The Case of the Ohio Outdoorsman Killer

Shaq here. What's it like to buy a car from Carvana 100% online and get it delivered to your door? Let me tell you. Your car is here, Mr. Shaq. Thank you, Mr. Carvana guy. Can't wait to take it for a spin. Only the best for you, Mr. Shaq. Hey, have you always been so big, tall, and handsome? Not always. I was 6'10 once. Seven days to love it or return it, Mr. Shaq. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. So buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. The best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for. At Ross, discover unexpected gifts, fashion, decor, and plenty of reasons to keep looking. Ross, expect the unexpected. This episode is brought to you by TXU Energy. If you're looking for a better way to save on electricity, both night and day, look no further than TXU Energy. Free nights and cool summer. It gives you free energy all night, every night, all year long. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your daytime use every summer. It's the only plan that lets you use free energy to get more savings. So while nights are always free, summer days are now always discounted. With savings like that, you'll never look at a free night's plan the same way again. Learn more at TXU.com. Rep number 10004. Today, we're starting in rural Ohio, where hunters and fishermen began turning up dead, and the only real clue came from the killer himself. Then we're looking at three park rangers of America's most beautiful places, and into situations that still leave behind disturbing, unanswered questions. So listen on if you dare, and I also dare you to hit the follow button. Right now, the show has about 16,000 followers, but I want to see if we can double that before the end of the year, which is going to be very difficult. So please help us out. And with that said, let's get into it. 1. On the morning of November 10th, 1990, 21-year-old Jamie Paxton, set out into the woods to go hunting. Little did he know, he was stepping into the crosshairs of a predator. And before the day was over, Jamie Paxton was gunned down in brutal fashion. His mother, completely devastated, took some unusual actions and actually tried to reach out to her son's killer by writing him letters which were published in the local newspaper. Unless you confess your sin, and ask for God's forgiveness, you will face the fire and fury of hell. We want to know why Jamie was killed. The police told her that writing these letters was useless. The killer either wouldn't see them, or he just didn't care. But then, after a year of calling the killer out in her writing, the local newspaper received a horrific response letter in the mail: "I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton. I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton. I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton." I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton. Five minutes after I shot Paxton, I was drinking a beer and had blocked out all thoughts of what I had just done out of my mind. I thought no more of shooting Paxton than shooting a bottle at the dump. The letter was obviously shocking, but what was even more shocking is that this letter was much more than just a confession to the one murder. was the first clue into a web of violence and yes murder a web that was so evil that even the fbi was left stunned when they read this letter they instantly knew that they were looking for the worst and most elusive type of criminal a serial killer who hunted humans for fun folks this is the story of the ohio outdoorsman killer when most people picture a crime scene they usually picture i don't know a city street the inside of a home or maybe even a bank they usually don't picture a peaceful green rural setting but for our story today that's exactly where we're going so with that said let's take a trip together right now to rural ohio on the crisp morning of april 1st 1989 35 year old donald welling laced up his running shoes and set out for a jog along the quiet rural dirt roads near his it just so happened to be april fool's day but there was no humor in what fate had in store for donald he would end up being gunned down at point blank range his body left to rot on the side of the road now investigators quickly swarmed the scene but they were disappointed to find that the killer had left approximately zero evidence behind and thus donald's killing seemed like it was an isolated incident and the case quickly went cold and then over a year later on november 10th 1990 21 year old jamie paxton awoke early in the morning to go out and partake in his favorite pastime that was hunting he grabbed his crossbow he said goodbye to his parents that he lived with and then he set off from his belmont county home eager to go find the perfect spot to bag a deer he drove for a while and then he finally found a very promising field which was located just off of route 9 he pulled in he parked his truck and then he actually strolled into the field completely unarmed in order to just kind of feel things out to kind of just yeah scope things out he was so focused on doing that that he never noticed the red pickup truck that pulled in behind his car jamie paxton never returned from his hunt his body was found in that very same field dead from multiple gunshot wounds no shell casings no footprints or any other evidence was found at the scene jamie paxton had no known enemies and the motive for his brutal murder was entirely unknown his killing like the killing of donald welling seemed as random as it was brutal but together these two killings hinted at something far darker that was lurking in the shadows a connection that i'm making sound obvious but the authorities had not yet to make 18 days after jamie paxton's murder 30 year old kevin loring went out hunting in muskingum county ohio loring actually wasn't from ohio he was from duxbury massachusetts but he had traveled to ohio in order to visit some friends and of course to do what he loved aka hunting he really wanted to bag a deer so loring and his friends set out early in the morning but at some point the group had separated kevin loring's friends never saw him again kevin went missing until he was discovered the very next day dead from a gunshot wound now at first authorities dismissed this tragedy as a hunting accident which is a rare but not exactly unheard of occurrence in the remote ohio countryside kevin loring's family left totally shattered by his loss began to grieve the man who was a father of three young children and to them this was a senseless and heartbreaking loss but it was it was nothing more it wasn't a crime it wasn't something that was going to turn into a national case his family couldn't have known the truth that was just lurking out of reach at the time but within months the investigation into kevin's death would be reopened and this chilling reality would emerge kevin loring's death was no hunting accident in fact kevin loring had actually been hunted himself flash forward to march 14th 1992 and 49 year old claude hawkings has just finished working his overnight shift at the perfect time to go enjoy some morning fishing the wills creek dam in koshocton county ohio was his favorite fishing spot it was a quiet refuge where he could just relax after a long night's work overnight tragically claude was found dead at this very spot that he loved so much his fishing pole lying abandoned beside him claude had been killed by a gunshot fired at extremely close range now he had actually been standing on federal land when he was shot which placed the investigation into the hands of the fbi as these fbi agents combed through the case they began to uncover a terrifying truth claude's murder wasn't a standalone act of violence it was part of something far bigger and far more sinister up until now The three murders and the one accident that I've told you about so far weren't connected. The authorities hadn't pieced it together. Each of these crimes occurred in a different rural county scattered across Ohio with limited local resources to tie them together. Investigators in one county had no idea that their case might be linked to another county, leaving the crimes isolated in their records. But when the FBI stepped in, the pattern became unmistakable. The murders weren't just random acts of violence. They were meticulously calculated, each one committed in a location designed to stay just out of reach of local authorities. This killer had woven a web of terror across the state of Ohio, exploiting jurisdictional gaps in order to remain undetected. Still waiting in line? Again? That's time you'll never get back. Save time and money with Stamps.com. Over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with Stamps.com. Join them to save up to 90% off carrier rates from your computer or phone right now. 