Cold and Missing: Earl and Clarissa Gonzales

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.

2
00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400
All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

3
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160
Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.

4
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560
Listener discretion is advised.

5
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.

6
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680
And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.

7
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,580
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases.

8
00:00:32,580 --> 00:00:34,320
And missing person cases.

9
00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,540
Hello everyone and welcome back.

10
00:00:36,540 --> 00:00:37,540
Welcome back everyone.

11
00:00:37,540 --> 00:00:38,720
I'm Ali.

12
00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:39,940
And I am Eli.

13
00:00:39,940 --> 00:00:41,720
And it's Cold and Missing.

14
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,240
We are on episode 42 this week.

15
00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:46,240
Mm-hmm.

16
00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,200
And I believe you have a cold case for us.

17
00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,320
Yep, we are on cold cases.

18
00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:53,840
Should we just go ahead and get into it?

19
00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:55,480
Yeah, let's do it.

20
00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,880
So today I have for you a cold case, but just as a content warning at the top, this case

21
00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,680
does involve a young person and there is mention of sexual assault.

22
00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,880
Today we are covering the cold case of Earl and Clarissa Gonzales.

23
00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:16,680
And this takes place in September of 1999 in Questa, New Mexico.

24
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,320
But first a little bit about Earl and Clarissa.

25
00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:25,720
Earl is 51 years old in 1999 and his daughter Clarissa is nine years old.

26
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,200
Together they live in the small village of Questa, New Mexico.

27
00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,100
The village has a population of around 1,500 at this time.

28
00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:37,820
The place is so small that the police department is made up of two people that take shifts

29
00:01:37,820 --> 00:01:39,740
being on call in the evening.

30
00:01:39,740 --> 00:01:45,600
Earl was born December 18th, 1947 and he would be 75 years old today.

31
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,240
He had been drafted into the Vietnam War and had served his time for the army.

32
00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:55,240
His family had lived in Questa for generations and Earl was a beloved community member.

33
00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,000
He was part of the volunteer fire department.

34
00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,680
He worked as a handyman and as an educator for the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, which

35
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,480
was a program designed to help young folks find work in the community.

36
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,080
Earl taught construction.

37
00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:13,360
His boss, Carl Colonius, says, quote, he was enthusiastic and committed.

38
00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,320
He really gave a lot of thought to how to help his crews, how to provide more than just

39
00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,040
the practical education, end quote.

40
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,000
He loved masonry work.

41
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:27,920
His uncle, Joe Cisneros, says, quote, he was a great mason, a hell of a mason.

42
00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:28,920
It's terrible.

43
00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:29,920
I'm shocked.

44
00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:32,440
Everybody knew him, loved him.

45
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,640
He's a quiet guy, end quote.

46
00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:40,620
Earl and Clarissa lived on Camino Sin Salina, which is street with no exit, on a house built

47
00:02:40,620 --> 00:02:43,760
on a hill above Cabresto Canyon.

48
00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:49,040
The home was also adjacent to an area often used by hikers and campers of the Kit Carson

49
00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:50,560
National Forest.

50
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:56,520
Clarissa was born November 22, 1988, and she would be 34 years old today.

51
00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,600
In 1999, she was an energetic fifth grader at Alta Vista Elementary School, where she

52
00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,240
had won the top prize in the science fair the year before.

53
00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,040
She loved being with her dad and went with him everywhere.

54
00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,600
A resident of the town who asked to remain anonymous said, quote, she was a sweet little

55
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:13,600
girl.

56
00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,100
She always smiled and she went everywhere with her dad, end quote.

57
00:03:17,100 --> 00:03:21,480
She often tagged along with her dad to work, and Earl's boss, Carl, said, quote, she

58
00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:22,780
was a little light.

59
00:03:22,780 --> 00:03:27,360
She was one of those kids that was absolutely a pleasure to have kicking around your office,

60
00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:28,360
end quote.

61
00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:33,760
Clarissa had just celebrated her first communion in May of 1999, and her family remembers how

62
00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,160
proud and excited she was.

63
00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,440
And now a timeline of events.

64
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,600
Thursday, September 2, 1999.

65
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,920
After being unable to get a hold of Earl, his girlfriend decides to drive over to his

66
00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:46,920
house.

