about what they wanted the show to be about. They said, hey, like, you're a survivor. Like, what you went through was, you know, crazy. Like, the justice. Like, everything just. We want to have you on our show so that we can tell your story. You can tell your story and warn other mothers and do all these different things. And I was like, wow. Like, I said, I don't want to change anything about it. They said, that's fine. Like, we don't. We don't want to. And I was like, wow. This is amazing. It's amazing. So they flew Ryland and I out. My mom even came out with us, too. And when we got on the show, everything had changed. Everything that they told me, like, when you get on the show, this is going to happen. That's going to happen. Like, you're going to walk on, this video is going to play, then you're going to talk, and you're going to be able to tell your story. They. They give you, like, this outline of how it's supposed to happen. And I get on the video does play, and I'm like, okay, cool. Like, in my head, I'm like, okay, I'm going to be okay. Like, yeah, there's a bunch of people in front of me, but I'll be okay. Oh, no. So that happens. And then all of a sudden, he immediately goes into this thing where he pulls up this board and he goes, so I just want to name some things that you did. This happened, but you did this. This happened, yet you still stayed. This happened, but this. And you were scared to ask your friend, are you trying to murder me? He's like, if that. If he's gotten to that conversation, it's time for the friend to go home. And then starts laughing, and the audience is laughing. And you can see my whole demeanor. Like, you see my whole face. Like, I'm, like, embarrassed. I'm shocked. I'm humiliated. I don't mind talking about red flags, and I don't mind bringing up, like, situations, like, for intuition. I don't mind doing that. But don't do that on national television.

[Unknown Host]

And then put you on the spot and then basically, like, made a fool out of you and the decisions you didn't. Didn't make.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. And he cuts out a lot of the things. Like, yes, yes, hindsight. I could have done things differently. But why, if I did anything differently, like, would I be here? Like, you're talking to somebody who survived, so why are you gonna nitpick all the little things that I could have done better? Because who knows if what, I would have kicked her out of the house, and then what, she would have just came back and killed me the next day? Or maybe she would have found another pregnant woman to kill because I obviously wasn't too easy. Like, there's so many different dynamics that come about, and I. If he would have just asked me, like, hey, Angelique, would you be okay, like, if we just brought up some things and, you know, if you would have talked to me about it and maybe included me and not Just threw me out to the wolves like, that this would have been different, but laughing at me, making me feel differently. Also, he told me the whole episode. The whole episode was supposed to be about, like, my story because obviously it's long. Obviously there's so many different dynamics that come with it. But that's not what happened. That's what. How it was supposed to happen. But when I got on the show that morning, when I walked in, they were like, well, we found this lady who's obsessed with having babies. So we're going to have her do, like, 30 minutes of the show, and you're going to get, like, 20 minutes. And I was like, okay, first off, you thought it would be okay to just bring some woman around me that is obsessed with having babies, like the woman who tried to kill me. Like, you think that's pro. You think that, that that's fine? I get that it's tv, and I get that you're trying to build a show, but, like, why would you. You literally talked to me last night.

[Unknown Host]

And did you ever meet him before you went on or.

[Angelique Garbledo]

No.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

No. You don't meet Dr. Phil before you go on the show. You. You do meet their whole, like, crew. You do go to, like, where they're at, and they, like, everything is like, when you. You, like, you, like, walk, and they'll be like, oh, put your hand on your head. Oh, look sad. Flick the light switch light on. Like, it's very much so dramatized. But it's kind of funny because I felt so weird, like, walk down the street and just look. Look like you're a sad puppy or something, you know, like, it's so weird. And I didn't, like, it was. It was definitely weird, weird experience. But I don't know, just everything that they said when I would be on the show was completely, completely just backwards. And I do remember trying to defend myself. And he cut all of that out. So people are always like, well, you were saying yes to everything. So you agree? I said I was saying yes. Because first off, I'm on, like, television and I'm scared, and I'm. I'm also just like, yeah, yeah. And then they're like, well, you were laughing. I was laughing because I was so nervous. Like, you just put me. You just put me in a situation that I don't even know how to act or say.

[Unknown Host]

Plus, they had full control of, like, removing or editing anything that they want.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Absolutely. They can. They could do anything that they want. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Especially when I feel like he's doing so much talking. It's easier to kind of like him, ask a question and just take snippets from what you said.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. And that's what. That's what they do. And they. That's why it's. It's hard. The Dr. Phil Show. And I do know that the Dr. Phil show has helped other people, but in my situation, I'm just not. I think he took my story and he just went with whatever he wanted to go with. And I get it. Like, it's your show. You want to make the views. And he also had a book that was being released, and I remember him specifically talking about this book, and he was like, I wrote this book about people just like you basically, like that want to like people, please. And he's like, these. About. I wrote this book that's just like, about people like you, which you can get on February. Something like. You know what I mean? Like, he was like. Which is gonna be in stores. Like, well, it's just.

[Unknown Host]

It's. It's screwed up because even though, you know, he's a big name and obviously everyone knows who he is, whatever, like, these are real people that have gone through very traumatic things. And I think, too, I feel like you have to. No matter how big you get, you still have to have a sense of sympathy and know how to interact with humans. Like, it's just. If somebody's sitting there sharing most vulnerable parts of their life and you're halfway through promoting your book, I mean, that's gonna. I think that would make anybody feel kind of just like a. Like they're nothing or just like an object. You're just there at that point.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah. And that is how I felt. I do remember. I remember after the show, I remember crying, just crying on my way to the airport. They literally get you off the show. He ignores you, ignores you. And Robin comes up and is just like, oh, my gosh, she did such a. She's so sweet. I'm all making these voices. She actually is a very sweet woman. She actually comes up and just says how, you know, proud she is. And, you know, you did a great job. The show was fantastic. And then they put you in, like, a limo and you leave to the airport. Bye.

[Unknown Host]

Like, very transactional.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Very transactional. Very like it was. And I remember just bawling. I cried my. All the way to the airport. I even. It's funny because the Dr. Phil show actually got released 14 years ago, like, yesterday or the day before yesterday or the day before. And I know this because my time hop Keeps coming up and I'm looking at all, like, the Time Hop stuff, and I even, like, say how embarrassed I am. Like, I felt like watching that show was just. I didn't want anyone to watch it. I was excited to go on, so I told all my friends and family. But then when it was released, I was like, oh, my God, I never want to watch this again.