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With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into. Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. To the FBI. It was clear. They weren't just dealing with a killer. They were hunting a predator who had mastered the art of evasion and the evil act of hunting itself. When the FBI took over the investigation, they uncovered the chilling truth that Kevin Loring's death hadn't been a hunting accident after all. And with this revelation, Loring's name was added to the growing list of victims that were claimed by this elusive and calculating series. Next, the FBI took a close look at all four murders. And when they did this, they came to an extremely troubling realization. There was almost zero evidence in any of these cases. The killer had been super careful. He had removed shell casings. He didn't leave any DNA. He didn't leave any fingerprints. He left no trace of his presence. The only lead that the FBI had. Was a single typed letter received by the Ferry Times Leader newspaper on November 4th, 1991. This letter's origin lay in the grief-stricken determination of one woman. That would be Jamie Paxton's mother, Jean Paxton. Devastated by her son's brutal death, Jean refused to stand by and just wait for justice. Instead, she took an extraordinary step. And she poured her anguish, her heartbreak, and all of her emotions into open letters addressed to her son's killer. These letters were filled with confusion, desperation, pleas, just very brutal stuff. And they were published in the Ferry Times Leader for the world, the entire world, and the killer to see. Little did Jean know, but her words would eventually. Spark a response that would shock everybody. She wrote. To the murderer of my son, Jamie. Would it be easier for you if I wrote words of hate? I can't. Because I don't feel hate. I feel deep sorrow at losing my son. You took a light from my life, November 10th, and left me with many days of darkness. Have you thought of your own death? Unless you confess your sin and ask for God's forgiveness, you will face the fire and fury. of hell. When you are caught, I will be sorry for your family. They will have to carry the burden of your guilt all their lives. I want to stress that this was not just a one-off letter, folks. Jean Paxton published letter after letter addressed to her son's killer. She did this for almost a year. Oh, and by the way, she did this without ever getting a response. But then, just before the one-year anniversary. of her son's death, this disturbing letter arrived at the Ferry Times leader. Jamie Paxton was a complete stranger to me. I never saw him before in my life, and he never said a word to me that Saturday. Paxton was killed because of an irresistible compulsion that has taken over my life. I knew, when I left my house that day, that someone would die by my hand. Technically, I meet the definition of. a serial killer, but I'm an average-looking person with a family, job, and home, just like yourself. Something in my head causes me to turn into a merciless killer with no conscience. To the Paxtons, you deserve to know the details. And, folks, go into the details he did. The anonymous typewritten letter went on to say, quote, "I raised my rifle to my shoulder and lined him up in the sights. It took at least five seconds to take. careful aim. My first shot was off a little bit and hit him in the right chest. He groaned and went down. I wanted to make sure he was finished, so I fired a second shot aimed halfway between his hip and shoulder. He was crawling around on the ground. I jerked the shot and hit him in the knee. He raised his head and groaned again. My third shot also missed and hit him in the butt. He never moved again." The letter continued on, but by this point, the FBI knew that the letter was not a hoax. They knew that the real killer had to have written it because he had given details in the letter, details about the killing of Jamie Paxton, that were not public. I'm talking details that only the FBI and the killer himself could possibly know. The letter went on showing just how cold and evil this mystery is. The letter didn't contain any fingerprints, it didn't contain any DNA, and it didn't contain any evidence of the murder of Jamie Paxton. The letter didn't contain any fingerprints, it didn't contain any evidence of the murder of Jamie Paxton. The letter didn't contain any fingerprints, it didn't contain any DNA, and it didn't contain anything at all that would point in the direction of who this serial killer was. At first, the letter seemed like yet another hopeless lead. But, the FBI soon realized that the letter was actually riddled with evidence that could help capture this monster who was roaming Ohio's back roads. All the FBI had to do was just get a little more creative. The FBI studied every little detail about this letter. They studied the author's word choice, the tone that he wrote in, even the cadence of his sentences. And what they were doing was putting together a behavioral profile of the Ohio outdoorsman killer, attempting to understand his personality, his habits, and of course, his motivations. The FBI and local investigators would end up forming a task force designed to finally bring down this monster. down this serial killer. And just a few days after this task force first met 44 year old gary bradley left his home in west virginia crossed into the state of ohio and settled in at a fishing spot in noble county his secluded location made it a perfect place for a quiet escape or so gary thought but what he didn't realize was that he wasn't alone undetected the ohio outdoorsman killer had already marked gary as prey in the deadliest game imaginable like the victims before him gary bradley was mercilessly gunned down with a high-powered rifle when investigators arrived they were met with the same frustrating reality as all of the previous cases there was no shell casings no fingerprints there was no leads at all nothing pointed to who did this the only thing they had were a couple tiny fragments of some of the bullets that were extracted from gary's body which would go on to match some of the bullets that killed him which confirmed the fbi's worst fear the very same cold-blooded killer that they were trying so desperately to track down had killed gary bradley and thus the fbi sheepishly added a fifth person to the list of victims from this serial killer and they did this and then without looking back they dove into the killer's psyche ramping up their efforts to to create this profile that might