"Mike told the family and those closest to Alyssa that he thought something terrible had happened to her. He said that yes, she had left. But after some time, he thought someone had been following her or somehow harm had come to her along the way." — Ashley Flowers
"If for some reason he had something to do with it, how hard would it have been if he hired somebody to make a phone call from a pay phone?" — Brit Praewat
"He recorded everything, but he said that, oh gosh, you know, just that day that recorder happened to be turned off." — Ashley Flowers
The episode begins by introducing the case of Alyssa Turnie, a 17-year-old who disappeared on May 17, 2001, the last day of school before summer break. Her stepfather, Mike Turnie, reported her as a runaway, claiming she had left for California. The initial police response was minimal, treating it as a typical runaway case, especially given Mike's background as a former police officer. However, inconsistencies quickly emerged, including a claimed phone call from California a week later, which Mike later provided phone records for, and the fact that Alyssa never contacted her family or friends, including her boyfriend, despite having significant savings.
Further complicating the narrative, a convicted murderer, Thomas Heimer, contacted authorities in 2006 claiming knowledge of Alyssa's disappearance. He provided details that initially seemed plausible but were quickly debunked by investigators. Heimer claimed Alyssa was a heroin addict and had specific sexual tendencies, both of which were contradicted by her family and boyfriend. This period also revealed Mike Turnie's controlling behavior towards Alyssa, contrasting with his permissive attitude towards her stepsister, Sarah. The investigation into Heimer's claims led detectives to re-examine Alyssa's case, uncovering that Mike had picked Alyssa up early from school on the day she disappeared, a fact he had not previously disclosed to authorities or most of his family.
The investigation took a significant turn when authorities discovered Mike Turnie's extensive paranoia, evidenced by decades of passive audio recording of home phone calls and hidden surveillance cameras. While Mike claimed the recordings from the day of Alyssa's disappearance were unhelpful or had been turned off, police suspected manipulation. A search of his home revealed a disturbing cache of 26 pipe bombs and a 90-page manifesto. The manifesto detailed Mike's grievances and introduced a new theory: that Alyssa was murdered by two men from his former electrical union, and he had subsequently avenged her death by killing them. Although Mike was convicted for the pipe bombs, evidence linking him directly to Alyssa's disappearance remained elusive, though his actions and the discovery of dark material like a looped snuff film in his possession raised significant suspicions. Despite Sarah's initial advocacy for her father's innocence, she later expressed a belief that Alyssa was murdered, alleging her father's involvement, and urged listeners to sign a petition to bring attention to the case.