My Trip to CrimeCron Vegas 2026

This week on True Crime with Tiff Kline, we’re UNpacking our bags, grabbing our case files, and heading straight into the neon glow of my trip to  Las Vegas for CrimeCon 2026 — the ultimate gathering of survivors, advocates, investigators, creators, and the true crime community.

CrimeCon 2026. Las Vegas Advocacy, connection, and the pursuit of justice — all in one unforgettable week.

In this episode I explain my 2nd experience at crime con, this time Vegas, seeing old friends, making new, hearing stories of victims families, podcasters, learning about those still missing, hearing experts speakers, having conversations with strong women like Hope Hooton of Hope in the Pain and Voices against Filicide, Maggie Phillips Caravan to catch a Killer, Jo Ann Lowitzer of Missing girl Ali Lowitzer, Abby Blabby, meeting people like Greg Schiller of Child Rescue Coalition, Jena Lisa Jones an Epstein Survivor, Hearing Megan Tomlinson of Silver Lining of Hope Inc solve her own moms murder, meeting Bethany of Voices, being a volunteer for the Gabby Petito Foundation and more- Also here about my experience  going to the sphere to see OZ in vegas, Zak Bagans Museum,  starting a non profit and joining forces for justice for La La Clark

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hey guys, it's True Crime with Tiff Klein, and we're kicking off season three of Giving Criminals the Disrespect they deserve. I am back from Crime Con Vegas. I'm still half asleep, but I wanted to do a podcast about my experience before it fades away, which I'll be riding this high for a while, just like I did for Denver. But I decided to start season three because I started season one after my first crime con. And now that I've gone to two, I've decided I'll just start a new season. But thank you for coming back again. I was at Crime Con Vegas last week from May 28th to May 31st. And I got to catch up with a lot of friends I made over the past year since Denver and made new ones. And it was amazing. I've never been to Vegas before. Not my cup of tea. If someone invited me to go, I might, but it's not it's not a place I would, you know, book to go again. It's just it's another city to me, just five times more expensive. But we're not here to talk about Vegas. We're here to talk about crime con. So last week I flew out to Vegas on the 26th that I met my mom. She flew in from Ohio, and she has never been to Las Vegas either. So we spent two days at the Fairfield Inn Command Center, which was kind of over by the sphere, and it was a great hotel. Great breakfast. It was clean, quiet. I I'd stay there a million times over. Not too far from Caesars either. So if I ever do go back and I want to stay off the strip, that's probably where I would stay. I mean, they're right next door to the restaurant Tacos and Beer, which is phenomenal and good pricing, and the food was fantastic. And right next to the restaurant Cleaver. So if you're ever in that area, it's really good. But we were happy with our stay. We had a nice in-ground pool, and like I said, it was just very quiet, and the dry heat in Vegas was amazing. Oh my god, I love the no humidity thing. And then we actually went to the sphere to see the Wizard of Oz. Now, since I was a little kid, since I was one, or the day I was born, I guess, my mom has been collecting me Wizard of Oz stuff. And when they announced the sphere, we're like, oh, I want to go to that. We really need to make plans. So when I was home in Ohio in December, we're like, man, we really need to get out to Vegas. Now she knew Krem Con was in Vegas. I obviously did too, because I'd booked my ticket last September, but they weren't supposed to have Oz. They they originally were supposed to end it in March. And for some reason, they extended it all the way through the summer, sharing the stage with no doubt, you know, around the showings. And I was I'm following the unofficial creme con group and I saw somebody say, I just bought my Oz Sphere tick sphere tickets. And I went, What? There I thought they weren't doing it. So my mom logged on a few weeks ago, and yep, there it was. So she booked us two passes, and I'm like, they it, you know, it's a it's a sign because we both wanted to do this, and we were we just happened to be in Vegas for Krem Con. So we got to do it and it was phenomenal. You know, you could tell obviously it's it's digitally remastered. Obviously, they have to um to be able to give it the effects, but it felt like you were on the set of Oz or inside of it, uh, certain parts they really made it look like you were under the poppies or standing right in front of the Emerald City. Um they made leaves fly around, they had the monkeys flying around like above us. And my mom did catch one of those apples, so I do have that. Um but here's a little insider trick, guys. If if you go and you don't get to catch an apple, go to the gift shops after, and they have bags for sale for like $10 each. So we saw the bags, we saw them full of apples, and they were selling them for $10. I did get one, and I also bought Glinda's wand that lights up. I was like, had to have that for my collection. But um, no, the way they remastered it and brought it to life, the colors, the the 3D. Well, I don't want to say 3D because you didn't need glasses, but it really did feel like you were inside the movie and you were inside the tornado, and I it was just it was amazing. Um they even had fans, made it feel like you were like getting caught in the winds of the twister, and I it it's hard to explain if you're if you don't see it in person. Now they did cut some parts out, uh, but all in all, it was it was a fantastic experience. I recommend it for anybody that that goes. We were right in the middle. I feel like we had the best seats in the house. It was like row 11, section 205, uh seats 11 and 12 were 12 and 13, and I I think they were the best. Um, you know, there were 140 tickets. I think it was worth every penny because it's an experience you're not gonna get everywhere else. I would really like them to do Titanic, which I think would be epic, but it's a three-hour movie, and I'm not sure if they could remaster all of that, but so that was the experience we had off the strip. And then we made it to Caesars on Thursday, 28th. Now, I've never been to Vegas. I had no idea what the hell I was in for. I again, I'm a part of that crime con group. There's 9,000 of us in there, so thank God I had tips before I went. However, people said it was big, but I didn't realize how big Caesars was. Like, big, like big. It would take a good half hour to get from one side to the other, I think. And you know, my friend Aspen was not playing. Like he said 25 minutes. I'm like, damn. Like, I got more exhausted just