finally bring this hunter of men to justice they knew that they had to act fast because it was crystal clear that the ohio outdoorsman killer would not be stopping his rampage anytime soon so they're trying to create this profile and the only even slight glimpse into the mind of this killer was from that letter that was sent to gene paxton other than that the only things they had to go off of were the actual details of the killer's life and the fact that gary bradley was killed was the only thing they knew was that gary bradley had killed gary bradley they quickly noticed that all five murder victims were in the process of enjoying the outdoors when they were killed they were either hunting fishing or jogging the fbi also noticed that most of the slayings occurred on a saturday and finally they noticed that all victims were men the fbi's behavioral profile painted a chilling picture of the ohio outdoorsman killer they concluded that he was likely a white male he was likely over 30 years old with a deeply introverted nature but at the same time he wasn't a recluse you know he was skilled he was calculated and he was comfortable even you could say dangerously comfortable in the wilderness the killer was probably an avid outdoorsman himself someone who knew how to hunt fish and certainly someone who knew how to handle firearms with expert precision the profile didn't stop there either it suggested a disturbing pattern of criminal habits beyond just these murders the killer was likely an alcoholic prone to drinking himself into reckless acts of destruction things like vandalism shooting at empty vehicles setting fires and even torturing animals traditional home security only alerts you after a break-in and that's too late simply safe is changing that stop this is simply safe police are on the way we don't just alert we help stop crime before it starts plan starting around a dollar a day right now get 70 off your new system with professional monitoring at simply safe.com spotify simply safe ahead of crime in real time outdoor deterrence plans start at 49.99 a month visit simply safe.com licenses for alarm license information starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like shopify they have the tools you need to start and grow your business from designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond shopify can help with everything you need there's a reason millions of companies like mattel heinz and all birds continue to trust and use them with shopify on your side turn your big business idea into sign up for your one dollar per month trial at shopify.com special offer the best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for at ross discover unexpected gifts fashion decor and plenty of reasons to keep looking ross expect the unexpected this episode is brought to you by txu energy if you're looking for a better way to save on electricity both night and day look no further than txu energy free nights and cool summer it gives you free energy all night every night all year long plus a 25 bonus toward your daytime use every summer it's the only plan that lets you use free energy to get more savings so all nights are always free summer days are now always discounted with savings like that you'll never look at a free night's plan the same way again learn more at txu.com rep number one zero zero zero four shack here what's it like to buy a car from carvana 100 online and get it delivered to your door let me tell you your car is here mr shack thank you mr carvana guy can't wait to take it for a spin only the best for you mr shack hey have you always been so big tall and handsome not always i was 6 10 once seven days to love it or return it mr shack not that i would you never do no i never do so buy your car today on carvana delivery fees may apply see our seven day return policy at carvana.com these were the dark hobbies of a man who had basically grown numb to violence he likely lived close enough to all of his victims so that he could strike quickly and strike without hesitation blending back into the rural fabric of ohio with total ease so that's what they came up with that's how they profiled this killer and at first they used this profile to to try and narrow down their list of suspects however this didn't bring them any closer to finding the identity of the killer by the start of august in 1992 they were feeling more and more pressure to do this the killer could basically strike again at any moment and the fbi knew that they were running out of time this desperation would lead the fbi to a very bold decision they decided that they were going to go public with their profile so they unleashed this profile to the press in the hopes that someone anyone might recognize the monster hiding in plain sight and by the way the fbi didn't just release their behavioral profile they released a chilling warning with hunting season on the horizon the fbi cautioned the public that while most sportsmen would be aiming for deer one man was going to be preparing to actually hunt the hunters the fbi's announcement sent shock waves throughout the state of ohio sparking widespread fear and intense media attention pretty much immediately upon releasing this the fbi was bombarded with tips and also with new suspects the sheer volume of information was overwhelming but it also didn't take long for one individual lead to rise above the rest of the noise a man stepped forward claiming that a former friend of his matched the behavioral profile of the killer almost perfectly now the fbi was skeptical at first but of course they dug into this lead and when they did this what they found left no doubt this informant was 100 telling the truth and so for the first time the fbi had a potential name that could actually be tied to the ohio outdoorsman killer and the name was thomas lee dylan so this high school friend of dylan's had approached the fbi saying quote i saw the reports about the task force that had been formed to solve the killings and i just think i got a guy who should be investigated as a possible suspect this man went on to recall how when they were younger himself and thomas dylan used to get drunk and then drive around town causing trouble this trouble included things like starting small fires shooting at unoccupied vehicles and just vandalizing things around town already a few red flags there but then the man told investigators a story about dylan which was far more troubling the man said quote i remember we ran into a couple of scraggly dogs one time they were all diseased they were sick tom said do you think i ought to kill them and i said well you'd probably be doing them a favor i remember him shooting them i didn't think too much about it wild dogs can be vicious then he started shooting dogs just dogs along the road i said tom shooting a wild dog is one thing but that dog doesn't look very wild to me he said you can't let them damn things be running around i let it go by once or twice but then i said tom you gotta quit it or i won't go out with you those are somebody's pets somebody loves them this informant would go on to say that eventually he kind of just grew up and he stopped hanging around thomas dylan but then in 1986 only a few years before the murders started he ran into dylan again at a gun show a lot of time had passed And so this man decided to give Dylan another chance. So they went for a drive together and it quickly became apparent that Thomas Dylan, well, he hadn't changed one iota. On this drive, Thomas Dylan kept bringing up the concept of serial killers, including probably the most famous one, Ted Bundy. He told his friend, quote, Do you realize you can go out into the country and find somebody and there are no witnesses? You