SPEAKER_00 0:00

In Tragedy, a true crime podcast, we discuss missing persons' cases, violent crime, and other sensitive topics that may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. Our show is a place where every story matters and every voice deserves to be heard. To support this podcast, you can subscribe at www.tragedy a true crime podcast.com for early access to new episodes. And join our Facebook community, Tragedy, a True Crime Podcast, for updates, discussions, and ways to support the families we feature. Welcome to Tragedy, a True Crime Podcast. I'm Elisa.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

And I'm Michael.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

And we want to thank our subscribers who joined us last week for our first ever subscriber-only Zoom.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yeah, that was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Yes. I think we were in the call for maybe a little over an hour.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

I think so.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yeah, we had several subscribers. Really cool just to meet our subscribers, quote, face to face in the virtual setting. And we hope that, well, we hope we will continue to do these subscriber-only Zoom sessions. I think we're shooting for maybe once a month. So if you have not hopped on to be a subscriber, this is a great way for you to meet with us and the rest of our subscribers, talk about things that maybe we don't always talk about on the podcast. And you can subscribe by joining our webpage and clicking subscribe in the top right corner.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Yeah, and I'll just remind people that there are things that we can get into in a Zoom session that we can't really get into on the podcast. And so some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that happens, some of the part of the investigation, some of the things that may frustrate us, some of our theories, those are all discussed during those Zoom sessions.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah. So hop on, subscribe. And what we talked about last week was our visit to CrimeCon. So we went to our very first ever CrimeCon. There will be more. We've decided. We've already signed up for 2027. And this one was in Las Vegas, which of course made it super exciting. We did some crazy wild things like helicopter rides and zip lines, had some fun while we were there. And when we went to CrimeCon, our big purpose was to meet some of our partners that we have established along the way through this journey and then hopefully get some new nonprofits and some supports for our families. I think we were able to achieve both of those goals.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I think so. I mean, one of the ones that really stuck out to me was we went to a presentation for Authorum. And that is an organization that is taking DNA research and evidence to a whole new level. And it was really impressive to see they are incorporating not only what they already have with DNA, but new techniques and overlaying it with AI. And what they've been able to uncover is, I would say, earth shattering. And so we're looking forward to possibly talking to them and maybe getting their assistance with some of the cases that we have covered here, including the Jody Kilbore case.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yeah, they really specialize in um identifying human remains. If you go to their website, uh, which is authorum, at h r a m dot com, all their stats are there and how they're using this advanced DNA technology to identify um human remains and bring people home. Really great work. We also had an opportunity to chat with a new nonprofit, Black and Missing Foundation. And obviously, you can tell by the name of their uh nonprofit that they focus on uh supporting missing people who are black. And so we went ahead and had a conversation with them. We haven't covered a story of a missing person who is black, but we have covered a story of an unsolved homicide of a black person, if you recall Latanya Thomas. And we went ahead and talked with them, you know, is that something they would be interested in supporting with? And they said yes. So we reached out to them and hopefully uh they will take on Latanya's case and help to push that one forward. So we're looking forward to hearing from them as well. And then the final group that we met with that's a newer group to us is called the Advocacy Blueprint. And we really, I really like the conversation we had with this group, you know, in our support of our families. This seemed to be like a really great resource, another nonprofit. And what the Advocacy Blueprint does is offer free courses for families who are going through unsolved homicides or even the court system, missing people, a standout for me, something I hadn't even thought about, is um they provide free training on how to speak to the media as a family member of an unsolved case or a missing person. And I think that's something we don't really think about. Somebody goes from just their, you know, typical life to potentially being thrust in front of the media. And, you know, that's a skill. We think about athletes, they are trained in how to speak to the media. And and I think our families deserve that as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Oh, of course. And let's don't forget to talk about the people we met.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Yes. So this was great. This was a big one for me. Uh, if you'll recall, one of my favorite podcasts is the consult, and that is Julia Cowley, former FBI profiler and her team. Uh, you might remember that we had her on episode 50 as a celebration for us, hitting episode 50. And then she also graciously had her had us on her podcast, episode 99 of the consult, where we talked really specifically about your uncle's unsolved homicide. And we got to meet her in person for the first time, which was really, really exciting. And we've talked to her several times. We've, you know, we've swapped podcasts. She's been an amazing supporter. Things that we haven't even shared with you all on the podcast of how she has supported us and how we are trying to um help move Jodi's case forward. And, you know, she's been a mentor. I'm just gonna call her a mentor. She's been an amazing mentor for me.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

