Everything has a cause and effect. When something vanishes, someone notices... What do we do about the things left behind? This bonus episode of Nowhere, On Air comes to you from a dimension much more like our own...
Featuring Taylor Michaels as Chip Roberts, and Tatiana Gefter as Nadia.
For more of Tatiana’s work, check out the upcoming Soul Operator.
Taylor can be found and heard as Chance in WOE.BEGONE, and David in The Grotto(dropping Friday!)
You can also catch both Taylor as Winston and Tatiana as Marigold in the upcoming second season of Tales from the Fringes of Reality
Lastly, you can hear all three of us on The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio... Season 2 premiering December 6th!
This episode of Nowhere, On Air was written and produced by Jesse Syratt. Cover art by Jesse Syratt.
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at nowhere.onair@gmail.com. Or, find us on the app formerly known as twitter, @NowhereOnAir
Everything has a cause and effect. When something vanishes, someone notices... What do we do about the things left behind? This bonus episode of Nowhere, On Air comes to you from a dimension much more like our own...
Featuring Taylor Michaels as Chip Roberts, and Tatiana Gefter as Nadia.
For more of Tatiana’s work, check out the upcoming Soul Operator.
Taylor can be found and heard as Chance in WOE.BEGONE, and David in The Grotto(dropping Friday!)
You can also catch both Taylor as Winston and Tatiana as Marigold in the upcoming second season of Tales from the Fringes of Reality
Lastly, you can hear all three of us on The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio... Season 2 premiering December 6th!
This episode of Nowhere, On Air was written and produced by Jesse Syratt. Cover art by Jesse Syratt.
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at nowhere.onair@gmail.com. Or, find us on the app formerly known as twitter, @NowhereOnAir
[FAKE TRUE CRIME SHOW THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
CHIP: Welcome back, listeners. As always, I’m your host Chip Roberts
NADIA: And I’m Nadia.
CHIP: On this week’s episode on Gone Without a Trace, we cover the somewhat obscure case of Charlotte Jessica Miller, a young woman who vanished on her journey home from her first year of university. This was one I’d never heard of before researching it.
NADIA: Yeah, me neither. Creeps me out though.
VOICE #1 This one really is like, one of those seemingly genuinely ‘vanished without a trace’ sort of cases.
NADIA: Just really like, up and gone.
CHIP: Today’s story brings us to Canada– to the small, mountain town of Coleman, Alberta. Specifically, a gas station, along Alberta’s Highway 3, part of the Southern Trans Canada Highway.
NADIA: Let's get into the facts.
[MUSIC]
NADIA: Charlotte, or Jess, as she often went by her second name, was a student enrolled in her first undergraduate year of the Philosophy program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, the province’s capital. The school had just come to its summer break, and Jess, born and raised in Cranbrook, British Columbia, the next province over, was making the drive home to her parents, Matthew and Elaine Miller.
CHIP: Jess was born June 23, 1997, and was an only child. According to her parents, she was a bright child, hard-working, and a curious but gentle spirit. Her teachers growing up described her as inquisitive, insightful, and always kind to the other students. In University, her professors described Jess as a dedicated and intelligent student. She achieved good grades in all her classes, maintaining a 3.9 GPA as she participated in extracurricular clubs and volunteer opportunities. She was described by her roommates as thoughtful, the kind of person who always wanted to help.
Now Edmonton is a roughly 7 hour, 875km drive from her home in Cranbrook, and Highway 3 is one of the most direct ways to travel through the mountains from Alberta, to Southern British Columbia. The Crowsnest Pass, which is a roughly 40km stretch through the southern Alberta Rockies, is a beautiful section of the highway, well-travelled, bordered closely by mountains, and populated by a series of small towns. This highway runs directly through Coleman, which has a population of about 1,500 people.
It was a trip her parents said Jess had made a couple times before– though the first time she was attempting it on her own– and the stretch of highway itself was one she was very familiar with.
NADIA: Again, it is the most direct way out of the mountains in this region. Cranbrook sits along the British Columbia side of Highway 3. It isn’t even out of the question to think she may have stopped at this very gas station before.
At roughly 7:43 PM on Tuesday, June 13th, 2017, just 10 days before her birthday, Jess’s car, a silver sedan, pulled into a gas station directly off the highway. She had made the bulk of the journey already, and just needed to fill up for the final stretch. She had paid for a full tank of gas right before she disappeared.
CHIP: Now, witness testimony by the gas station attendant says that Jess entered the store, greeted them, and stepped into one of the aisles, but they do not remember noticing her leaving. There were two other customers in the store, both who’s statements say a similar thing. She was in the store, and she was witnessed being in the store, but no one was ever able to place when she left.
NADIA: Security footage from the gas station– which, by the way, it's worth noting, there was only a camera outside, not inside– shows Jess entering the gas station, but does not show her leaving. It shows her car, parked right outside, completely untouched, all night.
