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Music.

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Welcome to Death, Lies, and Alibis. I'm your host, Christy, and this is the

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podcast that dives deep into the dark and eerie world of local cold cases.

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We're in New Straitsville, a small, lovely town nestled in the heart of Ohio.

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It's a place with tight-knit neighborhoods, friendly faces, and a sense of security

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you'd expect from any small town. But beneath this idyllic surface lies a hidden darkness, a collection of unanswered

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questions that has lingered over the years.

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So grab your headphones, lock your doors, and be prepared to enter a world where

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the truth has invaded justice. Hi folks, welcome to the podcast. If you're a returning listener,

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welcome. I'm glad you're here. And if you're new, welcome. I hope you stick around till the end.

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All right, so today I want to tell you all about a little spot tucked away in

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the rolling hills of Perry County. It's called New Straitsville.

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Now, don't blank because you might miss it.

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Technically, it's a village with fewer than 800 folks living there.

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It's one of those places where if you don't know somebody, it's okay,

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just wait because you're about to. Strangers don't stay strangers for long there. Life's a little bit slower.

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And there's this charm, like a sweetness that just hangs in the air.

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Now, I want to tell you about the history for a minute. Back in the day,

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this place was all about coal mining. The coal mines were everything, huge industries.

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People came from all over to work in the mines. Now, I grew up and I went to

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school around here. This was my old stopping grounds.

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Actually, there are four small villages tucked in between the hills and the

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crazy curves in Perry County. Besides Traceville, there's Shawnee,

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and then there's Corning, and then the last of Moxie or Moxahela.

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We all had different grade schools. They went up to grade seven, and then we all went to one big high school called Miller. Go Falcons!

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You know what? I am so happy, and I feel so blessed to be raised around there.

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It was a simple, exciting, back road fun. It was just so fun.

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It was a slow country life with the close-knit communities and where you can

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depend on your neighbors. Okay, back to the story. These days, New Stray Still has a whole new claim to fame.

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They proudly wear the badge of Moonshine Capital of the World.

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Yes, it's a real thing, and you heard that right. I said Moonshine.

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Now, they're not shy about it either. We're very proud of our Appalachian heritage. We really are.

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Now, every May, they celebrate the Moonshine Festival.

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That's like taking a trip back in time, folks. People celebrate like it's the

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good old days, and the whole county turns out for it. I'll make sure we get

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some pictures up about the festival.

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I'll put some past and present up. It'll be on our Facebook group so you can check it out.

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Now, let me tell you, the folks there are solid, real down-to-earth people.

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They're all about God, families, and their community.

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And if something bad happens, it doesn't matter who you are.

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They're showing up, no questions asked, and they're just ready to help out.

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But hey, just because it's a small town doesn't mean, you know,

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they don't have any secrets, right? Everybody has them. And when those secrets finally come out,

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well, they hit hard, no matter where you live.

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So on September 18, 2017, the peace that Straithsville was known for,

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well, it was shattered in an instant. And that's the day they found Amy Jo Nelson, 39 years old, a mother,

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a daughter, and a sister, dead in her apartment. And let me tell you,

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it wasn't just the family that was wrecked and shocked by this.

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Her death sent shockwaves to the entire community.

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People don't forget stuff like that around here.

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Now, Amy was tough. Like, I'm talking seriously tough. Stronger than most folks

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could even begin to understand. I'm talking real here, real talk. She was the kind of woman who could just about

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handle anything life through her way. But someone, in the most violent and selfish way, they stole her life from her.

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And honestly, it doesn't sit right. It hasn't since the day it happened.

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You know what I mean? From the jump, there was something off about the whole situation.

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The way it went down just never added up.

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So listen, if we're really going to get to the bottom of what happened to Amy,

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we're going to have to rewind a bit here and look back at her life,

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where she came from, what she went through.

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Only then can we start piecing together why someone would do this to her.

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Amy's story is one of pure resilience. She was all about her family, no matter what.

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They always came first to her, no matter how tough things got.

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Honestly, I'd call her a true warrior. But here's the thing,

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and I hate to say it, but even the strongest people,

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well, they're not immune to the darkness of this world and what it can bring

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because it can creep in and it does little by little and before you even realize

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it, it starts to take over your life.

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And with Amy, that darkness claimed her in a way that, honestly,

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it's just hard to talk about. It hits me hard because she didn't deserve this, didn't deserve any of it.

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But it's too important not to talk about. Her story needs to be heard.

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Okay, so let's go back a little to where it all started for Amy, her early life.

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It was like one of those stories you hear about, but you don't think it could actually be true.

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Now, she was born into a family that was the definition of close-knit.

