What to Listen to Next: Very Scary People

Summary

Podcast Summary: "What to Listen to Next: Very Scary People"

Podcast Information

• Title: Who Killed Jennifer Judd?
• Host/Author: ID
• Episode: What to Listen to Next: Very Scary People
• Release Date: February 26, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "What to Listen to Next: Very Scary People" from the podcast series Who Killed Jennifer Judd?, host Donnie Wahlberg delves into a gripping narrative that intertwines themes of family dynamics, psychological manipulation, and tragic loss. This episode serves as a precursor to further explorations of chilling real-life cases under the banner of Very Scary People.

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Case Overview

The episode introduces listeners to the harrowing story of Christine Belfort and her tumultuous relationship with David Matusiewicz. Their seemingly idyllic marriage unravels amidst familial interference, leading to a devastating event that echoes the unresolved murder case of Jennifer Judd.

Notable Quote:

• Donnie Wahlberg: "This is a story that involves stalking, psychological torture, alleged sexual abuse, kidnapping and murder. Listener discretion is advised." [00:01]

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Family Background and Early Life

David Matusiewicz's upbringing in a financially struggling yet closely-knit family sets the stage for future conflicts. The Matusiewicz family's resilience in the face of adversity is highlighted, showcasing a strong parental bond despite economic hardships.

Key Points:

• David's Early Life: Born in 1967 in New Jersey to Tom and Lenore Matusiewicz, David is the eldest of three siblings.
• Family Dynamics: The family's devotion to each other despite financial instability strengthens their bond, creating an environment where David is the favored child.

Notable Quotes:

• Lenore Matusiewicz: "These are now my children and I need to make sure that they are taken care of." [22:17]
• Tom Matusiewicz: "The Matusewicz family never really had a lot of money and the house was always like, really messy. But they were very devoted to their children." [05:09]

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Christine Belfort’s Journey

Christine's transition from a tumultuous marriage with Bill Moffa to a single mother reflects her resilience and desire for stability. Her meeting and subsequent marriage to David appear to be a beacon of hope, promising a harmonious family life.

Key Points:

• Marriage to David: Their union in 2001 seemed perfect, with David embodying the ideal partner and father figure.
• Family Expansion: The birth of Christine's daughters between 2002 and 2005 added both joy and strain, exacerbated by postpartum depression and her middle daughter's autism diagnosis.

Notable Quotes:

• Christine Belfort: "I am her friend, I am her sister. I am her protector. That's all I am to her." [10:50]
• Katie Matusiewicz: "Dave was fun. He would play with me outside. He put in a pool for me." [15:41]

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Intrusion of David’s Parents

The narrative takes a dark turn with the introduction of David's parents, Tom and Lenore, moving into the Belfort-Matusiewicz household. This invasion sets off a cascade of tensions, as Lenore's controlling nature clashes with Christine's parenting style.

Key Points:

• Initial Integration: Lenore presents herself as a helper, but her true intentions to control Christine and her children become evident.
• Rising Conflicts: Disagreements over child-rearing practices, especially concerning the middle daughter's autism treatment, deepen marital strains.

Notable Quotes:

• Jenny Blissy: "Christine said it is really difficult to have David's parents. Here they are intervening in my raising of the kids." [24:18]
• Lenore Matusiewicz: "In her mind, these are now my children and I need to make sure that they are taken care of." [22:17]

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Emotional and Psychological Turmoil

Christine's attempts to maintain her autonomy as a mother are systematically undermined by Lenore, leading to emotional distress and a breakdown in familial relationships. Katie's recounts reveal the psychological impact of this toxic environment.

Key Points:

• Katie’s Experiences: Incidents of favoritism and emotional manipulation highlight the toxic household dynamics.
• Christine’s Struggle: Balancing motherhood with external pressures becomes increasingly untenable, culminating in her decision to seek a divorce.