[Unknown Host]

Right. And I think, too, it's like you go into things like that, hoping that it's part of your healing journey, and it ends up just, like, plastering your story in a way that is embarrassing and exploitive, you know, it's just not.

[Angelique Garbledo]

You feel used. Yeah. And that's not a good feeling. And then, not to mention when everybody had laughed at me, like, when the audience laughed, I just thought they all agreed. So my experience on that show was, I think, was supposed to help me and empower me, and instead it made me feel like my trauma was nothing.

[Unknown Host]

Yes.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like what I had gone through was nothing. Why talk about it? Why share it? Why try to spread awareness? Because you were stupid and naive and you just. Yeah. Like, what you did was dumb. So, like, makes me feel like an idiot. Makes you feel like an idiot. So I stopped talking. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I just. I went home and I shredded every bit of, like, all the police reports, all the pictures, anything that portrayed to, like, what had happened, I took. I had a shred, like one of my little shredders, and just started shredding it all. I didn't want to deal with it anymore because I literally felt like I was stupid. And that's an awful feeling to feel that way. And that's how I went for years. I just. I was already doing that in the beginning, like, for the first year where I was pretending like it didn't happen. But I didn't think I was stupid. I thought that, like. I thought that. I thought that, like, I had survived something that people don't. That don't survive. Like, somehow what I did got me to live and my. My son to live. And he took everything. Like, he just. His show just took everything away from me with that, with talking. And so I stopped and I did go on the ID channel. They convinced me to do the ID channel. They were really nice. I liked it. It was. I wouldn't say anything bad. I will say that documentaries, things like that, they're. They have their own agenda. They're. They're going to pick and choose what they want to say. Like, the thing, too.

[Unknown Host]

I don't know if people realize this, but like these shows or, you know, even like you were saying some of the shows and interview things that reached out after by trying to add different things to your story to make it seem more crazy or better, that diminishes what happened to you. Like, by saying, can we just say, oh, she like, nicked you a little bit? Like, I don't think that they realize in result that's going to make you go home and feel like it wasn't as bad as it was when it was as bad as it was.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, I don't think that is exactly.

[Unknown Host]

And I don't, I don't agree that you need to say, I don't, I don't. Like, in my opinion, it doesn't make a difference that her slicing your stomach a little bit or not may, like, your story is your story and that should be enough.

[Angelique Garbledo]

You would be, you would be like, mind blown on how many people are like, so does she actually cut you? You don't know how many times people say that to me. People in the comment sections will literally be like, so did she like stab you? Like, did you actually get hurt? Did anything actually happen to you? Or were you just like, traumatized? And they'll put like, traumatized. And I'm like, whoa, hold on. Like, one thing we're not gonna do is come on to my page and do that. If you don't agree, that's fine, we can agree to disagree. But like, don't tell me because I didn't get stabbed or because I didn't get nicked or something that that makes anything worse or better. Like, just because I don't have a physical scar doesn't mean that I'm not dealing with this on a daily basis. Like, this changed my life. This changed my, my, my thought process of people, who they are, how they are, what people can do. It showed me all the danger that could happen in this world. Like, it's just like, you can't just, just go based off of, like, what facts you think should have happened. And it's crazy that people actually think like that though, right?

[Unknown Host]

It's sad. And that's why too, like I always say, you know, with, with this platform specifically, I'm not here to go back and forth and question people or form opinions. Like, obviously, like we were talking about before, we're all human. We can have our own assumptions and thoughts. But, like, who am I to sit here and and judge somebody based on what is traumatic to them and to me and anything in between?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Everyone's story is their own. Do your thing, say your thing. I'm just here to let you talk. You know what I mean? Like, it just. It doesn't make sense to me why and how. There are some shows that they would question anyone's reactions or thoughts or feelings. It doesn't make sense to me.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, it doesn't. I. I do think things have changed now, though. I. Not fully. I will say, like, full. Like, now. Well, it's just backwards.

[Unknown Host]

It's different because now people can comment and question and ask. And obviously, these people might not be, as, you know, they can be hiding behind an account that has no followers, no pictures or anything, but people still have this skewed mindset of judging people and how they react to things or how they should have reacted, and we don't. I think that there are a lot of people that want to help other people by sharing their story. Or when they listen to someone's story, they can sympathize and they can hear it and they can relate. Yeah. Or they can just be open and not judge. But then there's this other group of people that are just still so, like. Like, it's almost like they crave to just pick, pick, pick, like nothing's good enough.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, absolutely. And that's why I think it's so important for people to share their stories. You know, it's. It's funny because, you know, you have the generation, not even like our parents, I'd say, like our grandparents. There's this generation that's like, why are you talking. Why are you talking about your trauma? Like, what, that's supposed to stay within the family? Or that's supposed to not be talked about? Because that's how they were raised. They were raised to stay silent, to hush, don't share your trauma. Because there was no. There was no social media. There was nothing. And now, in this day, people will take it as attention seeking or, you know, wanting to do this. It is so empowering to tell your story. It's you being able to tell your story how it happened and not getting the middle person of telling, you know, oh, well, what happened to Angelique is this. Isn't this. Like, you even have people. And I don't mean anything bad by this, but you have people that do storytelling on TikTok, and they'll try to. My story on TikTok is like an hour long, and it's in 10 different parts, and they'll try to take my story and minimize it to, like, five minutes, and I'm like, you can't do that, right? Like, you can. You can try, but you're not going to be able to get all the information or do any of that. But we live in a world now that people are intrigued. They want to understand. It's like, you want to learn. And I feel like my. My mom, my. My grandmother, they were like, why are you talking? And I'm like, grandma, what I'm saying and how I'm talking. Just because I say trauma is trauma. If you got into a car accident, you probably still feel the same things that I feel. Just because of I almost got murdered doesn't make my trauma bigger than your trauma. We can still feel the same things you. Things that I'm saying. You may go, wow, I understand that the experience. I. I have ptsd, or I'm trying to go through a healing journey, or I'm trying to do this, and I feel the same things you feel. It's because trauma, there is no. What are we trying to do? One up each other on trauma. Like, there's no. Like, why. Yeah, there's no such thing as doing that. And I think that when people talk, people relate, and they realize they're not crazy, and they realize that what they're feeling is normal. And it also helps people understand, like, oh, maybe I should go to counseling, or maybe I should try this type of therapy, or maybe I shouldn't be ashamed of what happened to me. I think it's so important. I think I love what you do with telling stories and having people do that because it gives them a voice that they didn't have.