can shoot them. And as if that wasn't disturbing enough, Thomas Dylan asked his old friend if he thought that he had ever killed someone. Quoting from the friend, Tom said, Do you think I've ever killed somebody? The question really caught me off guard. I said, No, I don't think so. And he said, That just proves you don't know me very well. Every detail that this informant shared with the FBI pointed squarely at Thomas Dylan as the Ohio outdoorsman killer. I mean, he matched the FBI's profile perfectly. Dylan had a disturbing criminal history, including vandalism, burglary and animal torture. He was an avid hunter. He was well-versed in the wilderness, and he also owned an arsenal of weapons. That is exactly what the profile predicted. And it gets even worse, folks, because one of the most chilling revelations about Thomas Dylan was actually some of his own advice that he gave to his friend turned informant. Dylan told his friend that if you're going to go on a killing spree, you ought to make sure to spread the murders across multiple counties. His reasoning for this being it would make it harder to connect them and harder to solve them, which is persistent. Precisely the situation that the investigators initially found themselves in this statement, this evil advice that Thomas Dylan gave turned suspicion into straight up certainty, at least in the eyes of the FBI. And yet there would be no arrest of Thomas Dylan, let alone an actual conviction without any hard evidence. So the FBI, they went to work relentlessly digging into every corner. Of. Dylan's life. They set up surveillance watching his every move, and one of their first steps was to actually investigate Dylan's employer, the Canton Water Department. Upon doing this, it didn't take long for the FBI to make a very chilling discovery. Thomas Dylan had Saturdays off again. That was the exact day of the week when most of the murders occurred. But it gets even more unsettling because Thomas Dylan's. Rare midweek vacation days, the time that he would take off not very often, while those days also lined up perfectly with the dates of the other killings. The FBI went to Dylan's employer to try and rule him out, but all this did was further point the finger at him. And then they discovered even more chilling evidence, which linked Thomas Dylan to the murders in the response letter that was sent to Jean Paxton, the killer had brazenly mentioned. Visiting Jamie Paxton's grave. This revelation led investigators to set up a hidden camera at the cemetery. And for a long time, they had all this footage, but they didn't really have anything to do with it. But now that they had a suspect, well, they began to comb through the footage. And well, what they ended up capturing was both horrifying and completely undeniable. The FBI found footage showing Thomas Dylan stopping at Jamie's grave on the one-year anniversary of Jamie Paxton's murder. Add that to the list of circumstantial evidence against Thomas Dylan. And yet again, that's all they had was circumstantial evidence. They needed more. They needed something forensic or I don't know. They just needed some hard evidence in order to actually convince a jury. actually convince a jury that he was guilty and to bring Dillon down. The FBI used cars, trucks, vehicles, and also aircraft to keep Thomas Dillon under surveillance. And while they were doing these stakeouts, they witnessed him multiple times, by the way, shooting at street signs, electrical meters, and other things along the rural Ohio roads. They even witnessed him shooting at animals. Now, any of these acts was an arrestable offense, obviously, but investigators held off. They were hoping to catch Thomas Dillon in the act of something that was much more incriminating, something that would land him in jail for a long time or allow them to convict him for one of the murders. But it was impossible to watch Thomas Dillon 24-7, especially at the And thus, in the early fall of 1992, Thomas Dillon went hunting and unfortunately, the FBI was not around to stop him. Larry Oler took to the woods to try and go get a deer one morning in Tuscaroras County. He parked his car at the edge of the forest and then he hiked over 100 yards, you know, past the length of a football field into the woods when all of a sudden, he heard a truck pull in nearby. Traditional home security only alerts you after a break-in, and that's too late. SimpliSafe is changing that. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. We don't just alert. We help stop crime before it starts. SimpliSafe. Ahead of crime in real time. Outdoor deterrence plans start at $49.99 a month. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your daycare. Daytime use every summer. So, while nights are always free, summer days are now always discounted. Rep number 10004. From designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. He watched in horror as this red pickup truck stopped and a man with a rifle got out, pointing it in Oler's directions. He had only seconds to react, and when he heard the first shot ring out, Larry Oler decided to just. Drop to the ground and play dead. Folks, thank God this worked. It did. The killer was convinced that he had actually hit his target, and so he got back into his truck and he drove off. Larry Oler was completely unharmed, and he was even able to provide the police with a description of the truck. After this incident, the FBI knew that they were running out of time. They felt that pressure before, but now it was just completely confirmed. Thomas Dillon wasn't just a suspect. He was a ticking time bomb, and the FBI were certain that he'd strike again if they left him free. But again, it would be difficult to arrest him. They had plenty of circumstantial evidence, but they lacked that smoking gun that would tie him directly to the murders. Arresting him on a minor charge might buy them a little bit of time, but it also came with a very dangerous gamble. If the FBI couldn't gather solid evidence. quickly, Dillon would soon walk free, and their chance to bring him to justice might slip away forever. But hunting season was right around the corner, and the FBI were very worried that Dillon would go out and, you know, do his own sick version of hunting. And so, the FBI eventually decided to make the risky move of arresting Thomas Dillon on a minor weapons charge, and they just hoped that they could find some more hard evidence before he was released from jail on this charge. They started with a good old old-fashioned interrogation, hoping that they could convince Thomas Dillon that the evidence was so strong that he might as well just confess. This is a tactic that works on many people, but unfortunately, it failed miserably on Thomas Dillon. He immediately asked for his attorney, and he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights. And so next, investigators zeroed in on Dillon's home in Magnolia, Ohio, pouring through his possessions, praying, just praying to find any piece of evidence that would link him to the murders. This, unfortunately, also failed very miserably. They didn't find anything, and it was beginning to look like the FBI had hit yet another dead end. Running out of options, they were pretty much left with no other choice but to make another desperate plea to the public. The FBI The FBI openly admitted that Thomas Dillon was the prime suspect in the outdoorsman murders, and they pleaded with anyone who might have information on Dillon to contact them. In particular, they asked for any information about the weapons that Dillon had used. And then, finally, the FBI got a break that would quickly turn into a bombshell. In early December 1992, a man came forward and said that he had