Notable Quotes:

• Katie Matusiewicz: "I remember getting in trouble a lot more for everything. I had to write it 500 times before I could come back down." [27:35]
• Christine Belfort: "A lot of problems had ensued when his parents had lived there. ... Lisa, I won't accept this because you're a liar." [29:53]

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The Climactic Abduction

As tensions reach a boiling point, David orchestrates a calculated abduction during a family trip to Disney World. Christine's realization of her husband's drastic actions underscores the depth of his psychological descent.

Key Points:

• The Trip: Intended as a bonding experience, the trip becomes the stage for the abduction, leaving Christine and the children in a state of terror and loss.
• Police Response: The immediate suspicion falls on friends, but the confession by Jeremy Jones years later adds complexity to the unresolved case.

Notable Quotes:

• Christine Belfort: "He never planned to bring the children back. This wasn't just a family vacation, but a carefully calculated abduction." [12:57]
• Donnie Wahlberg: "At that point, it was all hands on deck." [35:14]

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Aftermath and Investigation

The episode touches upon the ongoing investigation led by Sarah Cailean, who seeks to unravel the mystery behind the abduction and eventual murder. The dismissal of Jeremy Jones' confession remains a focal point of contention.

Key Points:

• Unresolved Case: Despite a confession, the case remains unsolved, leaving lingering questions about the true perpetrator.
• Family Impact: The traumatic event has lasting effects on Christine and her daughters, reshaping their lives forever.

Notable Quotes:

• Christine Belfort: "Lex, I have tried to step in. And she said, I told Lenore that no child deserves to be treated like that in her own home." [30:41]
• Chris Barish: "Usually with a fugitive case, you have one individual, but this particular case involved an entire family." [35:17]

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Conclusion

"What to Listen to Next: Very Scary People" offers a poignant exploration of how familial interference and psychological manipulation can destroy lives. Through Christine and David's story, the episode underscores the complexities of human relationships and the devastating consequences when trust is irrevocably broken.

Closing Quote:

• Donnie Wahlberg: "Very Scary People is produced by Lionsgate alternative television. For I.D. I'm Donnie Wahlberg." [35:34]

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Key Takeaways

• Family Dynamics: The intrusion of in-laws can severely disrupt marital harmony and parenting strategies.
• Psychological Manipulation: Controlling behaviors by family members can lead to emotional abuse and familial estrangement.
• Unresolved Justice: Even with confessions, some cases remain shrouded in mystery, leaving victims and families without closure.

Recommendations Listeners interested in true crime and psychological dramas will find this episode both captivating and heart-wrenching. It serves as a compelling extension of the ongoing investigation into Jennifer Judd's unresolved case, promising deeper insights in future episodes.

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References

• Transcripts and quotes are attributed to the respective speakers with precise timestamps for authenticity and context.

Transcript

[Donnie Wahlberg]

This is a story that involves stalking, psychological torture, alleged sexual abuse, kidnapping and murder. Listener discretion is advised. This season on very scary people.

[Chris Barish]

This particular case involved an entire family.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

My mom started to panic. Why would he take them? 911, what's your emergency?

[Donnie Wahlberg]

These people are crazy on a level I've never seen.

[Christine Belfort]

He'll never leave me alone. That's all I can think. He will never stop.

[Eileen McDermott]

At this point in time, the Matusiewiczes take matters into their own hands.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

We have to get the girls now. We have to go get the girls right now.

[Chris Barish]

We had been doing everything we could domestically to find them. Now the focus moved international.

[Jenny Blissy]

You cross the family and you end up dead.

[Chris Barish]

First thing that hit me was the smell of gunpowder.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It was a murder scene. It was an active shooting scene.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

We KNEW There were three people dead.