That's a good word to use for her.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

Meeting her in person was great. Um, if you are on our Facebook page, Tragedy True Crime Podcast, you'll see we posted a few pictures uh with Julia. So it was just really neat. That was fun. And finally, as we were roaming around on the vendor floor, we found our friends from Iris. I we didn't know that they were going to be there.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

I know. I even made a comment that I'm like, Elisa, how did you miss this? Because we just spoke to these people. And it just the idea of them being at CrimeCon just didn't come up. So we were quite shocked when we're just walking through. And I'm like, I said, Isn't that Kathy over there? And you're like, oh crap, that is Kathy.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Right. And Kathy Decker uh is the founder of Incident Response and Investigative Strategies, iris.com. And we spoke with both Kathy and Doug McGregor, uh Geoprofiler on season one, episode 15. And we have met her once before, um, maybe a couple of months ago. But I was flipping through the program and I was like, well, look, there's a there's a thing in here from Iris. And Michael said, Well, we walk right past their table. I completely miss them, I think, because I was so focused on um locating Julia and the map was all messed up anyway. We were able to um connect with Kathy Decker and her team two or three times we went and and talked with her. So I would say, you know, as far as wanting to meet with our current partners and begin to establish some new connections, it it really worked out well for us.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

And finally, we were able to meet um one of the families that we are supporting. Now, this is a story that we have not yet uh told and published. I think we're gonna start this one next week, actually. And this is a missing person's case out of Killeen, Texas. And Deanna Maryfield was 13 when she went missing in July of 1990 from Killeen, Texas. And we were able to connect with and meet for the first time her sister, Missy Trodowski, and her husband Lucas. And we have chatted with them and we have already um done our conversations with them. And Missy sent me a text message and she said, last minute we're coming, we're coming to CrimeCon. So it was really great that we were able to um meet her in person and her husband. It's always nice when we can meet our families in person, and we always strive to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yeah, I thought it was great meeting her, and it was meeting these people face to face, you get a much better understanding of the emotion and the toil they've been through as they as they weather this and as they try to find those answers. And um, I was really impressed with Missy. You can tell that she's a huge advocate for this case, and she's not going to stop. I mean, she's she's definitely pushing forward. And what I really liked about the case, and we'll definitely get into it when we start telling that story later, they're starting to make progress, and it's a direct result of Missy's um tenacity to get that progress.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Yeah, we're really looking forward to um bringing that story to our community. But as much as I'd love to spend the next hour talking about what happened in Vegas, there's someone who deserves our full attention today. Today we close a chapter. This is the final episode in our series on the murder of Crystal Rose Cook. We spent the last several episodes walking through her life, her disappearance, the year of silence, and the trial that followed. And if you're just joining us, please go back and start from the beginning. This story deserves to be heard in full. Today we're talking about where things stand now. Because this case, it's not over, not for the family, not for the community, and it shouldn't be over for us either. Crystal Rose Cook was born on January 19, 1983. She was a daughter, a teenager with her whole life ahead of her growing up in Kelsa, Washington, and on February 2nd, 2000, 17 years old, she was brutally murdered. Her headstone reads, Sweet dreams, our precious angel. The man who killed her has been behind bars for over two decades. But in March of 2026, he stood before the Oregon State Parole Board and asked to be set free. And Crystal's family is fighting back. Let's ground ourselves in what we know. Crystal Rose Cook was last seen on February 2nd, 2000. At the time, her mother had recently ended a relationship with a man named Michael Andes, who was 26 years old. Immediately after that breakup, 17-year-old Crystal went missing. Andes told police he had simply dropped her off at her boyfriend's apartment complex in Longview, but her boyfriend said she never arrived. For an entire year, while Crystal's family searched and grieved and pleaded for answers, Michael Andes was among them, pretending to care, pretending to help, all while knowing exactly where she was. In the words of Crystal's father, Lee Cook, her head was smashed in, her body was hidden, and for over a year the man who did it walked beside us, pretending to help search, pretending to care, looking us in the eye while he knew exactly where she was. He did not act alone in the cover-up. His father, Paul Andes, his uncle, Mark Andes, and his grandmother all knew what he had done. They helped conceal it, and they stayed silent. It wasn't until February 2000 that Paul Andes finally went to police and told them his son had killed Crystal, bludgeoning her with a baseball bat. Paul led