67
00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,720
Earl's girlfriend has never publicly been named by police or the media, so I'm going

68
00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,280
to respect her privacy and not name her here.

69
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,600
But she told police that she had been trying to reach Earl by phone since August 31, but

70
00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,880
she had not been able to get an answer.

71
00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,860
She arrived at the home around 4 p.m.

72
00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:08,440
She finds Earl dead and immediately calls the police.

73
00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,840
Police arrive and notice a note attached to the door that says, why?

74
00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,920
But there are no signs of forced entry.

75
00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,080
Earl often left his doors unlocked.

76
00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,880
Investigators find Earl dead on the couch of the living room.

77
00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:25,160
Earl died of a gunshot to the left temple from a pistol.

78
00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:30,560
And police are immediately able to rule out death by suicide since the gun of the correct

79
00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,800
caliber could not be located in the home.

80
00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,560
Investigators believe that he was shot in the head at close range and this likely happened

81
00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,260
while he was sleeping.

82
00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:42,480
At first, police are unable to find Clarissa in the home.

83
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,560
They're hopeful that she heard the gunshot and ran out of the house to hide in the nearby

84
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:47,560
woods.

85
00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:52,000
Just as police are beginning to plan their search, they find Clarissa upstairs next to

86
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,640
the bed she was sleeping in.

87
00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,060
Clarissa had died from a ligature strangulation.

88
00:04:57,060 --> 00:04:59,520
Police begin processing the scene.

89
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:03,740
Everyone there described the scene as horrid and disgusting.

90
00:05:03,740 --> 00:05:08,000
Investigators removed a telephone cord and an electric blanket cord as evidence from

91
00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,000
the home.

92
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:14,120
The District Attorney, John Paterhoster, had this to say about the crime, quote, it's

93
00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,120
beyond horrible, end quote.

94
00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:21,600
The next day, Friday, September 3, Earl and Clarissa's autopsies are conducted.

95
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:27,320
It's believed that they were killed between 4 and 6 a.m. on September 2.

96
00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:32,640
Investigators are able to confirm a sighting of Earl and Clarissa on September 1.

97
00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:37,760
Earl was shot in close range by either a.44 or.45 caliber pistol.

98
00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,520
The small village of Questa is shaken up by the double homicide, a neighbor who wished

99
00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,480
to remain anonymous for fear the killer would come back.

100
00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:50,080
And as a side note, every person who asked to remain anonymous in this case mentioned

101
00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,520
that they had the fear that the killer was going to come to find them.

102
00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,160
But this woman was a neighbor and she had a daughter around Clarissa's age and they

103
00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:58,680
would often play together.

104
00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,440
And she says, quote, I didn't sleep last night after I heard it happened.

105
00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,680
It's shocking to think that something like this happened here in such a small, quiet

106
00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:08,240
town, end quote.

107
00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:13,000
Police say that at this time they have no suspects but are following up on leads.

108
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:19,000
The D.A., John Patterhoster, says, quote, we're working the case as quickly as we can.

109
00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,000
Based on the outstanding police work that has been done at this point, we have confidence

110
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,800
that we are going to solve it, end quote.

111
00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,760
Over the weekend, police continue to work the scene and to follow up on leads.

112
00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:35,640
And they tell the media that they have turned up several strange combinations of facts in

113
00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:40,640
the case, but don't go into detail about what any of those strange combinations are.

114
00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:46,280
On Tuesday, September 7th, 1999, so this is five days after the murder, Earl is laid to

115
00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:47,280
rest.

116
00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:52,160
Clarissa's body is sent to Colorado, where her mother lived at the time, and she is ultimately

117
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,480
laid to rest in Los Animas, Colorado.

118
00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,840
At Earl's funeral, the community turned out to show their respect.

119
00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:02,900
It was noted that several of the youth that Earl had mentored over the years turned up

120
00:07:02,900 --> 00:07:03,900
to pay homage.

121
00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:08,180
Earl's boss, Carl, said, quote, that's pretty extraordinary in this day and age for

122
00:07:08,180 --> 00:07:11,040
young people to go and pay their respects to an employer.

123
00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,000
That says a lot about the connection and the impact Earl had, end quote.