[Chris Barish]

@ that point. It was all hands on deck.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It's September 8, 2007 in Wilmington, Delaware. With a population of just under 74,000, Wilmington is known for its rich industrial history, lively neighborhoods and a profound sense of community. But on this fall day, the weather is unusually warm and the leaves have just begun to change. 33 year old Wilmington resident Christine Belfort sits at home waiting for her ex husband, 36 year old David Matusiewicz to arrive with their three young children. David has decided to take their kids along with his mother Lenorma Tousewicz on a two week trip to Disney World before the start of the school year. The problem is they should be back by now. Christine tucks her shoulder length dirty blonde hair behind her ears as she begins to slowly pace back and forth. She dials David's phone. It goes straight to voicemail. One hour passes, then another. Christine tries David again. And again. No answer. Christine silently curses under her breath. Where are they? She knows their separation has been contentious and the custody battle put them both on edge. But why wouldn't he bring them home on time? What does he have to gain? As Christine's phone calls to David continue to go unanswered, an uneasy feeling begins to creep in. But as more time passes, she has a terrifying realization. David never planned to bring the children back. This wasn't just a family vacation, but a carefully calculated abduction. And as her worst fears are realized, one chilling question fills her with dread. Why? Welcome to very Scary people. A family to fear. From an outsider's view, a father losing track of time or getting stuck in traffic on a road trip shouldn't set off these types of alarm bells. However, this story doesn't begin with a late Drop off. And to understand the panic that is overtaking Christine at this moment, we need to know how they got here. Who were David Matusiewicz and Christine Belfort? How did two people who once vowed to spend their lives together end up in a place of such mistrust and fear? And is there something in their past that could help make sense of all the tragedy yet to come? David's story begins in 1967. He was born in New Jersey to parents Tom and Lenore Matusiewicz. Thomas and Lenore had three children. David is the firstborn and eldest son. Soon after came Michael and a couple of years later, Amy, who has fond memories growing up as the youngest of the Matusewicz clan.

[Eileen McDermott]

I had a good childhood.

[Amy Matusiewicz]

We always had, like other kids at.

[Christine Belfort]

The house and everything.

[Amy Matusiewicz]

We always, like, went out and played. But we grew up with love.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Reporter Chris Barish recalls learning about the Matusewicz family during his time at the Wilmington News Journal.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

The Matusewicz family never really had a lot of money and the house was always like, really messy. But they were very devoted to their children. They would spend a lot of time with them.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

And although Tom and Lenore were committed parents, financial struggles were a constant reality. There were multiple times when the water would be shut off or the rent fell behind because of a missed payment. Yet rather than breaking them, these hardships seemed to draw the Matusewicz family closer, forming an almost unbreakable bond between them. Tom's cousin Jill Matusewicz recalls how this closeness also created a unique and at times unsettling dynamic within the family.

[Jill Matusewicz]

As a family, David was always the favored child in every way. David could do no wrong, even if he was doing wrong in front of them. There was no discipline. The kids were kind of unkept growing up. They were always with the runny noses and Amy had stringy hair. They were undisciplined, even when discipline should have been instilled upon them.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It is clear to those on the outside that Tom and Lenore don't subscribe to conventional parenting methods and that the state of the children definitely raises eyebrows. However, no one can deny that they are a tight knit unit that sticks together, especially when tragedy strikes. Michael, the middle child, develops leukemia as a teenager. The family is there to support him in his battle against cancer. But unfortunately, it proves incurable and Michael passes away at the age of 18. Here's Amy.

[Jill Matusewicz]

It was hard on us.

[Jenny Blissy]

We were just grieving.

[Amy Matusiewicz]

But I think it made us stronger. It made us realize that, you know.

[Eileen McDermott]

You'Re never promised Tomorrow.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

After Michael's death, the family focus on David only increases. Amidst their grief, David truly becomes the golden child.