walking from where I needed to go than the jet lag. So we get there, we got our room, and I never had Bellhop bring me my bags before. So I said, hell of it. They can bring them to me. So then I know I had to wait two hours. But I was originally supposed to be in the Augustus Tower, but then they switched to me to Julius, which whatever, room's a room. I wasn't in the room much anyway. And Thursday night was the back to the crime on kickoff party, back to the 90s themed. So everybody dressed up like the 90s. I I dressed as Rose from Titanic, and I saw two people dress as Wayne and Garth. I saw some clueless girls, uh, Brittany Spears dressed up. I saw some Spice girls. Vinny Politine was grooving on the dance floor. And if you're in his Facebook group, the official Vinny Politan group, I did post a photo or a video of him grooving on that dance floor. He was doing the electric slide, and you know, he was getting into it. And the theme, you know, like I said, back to the 90s, they had, you know, glow glow bracelets and light up scrunchies. The scrunchies were my favorite part. They had stickers with CDs that you could design. Um, I always like to decorate my badge, so I covered it in Lisa Frank stickers. And then they had an impersonator of Britney Spears. Now, I'm mistaken because I've been following Allegra Duvall on Facebook. And I I I told everybody because they kept saying, Oh, there's gonna be a surprise guest, a surprise entertainer. And I'm like, oh, it's gonna be Allegra Duvall. There's no way that it's not gonna be her. She just opened a club in Vegas, right? And she's like the best Britney Spears impersonator. And I always miss her every time she comes to Atlantic City. But she informed me after I had posted photos that it's a girl named Katie, who is also a Britney Spears impersonator and friends with Allegra, because she saw the photos I posted on Instagram and reached out to me. She's like, oh my god, thank you so much. But that's not me, that's my friend Caitlin or Katie or something like that. This girl looked like Britney. Like, and you know, I should have known better because the girl didn't have the dance moves that Allegra has. And I'm thinking, why isn't she whipping out her because Allegra can dance like Britney? And I'm like, why isn't she like pulling out her moves? Like, I've seen this girl on TikTok and this girl's not doing it. But later, after Allegra told me that it wasn't her, and it was Caitlin or Katie, and I'm like, okay, so I was onto it, but like I couldn't quite figure it out. But she looks like Britney. Like when you're watching her, her face and her hair, you're like, wait a second. Like I felt like I was a teenager again in a room full of millennials that all got to see Britney Spears that never got to in the past. Like we we didn't even care it wasn't actually Britney, but it was so close to Britney that we got to relive our childhoods and it gave us a little bit of closure. Um, I saw the guys in there happy, the girls were happy, and it was just it was the perfect, it was the perfect entertainer that they could have gotten for that theme. I knew it was gonna be Britney, I just didn't know there was more than Allegra that would be in Vegas. So, but I she did a great job, you know. Like I said, there was times we'd look at her and you couldn't even like you would really think it was Britney Spears. It was kind of creepy. So she did phenomenal. And then we did there was a blow-up couch with some props, you know, you took pictures with. And if you had, you know, there was two passes, you have to buy them separate to get into the kickoff party. And my mom and I had the standard, and then there was some premium that you get on the other side and you get you know, free cocktails and some late eats, and some of the speakers head over there, but uh we stayed on we stayed on the the normal side, and I feel like I got the same experience. And I I my friend Aspen, who if you've been listening to my podcast, he's close with the Delphi families, and he introduced me to Becky and Mike Patty and then Tara Germain, who are Libby's family from the Delphi case, and it was an honor, and they actually gave me one of their bracelets that say Abby and Libby, and that that that was just an an honor to hug them because Aspen speaks nothing but good words about how great of people that they are. So I was humbled and honored to hug them, and he told them about my podcast, which he had before, but they remembered that I did that and were very gracious, very kind, and that'll be a moment that I take with me forever because they were there, you know, this year giving the Crime Fighter Award to the to the new winners because they had one last year in Denver, and the year before that was Gabby Petito Foundation. So they came to the kickoff party and hung out a little bit. Um, I ran into Vinny Politon. Again, he was grooving all over the place. I got to finally meet my friend Kristen Thomas, who you might know walking around Crime Con with the French Bulldog Willow. We've been talking online for like a year, and we finally got to meet in person. And the thing I love about Crime Con is you make friends online, but when you meet in person, you feel like you've known them forever. So they're not like strangers. And anybody that wants to go to Crime Con and has never been and afraid because they don't know anybody or have anybody to go with, just go. There are groups on Facebook for solo groups, and then you meet up when you get there. Everybody will become your friend most of the time. It is a very welcoming community, and we love getting to know each other. And I this is my second crime con, and I I never leave feeling like I didn't make friends. And I made a lot of them just walking around, you know, networking. But that was, you know, I and I ran into Danny after dark and a few other people that came up and told me that they loved my rose dress. Now, Titanic's my favorite movie. It was my one opportunity to live out my favorite movie. And what better than the biggest movie of the 90s, right? So that before but before crime kind uh kickoff party, I had ran into uh Cheryl McCollum, asked me to meet her by the fountain around three o'clock that day that we got in, and uh, I got to introduce her to my mom. They loved each other and found out that they would be partners in crime if they ever hung out together, and they loved each other. And I could see them ending up on crime stories with Nancy Grace, and I would have to bail them out. They just vibed off each other, and who would know that my mom would go to CrimeCon, not really knowing anybody or of anybody, and walking out leaving friends with Cheryl McCollum. What? I also, while I was standing there, I met her husband Walt, he's a very