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I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Amy was the firstborn to Pam and Pete

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Nelson, and they were a couple that everybody looked up to.

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They fell in love back in high school, and that love only got stronger and stronger over the years.

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They have that kind of love that most of us dream about. They're inseparable,

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and they are totally devoted for the family.

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And everyone in town admires them for how they have stuck together through sick

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and thin. And it wasn't just Amy and their three daughters that made up the

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family. They took in Allie. Now, she was a foster child, and they raised her like one of their own.

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She became as much part of the Nelson family, and they poured the same kind

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of love and support into her as they did with their other girls.

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You know, that kind of closeness isn't something everybody gets to experience.

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But the Nelsons truly lived it.

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Now, Pete, he was one of those hardworking guys who never backed down from getting his hands dirty.

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He spent most of his career building oil field equipment.

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And when it was time for a change, he went to work a good year.

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He didn't slow down one bit. And Pam, she wasn't just a nurse.

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She also ran with a local emergency squad.

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Now, both of them, they worked their tails off. They made sure that their family

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was taken care of while they stayed active in their community.

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They were the kind of family that, well, they knew what hard work meant and they stuck together.

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And then there was Amy with her golden hair and, oh, those piercing blue eyes.

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She wasn't just beautiful, though. She had this warmth about her that you could feel.

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And she sent off those good vibes. You know the type of person I mean.

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Whether you're family or a stranger, she made you feel like you belonged.

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That's just who she was. She had this way of making everyone feel welcome.

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She never met a stranger. Her sister Abby just loves talking about their childhood,

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how it was full of laughter and love. And the Nelsons, they were just a family. They were like a solid, unbreakable team.

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Now, if all of this hasn't said enough about them, let me share this little gem of a story with you.

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It cracks me up every time I think about it. So picture this.

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Romantic candles. Dinner for two.

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Some slow music setting the mood. And then, bam.

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In walks mom passing the breadsticks. Dad offering some helpful advice.

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And your sister making sure you've got your sunscreen packed.

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That's right, folks. Nothing says romance like sharing your honeymoon suite

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with your entire family. And that's a true story. That is a true story of Abby's honeymoon.

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I'm not kidding. Cracks me up. But seriously, seriously, that's the kind of love Amy was surrounded by.

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And that's the kind of love she carried with her all her life. She lived it.

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She breathed it. And she shared it with everyone around her.

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But life wasn't all sunshine and roses for Amy. Thank you.

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Nobody's life is, right? She went through some real tough storms, guys.

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The storms that would have taken down anyone less strong than her.

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When Amy was just 14, she collapsed on a softball field, and that moment changed everything.

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It was the start of a lifelong battle with her health.

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Doctors eventually figured out what was going on, and they diagnosed her with something called.

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Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, or better known as APLS.

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Now, this is a rare blood-cognitive disorder, and it comes with some serious

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risk, very serious, like strokes and miscarriages.

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This wasn't just a small bump in the road. This was something that was going

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to shape the rest of her life. And if that wasn't enough, not longer after that, Amy got hit with another diagnosis,

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lupus, and the kind that mimics multiple sclerosis.

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That's a chronic autoimmune disease that affects your central nervous system,

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and that includes your brain and your spinal cord.

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From there, Amy was on a tough, painful road that no teenager should ever have to face.

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We're talking surgeries, chemotherapy folks, blood transfusions, and hospital stays.

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Way too many hospital stays. It seemed like every time she got back on her feet,

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something else knocked her down. And to top it all off, she was in a pretty bad car wreck not long after,

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adding more treatments, more doctor visits to her already full plate.

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But if you knew Amy, you didn't know that none of this ever broke her spirit.

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Every time life hit her with something new, she didn't back down.

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She kept pushing forward like she always did.

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Now, I want to share something personal here, and it's not something I talk

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about much, but it feels kind of important I do share.

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I have something called fibromyalgia. It's a chronic autoimmune illness,

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and let me tell you, living with a chronic illness like Amy and I do, it's a battle.

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It's one of those things you can't really understand unless you're living it yourself.

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It's like childbirth, okay? I know my mom listeners out there can relate.

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That's the kind of pain that only a mother can truly understand.

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But hey, you know, that pain does eventually pass.

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With chronic pain, exhaustion, that never lets up. It never passes.

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It wears you down in ways that's way far beyond physical.

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It's your own body and it's waging war against itself day in and day out.

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There's days when just getting out of bed feels like climbing a mountain.

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And even the simplest things take

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everything you got but the hardest part isn't the pain nope the hardest part

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is how it messes with your mind it makes you feel trapped in your own skin and

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you feel guilty for missing out on so many things for canceling plans for not

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being able to do what everyone else is doing.