124
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,980
When asked about the investigation, the media is told that the police are still chasing

125
00:07:18,980 --> 00:07:20,760
down leads, and D.A.

126
00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,880
Patterhoster says, quote, we are drawing the dragnet tight, end quote.

127
00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,900
On Wednesday, September 8th, police continue to search for a possible motive in the murders.

128
00:07:29,900 --> 00:07:34,520
Please note that nothing of monetary value was taken from the home, but do ask for the

129
00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,920
public's help with any information about Earl's truck.

130
00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:43,800
Earl's full-sized 1994 Black Ford pickup truck was reported missing four days before

131
00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:44,800
the murder.

132
00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:49,760
The truck had been stolen late on the evening of August 27th or early on the morning hours

133
00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:51,840
of August 28th.

134
00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:58,100
On October 9th and 10th, so this is just over a month since the murders, two high schoolers

135
00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:01,720
are taken into custody and questioned about the stolen truck.

136
00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,600
Police also questioned the boys about the murder, but ultimately they're not charged

137
00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,760
with Earl and Clarice's murder.

138
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,400
Police say the teens just took the truck out joyriding and then hid it at a drug dealer's

139
00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:13,400
house in the mountains.

140
00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,160
They are only charged with the theft of the truck.

141
00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,760
Earl and Clarice's family during this time have been raising money for the reward fund

142
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,820
for information leading to the arrest of the killers.

143
00:08:23,820 --> 00:08:29,680
On Sunday, November 28th, so this is 12 weeks since the murder, police confirmed that they

144
00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:34,620
have not been able to find the gun used in the murder or the ligature that was used.

145
00:08:34,620 --> 00:08:37,000
Local residents are still on edge after the murder.

146
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,800
Josie Gonzales, this is Earl's mom and Clarice's grandmother, says, quote, I just feel sometimes

147
00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,800
we're going crazy just waiting.

148
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:46,280
It's been very hard on us.

149
00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,280
Ideally, we would like to know at least who did it.

150
00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:55,440
I'm not out for revenge or have any bad feelings, but they destroyed a whole home, end quote.

151
00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:59,640
And then the next update comes from September of 2000.

152
00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:04,640
As the one year anniversary of Earl and Clarissa's murder comes and passes, police say they have

153
00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:06,760
no suspects and no leads.

154
00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,960
They also say the tips just aren't coming in anymore.

155
00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:11,840
There's nothing to follow up on.

156
00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:18,160
In April of 2003, so this would be three and a half years since the murder, police received

157
00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:22,840
the results of evidence that was sent to the lab one and a half years prior.

158
00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:27,000
So this would have been sent around October of 2001.

159
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,680
The reason for the delay is because the lab prioritizes evidence by trial date.

160
00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:36,680
And since there weren't any arrests and therefore no trial, the evidence kept getting pushed

161
00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:40,120
back in Earl and Clarissa's case.

162
00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,440
Investigators are not specific about what was sent in or the test results, but it gives

163
00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,320
police a new direction.

164
00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:51,080
Personally, I believe that the test results that came back are DNA related.

165
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:56,960
As state police agent Chad Davis says, quote, this case will come down to DNA evidence and

166
00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:03,600
quote agent Davis also says that the test results reaffirm his suspicion of the perpetrators,

167
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,360
but there is still no motive in the case.

168
00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:11,880
He says, quote, I have been re interviewing some people and have found conflicting stories.

169
00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,320
I am actively working on this case.

170
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:18,440
I feel there are people out there that may have been giving false information, but no

171
00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:19,520
more.

172
00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:21,400
The case has never been closed.

173
00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:25,840
It's a terrible crime and the case will never be closed until the day we find the person

174
00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:29,280
or persons responsible and bring them to justice.

175
00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:30,360
End quote.

176
00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:35,240
Police confirmed that there were no witnesses to the crime and that the note left on the

177
00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,840
door, the one that just said why had nothing to do with the crime.

178
00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:45,700
And then the last update that I could find on this case, as far as media goes, comes

179
00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:47,560
from May of 2004.

180
00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,840
So this would be around four and a half years after the murders.

181
00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,680
And this comes during the election for district attorney.

182
00:10:54,680 --> 00:11:00,640
Jeffrey Shannon of the Green Party was running for district attorney and he was asked a series

183
00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:01,640
of questions.