[Amy Matusiewicz]

He absolutely looked up to him. You know, he was, you know, the one that was going to college. He wanted to be an eye doctor. You know, he wanted to, like, help people. He wanted to, like, save their eyesight.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

David enters college with the weight of his family's expectations squarely on his shoulders. Ever since he was a little boy, he has been told that he is special and destined for great things. College was his first major step towards that bright future. It becomes clear very quickly that Tom and Lenore's faith in David is well placed. He shines academically and forges a clear path towards a successful career in the medical field.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

He excelled in school. He went to Glassboro State College, and he became an optometrist and then moved to Delaware, where he started a thriving business. He was involved in Special Olympics. He talked about how he provided eyeglasses to some of the participants. And he was very involved and, you know, everybody looked up to him.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

David is making quite a name for himself in his local community. Everything in his life seems to be falling into place, and his love life is no exception. David starts getting close with the receptionist at his optometrist practice, Christine Belford. The two become quick friends, and it doesn't take long for their feelings for each other to grow. And while David's upbringing has been well documented, Christine Belfort's origins have remained somewhat of a mystery until now. Eileen McDermott, Christine's stepmother, has been a major part of her life from a young age and remained a close confidant throughout her most formative years.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

I met Christine through friends. I also lived down the street from her. She was, I think, 11. She was so neat, a smile that would light up the room if you knew her. Her personality soared through the roof. She had a huge heart. And I can remember anytime somebody would do something for her, give her a gift, anything, she would sit down and write a letter to them and thank them. And at a young age, that's rare. Things happened in my family and my house that forced me to leave my home. Christine's mother, Kathy, welcomed me into her home, and then I never left. Christine saved me in many ways, and she felt as though I saved her in many ways. Growing up, I was the big sister that she didn't have, and she was the kid sister that I didn't have. And Christine being an only child, she loved the fact that I moved in. There was just the idea of having I Guess you know, someone else, you know, in the house, somebody else palling around with. And when her parents, Kathy and Jim separated, there was just fighting a lot, not getting along, that sort of thing. The separation was there long before I even got there, you know what I mean? They were just going through the motions of just being parents to Christine. I can honestly say that Christine was loved by both parents. They might not have liked one another, but they loved their daughter. And eventually when I started a relationship with her father, Christine really didn't, it didn't, she didn't mind. There was never any anger, resentment at all towards me and the relationship that I had with Jim. I will never be her mom. I am her friend, I am her sister. I am her protector. That's all I am to her.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

In July 1994, Christine marries her high school sweetheart, a man named Bill Moffa. Just a few months later, in September, they welcome a daughter, Katie.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

Bill came from a great family, great parents, good upbringing. I mean, they were a cute couple. Yeah, they really got along very well. Christine loved being a mom. She loved dressing Katie up in her cute little outfits and doing her hair and they so much look alike. I want to say that Christine and Bill kind of grew apart. It was a financial struggle and he had struggles himself. He was going through drugs at the back end of that relationship. There was something that was there.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Bill began to spiral deeper into his addiction, making it impossible to be the husband and father that Christine needed him to be. Although they still loved each other, she needed to do what was best for her and Katie and made the heartbreaking decision to file for divorce. After her divorce From Bill in 1998, Christine finds herself a single mother doing everything she can to support her young daughter. She takes a job as a receptionist at a local optometrist's office where she meets David Matusiewicz, one of the optometrists on staff. At nearly 6 4, with Sandy Brown hair and a successful career, David is tall, strong, handsome and accomplished. The two hit it off almost immediately.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

They got along really well. She looked up to him and she thought he was always friendly and helpful. She thought he was really good with patients and I think she admired that. He was a good businessman, he was involved in the community. He also appeared on the local PBS affiliates weekly news magazine talking about vision care. So it was very successful.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine's former sister in law, Jenny Blissy, vividly recalls meeting David for the first time.