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That's why having a support system is everything, whether it's family,

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friends, or even a small group of people who just get it. It makes all the difference.

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And that's exactly what Amy had. Her family was her rock.

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They stood by her through every surgery, every hospital stay, and every setback.

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Now that's the kind of support you can't put a price on.

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It's what keeps you going when your body's telling you to give up.

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And Amy, she never gave up. She kept fighting because that's who she was.

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But here's the thing about Amy. She also never let her illness define her.

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Even when she, this is funny, even when she lost her toe during one of her surgeries,

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she didn't let that slow her down. In true Amy fashion, she cracked a joke saying something like,

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I might not have a toenail, but I'm painting that little sucker.

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It's getting pretty too. And I just love that. I love that about her, that attitude.

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It's truly, honestly, guys, that's the kind of resilience that I can only hope to have myself.

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I think of Amy's story now. When I have pain, when I'm stuck in bed, I think of that gal.

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And that's what makes her story so inspiring to me.

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Okay, let's move on. Her strength wasn't just about surviving.

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She made it a point to find joy.

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This is very, very important and special. And I can relate to how hard that

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is when life was stirring every bit of darkness your way.

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I mean, think about it. She went through things that would knock most of us down for good.

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But somehow, that lady, she always found a way to keep moving forward.

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Now, despite everything she was dealing with, Amy graduated from high school.

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And not only that, she earned her degree as a dietician.

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She had plans on her career and helping others.

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She poured everything she had into the people around her.

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Now, Amy's story, it's not picture perfect. She faced devastating losses.

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Two miscarriages that just totally broke her heart. I mean, that kind of pain never goes away.

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By then, by some twist of fate, Suri came into her life.

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And from that moment, everything just clicked for her.

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Amy and Suri, whether they were blood-related or not, because,

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yes, Suri was adopted, it didn't matter.

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It felt like they were always meant to be mother and daughter.

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It was like destiny brought them together, you know?

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Even when Amy's health started to get worse, she fought.

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Oh, she fought hard to create moments of happiness, good memories.

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She fought to be there for Suri and her family.

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But the truth is, sometimes, no matter how much love you give or how hard you

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fight, life still throws its worst at you.

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And that's exactly what happened to Amy in September of 2017.

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After everything Amy had battled through, the darkness found her again.

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And this time, it took her from the people she loved.

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It was the morning Pam Nelson will never forget.

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She was at work at her doctor's office when her phone rang. Now,

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it was Amy's number calling, so of course, Pam answered right away,

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expecting to hear her daughter's voice. But instead, it was the mother of Amy's boyfriend.

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Her words colder than ice.

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Amy passed away in her sleep last night, she said.

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And just like that, Pam's world shattered into a million pieces.

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The shock of those first words, my gosh, it must have hit Pam like a tidal wave.

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But then what came next chilled her even deeper. She died because they took her pills away.

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Oh, my gosh, can you even imagine, I mean, getting a call like that?

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Out of the blue, you're at work? One moment, your world's already fallen apart with the news of your daughter's gone.

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And then you're hit with something that throws everything into question.

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What? Pam could barely understand what she was hearing.

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I mean, the weight of all this just knocked her flat. She dropped to the ground,

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overwhelmed with shock and grief, and she was so confused.

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I mean, it's every parent's worst nightmare.

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One minute, everything's fine. Just another day. And the next,

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your whole life is ripped apart in the blink of an eye.

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Once Pam could pour herself together, she didn't waste a second.

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She got in her car and she drove straight to Amy's apartment in New Straitsville.

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Now, folks, normally that drives about 30 minutes from Pam's job in New Lexington.

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But in that kind of panic, I'm sure every single minute felt like a lifetime.

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I want you to picture the drive. You people that know Perry County and you know

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it's bad, but it's a winding road through the hills of Perry County with sharp

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turns and tight corners all the way.

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It's the kind of roads where all you see are trees and hills and maybe the occasional

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farmhouse. There's no big highways and there's no traffic, just a rural country.

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Nothing but your own thoughts to keep you company.

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Can you imagine? I bet Pam's mind must have been racing.

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I bet she was fighting the urge to just floor that damn car to get it there faster.

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But I bet she was trying to keep control of her car on those twisting roads

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because they are so dangerous. Can you imagine the panic? She had to get to her daughter, but all the while,

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trapped in her own head, playing out every worst scenario possible.

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In the middle of this, Pam had to make the hardest phone call of her life.

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She had to call her other daughter, Abby.

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Her voice was trembling and broken.