investigators to a remote location in Columbia County, Oregon, where Crystal's remains were found on February 9, 2001, more than a year after she was killed. On February 10th, 2001, Michael Andes was arrested and charged with one count of murder in the death of Crystal Rose Cook. Before his trial, his attorney moved to suppress every statement Andes had made to detectives. That motion was denied. During the trial itself, Andes changed his story, claiming he had killed Crystal only after she attacked him. No one believed it. The jury found him guilty. The sentencing judge imposed the harshest penalty the law allowed, life imprisonment at the Oregon State Corrections Department, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years, 300 months before he would be eligible for parole. At sentencing, circuit court judge Berkeley A. Smith went further. He said, on the record, I am also going to make a recommendation based on the findings that I have made that you are a danger to our community, to our state, and to society in general, and that the parole board should look closely at everything at the time, but if they find, as I have found, then your parole should be denied. Andy's appealed twice. The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the conviction both times. The Oregon Supreme Court denied review both times. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition in the Ninth Circuit, but that was denied too. Every door closed, every avenue exhausted. He has now served the mandatory minimum. He is 51 years old. And on March 4, 2026, he appeared before the Oregon Parole Board and asked to come home. Crystal's father, Lee Cook, is a former Longview resident and former owner of the Monticello Hotel. He has carried this grief for over 26 years. And when the Cowlitz regional news reached him recently, he did not mince words. He said, and I'm going to read this exact statement because his words deserve to stand on their own. Twenty-six years ago, my daughter was brutally murdered by Michael Andes, and he did not act alone in the cover-up. His father, Paul Andes, his uncle, Mark Andes, and his grandmother knew what they had done. They helped conceal it. They stayed silent. That is the kind of evil we are dealing with. It's my life's mission to make sure he stays in prison. The family, along with the judge who presided over this case, believes Michael Andes remains a very real and dangerous threat. In a statement to the parole board, the family wrote, His crime was violent, intentional, and life-altering, and releasing him puts others at risk. His parole was denied. Crystal Rose Cook was 17 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. She was failed, not just on the night she was murdered, but for an entire year afterward by people who chose to protect a killer instead of a victim. That silence is its own kind of crime. Her father has spent twenty-six years refusing to let her be forgotten, and now he's asking us, all of us, to stand with him. This is the final episode in our series on Crystal's case, but it is not the end of Crystal's story. That chapter ends only when justice holds. Until then, we keep talking, we keep listening, and we keep saying her name. Crystal Rose Cook, Sweet Dreams. You know, Crystal's story is much different from any story we've ever covered, as this is a solved case. And I think it's important that we take some time to reflect on what we've learned in our conversations with Crystal's family and how we can take what we have learned here and move our families forward in support of them.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

No, I agree with that. I mean, one of the biggest things that I think about is just the failures, along with, you know, how the people that we thought were be working on the case and the the advocacy around it, and just listening to the story through this series regarding the victim advocate. I mean, I can't be more disappointed in how that went to the Peter Peter.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah, something that Lee said that really stood out to both of us is that no one cares more about their loved one than their family.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

For those listening, just make sure that you always remember that this is a job for them. There are people who I'm sure really care about this job, and there are some people that just do eight to five. And, you know, once the five o'clock hits, they're not thinking about your loved one anymore. But you know what? You are. And so you have to be that voice that doesn't go away. You have to be that squeaky wheel. You've got to be the one that's representing someone who can't represent themselves.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

And we've learned that not only do families need this type of support, but the support is out there. We talked earlier about some of the groups that we met at CrimeCon and the family advocacy groups that are out there. Lee over and over again has has put himself out there as someone who will be as support as other families are going through this. And even the the creation of the nonprofit and how it shifted from one purpose to another and putting themselves out there in support of other people who are going to go through this is just really great. You know, they had a horrible experience and they're they don't want anybody else to go through that. So they're creating systems and structures, hopefully, to um alleviate some of the pain that they went through.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

I couldn't agree more. Um so what else did we learn?