nice guy. Um, and then I saw Jill from Murder Shelf Book Club, who came over and I hugged her. And then I got to meet a girl, Gabby, that I've been talking to online. Um, she just happened to be walking over with Jill. She's a doll. And then who comes over is my girl Danny after dark. So I got to introduce her to my mom, um, exchanged hugs, and then I saw them later that night. So that's how my first day at Crime Con was. Um, after the kickoff party, I think that ended around 10. My mom and I were exhausted. We went back to the room. We didn't hang out and do anything. Um, you know, my partying days are over, except well, one night I partied, but like I don't do it every night anymore. I can't. I'm tired. I take medication. I would rather have sleep and not no anxiety than feel like shit every day of my life. So we got a good night's rest. We woke up Friday. Crime Con kicked off at noon. So we had already checked in the night before and got our VIP gold badges, our programs. We did find out that Vegas 2027 will be in Orlando. Tickets to the public go on sale June 8th. You can get a standard gold platinum badge. And the resort host hotel this this time will be at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. And we the ones that go get to book their tickets early in their rooms and whatnot. Um, that's the advantage. And you put down a deposit and get a little cheaper. But for those who've never been or on the fence of getting a different type of pass, let me fill you in on something. So, and please do what you feel comfortable with monetarily. It's up to you. My first crime con was Denver 2025. I went and got the platinum badge. Now, there's standard gold, platinum, and then diamond, which I think you can only get diamond if you buy a platinum and they email you if you want to upgrade. And that's like the best pass you could have besides all access. And you can't get all access unless you're part of the crime con staff, media team, and all that. So I had platinum last year, and a few of them have asked me this year, like, what should I do for Orlando? And some of them asked me about Vegas, and Platinum was awesome. From my first experience, I'm glad I did platinum 100%. I would recommend that to everybody who's never been to CrimeCon, only because it can be very overwhelming, and you don't want to spend a lot of your time trying to meet every single person you want to in passing, but more than likely you will. I did. But it it's a fast pass to meet and greet lines. You can hop the line and get pushed towards the front so you don't have to stand for hours and meet people. There's a cap they did this year with like you can get access to seven meet and greets in the fast pass lane. You get a private meeting with a speaker of your choice, usually before crime con, about a month in or a month before it starts, they'll email you and you you you just list five people that you would like to have a private meet and greet with, and they do their best to match you up with one of them. Um, I had Nate Eaton last year. He was a doll. He's from East Idaho, Idaho News. You may remember him. He covered the Lori Vallow case. He loves donuts and he's a soccer for a sale. I love Nate Eaton. He's everywhere all the time. But then we had light breakfast in the platinum lounge with, you know, juice and coffee and sodas and waters. I got a program signed by most of the attendees and speakers that came. And I got closer seating because you get VIP seating. You don't have to sit all the way in the back. Because I'm the type of person if I have to sit somewhere and watch something on a screen, I'll just stay home and watch it. Like if I'm gonna spend money to do something, I want the full experience. And people think I'm nuts sometimes with the money that I spend, but I spend money because I work my ass off. And I want to fully experience something if I'm gonna go all in for it. If I want to watch something on a screen, I can just stay at home watching on YouTube. So that's like the biggest perk is the seats. And you get those with gold, platinum, or diamond. Diamond has their own section, which is right up front, but VIP gold is still really good seats, guys. Like really, really good seats. So again, my first year was platinum, so I got all these perks. You know, I if I wanted something from the merch store last year, I could order it and they would just go shop for me, which I just went and shopped myself because that's the thrill of it, right? I was supposed to have a private concierge, didn't have that. Um, I don't know what happened. And then I got into, you know, the clue awards because that pass you have access to. You still have to get a ticket to the event, but you don't have to pay for it because it's included with your badge. And I mean, those are really the only things that set you apart from gold to platinum is the meet and greet, like the private meet and greet, the snacks in the lounge because the VIP lounge doesn't have snacks, just drinks, the signed program that they had last year, but they didn't do this year, and the better seating. I mean, I'm glad I didn't buy platinum this year, and I will tell you why in a second. However, if it is your first crime con, buy the platinum badge. So you don't walk away having a missed experience. I'm glad I did it the first time, but now I will stick with gold because I have learned the difference. And to be honest, my first crime con, I met every single person I wanted to meet while I was there, except like two in one, because Ashley Banfield had food poisoning, so I didn't get to meet her and Josh Mankowitz, which I also didn't get to meet again this year. So Orlando, it's happening. Friends who go to crime con, you need to make sure I meet Josh Mankowitz. Because this is too I'm striking out with now, and this is ridiculous, because everybody else sees him. And for me, he's like, you know, a needle in a haystack. I cannot track this guy down. So, and it's probably just because I'm not in Expo Hall enough, um, which I did spend more time there this year than I did last year, because I wanted to hear stories from podcasters and people where raising awareness on missing people and missing loved ones. And but if it's your first crime con, go all in, buy the platinum badge. This year to go to Vegas, I decided to get gold. Now, my mom got gold. My mom doesn't follow true crime like I do, but she knows enough about it. Um but I didn't want her sitting all the way in the back with a standard badge. I wanted her as close as I can get her. So we got better seats. We got our own lounge only with drinks, which usually last year was phenomenal in Denver. This year it was just so far away from where we were staying that I feel like I had to walk a half hour across the