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He told her, Amy's gone. Just like that, Abby's world fell apart too.

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She rushed to New Straitsville to meet her mother. Both of them about to be

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faced something they couldn't even prepare for.

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They had no idea what they were about to walk into.

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When Pam and Abby arrived at Amy's apartment, they were met with absolute chaos.

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What they saw wasn't something any mother or sister should ever have to experience.

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Chief Andy Lubb and his nephew, Auxiliary Officer Zane Lubb,

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they were there representing the New Straitsville Police Department.

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But that's not what caught Pam's attention first.

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What she noticed right away were the people inside Amy's apartment.

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Strangers, people who had no business being there, were in Amy's home.

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And guess what they were doing? They were cleaning, folks. Not grieving.

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Not comforting Pam and Abby in their worst moment.

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No, they were scrubbing down the apartment like they were trying to erase what happened.

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These people were the mother and friends of Amy's boyfriend.

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And they were actually wiping away what could have been crucial evidence.

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Oh my, can you even imagine what that must have felt like for Pam and Abby?

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Their worst fears, the chaos, the confusion, and this sickening feeling that

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something was being covered up. This was all happening right in front of their eyes.

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They thought this wasn't, this was not a tragic death. Something darker had happened.

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And now any hope of finding out what really went down was disappearing with every swipe of a rag.

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Oh I gotta tell you folks if that had been me I would have lost it right then

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and there I know it so walk into that to see people wiping away potential evidence that's infuriating,

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crime scenes need to be locked down and secure any scene like that but instead

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here were people cleaning, and the police they just stood by outside letting it happen so what really happened in that apartment and,

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I want to know why on earth they were letting people clean up before they started an investigation.

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From the very beginning, I'll tell you why. Because from the very beginning,

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the police dismissed Amy's death as just another overdose.

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They failed Pam and Abby. They failed to secure the scene, and they failed to

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gather evidence, and they failed to see Amy's death as anything other than a tragic accident.

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But Pam and Abby knew better. Their gut instincts were screaming at them that something terrible had just

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happened to Amy. This wasn't just a peaceful passing in her sleep.

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And then, as if things couldn't get worse, Pam's poor heart broke into a million more pieces.

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As he prepared to remove Amy's body from the apartment, Pam saw the bruises.

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Her daughter's face was marked with deep, dark bruises.

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Her hands had defensive wounds like she had tried to bite back,

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and there was blood seeping from her mouth and nose.

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Oh my God, Pam cried out. She wasn't unable to hold back the shock and grief.

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What have they done to you? This wasn't the peaceful death they had described on the phone.

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Not at all. This was something much, much darker.

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And the Nelsons, they weren't about to let Amy's death get swept under the rug.

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No way. They were determined to find out what really happened to her.

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But from the very start, it felt like the authorities were dragging their feet,

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stonewalling them at every turn. Even with the clear signs of trauma, you know, the bruises, the defensive wounds,

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the blood, the police hesitated, brushing it off as just another drug overdose.

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I mean, can you imagine the frustration? You're standing there looking at your

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daughter's body, covered in bruises, and the people who are supposed to help

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you, they're acting like it's nothing.

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And here's the thing. Pam wasn't the only one seeing it, okay?

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The coroner himself, the one person whose words should have carried weight,

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he raised serious red flags right there at the scene.

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He told Pam straight up that things didn't add up.

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Yet, despite those concerns, no real investigation was lodged.

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I mean, can you folks imagine how it feels knowing that every minute that passes

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is just another step further from finding justice for your daughter?

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The Nelsons were desperate for help. They begged for BCI, that's the Bureau

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of Criminal Investigation, to step in.

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Pam confronted law enforcement, insisting they do their job, you know?

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But she felt deep in her gut that she was fighting a system that wasn't listening.

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And I've been there, not in the same way, but I know what it's like to have

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to fight to be taken seriously. It wears you down.

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Now imagine doing that while you're grieving the loss of your child.

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It's like adding insult to injury, and it's not right.

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Pam and Abby were begging for them to investigate, And instead,

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they hit them with something that still blows my mind.

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The police actually said, quote, just let everyone continue to think it was an overdose, unquote.

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Seriously, can you believe that crap? Law enforcement's actual plan was to let

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the public think Amy's death was just another statistic of addiction. And why?

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What could be their reasoning? What possibly could be behind this?

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Well, they didn't want the people involved, Amy's killers, to,

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quote, get their story straight, unquote, for crying out loud.

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Can you even imagine hearing that as a grieving mother?

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You're fighting tooth and nail for answers.

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And the people who are supposed to help you are more concerned with playing

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mind games with these suspects and finding out the truth.