[Jenny Blissy]

Christine was married to my brother Bill. I was friends with her for a lot of years. After the first time I met David was I went to see him for an eye visit, so I needed to have my eyes checked. She was dating him and working there, so I said, I'll just go in and he can be my eye doctor. And I liked him. He was very professional, nice guy, seemed very competent, no problems at all. I thought that he was a good fit for her.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

I think that's what really, Christine's seen somebody who is going to be able to provide for her, for her child as well. It's also hard to find somebody who's going to not only love you for you, but extend that love into your children. And that's hard to find anywhere. And she had that with Dave.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

And after about three years of dating, on October 13, 2001, David and Christine were married. It felt like Christine's dream of a big, happy family was finally coming into focus. She has one great daughter already, and now she has a partner who she can build a life with. In a recorded interview with reporter Chris Barish in 2008, Christine recalls details of her and David's relationship and can be heard here talking about their picture perfect wedding day.

[Christine Belfort]

So we were dating. We dated for a while, I guess we dated up until the year 2000. We got married in 2001. Yeah, it was beautiful. I knew, I knew the place okay. It was a great, great day. Great. Ceremony was outside, right? It's October. My oldest daughter by then was, I guess about five, so she was one of the flower girls. And we went off to Maui for a honeymoon.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

So it sounds like a Cinderella story almost, right?

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine's daughter, Katie Mafa, fondly remembers her relationship with David during these happy times.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

Dave was fun. He would play with me outside. He put in a pool for me. He got a swing set. He taught me how to swim. He was a good stepdad. He took care of me. He gave me everything I wanted.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

Dave treated Katie great. Heart of gold. When Katie was little, Katie wouldn't get out of bed, but she would sit up in bed and repeat, mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, a thousand times until somebody came to that room. That's just one of the things that he thought was adorable, that it was just, you know, every time she wanted something, I don't care what it was, if she wanted a glass of milk, if she wants, wanted, you know, to watch a movie, whatever, he was there. He was a great guy. He had a heart of gold.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

David proved with Katie that he had all of the skills and desire to be an amazing father. David and Christine decided it was time for Them to expand their family with children of their own. In 2002, Christine and David welcomed their first daughter. Two more daughters followed in 2003 and 2005.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

But Christine had three daughters in a four year period. And that's a heavy. That's a heavy load for any young family, you know, or young mother. Christine suffered from postpartum depression and she needed to take medication. She also told me once she had to buy like hamburgers for a picnic they were going to and it took her an hour because she was. The girls were a handful. When she took three little. Imagine going to the grocery store with a two year old, a three year old and a four year old and trying to keep them all together.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

Chrissy would have moved heaven and earth for all of her children. I would say Christine felt drained and there became that strain.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Adding to the strain, Christine and David's middle daughter started displaying developmental concerns and was diagnosed with autism.

[Jenny Blissy]

That brought out, I think, every parenting difference that Christine and David had. Christine would talk to me a lot about. David wants to cure her and I just want to help her. I don't know that we can fix her, but I want to do whatever we can do to make her comfortable and thriving. And he thinks that she's broken. And so that created a layer of friction. So not only do you have a child that's clearly got some special needs, but now you're disagreeing on how you want to remedy it.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

She was carrying a heavy load. It was hard on her, but she was making it. She was making it. But at the same time, the marriage was unraveling slowly.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

In early 2006, with the honeymoon phase in the rearview mirror and the stresses of everyday life creeping in, David drops a bombshell on Christine. His parents, Tom and Lenore, would be moving in with them. David assures her that this is only temporary until they find permanent housing nearby. He tries to convince Christine that his parents will provide much needed support when raising the girls. Christine is in total shock. Helping out with the kids is one thing, but adding two more people in a house that already has six sounds more overwhelming than anything. Christine protests, but David is not asking for her permission.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

David just told her, hey, you know, they're coming to live with us. And Lenore and Tom moved into their house. So after they sold their house in New Jersey and they were looking for a house in Delaware where they could be near Christine and David and the kids, and they moved in and they were only going to stay for a few months, but it extended to almost.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Nine months in their 2008 interview, Chris Barish asked Christine how Lenore and Tom moving in started to affect her relationship with David.

[Christine Belfort]

You know, we were together. It was his family's involvement became more and more difficult. At one point, he moved them in the house without asking me if that was okay. So now I have his mother and father living there.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

So he came home one day and they're just there they are, get out of here.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Where did they live?