[Unknown Host]

I was going to say, too. I don't think a lot of the guests that come on here realize that their voice becomes a voice for a lot of the people that are watching and listening. You know, it. It allows them to not only feel heard and understood, but sometimes it gives them courage to start speaking up. And even if it doesn't lead them to sharing their own story, I think by you sharing yours, it makes them feel like, wow, at least something that I have felt is being talked about and is getting out there.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I agree. I do. I very much agree. And that's why these shows, like the Dr. Phil show, I'm glad that his show is canceled now, but, like, that's why these shows are meant for profiting. They're meant for other things. And I think social media, like, if you're ever going to tell your story and you're not doing it on a podcast, you're not doing it this way. Just Try it. Try just doing it. Even if you don't have a lot of views, like, who cares? That is, like, your version of your truth. And I can tell you that I've watched my story time, like, over and over and over again. It doesn't matter how many comments or how many likes I have. I'm proud of myself. Like, I listen to myself and I hear the confidence. And if you were to hear me tell my story a year, like five years ago, there was no confidence. The confidence has come now because it's empowering.

[Unknown Host]

And I think, too, it's an important way to kind of. I say this to a lot of my guests. Obviously, no one should ever go through what you go through. You know, it's. It's terrifying and it. It causes a dent in your life for a period of time. But I think when you're able to share your story and talk about gives it a little bit of light and purpose because you know that you can turn it into something to help other people and to help yourself, and it gives you your own set of tools, I think, to help you become a stronger person.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, absolutely. That's the end of the Dr. Phil part segment.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah. This segment. There will be more to come. But there. So after all of that happened, I kind of just stayed silent for a very long. I did go on the ID channel. That was cool. Cool. It was whatever. Honestly, it was just whatever. It was kind of, like, scripted, and it wasn't bad. It's just that they kind of focus on different things. I will say that anytime you watch a documentary, it's not 100 true. Like, they take little pieces and they're like, let's focus on this or let's have this happen before this. Like, they're just.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's just sometimes it's not. And I've. I've talked to a lot of people that do, like, true crime, like, that have had, like, documentaries and things, and they'll all tell you the same thing. Like, unless you're actually doing, like, a podcast like this or you're listening to their story time, you're never gonna know the, like, 100 true. So that was kind of cool. I was like, okay, so interesting. Yeah, I'm not the only person. So we're gonna fast forward, like, all these years, because I. Between then and her being released, it.

[Unknown Host]

Was she in for eight and a half?

[Angelique Garbledo]

She was in for eight and a half.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. @ this mental hospital.

[Angelique Garbledo]

At this mental hospital, it's called Ash, the Arizona State Hospital. The only way that you can get into, Ash, is by, like, by being, like, detained, basically.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, got it.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So I every. I will say every six months, I didn't talk to anybody about all this, and I probably didn't mention this anybody, but every six months, I would look her up on Google. And if you do that with the Arizona State Hospital, it will give you, like, a little summary telling you, like, they had a hearing. So every six months, they have a hearing. They reevaluate within our plea agreement. If they evaluated her and they thought that she was mentally sane, like, she's doing better. The meds are working. She should be, like, she should be able to go home. Well, we had an agreement that that would not happen. She would spend the rest of her sentencing in prison. So no matter what, she had to serve eight and a half years. I would look it up. Every six months, I would look it up, and it was always the same within, like, 10 seconds. The hearings only lasted 10 seconds because they would deny it. They would deny it. They'd be like, she's not mentally sane. Like, nothing working. Like, denial. You're not getting out. And I was. I always made me feel so good. Like, oh, my gosh. Like, good and bad. Bad because, like, I wanted her to get help, but good because I'm like, okay, good. She's staying, like, where she needs to stay. And it was clockwork. Every six months. Every six months. Then we got down to when it was time for her to be released.

[Unknown Host]

Were you nervous at all?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I was very nervous. And I don't know, I didn't time things correctly. I had already given birth to all my three kids. I was done having babies, but I decided. Decided to just be a surrogate for somebody. Don't know why I literally didn't put the timing, like, of getting pregnant, ivf, all of that. So I was actually pregnant when she was being released, which I didn't realize. Like, I didn't. I didn't put it all together. So when I found out that she was. Someone called me and said, hey, like, she's going to be getting released August, but she has a hearing that you're able to speak, like, and come to if you'd like to do that. It was in July, and I was like, no, no. Like, I'm pregnant right now, carrying someone else's baby. Like, I don't need to be near her. I don't need to be anywhere. Like, I just need to stay away. And it got closer and closer. She called me, like, a month prior. Then, like, two weeks Came. Then a week came, and I was like, I have changed my mind. Like, I changed my mind. Like, I think I need to be there. I don't feel. I don't feel comfortable because I did look at all the records, and every six months, they never thought that she was okay. The last six months, they did not think she was okay to be released. So why is it okay for her to be released now? What happened in six months? You think that. I mean, obviously, eight and a half years, nothing happened. So, like, why are you trying to release her? Yeah, because they can keep her. That was a part of the deal. Plea bargain. If they still think that you're mentally not stable, they can keep you past your sentencing.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And so that's what my goal was, not to be cruel. Because I literally was concerned that every six months, you did this evaluation and you guys denied her. So you're safe. Safety is my safety. Yeah. Like, not even just mine, like, other women. Like, what if you didn't release her six months ago because you thought she was okay then why now?