casino just to go get a free coffee or water. And I I would just, I'm the type of asshole that just pays for convenience. Like I'm one of those people. So like I used the lounge one time because I just didn't want to walk all the way over. But normally, like I said, Denver was really, really nice. And if they had crime con at Denver every single year, I would be completely happy with it. I loved the ambience, I loved the vibe, I love the intimacy, I love the outside atmosphere. It I think it was perfect for my first crime con and it set the bar. Um, like I said, so this year I got gold, as did my mom. We got the clue awards, so we went to do that because that's included with our gold badge. We still had great seats, we had a lounge, and then we had to buy our separate standard kickoff party because I just don't see the value for me. I'm not speaking for other people, spending an extra hundred dollars for two cocktails, which now I wish I did because Caesars one cocktail is like $95. So I heard at the pool, and yeah. So did not like Caesars, by the way. And I I don't think I'm alone here. And it it wasn't crime con, it was the venue that I didn't enjoy. And it was just too big, and the cigarette smoke, and the back and forth, back and forth, and it it just it's not my cup of tea. So if they go back to Vegas, I probably won't go, only because one, it's freaking expensive. I mean, every day at least 40-50 bucks on a meal to have a soda or coffee was like nine dollars. Like, I guess I'm not exaggerating. You know, my mom and I got a salad, a hoagie, a soda, and a Gatorade was like $75. Like, come on. Like, I understand, you know, that place runs electricity 24-7. They have staff, they have insurance, they have all this they have to pay for, and they have to pay vendors and they have to make a they have to make a a profit on it. I get it, but like it's a little too ridiculous. So because I I'm I didn't want to leave the resort during crime con, like I was I had to pay the prices, right? So my fridge was locked, I couldn't get into my fridge, and then apparently the things on the bar, like you know, the patron and the Reese's and you know, the little snacks I leave have sensors on them. Well, I didn't pick them up. My mom picked up the the phone charger box, but then it charged me ten dollars for Reese's. But I hear, well, I saw Cheryl McCollum posted a video on TikTok that she moved some of those things, especially the Patron bottle, nine or ten times. And she didn't know she was gonna get charged. So she said she walked out with a whopping bill. I'm sorry, I get it. Resorts, it's how it is. We all know that. But to get charged for moving something is r ridiculous. The fact that I spent a lot of money to get to Vegas, be in Vegas, and leave Vegas, I couldn't even have a fridge to keep my shit cold. Like that to me was very a turn off. My room was mediocre for being in this really nice resort. I wasn't like excited over my room, but I it could have been worse, I guess. But I know a lot of people were not happy with the walking distance. They weren't happy with not be able to use a fridge. Now, some people said they requested a mini fridge for medical stuff. They're supposed to give it to you for free, but they wanted to charge me. Other people didn't get one. My friend Anna filled up her bathtub of ice. Like, this is what people do to get to CrimeCon because it's I'm not saying Crime Con itself is expensive, but sometimes the food, the resort, and all that, you know, that adds up. You know, my friend Aspen didn't have conditioner, didn't have towels. Like, I I don't know. It's just for being such a big resort, I just thought it could have been a little more fritsier, so to speak. But maybe that was my wrongdoing for just assuming something would be better than what it was. Um, it was just too crime con rooms were too spaced out. And again, I know crime con did what they could. It's just, I I wish the rooms would have been back to back, you know, instead of having to go up and down, up and down, back and forth. It was really confusing to navigate. There weren't enough signs people said. And I just it I just think it was too far stretched out. Like I think the venue was too big. I mean, we had like 7,000 people show up, which is awesome. And I I do understand they they can only find so many places that can hold all of us. So it's gonna get to a point where I think they're gonna have to cap the amount of people and try to keep it at the same places every year because if it keeps growing, they're gonna run out of room. Like, so you know, usually they're with the Gay Lord Resorts, like this time they were at Caesars. A few years ago, they were at the Paris in Vegas, they've been at Gaylord in Nashville, they've been in Orlando, they've been in Indiana, Austin, New Orleans. But it seems like rumor has it. Somebody in the Crime Con group said that it's gonna start circulating through Nashville, Vegas, Orlando, and Denver because they were the ones that could fit the most of us, which sucks because I don't want to go back to Vegas if I don't have to, and I'd probably only get back for crime con. And I don't even know if I'd go back to Vegas for CrimeCon, but Denver, 100%. And I would go to Nashville because my brothers and my mom live right. There, so like that's a given. But even though I don't really like Nashville, but it's funny, I don't like Nashville and I don't like Vegas, and they're kind of you know, Nashville's like the New Vegas and whatever. But Denver, if it was there every single year, I'd be happy with it. And a lot of people said the same thing. Again, and it's not Crime Con's fault, it's just the venue was not, I don't think was the right fit. And I'm a paying customer like everybody else. So my opinion matters, and I'm not disrespecting Crime Con. I'm not putting them down. I'm not, you know, it the two experiences I've had are amazing. I've met amazing people, and I got my money's worth. I'm just saying, like the venue itself, I don't think was the right fit. Uh so hopefully in the future there'll be better fits. I'm looking forward to Rosen Shingle Creek. But yeah, I just was not a fan of Caesars venue. And again, I know I'm not the only one. A lot of people said the same thing. Speakers told me, podcasters told me, attendees told me, um, I'm not alone here. And please don't put words in my mouth and don't uh think that I'm talking ill on CrimeCon because I'm not, all I'm doing is voicing an opinion because I pay to be there like everybody else. And my voice matters just like everybody else's. Depending or or whether or not who I'm representing, what foundations I help, this, that, and the other, I still pay my ticket, I still pay for my hotel, I still pay for my food, my flight, everything. My