bought a rifle from Thomas Dillon earlier that year. The man still had the receipt from the purchase, proving that he had actually acquired the rifle from Dillon. And the FBI seized this gun, they immediately shipped it to their headquarters in Virginia, and started running ballistics tests. These tests would prove that this was the very same rifle that had been used to kill Dillon. Gary Bradley and Claude Hawkins This was the crucial piece of evidence the FBI had been searching for for so long. A direct link between Thomas Dillon and the murders. He'd finally been caught red-handed, and he was indicted for those two murders I just mentioned there, the murder of Gary Bradley and the murder of Claude Hawkins. And then, shortly after that, he was also indicted for the murder of Jamie Paxton. Thomas Dillon would, initially plead not guilty, but this would soon change. Before his trial commenced, Thomas Dillon suddenly changed his mind, and confessed to all five of the murders. He admitted to the press and to the prosecutors that he just had this unexplainable compulsion to kill. It was something that he couldn't and wouldn't control. He also expressed zero regret about the evil actions that he had taken. And only once did he ever show the tiniest bit of remorse. And that's something I'm going to be coming back to in just a moment. Thomas Dillon would go on to strike a deal with the prosecution that if he pled guilty to the murders, he would receive a life sentence without parole, but he would avoid receiving the death penalty. That was something that Thomas Dillon really wanted to avoid, which is ironic to put it mildly. But at the same time, this plea deal did help speed up all of the legal proceedings, and it allowed the victim's families to begin rebuilding and moving on much sooner than if it had dragged out in trial. Thomas Dillon was a monster. He just couldn't contain his urge to kill. And if he hadn't been arrested, there's pretty much zero doubt on anybody's mind that he would have killed again and again until he was finally stopped. He had no respect for his victims, and he felt no guilt after killing them, with the exception of one victim. That was Jamie Paxton. Thomas Dillon was quoted in reference to his murder of Paxton saying, "I didn't know he was that young. I couldn't see how old he was from a distance. I thought he was 30, 35. I didn't know he was that young. Blew that kid away, you know. He had his whole life ahead of him, and I blew him away. I felt sorry for him." In that quote, Thomas Dillon makes it seem like Jamie Paxton's age was the reason for his remorse, but to be honest with you, I think that there's actually an additional reason that Thomas Dillon expressed guilt for Jamie Paxton's murder. I think that he did this because of the relentless efforts of Jamie's mother. All of the letters that she wrote to Jamie's killer. I talked about that a lot in this video. And she also later made phone calls to Thomas Dillon after he was already behind bars. I think that she got through to him. I think that she was the only person on earth who was able to crack Thomas Dillon psychopathic mind and force him to confront the remorse that he actually felt deep down inside of him. My heart goes out to her and of course to her son, Jamie. Please keep them and the rest of the victims in your hearts. And as for Thomas Dillon, I wouldn't worry too much about him because he would go on to spend the rest of his life behind bars, eventually dying from cancer in 2011. Folks, show some love for the victims. In the comments below, and I'll see all of you next week. Thomas Dillon turned the outdoors into a hunting ground, but our next story show a different side of that same danger. Park Rangers stepping into remote places where even a routine day can suddenly become deadly. Please leave a five star review if you're enjoying the show. It really helps our standing with Spotify. And OK, let's get into it, though. You might not have ever thought about this, the job of being a park ranger. Can be part in my language here, but dangerous as this job involves so much more than just like standing at a visitor center and directing tourists to where the bathrooms are. Park Rangers are law enforcement officers, which means that they have to deal with many of the same risks that normal police officers do. But in addition to that, they must also patrol the remote backcountry and all of its hazards. They also have to be the first ones to confront dangerous animals that are putting the park's visitors at risk. And so because of all this, it's no surprise that on many occasions, park rangers have died, been murdered or just straight up disappeared in the line of duty. For today's video, I picked out three stories of park rangers who died while doing their jobs, but I'm going to be doing more than just telling you their stories and then moving on. I have some questions. Questions about each of these stories, questions that even years after the story took place remain unanswered. So I'll be highlighting these unanswered questions as I go along in this video. And I also want to hear your potential theories, answers to these questions or your other unanswered questions in the comment section as well. Respectfully, of course. So with that said, please join me on a trip to one of the most beautiful places in all of the United States. That would be the great state of Colorado. I want to go back. Around 11:00 a.m. on July 29th, 2005, a coworker dropped Ranger Jeff Christensen off at the Chapin Pass trailhead where he was going to start a days long backcountry patrol of the mummy range. Observe the North American dad, fifties, great polo collection. He enters his vehicle information on Carvana and offer appears in minutes. Remarkable. He squints, reads it again, smiles and says, Dang, that's a good offer. The highest form of approval. No haggling, no hassle. No one called him boss. He's still on the couch. Astonishing. Sell your car today on Carvana dot com. Pickup fees may apply. Shipping, billing, admin, payroll, marketing. You're managing all the things. So why waste time sending important documents the old fashioned way? Mail and ship when you want, how you want with Stamps dot com. Print postage on demand 24/7. And schedule pickups from your office or home. Save up to 90% with automated rate shopping. That's why over 1 million small businesses trust Stamps dot com. Go to Stamps dot com and use code podcast to try Stamps dot com risk free for 60 days. This holiday all plans, even unlimited, are just $15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song like "All I Want." Right. Okay. We can afford that. You know what? Give it a try at MintMobile.com/switch. See terms. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your day time. All you have to do is go to TXU Energy. com/TXU. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your day time use every summer. It's the only plan that lets you use free energy to get more savings, so while nights always free summer days are now always discounted with savings like that you'll never look at a free night's plan the same way again learn more at txu.com rep number one zero zero zero four the best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for at ross discover unexpected gifts fashion decor and plenty of reasons to keep looking ross expect the unexpected about two hours after he was dropped off he briefly encountered a couple from oklahoma they were hiking along and they described ranger christiansen as quote chipper and they also said that he was moving well through the difficult terrain but unfortunately after ranger christiansen parted ways with these hikers he was never seen alive ever again he was hiking solo and these solo backcountry patrols are very common for rangers i mean it's just part of their job but as a safety precaution rangers do carry radios with them now the area that ranger christiansen was patrolling that day was definitely remote and as i've established it was rugged and difficult but it was known to have radio coverage later on in the evening ranger christiansen failed to check in on his radio and then the next morning he didn't arrive for his scheduled shift his fellow rangers in rocky mountain national park knew that something was wrong and so they launched a search they did not half-ass this search either over 200 people began combing the backcountry searching along ranger christiansen's planned route for that day they even brought in dogs i believe up to five of them and they also used aircraft you know helicopters spotter planes things like that i mean they they went all out this was a massive search effort and it lasted for over a week but unfortunately on august 6th a hiker would accidentally stumble across a disturbing site that would halt the search in its tracks so this hiker finds ranger jeff christiansen and he was obviously at this point you could probably tell not found alive ranger christiansen was found dead from an apparent fall he was located in an area that was very high up between two rugged 13 000 foot mountains and unfortunately investigators were not able to determine like why he fell or even where he fell from park spokeswoman kyle patterson was quoted saying anyone who's hiked in high elevation terrain knows the things that can go wrong it could be a loose rock he could have lost his balance or stubbed his toe it could have been a shoelace we'll never know these kinds of areas are extremely unforgiving if you fall so they weren't able to determine exactly what happened but they were able to determine uh disturbingly that ranger christiansen didn't die immediately after the fall his body was reportedly found with like bandages on his head and so investigators believe that he actually must have survived initially and then you know patched himself up walked a short distance before he finally went unconscious so i mean that's that's tough it's disturbing and it also raises a few unanswered questions about ranger christiansen's death and the fact that ranger christiansen was able to survive without what would otherwise be a pretty straightforward accident in the backcountry my biggest question is why didn't ranger christiansen use his radio to call for help after his fall now if he was knocked unconscious or died immediately then that would obviously explain things here but again he he was aware enough to like put some bandages on his head and to like attempt to rescue himself it seems to me that if he was capable of doing those things then he would have also been capable of using his radio to try to contact somebody now it is reported that rescuers heard a few like radio clicks around the time that it's estimated ranger christiansen was injured but there's obviously no way to confirm where those clicks came from and another potential answer is that by the time ranger christiansen was found his radio battery was completely dead so it's definitely possible that something happened to his radio before he fell the battery died and that's why he was able to use his radio to try to contact somebody now it is reported that rescuers heard a few like ranger christiansen was found his radio battery was completely dead and that's why he never made a call but it's also definitely possible that the the battery just drained over the course of the search there were also apparently some gunshots heard in the area around the time of his injury but when they found his body they also found his firearm and they found all of his ammunition with none missing which indicates that he had not fired his weapon another unanswered question that i have is actually about ranger christiansen's choice of route that day so apparently he had actually strayed from what he reported his planned route to be and while he was you know off of his route that's when he fell his reasoning for straying from his planned route is not known and it's certainly possible that he would have been found sooner if he had been on his planned route because obviously that's where searchers zeroed in on after he disappeared to this day we still don't know why he decided to change his route on the fly although i did hear it described as a quote shortcut in one of the articles that i read so maybe he did it to just save some miles i don't know i'm probably overthinking this uh it's just a very bizarre and complicated situation and it's also worth mentioning that rescuers did not place any blame on ranger christiansen for straying from his route apparently this is common practice for his fall was also so severe that even if he had been found quickly on you know his planned route it's still unlikely that he would have survived unfortunately rocky mountain national park's chief ranger at the time said quote had we known exactly where he was going it's questionable whether we could have responded in a timely amount to get to such a remote area and get him evacuated to get the medical care he needed which was essentially surgery so leave a comment and let me know what you think of this story and if you have any more questions about what happened some unanswered questions and if you have any feedback on it please let me know may ranger jeff christiansen rest in peace my heart goes out to his friends and his family unfortunately we'll probably never know the answers to the the unanswered questions i've raised and unfortunately in our next story there's an even more difficult unanswered question if you can believe it and i also think that i can pretty confidently say that we're never gonna find the answer to this one real quick i'd like to call out rocky mountain rescue group which is a volunteer search and rescue group based in boulder county colorado now i'm not sure if they were involved with the search for ranger christiansen but i did notice that they have a no charge for rescue policy which is awesome in my opinion and so they're gonna be my give back call out for this week i'm gonna be in touch with them and i'm gonna be in touch with them and i'm gonna i've made a donation to them and i encourage you to do so as well even if it's just a few dollars doesn't have to be anything crazy i will have their website linked in the description in the 1970s duane mcclure landed what many outdoor enthusiasts would consider a dream job when he was hired as a park ranger in yellowstone national park i've visited a pretty good amount of national parks in my 28 year life so far but yellowstone is one that i have not been to yet and i think that's a shame because i'm sure that pretty much all of you are familiar with it it's widely regarded as one of the most beautiful national parks in all the united states and so i mean yeah i'd really like to visit by may of 1980 ranger mcclure had been working for the national park service for 10 years and i'm almost certain that he had been gathering experience in the outdoors for far longer than that one of the outdoor pursuits that ranger mcclure was quite skilled at was canoeing now some of you might think that canoeing is a big thing but it's not it's not it's not a big thing it's not a big thing it's like super easy i mean you're just you're just out there paddling casually what's the big deal it can definitely be easy like this don't get me wrong but there is a big difference between paddling around in like a calm pond in the middle of the summer and paddling on a remote lake in the spring when the water is extremely cold and the wind is picking up you