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That's beyond belief. Pam wasn't going to let them brush this under the rug. Oh, no.

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She knew what happened to Amy.

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There were bruises, there was blood, and she saw the defensive wounds.

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It wasn't speculation. It was a fact.

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And they had the nerve to tell her, just let people think it was an overdose.

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Oh, if that would have been me, I've been furious. How do you let the truth get buried like that?

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How would you let people believe Amy's death was just another OD when you knew

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damn well it wasn't? Oh, it gets worse.

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I posted about this episode in a Facebook group, Perry County,

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trying to bring awareness. And even now, seven years later,

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someone commented to me saying that they thought it was an overdose.

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I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. Seven years down the road,

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and people still are in the dark. And Pam wasn't asking for the impossible. She just wanted justice for her daughter.

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And instead, she got hit with this cold, calculated response that felt more

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like a cover-up than anything else. I can't even imagine how that felt. It's heartbreaking, and it really pisses

25:10

me off at the same time. The family and Amy deserve so much better.

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But the Nelsons, they weren't about to back down. They were furious, and rightfully so.

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Weeks had passed since Amy's death. Weeks where the apartment had been cleaned,

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evidence was destroyed, and the witnesses, they were left unchallenged.

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Pam might have been shaken, but she didn't back down.

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She looked the authorities straight in the eye, and she told them exactly what

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she thought of their so-called plan.

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What do you mean? It's already been weak. They've had plenty of time to get their story straight.

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They've been together, talking about it, erasing the truth for days, and you did nothing.

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See, Pam wasn't just fighting for her daughter's justice. She was fighting against

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a system that had failed her, and she wasn't about to give up.

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If everything the Nelsons had gone through wasn't enough of a gut punch,

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The silence from the authorities only added to their heartbreak. I can't even imagine.

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Fighting for my daughter's truth and the very people who are supposed to help

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me are stonewalling at every turn.

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Okay, folks, we're going to take a quick break right here. Take it and get you

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a drink. Check your email, but hurry back. Music.

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Okay, we're back. Let's jump right back in. Pam and her family went to prosecutor

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Joseph Pfau in March of 2018.

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And they were thinking, okay, this is it. This is the moment where they'll finally

27:02

come out and say where it was homicide and not an overdose.

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But no, instead, they got hit with another cold and heartless response.

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He didn't even want to make any statements because he might have to prosecute the case.

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I mean, I get it. Sure, from a legal standpoint, maybe he was just being cautious.

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But here's the thing. There's an entire community out there still believing

27:27

that Amy was just another person lost to drugs. And her family's out here,

27:32

fighting tooth and nail to make sure people know that she was murdered.

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It's enough to make anyone lose faith in the system. How frustrating that must have been.

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Years. It took years before the media finally started reporting the truth.

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If I were in Pam's shoes, I seriously doubt if I could have held it together.

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Okay, let's be real. Knowing me, knowing myself, I would have lost my damn mind by then.

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I would have. But that just goes to show you how broken the system can be sometimes.

28:05

When the people who are supposed to help you, they're more concerned with covering

28:10

their own backs than you are with telling your family's truth.

28:14

It's just no wonder families feel like they fight these battles alone.

28:18

So here we are. Amy's memory was tainted. They were tainted by those whispers

28:22

that just wrote her off as another victim of addiction instead of the mother

28:27

and the daughter and the fighter that she really was.

28:30

The silent wasn't just painful for Pam and Pete. It was gut-wrenching.

28:36

I mean, imagine knowing the truth about your daughter's death While the people

28:40

responsible, they're just out there carrying on like nothing ever happened.

28:45

They're just blending into the background. No fear, no consequences.

28:50

They're just going on with their lives like nothing ever happened.

28:53

Well, you're stuck with this giant hole in your heart.

28:57

Every day that passed without the truth coming out, that was like another gut

29:02

punch for the Nelson family. And here's the thing.

29:06

It wasn't now just about getting justice for Amy. It was about making sure the

29:10

people who took her life didn't get to rewrite the whole damn story.

29:15

Because every time someone tried to brush off Amy's death as just another overdose,

29:21

it hit her family all over again.

29:23

They were fighting. They were fighting to make sure everyone knew what really

29:27

happened. And they were fighting alone. Even in the deepest grief, Pam and Abby, They weren't going to let those killers

29:35

just walk away like nothing happened. They weren't going to let them twist the truth.

29:39

They weren't going to let them rewrite the story and get off scot-free.

29:43

No way. They better keep looking over their back.

29:48

And Nelson's refused to be silence. So they did what they had to do.

29:51

They took matters into their own hands.