[Christine Belfort]

They were in New Jersey. They had been trying to sell their house for a very long time time. And when they finally got a buyer that wanted it, David's advice then was take it. And if you don't feel like we don't have anywhere to go, apparently he said, come live with us. He came home and said, they're coming.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christina's always considered her connection with David's parents to be fairly standard. She didn't think she was their favorite person, but everyone was amicable. Almost everyone.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

It was. It was pretty much normal in the beginning. Anytime they would have a get together or they would have dinner or barbecues or whatever, we were always the guests in the home. Jim and myself. Lenore, Tom was your typical household. The biggest question I think that was actually asked was the idea that she had a child already. That was really the one thing that Lenore had a problem with. The fact that not necessarily her being damaged goods, but the idea that she was already in a relationship and she already has a child with someone.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

In her interview with reporter Chris Barish, Christine opens up about her relationship with Lenore, including their tense first meeting.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

You don't really get along with the parents that well, or the mother or.

[Christine Belfort]

Just, you know, I got along with the father fine at the time. The mother, just the very first day I met her, she refused to speak to me. And I should have known. Again, one of these signs that I should have known. She wouldn't talk at all. But, I mean, she didn't even say hello, how are you?

[Tom Matusiewicz]

First time you met her in life, Right?

[Amy Matusiewicz]

Right.

[Christine Belfort]

Like, we went out because it was David's birthday, and we all went out and had the whole day together. Like, we spent. Did lunch and did some other things. She didn't say a word.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine doesn't know just how right she is about Lenore. As Tom and Lenore settle in, it starts to become clear that Lenore sees herself as more than just a helping hand.

[Eileen McDermott]

I think her plan from the beginning was to teach Christine how to be a good mother.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Psychologist Dr. AJ Marsden is an expert in organizational psychology as well as family.

[Eileen McDermott]

Dynamics because she felt like she was a good mother to the kids. Said the kids. After all, look at how David turned out. He turned out, he's a doctor. What a great child. So I think in her mind she did want to teach Christine how to be a good wife and mother. Lenore, on the surface looks like she's just trying to be a good grandmother. Right. I just want to move in for a little while after the last daughter is born, help you out. You're clearly overwhelmed. I just want to be there for you. But in Lenore's mind, it wasn't. I just want to be there for Christine and help her with these grandchildren. In Lenora's mind, it was, these are now my children and I need to make sure that they are taken care of. Christine clearly is not doing a good enough job.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

There are many ways to raise children and no such thing as a perfect parent. It was one thing when Lenor didn't care for Christine as a daughter in law. But it's becoming clear Lenor has no respect for Christine as a mother. Lenore is watching Christine like a hawk. No matter what she does, Lenore always finds fault with how Christine decides to parent her children.

[Eileen McDermott]

Christine was kind of, you know, chill, go with the flow kind of individual. And some of the claims that Lenore makes was Christine not feeding the girls until 2pm In Lenora's mind, that's not acceptable. It's not acceptable for Christine not to be on a schedule, for Christine not to have the girls in this strict environment. So she wants to be in that environment to exert control, to make sure that the girls are doing what she wants them to do and to exert control over Christine.

[Jenny Blissy]

Christine said it is really difficult to have David's parents. Here they are intervening in my raising of the kids and I have tried to step in, I've tried to intervene. And that causes a lot more friction.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

It was never a husband and wife. It was always mom and son against daughter because Lenore wanted control. I kind of witnessed a couple of different things that were just a little off about her. I did notice that when the children were in the company of others other than Lenore, she would hurry up and grab them. It happened a couple of times. I would take the oldest daughter and sling her on its wings. And it's not a sense of jealousy, but it's the control factor. When she was singing, she was laughing and enjoying herself. It's like she was watching and waiting and all of a sudden it was scooped up like, okay, you're having way too much fun. We're. We can't have this. That happened more than enough times. Chrissy had no say. It became a war. It became a battle to make a decision. Anyone can only take so much of that fight. And when you're fighting a team, there is no winning, there is no compromise.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Lenore, feeling more emboldened with each passing day, began to tread into deeper waters. She inserted herself directly into one of the most personal and contentious disagreements in David and Christine's marriage. The treatment of their middle daughter's autism.