SPEAKER_00 17:37

We learned that justice doesn't actually happen. Uh, you know, that stuck out to me so that was so important to me as we listened to Lee. And, you know, you will see people, you know, justice and I want justice. And in fact, just today, a pretty well-known case that was very current. There was a verdict. And of course, everybody on Facebook is like, justice, justice. But you have to stop and think about what does that actually mean? And we learn through Lee that it doesn't actually ever happen for these families.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Yeah, the big thing for me, and I I've really thought about, you know, Lee's comments whenever he said that in our first interview. And what it made me realize is that's justice for people who are looking at it from the outside. That makes sense to them, that's the closure for them, that's the headline that you get to see. And we we've even used the phrase on the show quite a few times when the headlines fade away. What's next? And what's next is the reality that these people live with this this grief every single day, and that they have to figure out how to overcome it is not the right word, because again, you're not ever going to overcome it, but you have to learn how to integrate it into your lives and then how to either you know help other people. That's where this foundation comes into into play that I think I'm you know that I think is really the the big component of of how they're handling this, but also how do you keep this person's name out there and how do you keep that person still, while they may not be there, still a part of your life every day?

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Yes, they originally started Voices for Crystal leading up to the March 2026 parole board hearing. And we learned that it it takes a village for that, and what they were doing with the Voices for Crystal Facebook page was giving people an opportunity to say her name and to speak the impact and all of that information as well as several other things that we learned, and a lot of people went into making sure that the perpetrator was not paroled and in fact got some additional years on his sentence. And they're not done. You now they're taking voices for Crystal and including the nonprofit so that they are supporting um families. This this family, I I don't even think I have the words to describe the power behind this family.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Yeah, and something I want to say before we kind of go on to the next set next subject is if you were the victim advocate for this case, I really hope you're listening. You're probably not, but I really hope you are. Um, you failed. And this is should be a reflection point for you on how to do your job better because this family was left behind. This family went through a lot of grief, and your job was to be there for them, and you weren't.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

And you mentioned a couple of times about grief. And I think that's something else that we learned is the importance and the sensitivity around people who are experiencing traumatic events. We heard that specifically from Crystal St. Laurie. She talked really eloquently, I think, about how do you support people when they're going through a traumatic event and and not saying things like, Oh, I understand where you're coming from. Instead, you know, we specifically asked her, What is a good approach? And she said, What can I do for you? It's real simple. Just say, what do you need from me? What can I do for you? And then stop talking.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

Stop talking right there.

SPEAKER_00 21:13

And start listening. We heard some similar things from Nick Gaylord when we did our episode on grief. And if you didn't hear that, that was season two, episode 14. So I this, you know, we've done, I think we spoke with maybe five or six people when we're talking about Crystal and her murder. But I just can't stop thinking about how this changes, at least for me, the trajectory of the work that we're doing. And we are so much better able to support our families through our partnership with Crystal's family. You've been listening to Tragedy, a true crime podcast. Our purpose is to honor victims by sharing their stories through the voices of friends, family, and those whose lives were forever changed. If today's episode resonated with you, we encourage you to subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast so these important stories continue to be heard. Together, we can preserve their memories and ensure their voices are never forgotten. If you have ideas for cases we should cover or questions about what you heard, you can connect with us through our Facebook group, Tragedy a True Crime Podcast, on X at Tragedy Podcast, by email at Tragedy a True Crime Podcast at gmail.com, or by visiting our website www.tragedy a true crime podcast.com. Thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time.