29:54

Pam and Abby started telling Amy's story to anyone who had listened.

29:58

Local media, community groups, even random folks around the neighborhood.

30:02

They'd just start talking to him down to Amy's story.

30:05

If you've driven through Perry County, you've probably seen one of those signs about Amy's case.

30:10

You can't miss them. They're big, they're bold, and they're screaming for attention.

30:16

And those signs, they're more than just words on a board. They're messages of

30:20

frustration, desperation, and it's a powerful demand for justice.

30:25

Every time you see one, it's a reminder that Amy's family hasn't quit.

30:30

They're still in this. They're still in this fight, still pushing for answers.

30:35

Pam and Abby made sure that Amy's face and her name and the injustice surrounding

30:39

her murder, that it stays out front and center, right where everyone can see.

30:44

Okay, let's get back to the story. But now since they weren't going to let Amy's killers hide behind their lies any longer.

30:49

That whole idea of giving the killers time to get their story straight.

30:55

Yeah, Pam and Abby, they weren't worried about that anymore. That time had passed.

31:00

The authorities had already given them enough time to piece together whatever lies they needed.

31:06

While they sat around doing nothing, Pam and Abby, they started making moves.

31:11

Now, they were laser focused, determined to cut through the noise.

31:15

And break down the lies that have built up around Amy's death.

31:19

Through our investigation here at Death Lies and Alibis, we've been digging

31:23

deep into Amy's case, and there's one name that keeps coming up,

31:28

and that's Jeremiah Spears. Some may know him as Jakey Boy.

31:31

Yeah, I'm not going to use that name. This guy's got a history,

31:34

and it's far from pretty. He's caught our attention for a reason, and the more we dig,

31:40

the more it becomes clear why he's the center of the story.

31:43

Spierce wasn't just some passing figure in Amy's life. No, his role was much bigger, much darker.

31:51

He supposedly had a big influence on her.

31:54

And from what we've dug up, it seems like their connection went way deeper than

31:59

anyone realized because they didn't just cross paths by chance.

32:03

He became her boyfriend, and they started using drugs together in July of 2016. And from that point on.

32:10

Amy's life took a nosedive. Everything she worked so hard to hold together,

32:16

the foundation she'd built for herself, it all started to crumble.

32:21

That strong, vibrant woman who had been fighting her health battles with strength

32:25

was suddenly pulled into something so dark, something she couldn't climb out of.

32:30

And here's where it gets real disturbing.

32:33

It didn't take long to realize that Spears wasn't just a passenger on this ride.

32:37

He was behind that wheel. He wasn't just standing on the sideline in Amy's life. He was the one allegedly

32:44

pushing her down the dangerous road.

32:46

This is where the story starts to fall apart, and trust me, we're trying to

32:50

keep digging until we uncover every piece of it.

32:53

There's more to this than what we know right now, and we're still investigating

32:58

and hoping the truth opens up. As we keep digging into Amy's life, the story gets way darker than anyone could have ever guessed.

33:05

Spear wasn't just some guy passing through. he was right in the center of everything,

33:10

supposedly, allegedly pulling all the strings.

33:13

And this wasn't just your run-of-the-mill control either. He allegedly took

33:17

over her finances, decided when and if she could take her meds,

33:21

and even cut off her own family.

33:25

For someone like Amy, already dealing with serious health issues,

33:29

that kind of control can be a nightmare. But of course it didn't stop there.

33:34

Allegedly, Spears reportedly threatened Amy and her family, keeping her in a constant state of fear.

33:41

She wasn't just dealing with her health problems anymore. She was scared of

33:45

the very person who should have had her back.

33:47

What really gets me is how many people knew something was up.

33:53

Multiple folks saw what was going on with Amy. Some saw it firsthand.

33:57

While others, they were tangled up in this twisted mess of control and manipulation themselves.

34:04

This wasn't just a bad relationship going wrong, okay? This was a crime, plain and simple.

34:09

Control, drugs, desperation, it all came together in a worse possible way, and it cost Amy her life.

34:17

The deeper we go, the more clear it becomes.

34:20

Amy wasn't just unlucky. She was trapped.

34:24

Trapped in a situation where her freedom, her safety, her life was being stolen

34:30

from her bit by bit. And in the end, it all came crashing down in the worst way.

34:35

It's that classic heartbreaking pattern you see with abusers.

34:39

Isolating their victims, controlling them until they've broken them down completely.

34:44

And what's even more disturbing is that Piers wasn't doing this all by himself.

34:49

Allegedly, there were other people in Amy's life. People who saw her struggling,

34:54

saw how vulnerable she was, and used it for their own damn benefits.