CHIP: Jess was reported missing by her parents the next day, when she never made it home, and they were unable to contact her. It was soon discovered that her car, inside of which was still her phone, wallet– although there was no cash inside– and all of her belongings she was bringing home for the summer, had seemingly been abandoned. Clothes, some food, textbooks and a laptop all packed in backpacks and duffle bags… it was all left behind.
NADIA: It's worth noting that disappearances are unfortunately decently common in this area. Abandoned vehicles are a common finding– though more often than not on side roads and mountain roads. And those cases, when they are solved, almost always end with the remains of the missing person being located.
CHIP: But the odd nature of the disappearance gripped local police and public alike. The gas station was searched and screened extensively, with nothing turning up. A search of the nearby mountains and heavy wooded areas was organized, civilians, search and rescue, and Police and RCMP alike all participating in several nights of searching on foot. Her parents made the 2 hour drive from Cranbrook to participate, and reportedly drove the length of the pass, putting up missing persons posters in each town. Posters even made it as far as Edmonton, where she went to school. Active searching lasted a while, but… any trails they had quickly went cold.
NADIA: They never found any trace of her.
The summer passed. The school year started. No sign of her ever appeared. No new leads ever arose.
The case is still open, and the police are still asking the public for any information that may be relevant to the case. Matthew and Elaine have created a website detailing the case more thoroughly, and there’s a whole bunch of resources on there– not only about Jess’ case, but a few others like her’s. There is currently a $10,000 reward for any information leading to significant development in the case, according to the website.
There have been only really a few solid theories about what happened that June evening to Jess Miller. The overwhelming lack of evidence, and the strange abandoning of all her belongings, is what often leads most people to believe our first theory.
CHIP: Theory number one: She ran away.
While Matthew and Elaine initially insisted this would have been entirely out of character for Jess, and that there were no factors that would prompt such behavior– we know that’s unfortunately not enough of a defense against this theory.
It was argued that Jess was undergoing a substantial life change– she was starting University, she had just moved away from home, new city, new province…
Jess’ roommates, when interviewed, did say Jess, like most first year students, had some trouble adjusting to the stress of post-secondary school. Having grown up in the mountains, there were a few instances in which she reminisced about returning to the place she grew up, and joked about buying a cabin, and living simply and reclusively, as a means of avoiding responsibility.
NADIA: Okay, but even I’ve made that joke, so…
CHIP: Yeah, I mean, same. I’d love to just go into the mountains, have a cabin, maybe like a goat or something. Doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.
NADIA: But you could.
CHIP: Yeah. And that’s what this theory is suggesting, is that she could have. An adult with free will, she’d had a job for a few years so she had her own money, it wasn’t out of the question. Except that none of it ever left her bank account after she vanished. She had made a cash withdrawal about a month earlier, though it was only for like, $300.
However, her roommates also did report she seemed happy. She made a point of getting involved, spoke about how much she was enjoying her classes– and specifically how much she was looking forward to going home for the summer.
One news source stated Police searched to see if Jess perhaps had any partners or relationships that her parents or friends didn’t necessarily know about, or disapproved of, that may have encouraged her to run away, but they found none.
Again, though, all this doesn’t necessarily disqualify this theory, we’re just– reporting all the facts as we know them.
Evidence cited as support of this theory is mainly the fact that she left everything behind, especially her wallet and phone. Her cards, her ID, her car– all of these were traceable things, and the only things that could be used to contact her. And with no body or evidence of harm being found, and a lack of pursuable trails, this was and remains the most popular theory.
And, if that’s the case, who knows, maybe she’ll reappear one day.
NADIA: It's a nice thought. She’s just hanging out, needed a break, might come back?
CHIP: Yeah.
NADIA: Theory number two is less optimistic, unfortunately, understandably, and contains within it a couple little microtheories, but… Theory number two: Jess unfortunately lost her life.
Like we mentioned earlier, it's not rare for people to disappear in this area, especially along this stretch of highway. Abandoned cars are not especially rare, though remains of the person are often discovered later. The abandoned cars are typically in more remote areas, though this isn’t by any means disqualifying, and some theorize that we just haven’t found her remains yet.
Theories within this theory range from Jess wandering off into the wooded areas of the nearby mountain area, getting lost, and dying from exposure, or getting eaten by a bear or cougar, to Jess being killed, either by an unknown suspect, or even the gas station attendant. The concrete evidence against the last theory is substantially stronger than the circumstantial evidence for it, but it has been thrown around the internet, and included for the sake of… thorough journalism.
There is very little concrete evidence to support any one homicide theory over others, and that's all any of them are– theories. Over many sources, it's speculated perhaps that she was lured away from the gas station through the back entrance, where there was also no camera. No testimonies report seeing her exit out that way, but no witness testimony reports seeing her exit full stop, so…
CHIP: Who’s to say?
NADIA: Who’s to say. The fact she left her phone and wallet in the car is also often called into question as an odd choice.
CHIP: Now how was she planning to pay? If she went in to get stuff, why leave her wallet in the car?
NADIA: People think maybe she just forgot, and would have gone back to get it. Some people cite the lack of cash in the wallet or anywhere in the car to imply that she was paying cash.