badge, so my voice matters. Okay, so I'm gonna leave that, I'm gonna leave that right there. I hope by 2028, 2029, they're back in Denver. I have a feeling they will be because a lot of people gave that feedback. They want to go back there. But 2027, Orlando, I'm looking forward to it. I actually have never been to Orlando. Um, I haven't been to Florida since I was 10. I lived in Tampa for three months. And in 2017, I went through Orlando because I was going on a cruise and I remember hating that airport. I hate that one, and I hate Newark and I hate Denver. I don't like Las Vegas. I think my favorite one is Charlotte, Lexington, and Columbus, I think. Dayton's pretty nice too, and I like Chicago. Um, but anyway, here's the that in 2027, my room and badge are booked. But again, if you guys are contemplating between the two badges, if you're local, standard isn't bad. But if you're traveling really far, get your money's worth. And if it and if you can splurge and afford the platinum, get the platinum for your first one. After that, you know, unless you buy somehow, don't get to meet who all you want to meet having platinum. I don't know what you're doing while you're there then, but then just get gold. I've met everybody at both crime cons walking around the expo hall, sitting in the bar. I didn't stand in line for one meet and greet this year. And I walked away meeting every single person that I went there to meet. And again, this time I was more focused on creator row and meeting the podcasters, the creators, the news reporters, those there raising awareness for missing persons and, you know, child abuse and missing child and sex trafficking and DNA labs and, you know, just that the more intimate stuff. But even the speakers I wanted to meet, I just met walking around. And a lot of them hang out in Expo Hall. So that's an insider tip. They don't hide. You don't have to pay for autographs, you don't have to pay for photos. They are happy when you approach them. They want to get to know you. So don't ever be shy. Don't ever be afraid that you're bothering them because they know that's what you're there for, and they're there because they want to connect with you. And that's what I love about Crime Con. So, yeah, we went to the kickoff party, and then Friday it it kicked off with Nancy Grace, and she talked about the Nancy Guthrie case. Now, Nancy Grace is the true crime queen, let's get real, right? So, this was the first year that Nancy Grace came but couldn't stay very long. So her babies, her twins, were graduating high school. That's right. Already. And she came in the night before, mingled in the kickoff party for a little bit, did her session on Friday afternoon, and as soon as she was done, she got on a plane and left because her babies were graduating high school and she was taking them on a trip. So that's really cool. But she did talk about the Nancy Guthrie case, a case I didn't really follow. And a lot of people kept asking me this whole time my thoughts on it, and I really couldn't give anything because and it wasn't because I didn't find it important, but from day one, it just changed so many times I could not keep up with it. Like I just couldn't. So I didn't. So hearing Nancy talk about it in full connected all the pieces together, and now it all makes sense to me. So that's what that's so what she discussed. She took some QA's and I really enjoyed that. You know, I really enjoy Nancy Grace. And to be honest, a lot of people are like, oh my god, Nancy Grace, if you meet her not in front of the camera or on the stage, she is the sweetest person. She is sincere, she's genuine. I mean, she'll still tell you off, but no, she's really like, she's really sweet. And um, the way she got into crime, if you my listeners don't know, is her fiance got murdered right before they got married. And she changed her major, went into law, became a prosecutor, and that's why she is the way she is today, and she's all about the victims. So talk shit on the try true crime queen all you want, but she has a heart of gold and she's in it for the right reasons. And no one's gonna convince me of that. So after we saw Nancy, um, my mom and I decided we weren't gonna spend the whole day seeing sessions. There were some that she's never heard of, some that she really wasn't interested in. So we went and saw Nancy, and then we hit up Expo Hall for a while. And I got to this is where this is where I got really like intimate because we went downstairs and we hit Expo Hall. And as soon as we walked in, I saw people I knew, I remembered, I made friends with, or people I've connected with online, and I got to stop and see everybody. And my first person I got to meet was Hope Hooton. Now, you guys might be familiar with her podcast, Hope, Hope for Voices, and her children were murdered through Philicide. And she wrote a book and is out there rocking it, being a strong mother. And I will just give you a little bit of information on Hope. I had met her through some girls through Crime Con who all have podcasts, and they have gracefully, great, I keep wanting to say gracefully, graciously invited me into their true crime podcast, her girl gang. Um, there's quite a few of us, and Hope is one of them. Jules, your host, Jules, and also host of Missing in Hush Town, she gave me a microphone necklace and a pin that says True Crime Podcast Her made made my day. But Hope Houghton started a podcast called Voices Against Phillicide. And is with the story behind that is like I said, Hope had two children and they were taken by the hands of their father. And I stopped at her table, and her children's names were Alec and Lydia. And there is an Arizona act called the Alec and Lydia Act. And she's raising funds to get these laws changed and to have, you know, centers for child safety and the reality of domestic violence. You can scan the QR code if you get on my page or on her page. And this act will help ensure survivors and children are truly heard, and it works to help prevent unimaginable loss. So she wrote a book called There's Still Hope, and it's another podcast called Voices Against Fill Aside, Raising Awareness, Advocating for Change, and Providing Support. This woman gets in front of people and tells us that her children were murdered, and she used her story, her pain, her trauma, her tragedy to be a voice and help others. She's been speaking with news outlets, with the Channel 12 news with Arizona. And again, her this is just hard. Her kids were taken from her by their father, and their lives were taken. So she's pushing for the Alec and Lydia Act to better protect children when there are warning signs of domestic violence, queries of control, and lethality risk. Education matters, awareness matters, reform