34:59

They took advantage of her when she was already fighting an uphill battle.

35:04

This whole thing was a ticking time bomb, and in the end, Amy's the one that paid the price for it.

35:11

We're not letting her story disappear. The Nelsons are going to keep pushing,

35:14

keep uncovering every piece of this until they have the full picture. And Amy deserves that.

35:21

She deserves for the truth to come out. And we're going to make sure it does.

35:27

No one's getting away with burying what really happened.

35:29

All right, let's take a minute here to break down Spears' history.

35:32

This will get you a better look at this guy, because it paints a pretty clear

35:36

picture of what kind of person we're dealing with here.

35:39

And it's no wonder he's our person of interest in Amy's case.

35:42

Back in 2020, Spears was hit with charges for drug abuse and possession of drug

35:48

instruments right there in Perry County.

35:51

But instead facing any real consequences, he slipped through with just a fine and a warning.

35:57

No real lessons learned. It was basically a slap on the wrist.

36:00

And then we Fast forward to the next year, 2021, and things get even more serious then.

36:06

He pleads guilty to four counts of trafficking heroin. Yes, heroin.

36:11

That shows just how deep he was into this criminal world by that point.

36:15

And he wasn't some small-time player. He was getting involved in the heavy stuff.

36:20

He was dealing it. And here's where it gets really wild.

36:23

While he's serving time for those offenses, Spears gets involved in a jailhouse riot.

36:30

This wasn't just some minor scuffle. On September 16, 2021, four years almost

36:37

to the day of Amy's murder, Spears and eight other inmates caused a full-on mass disturbance at the Southeastern

36:45

Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville. It led to charges of aggravated riot, vandalism, and inducing panic.

36:53

I mean, here's this guy. He wasn't even causing trouble on the outside.

36:57

He was stirring up the shit behind bars, too.

37:00

I mean, he's not just some run-of-the-mill criminal. This is somebody actively

37:03

involved in serious crimes, even while locked up.

37:06

And the kicker is, despite all that, Spears' social media activity recently,

37:11

I checked it out, it suggests he might be back in a print around Perry County.

37:15

And he's acting like nothing's changed, no remorse, no sign that he's turned

37:19

his life around. It's just the same story with this guy.

37:22

And it's no surprise he's still at the center of Amy's case.

37:26

Because the more we dig, the more disturbing it gets. Now, I've reached out

37:30

to Spears for his side of the story. So far, no response.

37:34

But if you know him or if he's listening, we want to hear from you.

37:38

You've got a chance to share your side of things. Contact us.

37:41

Let's talk. There's always two sides to every story, and we're ready to hear yours.

37:47

Now, every day it gets clear that the people around Amy during her final days,

37:51

they knew way more than they were letting on.

37:55

They weren't just mixed up in a few bad decisions. They were deep,

37:59

deep in the world of drugs and trafficking and who knows what else.

38:03

And Amy, poor Amy was right there in the middle of all this chaos.

38:07

Now, back in 2017, if you remember, that's when the pill epidemic was out of control.

38:13

Doctors were handing out pill meds like candy, and Amy wasn't an exception.

38:17

She was getting 450 Percocet 30s every month.

38:23

Every 30 days, 450 Percocets. And that's on top of Oxycontin,

38:29

Mephedone, Klonopin, which is like, that's like a Xanax, and Lyrica.

38:35

That's tough. I was on it. I mean, think about that for a second. That's a ton of heavy meds for anyone

38:41

to handle, let alone somebody already dealing with a chronic illness.

38:46

Then out of nowhere, they cut her damn scripts down to 30 pills a month.

38:51

No warning. They didn't help her taper off. No support. Just, here, good luck.

38:56

Can you imagine that kind of withdrawal she must have gone through?

38:59

Because that's not just physical pain. That's mental torture.

39:03

Especially when you're already hurting. And then here, you've got Sphears allegedly using her meds to control her,

39:09

and I'm sure they were selling them. When that supply got cut, oh my goodness, you know things had to get real tense real quick.

39:18

Her family, they dug deeper, and it became clear that Amy just didn't die from an overdose, guys.

39:24

And she didn't just trip or fall over a cord like they tried to make it seem.

39:28

Hmm, this was way bigger than that. This was about control, manipulation, and ultimately murder.

39:36

Amy's death wasn't some tragic accident. It was a result of something far darker,

39:41

and it looks like Spears was allegedly at the center of it all.

39:47

This wasn't just about addiction. It was about power, control,

39:51

and violence. And that's real talk, folks.

39:54

Amy had been brutally beaten. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma.