[Jenny Blissy]

Lenore had a lot to say about what they needed to be doing for the middle child. They wanted to try magnet therapy and some other kinds of stuff, and David wanted to take her to somewhere in Canada to get this specialized treatment because it wasn't FDA approved. And she said, absolutely not. If it's not FDA approved, we're not doing it.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

I know that David thought that you could cure autism with goat's milk. So my sister was put on a special diet of goat's milk and organic foods.

[Jenny Blissy]

And that could created friction because David was kind of siding with Lenore about these special things. They wanted to try to cure autism, and Christine was just saying, no, we need to decide this as a couple and without Lenore inserting her opinion in. And that created a lot of problems in the marriage.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Sadly, Christine was not the only one dealing with the fallout of David's loyalties. Up until Tom and Lenore moved in, Katie always felt like a full fledged member of the family. David had always been so kind to her and treated her like she was one of his own. Now, with Lenore creating dividing lines within the family home, Katie finds out the hard way that she and David are not on the same side.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

I remember getting in trouble a lot more for everything. Like every little thing. I was always in my room and David would make me write sentences. I will not talk back or I will not touch this or whatever I did. I had to go up to my room and write it 500 times before I could come back down.

[Jenny Blissy]

Katie told me that there was an incident where she was sitting on the couch and the oldest child was about 18 months old.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

My sister was probably getting a lot of attention because she had finally learned to walk and I was not getting any. So I just tripped her when she walked by and I got sent to my room. When I went up to my room, Dave came up with me and he told me not to touch any of his kids ever again.

[Jenny Blissy]

David told her, if you touch my kids again, I'LL throw you out this window.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

I honestly put the majority of this blame, in my opinion, goes to Lenore. I think once she got in there and once she was able to get her claws physically on David, Lenore constantly fed Dave bad thoughts all the time. She was a cancer in Dave's head and it kept festering and festering and festering and festering. Forced a wedge between. Between Katie and Dave. How do you break the spirit of a child? Makes no sense to him.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

I remember being scared. He was standing over me and he was probably like 6, 4, like he was big. I was little.

[Eileen McDermott]

I don't think that Lenore has ever viewed Katie as part of the family. So she sees this as her opportunity to permanently get rid of Christine and Katie and slide in as the girls maternal caretaker.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

One time my mom and Dave did go away on vacation and when they came back, Lenore had said that I had was causing problems the whole time that they were gone. She said that I had told her to shut up and that I was lying about it and that I stole one of her chapsticks. I was probably 9, 8 or 9. None of it was true.

[Jenny Blissy]

So there was a lot of picking on Katie. And then Lenore and told Katie that she could no longer call her grandma. She was no longer her grandma. She was to call her Lenore in the house. And I do believe Lenore wanted her gone.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

And that's when it became clear to me that like I was not a part of that family.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine remembers this incident all too well and confides in Chris Barish about how difficult things had gotten with Lenore.

[Christine Belfort]

A lot of problems had ensued when his his parents had lived there. At one point his mother was accusing my oldest daughter of being a liar and stealing things from her. And my daughter said she didn't do it. Even when my daughter swore she didn't do it, I said we should try to write some kind of apology letter anyway to clear it up. So she didn't. Lisa, I won't accept this because you're a liar.