can probably tell how things can go wrong in that situation you know you got to be careful in those situations that situation is unfortunately exactly what ranger mcclure has been doing for the last 10 years and ranger mcclure paddled into on the morning of may 22nd 1980 starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like shopify they have the tools you need to start and grow your business from designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond shopify can help with everything you need there's a reason millions of companies like mattel heinz and all birds continue to trust and use them with shopify on your side turn your big business idea into you sign up for your one dollar promotion month trial at shopify.com special offer still waiting in line again that's time you'll never get back save time and money with stamps.com over four million businesses have skipped the line with stamps.com join them to save up to 90 off carrier rates from your computer or phone right now print postage for certified mail registered mail and packages in seconds then schedule a pickup right from your home or office for a limited time go to stamps.com and use computer or phone to get podcast for a free welcome gift. We're all here. It's family presents for the ones you love and run. Shaq here. Let me tell you. Shaq. Thank you, Mr. Carvana guy. Shaq. Not always. I was 6'10 once. Shaq. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. We don't just alert. Plan start. Starting around a dollar a day. SimpliSafe. Not only was Ranger McClure a skilled canoeist, but he was also known to be, quote, precise and cautious. Because of that, it was very concerning when he didn't. return from his planned patrol of the south shore of West Thumb on Yellowstone Lake. Attempts to contact him by radio failed, and so the National Park Service quickly jumped into action and launched a search for the missing Ranger. And after they did this, it didn't take long for them to find a disturbing clue. So early in the morning, the following day after he went missing, Ranger McClure's canoe was found on a remote beach roughly a mile. from his intended destination. But the thing is, his canoe wasn't found, like, pulled up neatly on the beach or tied down to anything. It was found in a condition known as swamped. Essentially, the canoe had been overturned, it was filled with water, and it had drifted ashore. Obviously, that was a very disturbing find, but it was also a major clue. Searchers hoped that the overturned canoe would lead them to Ranger McClure's location. I mean, it's not unheard of for people to get thrown out of their canoe, their canoe to wash up on shore, and then still be located alive. Unfortunately, though, that is not what happened. In Ranger McClure's situation, they didn't find any additional gear in the canoe, they didn't find any footprints that led away from the canoe. and, worst of all, they just could not find any sign of Ranger McClure himself. They didn't give up there, obviously, they continued their search efforts after they discovered the swamp. but, unfortunately, they were never able to locate the missing ranger. His case basically went cold, and roughly a year after he disappeared, he was declared legally dead. I guess he officially remains missing to this day. It's a very strange and mysterious case, and so the obvious question here is: what the hell happened to him? So, due to his canoe washing up on shore, it's presumed that he drowned, of course. Yellowstone Lake has extremely cold water, especially in the spring, when he was out there. So, if he did fall out of the canoe, and he was, like, too far away from the shore to swim and get to safety, he would have undoubtedly become hypothermic, and it would have happened fast. And so, my unanswered question isn't so much, you know, how Ranger McClure died, because that is almost certainly what happened, my unanswered question is: how did his canoe capsize in the fall? And also, how come his body was never recovered? This is very disturbing, because the weather and the conditions on the day that he went missing were reportedly fine. There was apparently some wind on the lake that day, but it wasn't anything extreme, and as an experienced and skilled canoeist, Ranger McClure would have almost certainly been more than equipped to deal with this, and besides, my understanding is that his route would have mostly been hugging. the shore of the lake. I'm not 100% on that, but from looking at maps, that's what it seems like. I don't think he was intending to be out, like, miles in open water, exposed like that, although, again, that is. that's an assumption. I just don't understand what could have caused him to swamp his canoe, and, again, it's also so strange that his body was never found. At this point, I hate to say it, but it's unlikely that we're ever gonna get answers to those questions, but. You never know, I guess. Leave a comment and let me know what you think happened here, and just let me know what you think of this sad story. My heart goes out to Ranger McClure, and may he rest in peace. Though his fate is a mystery, there's never been any indication, at least that I'm aware of, that foul play was involved with his disappearance. I think it's important to note that, but for this next story, that was definitely not the case. So let's flash forward to 2000. 2012. New Year's Day, 2012, to be exact. On this day, Margaret Anderson arrived at Mount Rainier National Park to begin another day working as a park ranger. So other than the fact that it was the first day of the year, there really shouldn't have been anything else different about her shift that day. Now, it was the middle of the winter, and so the roads were icy and they were dangerous, and therefore it fell on park rangers to enforce tire chain laws to ensure that everyone who entered the park would also leave the park safely. Unfortunately, on this day, there would be two individuals that would not make it out of Mount Rainier National Park alive. Now, one of them died in the line of duty, trying to keep the park and its visitors and their fellow rangers safe, and the other one died as a result of a desperate and futile attempt to avoid paying for their crimes. In the early morning hours on Sunday, January 1st, 2012, 24-year-old Benjamin Barnes was involved in a shooting in Seattle, which this allegedly happened over a dispute about a firearm, apparently. The shooting was the tipping point in Barnes's life, a life that had been sliding downhill for quite some time. Barnes had been enlisted in the United States Army, and he even served some time in Iraq, apparently, but he was eventually kicked out of the army after getting arrested for DUI among a few other things. I know that he had recently lost a friend, an army friend, due to suicide. He had also been recently dumped by his girlfriend because of increasingly volatile behavior on his part, and he was considered so dangerous at this point that he was only allowed to visit his daughter when he was supervised. And so, by the time the first day of 2012 rolled around, Barnes was reportedly, I mean, at rock bottom. He was homeless, and he was living out of his car in the middle of the winter. So, this dispute in Seattle happens, up to four people are shot, and then Benjamin Barnes, he fled town, and for some reason, he went right for Mount Rainier National Park. He must have made it through the park entrance gate without incident, but he eventually did drive up to a ranger checkpoint between the Longmire and Paradise areas of the National Park. The park's spokesman would go on to state that Barnes was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle, and that he was the only person on the