CHIP: Ah. Fair.
NADIA: She’d been driving a while, it's also argued that it's not totally out there to think she was tired and it was just an absent-minded moment.
CHIP: Is that used against the runaway theory?
NADIA: Sometimes. But also not having her phone in these theories where she’s in danger meant she couldn’t let anyone know she was in danger. So, yeah, it's used to kind of, not refute the runaway theory, but just as this element of the situation that doesn’t definitely exclude anything, including the theories where she lost her life.
CHIP: Cause if she’d had her phone, we’d probably have more to go on?
NADIA: Well yeah. So whether she forgot it or deliberately left it, it's impossible to know. I imagine if you lean more towards the theory she got lost or murdered, you’d kind of lament it as this thing that like, could have saved her, or at least made it easier to find her.
CHIP: Considering how spotty the service can be out there, I’m not sure the phone would have helped her.
NADIA: True. On the security camera outside the gas station, there’s one lead the police did try to follow up on, with very little luck.
According to the time stamp on the footage, about 10 minutes before Jess arrived, a black truck pulled into a parking space alongside the gas station, just barely visible on the cameras, closer to the back. The driver remains in the vehicle as Jess pulls into the pumps, fills up her tank, and then advances forward again into the parking space, before going inside. Immediately, the driver of the truck exits the vehicle and walks around the back of the store, out of view of the camera. About 35 minutes later, at 8:24 PM, the driver returns from behind the gas station, puts out a cigarette on the ground, before getting into their truck, and speeding away.
The truck and driver were identified a week later, and the driver– a 37 year old man who’s name I will not share for legal reasons– was questioned by police. His statement is essentially that he got out to smoke and walk around after a long drive, and claimed he didn’t even notice or ever speak to Jess. Police confirmed they were previously unknown to each other, but couldn’t definitely confirm whether or not they ever crossed paths behind the gas station. There was no DNA evidence or material around the scene, but there was mud on the man’s boots that matched mud found some 30 meters behind the gas station.
Passing a polygraph, and giving a consistent testimony several times to the police, this man was soon dropped as an active suspect, but those who know the case often share the opinion that further investigation into this lead was warranted.
That being said, as of now, no new evidence has really surfaced to suggest that Jess lost her life that evening, but there is also no real evidence to deny it as a possibility.
CHIP: Theory number three is a little more vague and out there, its based on statements that are not officially regarded, or really considered legitimate due to the nature of the testimony… but one witness, in a statement we didn’t mention before, reported briefly seeing an odd, colourful light, and hearing an almost music-like ringing from the isle that Jess was browsing. When they turned to look, however, it– and Jess- were gone. Like she was abducted by aliens from inside the store.
NADIA: Which is a theory that we didn’t talk about, because…
CHIP: Because some of us are cowards.
NADIA: Because… you know why.
CHIP: Can they even do that?
NADIA: What?
CHIP: Aliens– could they abduct you from inside somewhere?
NADIA: Don’t say ‘can they’ like they’re real. There’s no such thing as aliens.
CHIP: Right but like- how would we even know though?
NADIA: Why would they abduct someone from inside a gas station?
CHIP: Maybe they made a mistake. You can't expect them to be perfect.
NADIA: Can you imagine if they were like, trying to grab something else and then all of a sudden there’s just a person there. You think they’re inside their UFO like “Oh shit! Oh shit our bad dude!”
CHIP: They came for some cheetos and they’re like, “oh shit! Shit! Wrong button wrong button!” and the other alien guy’s like “shit shit shit what’s the– the undo buttton? How do I reverse it?”
[BOTH LAUGH]
NADIA: So, what? In this scenario has she been chilling with aliens this whole time?
CHIP: I like to think so. Like, if they’re picking up snacks from a gas station, they gotta be cool. Maybe it was for game night or something. And, the first theory applies. Maybe she just needed to get away from her life here. They gave her an out.
NADIA: Yeah, but like– abducted? Forcefully removed? Even if she eventually agreed, it's not like she had a say. That’s kinda… sad. Not even ‘kinda;’ that’s a lot sad.
CHIP: I mean… yeah. True. All these theories are sad though.
NADIA: True.
CHIP: And, if the light wasn’t aliens—
NADIA: -If it was there at all–
CHIP: – What was it?
NADIA: Who’s to say? Unfortunately, with this show, we don’t have the answers. Just the facts.
CHIP: And the facts we know are that Jess Miller vanished on her journey home along Highway 3, in The Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, one evening in June, 2017.
NADIA: And she, essentially, disappeared without a trace.
[MUSIC FADES IN]
CHIP: That’s gonna do it for this episode folks. Thank you, as always, for tuning in.
NADIA: Links to our socials, and the website set up by the Miller’s we mentioned earlier, will be included in the description. You can find the facts more in detail there, as well as information about similar cases.
CHIP: You folks know we believe in the importance of bringing information about these cases to the public, in the hopes that the lost can be found. To ensure that these people don’t get forgotten. Wherever they may be.
NADIA: Until we meet again.