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Angelique Garbledo]

That was my biggest question. Why now? So I went to the. I ended up going, how was it seeing her? It was. It was the same thing as sentencing, to be completely honest. Maybe even me, I would actually even say maybe even worse. My best friend, my husband and my dad came with me. Me. My mom was really sick, so she wasn't able to attend. So that's where my dad came. We ended up. When you walk into the Arizona State Hospital, it's like. It's like a. It looks like a prison. So, like, you're going through, like, you all these detection or, like, metal detectors and things like that. And you get in. You sit in this little courtroom, like, type of hearing thing, and everybody's in there. So there's other people that are also there, like, getting their stuff done, like, from ash. And I remember I sat down, I'm sitting there, and there's other people around. Then all of a sudden, like, I hear her name, and I see her walk, and we both, like, look at each other, and we make eye contact and, like, chills. I just get chills. And then, like, I look at my best friend, and she's like, are you okay? And I'm like, no. Like, I'm not. Like, the tears, I. And every single time I say I'm gonna go in there strong, but, like, it's. You can't help it. Like, sometimes it just takes over, and I just start, like, bawling, and then I'm just like, okay. Contain yourself, Angelique. Contain yourself. So then I start wiping the tears away, and I'm like, okay, I'm doing this. I'm doing. I came here for a purpose, and I came here for a reason. So then I talk, and then they ask if anybody wants to talk. I start, like, reading out, like, okay, we're here for the release of Cassandra. Blah, blah, blah. They ask her to speak first. So she starts talking. I believe that I've been great. You know, I've done everything I need to do. Like, we believe. You know, they start talking about, like, what they believe. You know, how good she's doing. So then it's time. Does anybody interject? Like, anybody, like, you know, need to talk? And then, like, I stand up and I walk up to the podium, and I have, like, this thing in my hand, and I'm just, like, trying to read it, and I realize that I can't. Like, it makes zero sense because, like, I'm crying. So I have to, like, literally, like, take a second, turn around. Can I have a minute? And I turn around, and I'm like, like, do this with confidence. Like, they're not gonna believe you or try. Like, you need to do this with confidence. Like, you can't cry and make this. And make them pity you. Like, I didn't want that. I didn't want people to pity me. I've always been very big about that. Like, don't pity me for what happened to me, because I just don't like it. I don't like the feeling of that. So then I'm like, okay, who put it down? And I was like. I just started talking, and I start bringing up facts. Like, I just want to understand why you guys think that six months ago she couldn't be released. Or, you know, a year and a half ago or two years ago. Like, I want to know what your guys's reasoning was, what you guys saw, and why you think now is the perfect opportunity. Because she's. Her sentencing's over, right? So I just want you guys to explain that to me because I'm feeling unsafe about all of this. And, like, God forbid she gets out and she does this to somebody else. And not to mention, I totally forgot to tell you guys that in our plea bargain, because they threw. They still threw the confession out. She is not known for attempt a fetal abduction. She only went away for arson. So on her records, everybody in Ash knows why she's there. They know that she tried to kill me and perform a C section on me. They know that. But it's not actually in her records. Like, when you look her up, she went away for arson, okay? So I don't know if that's what they were going off of. I don't know what was going on. But I questioned them and asked them. And I said, like, you're, you guys are expecting me to walk away from this feeling safe? I said, you're gonna just let her out into society and not even, not even. Like, no one's gonna check on her. No one's gonna make sure. You're gonna tell me you believe she's gonna take all her medication. You're telling me you just trust her to do all this? Because I don't. And they were starting to vote. Like, I guess, like, they can, like, vote and be like, well, we agree, like, we're agreeing to sort of release her. So I, I, I said a lot more. I just can't remember. But whatever I said, there was four, and I don't want to somebody, I don't want to turn this into like a man woman type of thing. But the four men were like, release her. The woman stood up and was like, this is insane. She was like, did any of you guys hear what this woman has stated? Like, this, the, how scared she is? Like, no. Like, no. Like, we need to take a recess and we need to go to the back. We need to, we need to discuss this. And the lady that I don't remember who I was with, but whoever called me to come to the release, she was like, I've never seen this before. Like, I've worked here for 20 years and I've never, ever have seen them do this before. They literally paused everything and went to the back for like 30 minutes. And at that point, I had a panic attack. I went into the bathroom and I full on had like a panic attack. Like, I couldn't breathe. I was holding onto the toilet, like, trying to throw up. Like, it was so bad. My best friend was in there and I was screaming. I, Somebody probably thought I was dying in there, but it's because, like, all the emotions were just coming out of me. And so then we go back in there and they end up deciding that they're still going to release her. But they did decide for one year that they would, like, somebody would check and see if she's taking her meds. It wasn't what I wanted, but I still felt good doing that because it was like sticking up for myself and my son. It was like putting, at least I can tell my son that I tried that I I tried to get her to stay. I tried to do this. Like, I just wanted to put an effort into it and not say that I didn't try everything, everything I could. So I felt good. That opened up a huge can of worms, though. So she gets released in 2019. Did you ever hear about Save Our Children?

[Unknown Host]

No.

[Angelique Garbledo]