ranger's vehicle. This obviously got the attention of the park rangers, who immediately initiated a high-speed pursuit of Barnes, and also called ahead for backup. Ranger Margaret Anderson was stationed further up the road, near Paradise, I guess, and when she heard about the vehicle chase that was heading her way, she decided to move her vehicle into the road in order to block the suspect. Her and one of her fellow rangers that she was with made an on-the-spot decision to attempt to arrest Barnes before he made it further into the park, further into an area that had large amounts of innocent park visitors that could potentially be harmed by him. Barnes drove up to Anderson's vehicle, and then he apparently did a U-turn before jumping out and opening fire on Anderson and her fellow ranger using a high-powered rifle. This all happened, you know, in just a split second. It happened so quickly, in fact, that Anderson didn't even have a chance to draw her gun, let alone actually return fire and defend herself. So he's firing on these rangers, and he actually missed Anderson's partner, but unfortunately, he didn't miss Anderson. He hit her, and she was quickly able to alert authorities, I'm assuming over the radio, that she had been shot, but unfortunately, she did not survive for much longer after this. Her partner ended up driving away after this initial gunfire, and when backup did finally arrive, they were also fired upon by Barnes as they attempted to retrieve her out of her vehicle. So that obviously slowed things down, and by the time they reached her, she had already passed. Super sad. She is survived by her husband, who's also a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, apparently, and she's also survived by her two daughters. So after the shooting, Benjamin Barnes just abandoned his vehicle and he fled into the harsh winter wilderness. of mount rainier national park the park was immediately closed to new visitors after this happened i believe that those who were already in the park were forced to either evacuate or to shelter inside the park's buildings it was obviously a very tense and dangerous situation a massive manhunt was launched and the authorities even brought in helicopters with infrared cameras as well as other aircraft and of course hundreds of law enforcement agents who were searching on foot and because it was the middle of the winter there was up to five feet of snow in many areas throughout the search perimeter which definitely complicated the search efforts but of course this very same factor would also complicate things for the fleeing suspect who was not equipped to be traveling through the snow or equipped to survive a freezing cold night for that matter these harsh winter conditions proved to be too challenging for barnes because the following morning he was found dead near the base of a popular waterfall for hikers to visit when they found barnes it was immediately apparent that he he was only wearing a t-shirt jeans and one shoe by the way when they found him it was apparent that he had not taken his own life and obviously law enforcement didn't kill him he had died because of the extreme cold he was found completely defeated lying face down in the snow a creek he was laying there dead right where he belonged and i'll admit that this story isn't quite as mysterious as the previous two but i still wanted to include it in order to illustrate the sacrifice that park rangers rarely but do sometimes have to make and i do still have a few questions about this story as well my first question is why the hell did barnes choose mount rainier national park as his place to run to now on one hand i kind of get it because i'm not sure what he thought a national park would mean like lots of deserted wilderness and easy places to hide which i mean there is a lot of deserted wilderness in mount rainier national park but on the other hand he had apparently been to the park on many occasions so therefore he would have known that it would be crawling with park rangers there'd be law enforcement there and he also would have known that he would have had to go through a gate to even enter the park in order for him to be able to get out of the park and he also would have known that he would have had to go through a gate to even enter the park in order for him to be able to get out of the park in order for him to be able to get out of the park in order for him to even enter the park one thing i could not find an answer to for some reason while i was researching is is if this gate is manned during the winter but either way this entrance gate is basically a permanent checkpoint that he 100 would have known about and so if he's on the run why didn't he go to one of washington state's numerous national forests in other public land wilderness that would have zero law enforcement present especially in the winter i don't know if he was trying to hide it just seems like those would be a better option than a heavily trafficked heavily regulated national park but anyways speaking of the gate the entrance to mountaineer national park again i'm wondering how did he get through this gate without any problems maybe it's not manned in the winter leave a comment if you know the answer to this i just couldn't find the answer for some reason and so if it's not manned then that kind of explains it but i mean either way the fact that he ran from the checkpoint further into the park makes me feel like he would have not wanted to stop at the park's entrance gate and so i'm just i'm not sure what happened there and also why the hell did he run at the checkpoint in the first place i mean if he had been stopped he probably would have just been sent on his way if he had chains or he would have been turned around if he didn't have chains these are all interesting questions but then again benjamin barnes was on the run he was possibly intoxicated and he was definitely not thinking straight so maybe asking these final questions is just kind of pointless at the end of the day he was probably just acting on instinct and i really doubt that there was any logic involved in his decision making and because of him the national park service lost a selfless ranger and margaret anderson's daughters and her husband well they lost their mom and he lost his wife may ranger margaret anderson rest in peace my heart goes out to her family and all the families of any fallen law enforcement officers for that matter the best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for at ross discover unexpected gifts fashion decor and plenty of reasons to keep looking ross expect the unexpected starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like shopify they have the tools you need to start and grow your business from designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond shopify can help with everything you need there's a reason millions of companies like mattel heinz and all birds continue to trust and use them with shopify on your side turn your big business idea into sign up for your one dollar per month trial at shopify.com special offer shipping billing admin payroll marketing you're managing all the things so why waste time sending important documents the old-fashioned way mail and ship when you want how you want with stamps.com print postage on demand 24 7 and schedule pickups from your office or home save up to 90 with automated rate shopping that's why over 1 million small businesses trust stamps.com go to stamps.com and use code podcast to try stamps.com risk-free for 60 days traditional home security only alerts you after a break-in and that's too late simply safe is changing that stop this is simply safe 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