184
00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:02,960
All the candidates were.

185
00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:08,640
And one of the questions was, what would you like to comment on that you're not being asked?

186
00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:13,380
And Jeffrey Shannon's answer was, quote, the cold case investigator recently hired

187
00:11:13,380 --> 00:11:19,440
by Gallagos can start with one of Gallagos's former clients, a young man from Questa who

188
00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,240
was a victim in two separate cases I defended.

189
00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:28,160
The victim was stabbed New Year's 2003 and stabbed again New Year's 2004.

190
00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:32,900
An investigator at the DA office said the victim is a person of interest in the double

191
00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:37,160
homicide of Earl Gonzales and his nine year old daughter.

192
00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:38,480
End quote.

193
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,000
That is all we know about the cold case of Earl and Clarissa.

194
00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:47,560
Now when I was searching this case just in Google, I did come across some rumors that

195
00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:48,760
I just wanted to address.

196
00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,940
So that way, if any listeners out there who want to look up this case later, if they come

197
00:11:52,940 --> 00:11:55,240
across this, we've addressed it here.

198
00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:01,680
So the first one is that Earl was shot with his own gun, a 45 ruger Blackhawk that was

199
00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:02,860
missing from the home.

200
00:12:02,860 --> 00:12:09,000
I couldn't find any media reports that Earl was shot with his own gun or the police saying

201
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:10,000
that.

202
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:15,160
But I did find the one quote where police say that nothing of value of monetary value

203
00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:16,440
was taken from the home.

204
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,820
So maybe he was maybe he wasn't.

205
00:12:18,820 --> 00:12:20,080
But that's one.

206
00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:24,120
The second rumor is that Clarissa was sexually assaulted during the attack.

207
00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:29,240
Again, police never mentioned this, but we do know that they have DNA in the case.

208
00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:34,040
We do not know the source of the DNA or where the DNA came from, but we do know we have

209
00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:35,040
DNA.

210
00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:39,200
But again, police have never said that Clarissa was sexually assaulted.

211
00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:44,280
And the third rumor that I had found was that Earl had confronted and threatened people

212
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:48,720
about the theft of his truck, including the two teens who were ultimately arrested for

213
00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:49,720
it.

214
00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,640
Again, no mention of this by police or local media.

215
00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:59,480
On the other hand, I kept reading about how mellow of a guy Earl was, and he was someone

216
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,520
who kept his house unlocked for his friends and family.

217
00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,380
So again, I don't know if he did or didn't, but there I just could not find any other

218
00:13:07,380 --> 00:13:09,760
evidence to say that he did.

219
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,080
None of these rumors have been confirmed by police.

220
00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:16,200
But again, I just wanted to address them since if you look this case up online, the little

221
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:20,160
information that is out there, these rumors will pop up about it.

222
00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:25,520
But if you know anything about the murder of Earl Gonzalez and Clarissa Gonzales in

223
00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:37,000
September of 1999, please call the New Mexico Cold Case Homicide Unit at 505-827-9066.

224
00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:42,000
And the sources for today's timeline come from the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe

225
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,440
New Mexican, and the Taos News.

226
00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,320
So that is the case of Earl and Clarissa Gonzales.

227
00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,720
Thank you so much for finding this and for bringing it to our podcast.

228
00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:59,440
I definitely feel like it was a necessary case to cover.

229
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:05,200
And again, I know we've mentioned various times before, but it's just shocking to me

230
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:10,040
that we didn't know about this, you know.

231
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:16,020
And pretty instantly, you know, Clarissa and I are only a few days apart in age.

232
00:14:16,020 --> 00:14:21,600
So I would say instantly, I was just because of that mention, the age and, you know, near

233
00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:30,320
my own birthday, I was able to align myself with, you know, where I was at, at her age

234
00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,760
then and to now.

235
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:38,000
And to think about how much time I've had, the gift of time.

236
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,640
And that was taken from her and from Earl.

237
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,560
And it's just, it's a heartbreaking case.

238
00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,440
But I think I don't, I don't have like specific questions.

239
00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,720
I may be more for you, you might be able to answer.

240
00:14:53,720 --> 00:15:04,440
I just don't understand how there is evidence and information, but it's all like stuck

241
00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:11,120
or has dead ends or maybe you can expand on it a little bit more.