So there was this, like, hashtag going around, and people are gonna say. It's like. It's like, you know, conspiracy theories. You know, save Our Children is like, hashtag, Save Our Children. Basically, kids that have been abducted or, you know, that get sex trafficked, stuff like that. Like, it's. That's what the whole, like, Save Our Children's is about, is that, you know, you. Though it goes further deep into, like, the government and, you know, stuff like that. You. You can either choose to be a part of that part, or you can choose just to listen to, like, the fact that we're all here to say, like, our children should be, like, children should be saved. That's realistically what it is. Well, the reason why I bring that up is I. Because it's all. I did this article one time in like, 2015, I think it was somebody from my town in Mayor. It was called in Maricopa Copa. It was like a little news article, like, little small thing. They wanted to do, like a little story because ID channel came out. And so I remember specifically the reporter, he came up to me and he was like, thank you for telling your story. Like, I appreciate it. He's like, have you ever read the police report? And I was like, no. He's like, I think you should. And I was like, why? He was like, I just think that there's some things that you. You don't know. And I was like, oh. He's like, like, some things that the cops may have lied to you about. And I was like, oh. And he gave it to me and I started it. Trauma response, just get rid of it all, you know, just. I don't want to do. I didn't want to deal with it. And so when Save Our Children's came out, I remember him, those words were coming back into my head. And because of the release, it was really fresh. So I was like, I got a wild hair up my butt. I'm going to go figure some stuff out. I went down to the precinct. I grabbed the police report, I grabbed the CDs. I grabbed everything I want, all the evidence, anything that you can give me, I want. So I had to wait a few days, but I did get it. And when I got the police report. It was really long. So it was. I was like, I'd rather listen. So I was like, I listen to the confession than anything. So I end up getting all the CDs instead. And I read. I skimmed through the police report, but I'm not seeing anything. And then I start listening to the CDs, and I get to her. I listen to my voice. I listen to, like, some of the people they interviewed. Then I get to hers. It's three and a half hours long. And I actually. I don't have, like, a cd, like, in my. For my laptop. So I had to go into my car and put it in. And I sat in my driveway just listening. Then I started getting, like, really anxious because I'm listening to her talk, and I start driving around my city, like, just listening for three hours. And nowhere in that confession did she ever state that she wanted my baby for herself. Not one time did she ever state that. She never stated that she was mentally ill. She never stated nothing. Nothing ever kind of got brought about about any of that. She did come up with some kind of, I would say, bullshit stories, like trying to get out of things. Like, oh, I. Why do you carry knives with you? Oh, I cook for some lady, and I cook for this old lady, and she wants me to bring my own knives. So, like, there were some dumb things that she said in there, but once the cops got done with her, like, once they were done, you can tell that they were done. They were like, listen, we're here to help you, but, like, if you're just gonna keep bullshitting us, like, we're not, we're just gonna send you to jail. Like, we're just trying to help, but, like, at this point, we already have your confession. She already confessed, like, what she was gonna do to me. She confessed that she did have the knife straight to my back. And that when I said three, when she said three, I startled her, and that's why she pushed the knife and she put the knife back into the bag. So, like, that. I never knew that. I never knew that she physically, like, had the knife out to my back. So that was. That was kind of, like, resurface some things. Like knowing that, like, I was literally, like, nanoseconds away from dying was really scary. And then just, like, hearing about the smoke and how, like, how she plotted this. She says the fire was never a part of the plan. It was never a part of it. She said that I kept messing the plan up when plan A wasn't working. Then there was plan B. When plan B wasn't working, then there was plan C. There was so many different things. And like she just kept on like kind of adding to the plan, which was actually very like I. It's kind of weird. Like it's crazy. I feel like as an 18 year old I would just given up. I would have been like, okay, well this isn't working. Like I'm just going to go home. But like that's not what she thought. And then she kind of goes deeper into it and she talks about a man that she is dating. So Edwin, the husband that she had is a real person, but he's actually hasn't dated her since he was 15. Okay, so he is a real person, but that is not her husband. That was all fake. That was all a lie. So this whole time she told all of us that she had a husband.

[Unknown Host]

That's who she was talking to.

[Angelique Garbledo]

That's who she was talking to on the phone. So in the confession she states that they ask her that and she's like, no, like we haven't dated. Like they questioned him too and obviously they got that information. So this man, because remember the. So this is where we bring up the park. This is where we bring up the Spanish talking. This is where we bring up how she's married the person that's supposed to come take her out on a date. The phone rang exactly after I stood up and you know, startled her as a distraction. Like all of these things are going to start to make sense. She talks about how she's a part of a gang and how in this gang she belongs to this man whose name I don't really know, but they call him Weddell I think is what they said in like in there. And he's a part of like the Southside Chandler gang. And that he told her to get close to me. Like she handpicked me. Because when Hannah introduced us, I was pregnant. I fit the diet, I fit, I fit the description. Me and her have similarities. We both have brown hair, we both have brown eyes, we're both light skinned Hispanics. There was a lot of things that she could pass off saying that this was her if she got in trouble. Like, this is my baby. I just gave birth. Which hence made her lie about being pregnant this whole time. Then she went into labor and had this baby and here's my baby. But then it goes deeper into stating that they were just going. They had a buyer waiting over the border and from Mexico. So they were going to take care of the baby, make sure he was healthy. And then bring him to the border, and then they were going to live in Mexico together. And in the confession, like, she. The way her wording is, it sounds like they've done this before. Like, she goes, well, he usually does this. This usually happens. Like, so it almost sounds like this was like something that possibly maybe he forced her into, which is sad. That is sad. Like, I. You know, but no matter what, like, you chose. This was your route that you chose. But I had never heard any of that stuff. And then also in the police report, I found the Miranda rights. They read her. Her Miranda rights. So 2020 was a weird year because I was trying to pinpoint, first off, like, why would the cops lie to me? Why would they tell me that they read her Miranda rights when they didn't? Was this to catch bigger fish? Like, did they give her a plea that was on top? Like, they realized, like, we can't tell it. Like, obviously, I'm a civilian, or, you know, like, you can't tell me everything, but, like, was this all to catch bigger fish? And, like, you guys just went with a plea bargain so that she can get out of it because maybe you wanted to catch the bigger person. Because I'll tell you in the plea police report, it ends right there. Nothing else happens. They don't talk about investigating. They don't talk about any. It's like. It's like all records are gone.

[Unknown Host]

So you think it's a bigger thing. It wasn't just her being crazy and wanting to steal your baby for herself. It might be, like, having to do with, like, a gang. And then they're, like, stealing multiple kids.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

She talks about how much money they're gonna get for it. She talks about everything.

[Unknown Host]

So they'd be reselling these kids basically over the border. Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

And I will say that people are like, well, are you positive? No, I'm not. I'm not 100%. But, like, if you listen, like, I. Even on my TikTok page there, I do post little clips of her confession in there of her talking. And you can hear her, like, exactly what. Exactly? Word for word what I'm saying to you. That's what she says. And I listened to the whole thing for three and a half hours, and not once did she state. It would make more sense to me to. To if she said somewhere between there, like, oh, I wanted a baby and I had miscarriage. Like, none of that was explained, though. Nothing like that. And I listened to the whole thing twice to see if I maybe missed Something to see, to understand. I wanted to understand better what was happening. I wanted to understand what that guy meant when he said, like, you. I think the police lied to you. Like, obviously, I did this years and years later because I couldn't handle it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

But I had so many questions after she got released. I had so many questions that I wasn't ready to, like, talk about. And I personally believe, again, that I was used to catch bigger fish. I think that that's what happened. I will never know the truth. I don't think I'm ever going to know, like, exactly what happened unless I, like, walk down there and say, like, I demand no answers, but I'm scared, like, even telling my. I can tell my story. I can admit this and say this, like, to people, but if you were to tell me to, like, I should go down to the police, like, and say something. I'm terrified. I don't know if I want. I want to know the truth for closure, but I also don't know if that would make me feel any better.