matters because one informed person, one advocate, one judge, one family member, or one friend could be the difference between life and death of a child. Her mission is simple: protect children, educate the public, change laws, and save lives. You can see Hope Hooten on Facebook and Instagram. And her Instagram is Hope Hooten, Voices Against Phillicide. And you can find her on Instagram for Hope in the Pain. So after I left her table, I did buy her book. I ventured on and then met a woman I became friends with last year after Crimecon ended, Anna, from Kitchen Table Research Podcast. And we've been friends online for a while and chatting a lot. And yeah, she she does Kitchen Table Research Podcast. She started this podcast in December of 2022. And she had a table with Miss Joanne Lowitzer. You may know that name from the cold case of missing Al Allie Lowitzer, which I'll talk about in a second. So she was helping Miss Joanne run her table, but she does have her own podcast, guys. Check it out. It's Kitchen Table Research Project. It's on in or it's on TikTok. It's on YouTube. Anna's great. And she even went to creme con eight months pregnant. And she was my saver because she texted me and said, What's one thing you forgot you wish you would have brought? And I'm like, Bobby pins. And she's like, girl, I got you. And I went and saw her and she gave me a half a pack of bobby pins. I'm telling you, that saved my whole week. So thank you, Anna. Stay tuned because Anna and I are going to be doing an episode either on her podcast or mine, not sure yet, before that baby comes, about the Allie Lowitzer case. So I got to network with her. She's a sweetheart. So check out her podcast. And then that will bring me into the Allie Lowitzer case. I learned about Allie Lowitzer last crime con. And it was a case that stuck with me because I had a picture of Allie. And if you've seen pictures of her, her eyes are piercing. And it just it was a face that stuck with me and I wanted to learn more about. So I started doing some research because I didn't get to meet Joanne last year, but I started doing my own research on Allie. And devastating, heartbreaking. And I wish I could give her mom answers. I was able to give her mom a hug. But Allie has been missing since 2010 from Texas. And her mother has done everything she could to find Allie or at least get a lead or get some kind of information. She's left in the cold with no answers. And I'll give you a quick story on Allie quickly. But again, Anna and I are going to be doing a whole episode. We might have Miss Joanne on if we can. But again, Allie has been missing since 2010. And her mom Joanne is amazing. She's a light. And funds aren't easy to come by. So I actually have a GoFundMe up right now to help her and Britney Phillips' mom Maggie make sure they get to Crime Con in 2027, whether it be flights, travel expenses, food, booth coverage costs, swag, whatever it is they need, these two women come to CrimeCon, set up tables, scrape every penny they have to get there, and every year worry that they're not gonna be able to come back to get answers for their loved ones. I'm gonna make sure they get there. By the grace of God and my networking skills, those women will be at CrimeCon in 2027. That I assure you. So a little bit about Allie. April 26, 2010, Allie vanished steps away from her home in Spring, Texas. She wanted to go to work to get her paycheck and maybe pick up a shift, so she asked her mom, and it was the first time she would ever walk to work by herself. And that one day, Joanne was hesitant, but she allowed it. And she told Allie, call me when you get there, or text, and she never got that call. And to this day, nobody knows where Allie is. There's been maybe one or two leads on that her seeing her right next to the intersection. She got off the bus and was never seen or heard from again. And, you know, her day was completely normal, but a sudden change in her plans created that window in which she went missing. So, you know, she she vanished. And the investigation into Allie's disappearance was plagued by early assumptions and a lack of digital footprints, and they looked at her as a runaway. Valuable hours and days were lost before all full-scale missing person investigations were even launched. And her family maintained from day one that she had no reason to run away. And her mom was her room, I'm sorry, not her mom, her room was untouched and her beloved cat was left behind. Cell phone records showed Allie was actively testing a friend right up until she got off the bus. Her last text was sent exactly at 2 47 p.m. After that, her phone completely stopped transmitting data. It was either turned off, destroyed, or the battery was abruptly removed. Ellie has been missing for over 16 years. Her mother founded Allie's Hope, an organization dedicated to raising awareness for missing children and changing how law enforcement handles teenage disappearances and the crucial first 48 hours. This case does remain open with the Harris County Sheriff's Office and is actively tracked by the FBI's violent criminal apprehension program. If you want more information, please visit Hope for Allie on Facebook. You'll see the green ribbon. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a gray hoodie, and a multicolored backpack. Blue eyes, dark hair. She had braces and her nose pierced. She was 16 and weighed about five, I'm sorry, 145 and was about 5'2. It is entered into the FBI's national database for tracking missing persons in unsolved cases. But if you have tips, you can submit them directly to VICAP toll-free, 800-634-4097. You can also report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the 24-hour call center, 1-800-The Lost. And you can also submit tips anonymously. But if you go to my Facebook page, True Crime Tiff Klein, I have a post up and I had tagged hope for Allie, Alexandria Joy Lowitzer. Look for the green ribbon. That is her Facebook page. And if you can't find it, message me and I will send it to you. Sending much love and luck to Joanne. She was a light. I'm so glad I got to hug her. And again, she is going to Crime Con, whether I have to pay for it myself or we have enough donations to get her there. And I think I made this GoFundMe last night. And as of today, I think we're at $500 already. And that's gonna lead me into another woman I want to include in this GoFundMe. So Miss Maggie. Miss Maggie, you may know as Caravan to Catch a Killer. She is Brittany Phillips's mom. These women, Maggie and Joanne, deserve to speak at CrimeCon. They do whatever they can to raise awareness on their daughter's cases. They attend Crime Con every year, but guys, as we know, it's not cheap. So my goal is to get these two sponsored by raising money to