40:00

And this isn't some theory. It's there. In black and white, right on the autopsy report.

40:05

It's on the death certificate. Blunt force trauma. Homicide. Homicide.

40:10

But her body told the real story. The bruises, the blood, the defensive wounds.

40:17

Everything painted a clear picture of violence. This wasn't a peaceful passing

40:22

in her sleep. Amy fought for her life.

40:25

Well, she tried to fight back, but in the end, she didn't escape the violence

40:29

that automatically took her life. And yet, despite everything the autopsy revealed, the police had already fumbled the investigation.

40:37

So by the time that the report came out, any evidence that could have pointed

40:41

to her killers, it was gone. The crime scene had been scrubbed clean. Witnesses weren't questioned properly.

40:46

And crucial clues were lost forever. I mean, it's heartbreaking.

40:51

From day one, the investigation was botched. And with that, any chance of justice,

40:55

it started slipping through the fingers right then and there.

40:59

The system let Amy down when she was alive. And now it was failing her all over again after her death.

41:05

But the Nelsons refused to let it end there. They are determined to get justice

41:10

for Amy, no matter what it took.

41:12

And there was no way they were going to let her killers run free after everything she had gone through.

41:18

Despite the constant setbacks, despite the system letting them down time after

41:22

again, time after again, the Nelsons refused to back down.

41:26

They could have easily given up, let the failures of the system wear them out,

41:30

But that wasn't in their nature. And little by little, their persistence started to pay off.

41:36

People began to listen. And eventually, the case was turned over to the BCI.

41:42

Finally, someone with real investigating power was taking a closer look.

41:47

It was a small whim, but it was something.

41:50

But the heartbreaking truth of so much has already been lost.

41:53

The mishandling of the case in those crucial early days, it meant vital evidence

41:58

was destroyed, and key leads went cold.

42:02

And now since they knew this, but it didn't stop them from fighting,

42:06

it only fuels their determination, they're not going to let Amy's story end with failure, and they're going to

42:13

keep pushing, keep demanding answers, and keep fighting until justice is served.

42:18

They will never stop seeking justice for Amy Jo, and we won't either.

42:25

Folks, here's my take on this whole situation real quick.

42:28

I don't personally know Jeremiah Spears or anyone directly involved in Amy's life.

42:33

But let me tell you, I know the lifestyle. I've seen it play out firsthand.

42:37

And trust me, it's just not about the drugs.

42:40

It's the whole toxic, abusive environment that always seems to come with it.

42:45

Domestic violence has its own kind of destruction. And when you throw it in

42:49

the mix with addiction, it's deadly.

42:52

And the abusers, they're not just hooked on drugs. They're hooked on that control.

42:57

They'll do anything to keep their grip tight, whether it's through violence,

43:01

threats, or emotional torment. It's not just physical. It's the constant verbal attacks, the threats, the isolation.

43:09

They take everything away, freedom, your independence.

43:12

They control who their partner talks to, where they go, and how they live.

43:17

It's terrifying. And once you're caught in that cycle, breaking free feels impossible, guys.

43:24

And the abusers, they don't care who gets hurt as long as they stay in control

43:28

and they get what they want. People like Amy, already vulnerable from health struggle or emotional battles, they get trapped.

43:37

In Amy's case, it didn't just hurt her, it took her life.

43:41

But Amy's story isn't over, not by a long shot.

43:45

There's truth buried out there, tangled in lies and mistakes,

43:49

and covered in way too much silence.

43:52

If Amy's story is home for you, don't say silence, speak up.

43:56

Every voice matters, every bit of awareness, every action moves this fight forward.

44:02

We can't let Amy's name fade away.

44:05

It's on us to bring the truth to light and see that justice is finally served.

44:11

All right, and anyone mentioned in this podcast is presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.

44:19

Okay, folks, now for my little disclaimer. I'm not a professional of any kind.

44:24

I gather and research very public information. I present it to you for you to

44:29

do your own research and form your own opinions.

44:32

And that's it for this episode of Deaf Bies and Alibis.

44:36

We hope that by shining a light on these local cold cases, we have sparked something

44:40

within you, our listeners. Because the truth is, solving these cases will take more than just our words.

44:47

It's going to require the dedication and collective efforts of the entire community.

44:52

Don't forget to hit the follow button on the podcast so you'll never miss an episode.

44:57

To learn more about how to get your case featured on the show or to get instant

45:01

access to case files, reports, and many free resources, go to our Facebook group,

45:07

Death Lies and Alibis, and join today.

45:10

You can also email us at deathliesandalibis at gmail.com.

45:15

As always, be safe, stay alert, and never stop seeking justice.

45:21

Music.