242
00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:17,000
Yeah, it does seem like there were a couple of times in this investigation where it seems

243
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,880
like it was heating up and that maybe charges were going to be brought.

244
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:27,700
At one point, this would have been in the fall of 1999, so not too long after the murders

245
00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:28,700
took place.

246
00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:33,840
But the state police meets with the district attorney's office to discuss the case.

247
00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,680
And the media says that it's ramping up and, you know, there's heat coming, but then it

248
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,360
just all fizzles.

249
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:41,920
You know, arrests are made.

250
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:49,440
The only person of interest that has not even publicly been named just mentioned in this

251
00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:55,320
election interview that I found for the district attorney's office.

252
00:15:55,320 --> 00:16:02,980
So there is evidence in 2003, they get those test results back that at the time the person

253
00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:07,500
working the case said, you know, this reaffirms my suspicion of the perpetrator.

254
00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:14,320
So it sounds like police have an idea of maybe who it was, but they just can't quite pin

255
00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:15,800
it on them.

256
00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:26,800
And I don't know, there's the comments about conflicting stories, where in my experience

257
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:32,540
in doing this and just in learning about investigations, if there's conflicting stories, like you

258
00:16:32,540 --> 00:16:38,320
really need to go back in and hammer out those details, because somebody's story shouldn't

259
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,560
change if they're telling the truth.

260
00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:45,040
So if their story is changing, there's lies.

261
00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:51,120
So yeah, I mean, you hear that time and time again, especially with cases that stay open

262
00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:52,800
for a really long time.

263
00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:59,480
It's like, you know, when they're pretty sure someone is not the perpetrator, but it's being

264
00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:07,800
pointed in their direction, they usually say, well, I know, we think it's possibly them.

265
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,560
But again, their story has never changed.

266
00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,880
Like you hear that quite a bit.

267
00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:19,280
Like, so I agree with you, the fact that there are stories and that they're changing and

268
00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:24,400
many years have passed now, like, I think it just echoes the sentiment of like, you

269
00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:29,840
don't forget a story like that, when it's true about someone dying or having information

270
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,200
about being murdered.

271
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:32,200
I mean, yeah.

272
00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:38,840
I mean, if you tell the truth, it never changes, because you're telling the truth, you don't

273
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:42,680
have to remember exactly what you said, or, oh, maybe they're not believing me.

274
00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,600
So let me add a little bit extra take away a little bit.

275
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:46,600
Yeah.

276
00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,120
Like if you're telling the truth, you just tell the truth, there's nothing else for you

277
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:50,120
to say.

278
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:58,040
So that particular comment stuck out to me, I think if I was an investigator, like getting

279
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,640
handed this case today, the first thing I would do is go back and re-interview everybody.

280
00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:09,920
And if their stories didn't match what they said in 1999, you know, with some wiggle room,

281
00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,240
because people might not remember every single detail they said in 1999.

282
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:18,560
But yeah, but for the most part, again, unless you've like, you know, some traumatic like

283
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,080
injury, it shouldn't change.

284
00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:22,080
It shouldn't change.

285
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:23,780
So that's where I would start.

286
00:18:23,780 --> 00:18:29,920
And anybody whose story had changed, I would want to look at them more.

287
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:35,160
And depending on what those test results are, I do think they are DNA based off of the comments

288
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:43,040
of police, you know, trying to get the subpoenas to get DNA tests from the people who you needed,

289
00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,840
especially if you have an idea or a person of interest, at least to eliminate them if

290
00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:51,040
it's not them just to get them out of the way.

291
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:57,760
Do you think that there's possibility that people's stories would change specifically

292
00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:04,780
surrounding this case, because fear was mentioned so often, like maybe people are changing their

293
00:19:04,780 --> 00:19:10,800
stories because they're like, that the bad person got wind that I had said something.

294
00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:15,280
So now I'm changing it this time, even if it's five years later, it's because I'm still

295
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:16,280
scared.

296
00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:17,280
Totally.

297
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:22,560
I think that is something that could be happening in this case.

298
00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,240
And again, from like, just an investigator standpoint, so like if the story is changing,

299
00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:27,440
then what's that?

300
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:28,440
Why is it changing?