help them get to Orlando for food, rooms, gas, flights, swag, whatever it is, and whatever's left over, we can we can gift it to the next person in need. Okay. If we can make sure all their expenses are taken care of, we will gift all the ones that keep coming in for other families who need to get to CrimeCon to speak. I am in the middle of turning one of my projects, turning the corner with clients corner into a nonprofit. And then I'm also pairing up and going to be on the board of another, and she's gonna help me get this turned into a nonprofit donation fundraising base. So it's tax deductible. But we're gonna get these two to Crime Con. So they're a light. They're strong, they're empowering, and they have not given up on Britney or Allie. And if you have not already, please follow their pages. Britney's is easy, it's just Britney Phillips. You'll see Miss Maggie with the with the purple caravan. And again, Allie's mom, Joanne Lowitzer. You can follow Hope for Allie and look for the green ribbon. Brittany and Allie both deserve justice, and their mamas deserve answers. And I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure they get there. And I would really like if CrimeCon would let them speak for once. A lot of people want to hear Brittany's mom and Allie's mom speak. They need the stage. They deserve the stage, they deserve the spotlight. And just because they don't have 500,000 followers does not mean that their voices and their daughters aren't any less important. So, guys, if CrimeCon asks you who you would like to hear speak, please put down Britney Phillips' mom, Maggie, and Joanne Lowitzer, Allie's mom, because these two ladies, I would love to see them on stage together. They're just phenomenal. But I'll tell you a little bit about Miss Maggie's adventure with her daughter Brittany. So Brittany, I did a podcast episode in my first season, I think it was episode four. Somewhere in the beginning, um, that I they had done a podcast because I caught wind of Britney's story. So if you go to her Facebook page, it's just Britney Phillips at the the header, you'll see a purple van. It's called Caravan to Catch a Killer. Brittany went missing. I'm sorry, was murdered in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2004. And her mom Maggie has not stopped trying to find her killer. She travels all over the country. She just hit the Route 66 trip and completed her 25th caravan trip and completed 345,000 miles. Amazing. So right now, after CrimeCon's ending, she developed a list of cold case families around along Route 66. So her route is Tulsa to Chicago, but she's going to take any family she can. And if any of us know these families, to see if they'd be willing to meet her, it's a networking meeting, support meeting, and she can work on getting the media, but you can message her for more info. And again, her daughter, Britney, went missing in 2004. I did do a podcast, but just a little backstory. Let me pull it up here. She's a light. I love Miss Maggie. Sorry. I don't have my notes in front of me. So there's a GoFundMe. And as I had mentioned, Brittany was murdered in 2004 in Tulsa. She was murdered in Oklahoma. And since that devastating day, Maggie has transformed her grief into relentless mobile crusades for justice. Maggie has made 25 cross-country trips and driven an incredible 341,000 miles in her dedicated caravan. The goal here is to find the answers that will finally catch Britney's killer and to raise crucial awareness for missing persons everywhere. So far, we've raised in less than 24 hours $420. We will raise as much as we need to to get them there or at least as much as they need. And like I said, whatever's left over will be given to another family that needs to get to CrimeCon to speak or to have a booth. And I'll make that an announcement as it comes. But just remember, cold cases aren't dead cases. So don't leave them in the dark. So I had gotten to meet both of them this year after talking to both of them online for a year. And it's just, I love being able to meet people that you feel like you've known forever. And it's an absolute honor to know these women. Absolute honor. The f the strength that people get after a loved one passes away. And you know, it I I know not everybody could do it to get out of bed to raise awareness, to turn tragedy into something productive, because a lot of us would it would break us at our knees and we wouldn't get out of bed. And some people take this as a purpose and it's it's just inspiring and admirable. And Miss Maggie and Miss Joanne, it's time for them to be heard. So, guys, if you put your feedback on who you want to hear at CrimeCon, please list them. Please list them. Walking through the rest of the expo, I got to meet Abby Blabby, who I've followed on Facebook for a long time. And she used to be in with Justin the Nick of Crime. And she's very outspoken and unfiltered like me. So of course we're gonna gravitate towards each other. And I got to talk to her for a little bit. She's awesome. It was a last-minute thing. She filled in and took over the booth that her friend was supposed to be at, and now she's coming back next year. She's hoping to have a booth. But follow her, Abby Blabby. You'll love her if you like people who are real and raw and genuine and don't put on a fake image for social media. Uh Abby is definitely real. Loved her. I got to meet my podcast, True Crime Girls, again. So last year I met Rachel Holloway and Heather Norfolk of Like Mother Lake Murder. And got to see Heather again this year. Did not get to see Rachel. Don't know where she was. And I said, I'm not leaving Crime Con unless I see my friend Rachel. I did not get to see Rachel, but I did get to see Heather. I got to see your host Jules. She gave me some gold earrings. She gave me a necklace with a microphone, bringing me into the true podcast, her gang, and Stephanie from Wicked Ever After. I did not get to see a few others, but I did get to see Danny After Dark. She's a part of that gang. I got to see Kylie from Primetime Crime. She's from that group. Same with Ho Putin. They're all amazing women. They're they're just real. They're not stuck up. They're not catty. They're not, I don't even know the word. They're just gentle, sweet souls who are welcoming and and and just warm. And they have personalities that just, they're real, they're real. You know, they're not fake. And I love them. I love them for it. And now I get to be part of their group, which I'm sorry, girls, that I didn't get to have dinner with you guys. I wanted to spend some time with you, but it just didn't happen. So, Orlando, we're gonna have to do dinner. But you're all amazing, all of you. And forensic tales is in there. I didn't get to meet her. I did go down to her