[Unknown Host]

I also think, you know, it wouldn't be as easy as yes or no truth. Yeah.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah. I think it would be a fight. I think that there would be. I think there would be a lot of lying. Stressful. It'd be stressful. And it's like, she's already been released, you know, for. Since 2019 of August. And, like, me and her don't. We Don't. We don't cross each other's paths. I stay. I do. I know where she is, and I just stay away from that area as I probably imagine that she stays away from me. I do, like, know things about her. I just don't talk about them. And the reason I don't is because I respect her privacy. Even. Even though she's, like, bad, you know, what she did was horrible. I still don't want to, like.

[Unknown Host]

And she's never reached out to you?

[Angelique Garbledo]

She's never reached out to me. She's never reached out to me. I. She's had, like, there's been, like, there's been people that have. And I just ignore them because I don't want to poke the bear. I'm not here. You. You already. You already served your sentencing. You already did what you did. I don't think it was justice. I do think that you just. I think that she deserved a lot longer. I think that my case was played. I think there was so many things wrong with my case, and I just wasn't. I was so young and naive, and I didn't also want to deal with it. I didn't know how to deal with it. I didn't have the right tools, the right support system. I didn't have all of that around me to fight the fight. Because I guarantee, like, if I had the strength that I have now and you were to tell me to go to court and do, I would. I'd be fighting. But back then I couldn't. And I just have to accept that and just be okay with that and just kind of move on from that. And, you know, people tell me all the time, like, well, why do you. It seems like because you tell your story still. It's been 14 years. Like, why are you still doing it? I do it because I feel like the last however many years, my story wasn't told correct. I feel like it was downplayed. I feel like I was humiliated. I feel like there was incorrect facts. And now in today's day, I can actually tell my story for the truth and give you guys all of the information and also show you guys that, like, you know, people talk about, like, the healing journey. You know, the healing journey. I don't believe you actually ever do get healed. You just kind of learn different coping mechanisms. You learn how to deal with life better, and you learn to not allow your trauma to, like, take over your life. And that's what I've done. And talking about it doesn't mean that I'm obsessing over it. It doesn't mean that I'm not, you know, healing. It's actually helping me heal better. And it's also helping others, too, to realize they're not alone.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. And I think, too, for a while, it seems like for the first few years or even longer, you kind of suppressed it and shut it down, and you didn't really allow yourself to fully come out and talk about it in detail. You weren't ready. So, you know, and everybody handles things differently. Like we were saying, in the sense of somebody might be ready to talk about it in detail right away, but for you, it took years to get to that point. So even though it's been X amount of time, that doesn't mean that you don't have the right to speak about it now and speak about it in detail now. It's not. I don't think it's you harping on it either. I think it's just you finally coming around to find, feel confident and comfortable enough to share your story.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I agree. I have people that write me all the time, and they're like, I Wish I could be like you and tell my story. And I said, don't ever wish that you could be like somebody. Like, you're your own person. And I'm glad that, like, I can inspire you, and I love that. But, like, don't take your time. Like, this is all gonna be based off of how you feel. It took me 14 years. Or we'll say 13 years. It took me 13 years. Like, that's a long. It feels like a long time, but it honestly feels like yesterday. Like.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It does. And I just think that altogether, like you stated, just altogether like, people are going to kind of do things when they. When it helps them, like, when it. When it's their time and not to be ashamed about it. And if it takes 20 years, who cares? It's still your story and it's still able to be shared.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. And it's important no matter what, you know, no matter what. Like you said, no matter when it is. But I do think that it's very important for people. I mean, the other thing, too, is, like, we were saying you were so young that I think it takes the brain time to truly process what happened into, like, in my opinion, I guess what they say when you're. You're an adult when you're 18, but, like, I don't think it's until you're in your mid-20s that your brain fully develops and can grasp things and understand things and even see things from a different perspective and a different mindset. Like, even if you approached what happened when you were 18, 19, and even if you talked about it then, I guarantee, even if you compared how you viewed it and talked about it at that age to where you are now, it would be a completely different perspective. I think that you would just. You would view things differently and understand things differently.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, absolutely. I understand things way more different than I did when I was younger. And I feel like, you know, I feel like if things happen now, it would be different, but that's because I've matured, and that's because I've grown up and because I've. Yeah, I'm a different person. I've been through other things. I've seen other things. It's just. It's different. It 100% is different. And I feel like once you build the confidence, that's, like, when you take, like I said, telling your story for yourself brings, like, that empowerment and, like, gives you that confidence where you're like, I can do this, like, no longer. Like, I won't say that. I don't still have ptsd. I still don't have triggers. Absolutely. I do. It's never going to go away. I've just learned to cope differently with it. And I think people just need to understand that and be nice to themselves and understand that this is going to be something that you live with. But you can absolutely, like, empower yourself by. By talking or if you don't want to talk, then just. I don't know. Right. I'm going to say I'm writing a book.

[Unknown Host]

Right? Yeah. I think that's amazing. I think you should. I tell everybody that comes on here. I'm like, if you haven't written a book, you should. I think it's really important. Important. But no, I think too. You were. I think, mentioning this saying too, by talking about it, it gives you a sense of, like, conquer and power over the situation. Maybe not fully, because, like you said, you still do have the. It gives you some sort of power over what happened. You know, you still have, like, the. The trauma and the PTSD from it there. But I think it allows you to take your voice back and take some. Some control over the situation and to.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Just to help others to raise awareness. And I think that that's also, like, a main fact. Like, for me personally, people are like, well, why do you do this? And I'm like, well, I do this because fetal abduction isn't talked about. Like, it's. And I. And I hate to put it like this way, but, like, rape is talked about a lot. Murder is talked about a lot. Kidnapping is talked about a lot. Fetal abduction is not talked about a lot because it's not like, it's not something that happens all. All the time. And I feel like if we can. If we can teach young women or even just people to understand that and to understand, like, what. It's not that when you're pregnant, you should stay away from everybody. It's that you just have to learn certain cues, different things. Learning about your intuition, learning about anxiety, kind of just feeling it out and knowing different things.