301
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,440
What's that information?

302
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,480
Who has a reason to lie?

303
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:38,500
And being scared in this small town, you know, in 1999, they had around 1500.

304
00:19:38,500 --> 00:19:42,940
And I think the most recent census had it around 1700.

305
00:19:42,940 --> 00:19:48,200
So really a small town that everybody probably does know everybody's business.

306
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,220
And here's everything.

307
00:19:50,220 --> 00:19:54,500
Because every person in the paper who wished to remain anonymous specifically said, I do

308
00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:57,680
not want the killers to come looking for me or my family.

309
00:19:57,680 --> 00:19:59,920
Like they were genuinely worried about their safety.

310
00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:02,760
So I think there is reason for that.

311
00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:08,920
And a good investigator would be able to pick up on that and then also get the truth of

312
00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:13,800
what happened and the truth as to like, why you're scared now and who you're scared of

313
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:14,800
now.

314
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:15,800
Mm hmm.

315
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:16,800
It's sad.

316
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:22,920
I mean, like, especially if it is fear based, I imagine that if you have information and

317
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:32,200
you feel the necessity, like the need to lie or cover up, like, I would imagine that you've

318
00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:39,880
got to be pretty scared and have been dictating your entire life around this like fear and

319
00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:45,320
why for a really long time, you know.

320
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,960
It's just it's unfortunate.

321
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:53,160
In this case, like, like how much time and space in between everything.

322
00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:59,600
I feel that one pretty strongly with Earl and Clarissa.

323
00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:08,000
Yeah, as soon as I saw this case, I knew that it was one that we had to cover.

324
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,960
And again, if you know anything about the murder of Earl Gonzales or Clarissa Gonzales

325
00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:24,060
in September of 1999, please call the New Mexico Cold Case Homicide Unit at 505-827-9066.

326
00:21:24,060 --> 00:21:29,220
And this week we've had a flood of positive reviews on the podcast.

327
00:21:29,220 --> 00:21:32,840
It was really cool waking up almost every single day to a new review.

328
00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:36,780
So thank you so much if you've reviewed the podcast.

329
00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:40,080
If you haven't had time yet, well, today's a new day.

330
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,820
You can do it right now.

331
00:21:41,820 --> 00:21:45,080
It truly helps other people find our podcast.

332
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,040
It feeds the algorithm machine.

333
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,680
So if you could leave us a review, five stars, thumbs up.

334
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:56,360
If you can write us a review on Apple, if you're able to do that, it really helps boost

335
00:21:56,360 --> 00:22:02,160
us and give credibility and lets other people find us and listen to us, which ultimately

336
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,680
gets more people hearing about these cases, which is the ultimate goal.

337
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,040
You can find us on the internet at Coldandmissing.com.

338
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:12,520
You can review us there.

339
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,600
You can listen to the episodes.

340
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,720
Everything you need is all up on the website.

341
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:22,080
Or you can follow us at Instagram, where we post pictures of the cases that we follow

342
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:23,520
all throughout the week.

343
00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,160
Eli makes gorgeous graphics.

344
00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,920
So if you're not following us there, please do.

345
00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:32,600
We also post active missing person cases in our story that are happening in real time.

346
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,320
So lots of good information over there too.

347
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:43,160
If you or someone you know has a case that you maybe want us to take a look at, please

348
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:51,960
feel free to reach out to us via our Instagram DMs or our email.

349
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,640
Coldandmissing at gmail.com.

350
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:59,280
We've had others reach out, so we have some cases coming up in the next few weeks that

351
00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:00,920
our listeners suggested.

352
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,240
So please suggest cases to us.

353
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:07,120
I love covering cases that mean a lot to our listeners.

354
00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:08,560
All these cases mean a lot to me.

355
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:13,200
So one that's extra special to a listener is extra special to me.

356
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,400
And happy pride out there.

357
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,400
Yeah, from us to you.

358
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:19,400
Happy pride.

359
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:20,400
Happy pride.

360
00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:25,120
We are an LGBTQIA plus podcast all year round.

361
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:32,120
So we cover stories from our beautiful community year round 24 7 3 6 5 pride.

362
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:36,560
So with that, have a good week and stay safe, y'all.

363
00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:51,000
Stay safe, y'all.