[Jenny Blissy]

Christine and I were close and so I just said very frankly, there's something going on that you're not telling me. Because Katie's had an extreme emotional change. And that's when Christine said, lenore's been mean to Katie and I have tried to step in. And she said, I told Lenore that no child deserves to be treated like that in her own home. And Lenore did not take that well.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Lenore's constant attempts to seize control of Christine's Family are clearly taking their toll. The incessant undermining and conflict is turning the Matusewitz home into a war zone. And Tom isn't helping to downplay that feeling.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

Tom had brought us collection of pistols and rifles and had a gun cabinet there.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

Tom had a lot of guns. When you would walk down to the basement, there was a gun safe at the bottom of the steps and it was so full that it was, it didn't actually shoot my mom. I don't think she particularly liked guns, but nothing she can do about it.

[Jenny Blissy]

Christine, she had said at one point, you know, Tom was always the nice one. Tom was the one that was the nicest to Katie. And then all of a sudden it changed.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

One day my mom went down to the house to pick up the girls or drop them off. David was there and Tom and Lenore.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine is in the middle of dealing with the kids amongst an errand filled day when Tom asks Christine to have a one on one conversation outside in private. Christine tells him that she just doesn't have time to speak right now and they'll have to do it another time. She never could have anticipated what would happen next.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

When David left the room, Tom grabbed my mom by her arm and drug her out back through the sliding glass door in front of all of us. He was yelling at her and I followed her outside crying.

[Jenny Blissy]

That really shocked her and that happened. You know, she's like, it's not safe here.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

I think that's when she decided to get divorced. And she's worried about her daughters and she was very protective. You know, everybody says they were protective of the girls, but she really was. She didn't want anything to happen to them.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It's the end of August 2007 and Christine and David have been separated for close to a year. Christine and her daughters are saying goodbye to summer and preparing for the start of the new school year.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

I remember we went to the park and we spent a weekend together. It was like a normal weekend.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

David tells Christine that him and his mother want to take the kids to Disney World. And they had gone the year before without any problem. And Christine wants her daughters to have a relationship with their father and she doesn't object to it in any way.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine is happy that the girls are excited for the trip, but being away for them for so long isn't easy.

[Tom Matusiewicz]

So you know, they went on vacation and Christine called the oldest daughter for the first couple nights and talked to her.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It is on one of these nightly phone calls that Christine's daughter tells her that she is really tired. When Christine asks why, the girl's response is immediately unsettling.

[Jenny Blissy]

She told her oldest daughter that she would call her and the daughter was crying and saying that they had been in the car for a long time and they weren't at Disney World yet.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine's heart drops. David, Lenore and the girls were supposed to be flying to Florida, so she.

[Jenny Blissy]

Would become more and more worried. And she said, I have been calling and I can't get a hold of David and Lenore. It just went to voicemail.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

She's calling around looking for her kids. They're no longer there, nowhere to be found. Christine had a feeling something wasn't right. A mother, mother's intuition, I don't have that. But I can only assume that, yeah, you know something's wrong.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Christine has watched David's entire personality shift day after day since his parents moved in with them. At this point, he was no longer the caring and loving husband she married. And Christine is starting to wonder if she's underestimated just how much he's changed and what he is truly capable of.

[Katie Matusiewicz]

My mom started to panic. This was their dad. Why would he take them?

[Tom Matusiewicz]

She had no idea what was about to happen to her life in their lives.

[Jenny Blissy]

And she said, jenny, I don't think the. I don't think the girls are coming back.

[Chris Barish]

We knew the outcome could not be good if we don't find him, find him as fast as we can.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Next time on Very Scary People.

[Lenore Matusiewicz]

He's definitely got kidnapping now. He had no plans to come back.

[Eileen McDermott]

Everything that went wrong is all now Christine's fault and he wants to get revenge for that.

[Chris Barish]

Usually with a fugitive case, you have one individual, but this particular case involved an entire family. At that point, it was all hands on deck.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Very Scary People is produced by Lionsgate alternative television. For I.D. i'm Donnie Wahlberg. You can follow our show wherever you get your podcasts. And we'd love it if you could take a second to leave us a five star review on Apple podcasts or Spotify.