[Unknown Host]

Look, I hate to say this, but we live in a scary world.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

And it's better to think twice and question everybody around you than to play it naive and be like, no, this could never happen. Because you don't.

[Angelique Garbledo]

You don't know. Yeah. You don't know. You know.

[Unknown Host]

And I do think that while, yes, we can live a lot, we should live a life where we're positive and we know that we can control other people and our surroundings and everything. It is important to have an Extra caution, you know, when dealing with people and inviting people into your life.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Whether it has to do with pregnancy or not, people can be untrustworthy and scary. And you got to be careful. You have to watch your own back.

[Angelique Garbledo]

You have to be. That's why there's so much cry. It sucks. We live in a really. And the thing is, is we've always lived in a scary world, and we just weren't.

[Unknown Host]

I think it's just talked about.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's talked about more now, and I think that's what makes it. Because if you look back at, like, stuff that's happened years and years and years ago, like, it's. It's all. We've always lived in it. It's just. It. What we only learned about the serial killers, like, those were the only ones that were ever publicized or, you know, like, that's it. Besides that, like, women went missing every day, kids go missing every day. Like, people get sad, sad stories. Exactly. And that's how we're going to learn.

[Unknown Host]

From it and build a community, which I think is really important because, you know, there's so many different things that can happen in these. It can get sucked down to these nitty gritty things where it might only be a handful of people that experience it, maybe even less sometimes, but. Or that are willing to talk about it or research it or come out about it. But it does form a small community where people feel heard, understood. They feel like they have a resource or an outlet to talk to or ask questions. And, you know, while, yes, therapy is, you know, is great, can be great when you find the right one. I don't think there's anything like being able to directly talk to somebody that has been through something or that can relate to it, or you feel like you can just, like, even ask questions or get a better understanding or really feel like, wow, they have been through exactly what I've been through. They're not just, like, a professional giving me advice. Yeah, it does make a big difference.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It 100% does. And I will say that. You know what's crazy about fetal abduction is that I think as far as my research and knowledge, there's only, like, one that I know of that survived. And so, like, all these women and babies that have died, like, they can't tell you guys what happened. They can't share. People, like, kind of go back to, like, why do you share your story? I don't just share my story for Ryland, and I share my story for the women that can't. Aren't able to sit here and tell you word for word on what happened in the mistakes that were made or the things that they did or warn you guys of this crime, because they're not here.

[Unknown Host]

And it makes me think of too, when they said to you, like, oh, can we say she nicked you or cut you a little bit? Like, the disrespect in that. Like, no, thank God she didn't, because.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Thank you. I'm like, why do you guys want me to be hurt more? Right?

[Unknown Host]

Would I be here now?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Exactly. My son wouldn't be here. Yeah. I look at my son all the time, and he always. He gets so embarrassed. I always, like, start tearing up and he's like, mom. And I'm like, I just love you. Like, you have no idea. Like, you have no idea, like, what could have happened. I always sit there and I think about, like, when the whole Mexico thing came up and I. And I listened to. I. I posted it onto my tick tock on my Instagram. And it's. It's literally just me recording me sitting in the car, like, recording the actual. Like. Like, you'll see, like, my cd, whatever you call it. And my hand is shaking and I'm crying because it's my first time hearing it, because all I can picture in back of my head is, what if some other woman was just raising my baby, My son, Like, he's. That's what makes me even more. I think that makes me mad, though, when I think about it. It makes me mad thinking that she felt that way to take my baby. Like, if you're. You're. I know you're not a mom, but you're a mom to your. Your. Your cats, your dogs. Like, if somebody were to just take that. That person away, or if a woman that's listening to this, think about your baby that you carry and think about that baby being taken away from you. Like, that thought just crushes you. It literally crushes every piece of me. So I just think. I just personally think that, like, a lot of women can understand and relate to that too. Just the feeling and the thought of that, that how it destroys you. But I also want them to know, too, that, like, when it comes back to healing, is that, be easy on yourself. Take your time. It took me years. I'm still. I still go to therapy. I'm in therapy every two weeks. I mean, I'm learning right now. What I'm learning is that I'm scared of everything in this world. So, like, within these last couple, my husband is like, A big, outdoorsy person, so loves to hike. Loves to go on, like, what is it called, like, in the lake and kayak and quads and all the scary things that, you know, we could all get injured from. And I'm just like, why? Why? And I'm learning now to, like, open up more. Like, now I go to the lake and I actually kayak, too. I go on hikes. All the things that I'm scared of because I think I might die. I'm conquering little by little, and it feels amazing. But even with that being said, I'm still in counseling every two weeks because I deal with other things that portray to my trauma but aren't exactly like it, but it just be easy on yourself. It's going to take time. It does. Especially when you. When you give in and allow to, like.

[Unknown Host]

And it's hard not to allow to heal. It's very powerful.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's very powerful.

[Unknown Host]

It'll take over.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It'll take over.

[Unknown Host]

And that's. That is important. People do have to be easy on themselves, and I think to some degree, you. You have to be willing and ready to kind of conquer those things. But it's also okay if you're not there yet.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown Host]

We deserve. We're allowed to sit and mourn and feel safe, sad, and scared, and we. I think the thing is, you just can't sit in it too long.

[Angelique Garbledo]

No, you can't. Because then it just. It. It destroys you. It destroys you. Because that's what I feel like that's what I did. And then when we went to the release, it kind of just opened up everything. I mean, the fact that I was just shredding everything was because you just want to forget and you just want to pretend like it didn't happen. But it's honestly a part of your life, and it's brought you to where you are now. Like, people will say, like, you know, obviously, I. One of my friends, Hannah, the one that introduced me, she's like, I feel awful. Like, I feel like. Feel like I did this to you because I introduced you. And I'm like, listen, like, if it didn't happen to me, it would have happened to someone else. Not that I'm happy it happened to me. I wish it didn't. But I'm alive, I'm here, and if it didn't happen, it would have happened to someone else, and maybe that person wouldn't be alive. I'm a very firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if it's something that we don't believe should have happened or there's some type of reasoning as to the events that have happened, as in life.

[Unknown Host]

Absolutely. Well, was there anything else you think got it all?

[Angelique Garbledo]

I think I got it all. Unless you have any.

[Unknown Host]

You did amazing. That's what I know. Seriously, thank you so much. And thank you for saying yes to coming on here. I appreciate it that you are such a good storyteller, and it really is so important to talk about. And it's. It's shocking. It's crazy. Like, it really is unbelievable. It's nuts. And obviously it's. I'm sorry that you experience people. I feel like trying to diminish it or take away from it because that on. Obviously that on its own can take a toll, and it sucks. I feel like for anybody to feel like your story needs to be twisted to seem worse than it actually was, but you did incredible. And it's something to be so proud of. Even if it is how many? 14 years later.

[Angelique Garbledo]

My son will be 14 on February 26th.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Angelique Garbledo]

February 16th is when it happened. So, yeah, we're like, days away.

[Unknown Host]

To be able to sit down. I always tell people to be able to sit down and talk about your story from beginning to end in detail. It takes a lot of strength and vulnerability and courage. And it doesn't matter if you, you know, have done it thousands of times. I feel like each time is its own journey. And I always just hope that by doing this, you know, again or doing it in this format on the show can aid in some way in, like, kind of bringing it full circle and helping you feel more empowered and, you know, proud of yourself and, you know, sharing your story is not a small thing. So thank you.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Well, thank you. This was honestly amazing. I really enjoyed this.

[Unknown Host]

I'm glad it was so good.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Thank you. You did such a good job.

[Unknown Host]

I'm like, I swear to you, I felt like I was, like, watching a movie in my head. I'm like, I'm, like, looking at you and hearing you, but I'm also, like, envisioning it. And I'm like, so. I was so invested. It's like, you're a great storyteller.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Thank you. And that's what I try to do. I really, honestly do. Just because I, like, I said, like reading. I'm a bit. Really big book reader.

[Unknown Host]

You really should write a book.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I am. I am. I actually love the. So the beginning of my book, too. You know how I told you in the very beginning, you have to, like, understand someone to, like, understand your story? I talk about. So, like my very, like the very beginning of my book, I talk about intuition. Like, first it's like only like a good, like three sentences. Then I go into just like, kind of like discussing about the woulda, coulda, shoulda. Like. Yeah, I feel like it draws you in. But I do talk about how, like, you have to start from the beginning in order to understand somebody's stories. Kind of like what I. How we started this podcast. Like, you have to.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Because then you don't know how those people are going to be. And then you have the judgmental people.

[Unknown Host]

But I always.

[Angelique Garbledo]

But I am, I, I'm. I'm Writing a book is really sometimes difficult. I will say it's really time consuming.

[Unknown Host]

It is. And something I do want to mention. I don't know if we said this, but I know in the beginning you were talking about like, you know, whatever people want to say, it was God, your intuition, spirits, whatever. I do think that no matter what, what you believe in, we do have to give ourselves more credit because humans are very, very powerful. More powerful than I think they realize. And it doesn't always have to be another thing that, like, gave you that feeling. It could have very well been.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Been yourself.

[Unknown Host]

You.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah. Your instincts.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. I mean, and we need to lean on that more. Like, people need to be more confident in themselves and in their intuition, in life. Because if, if you're not, what are you just like, going through the motions? You know what I mean?

[Angelique Garbledo]

And that's actually very true. I, I see that. That's what I talk about when it comes to the intuition too. Just like, it's, it's crazy. I, I can't like, thinking about on top of my head. I can't. But I very much. I have like this, this whole thing that I talk about with it because I believe it's very powerful and so powerful. Yeah. There's that book, it's called the Gift of Fear. It's supposed to be about. I have never read it. It's. Everybody always recommends it whenever they hear my story. They're always like, you should read the. The Gift of Fear. The Gift of. I think it's called the Gift of Fear.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Something like that. But it's supposed to be about, like, intuition and. But it's crazy. Like, it opens your mind up to really understand and believe that. Like, yes, you can believe in these other powers, you know, whatever you want to believe in God, or if you want to believe in, like, you know, psychs, stuff like that. But like, there's Realistically, like, animals are built with instincts. We are. We have instincts also. And so sometimes you have to give your credit to yourself to understand that you very much, you know, your instinct kicked in. You kicked in. You took over. You made those choices. Like, so it's really cool.

[Unknown Host]

Yes. Amazing. And obviously, too, if there's anything that you want me to link, like, like your TikTok and any other resources, anything else, just send it over whenever.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Okay.

[Unknown Host]

And I'll put it in the description and.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Perfect. Yeah, we'll do that. Just so they can. If they need to go to.

[Unknown Host]

Yes, for sure.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Like, just watch it here for them, too.

[Unknown Host]

Because some people, they like to, like, kind of watch things and clips as well and, you know, like, oh, absolutely. Keep up with you.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Obviously, I have people all the time that are like, can you post it on YouTube? And I'm like, I have no idea how to do right. So that's why I was super. I told my husband. I was like, I'm so excited. Excited because she's gonna post this on YouTube. And now I could be like, hey.

[Unknown Host]

Because it's like a different format.

[Angelique Garbledo]

It's in a different format because I personally. I mean, I guess I could learn, but I don't want. I personally don't want to. Yeah, I'm like, I don't want to learn because then I would just have one video.

[Unknown Host]

Right?

[Angelique Garbledo]

Yeah, it gives it.

[Unknown Host]

It also, I think it allows you. When you do it in clips like that, it allows you to go into, like, more detail for, like, specific things. And like, I always tell people, like, like I was saying before, if you have the time to do it and you're willing to. I think it's great, like, being able to post TikToks like that and just go into detail and then it's. It's cool, too, because when people ask the questions. I know I see a lot of people on TikTok, they'll, like, put the.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Question up and then you. Yes. Like, with a video.

[Unknown Host]

So it's really cool. And I think it. It allows people to. If they have more questions, they can go over and, like, ask you or keep up with you or see if it's already been asked. So it'll be great. But seriously, thank you so much.

[Angelique Garbledo]

Oh, you're very welcome.

[Unknown Host]

I hope you enjoyed this.

[Angelique Garbledo]

I enjoyed this. I was.