table, but she unfortunately was not there at the moment. But I did take some swag. I'll and I'll name off some other girls in that group. But before I do that, I will say that your host Jules and Jen Rivera Investigates Weird True Crime are in the shortlist for best podcast, Crime Con UK. So it's the Crime Con UK Awards. They're gonna choose their winners. Um, and they're doing the proud work with Fire Eyes Media. So you have Fire Eyes Media, you have Missing in Hush Town, you have Weird True Crime, NOLA 93, and yeah, all Fire Eyes Media Podcasts nominated across all categories. Best Episodic Podcast, Podcast Impact for a Change, Podcast Most Captivating, Podcast Network of the Year, Podcast Rising Star. Awesome ladies. Good job. Giving you the heart symbol with my hand, you just can't see it. So some of them are nominated for the CrimeCon UK Awards. I mean, that's awesome. These girls are kicking ass at everything that they're doing. I couldn't be more blessed to know them. I did when I was leaving CrimeCon to fly home the other day, I'd get to see Danny and Jules leaving and got to give them a big hug. And they're fantastic. But some other, some other girls in the podcast, her gang, you may be familiar with, like I said, your host Jules. She's also host of Missing in Hushtown, like Mother Like Murder, Primetime Crime, Danny After Dark, Forensic Tales Podcast, Voice as a Phillicide, Wicked Ever After, Truly Twisted. Jen Rivera investigates, Perplexity Mystery Podcast, Hope and the Pain, Missing in Hushtown, True Crime with Tiv Klein, and more. So there are a bunch of us in there. And it's truly an honor to be, I don't want to say inducted, maybe invited is the right word. But to be a part of them because they're uplifting women and I'm proud of all of them. And it's just an honor. So yeah, I met Stephanie, Heather, Rachel last year. And then because of them, I became friends with Kylie, Jules, and Danny. So it is in Kylie. So it's really cool. And a few others. So we got to see all of them. I got a lot of swag. They told me to take whatever I wanted. I may have taken too much. But I also got to meet Brian Etten again. He remembered me from last year because I'm a volunteer of the Gabby Petito K uh family foundation. And he remembered that. And but this time he signed his own photo for me. So I got to see him real quick. Got to meet Vinny Polliton on the dance floor. I got to meet pushing up Lily's. She's been following me on Facebook. And I saw her table and I forgot like I forgot she was going. But she's been, you know, engaging. And when people engage with me, it makes it easier for me to recognize your face or name when you introduce yourself. And I'm humble and I'm grateful and I love every single person that came up to me to say, hey, I follow you. Thank you, blah, blah, blah. It's you know, I loved meeting you. I'm so glad I got to meet you. But if you don't engage with my stuff, I'm not gonna know who you are. And I'm good with names and faces. So the more that, you know, you comment or send me a message or something, I'm gonna get to know you. I'm probably gonna end up becoming your friend and engage. So I can I want to know my followers, guys. Don't be scared. So Julie Madsen is of pushing up Lilies, right? So she's a forensic death investigator because you love you can love both Botox and body bags, is her quote. She had a table, so I went up and introduced myself and I bought her comic book that she made. Um, and she gave me a little swag bag on the side, and she signed my book, and she's adorable. She's so sweet. Um, you can follow her on Facebook, baby doll mom, B-A-B-Y-D-A-W-L-M-O-M, baby doll mom. But I like I said, she has a podcast called Pushing Up Lilies. And obviously, there's a skull and a lily on it. She's wonderful, she's amazing, she's fantastic. Go check her out. She's a doll. So I had a very, I mean, it was a pleasure meeting her. Julie You Rock. Thank you for the book. Thank you for the bag. Sending love to Texas. Next one I've I finally met was Bethany from Next, we have Bethany, who is phenomenal. She recognized me. She's a voice for the voice voiceless. I did buy a t-shirt from her last year and it said a voice for the voiceless, but first coffee. She remembered that. I went and stopped by her table this year. She is a doll and a half. Gave her a big hug. I hope to get to know her more. She's very welcoming, has a good energy, good light. But she is a 501c3 nonprofit. She's dedicated to raising awareness for the missing and giving a voice to the voiceless. So check her out on Facebook. Again, a voice for the voiceless ink and share her content. She's always sharing missing people. And it takes one share to find one person. That's it. All it takes is a second to share. So if you get to go to CrimeCon in Orlando and she's there, stop by her table, say hi. Her name's Bethany. She doesn't bite. I'm sure she's gonna be because she is from Florida, but a voice for the voice, voiceless. She's amazing. And then I walked up to somebody my mom was talking to, and I knew he looked familiar. Couldn't put a name with it. And man, was he cool to talk to. So he's telling me about this program he has with Child Rescue Coalition. And it's to bust online sexual exploitation and abuse of children, right? So he creates these databases that track and bust child predators. And he's talking and he's talking and you know, I said, Oh, I'd love to have you on my podcast. And I told him the name of it, and he stops and he smiles and he just stares and he's like, You're TIFF. And I'm like, Yeah, I'm I'm TIFF. And he he's like, Oh my god, I listen to you. You have great stuff. You promote CrimeCon awesome. He's like, You're funny. And like he got really excited, and I was so humbled and so, you know, so it was so nice. And the things he's doing is great. I met the the girl that was there with him. She's phenomenal. I want them both on my podcast, so I will reach out. Um, but again, they're the um child rescue coalition. You can follow them on Facebook, and they're a nonprofit, and it enables law enforcement to track arrest and prosecute child predators. And he's doing the Lord's work. This guy is amazing. And his name's Greg Schiller. You guys might know him. But child rescue coil I can ever say that word, coalition. Coalition, phenomenal, guys. So it was a pleasure meeting Greg and learning about his mission to prosecute child predators. It's that's that's doing the Lord's work, my man. So thank you for everything you do. Wow, who else did I meet? I stopped by the fruit fruit god, I'm having such brain freeze. There's a podcast called Fruit Loop, F-R-O-O-T, and I got to meet them. Absolutely love them. They're amazing. Stop everything you're doing and follow them really quick on Spotify. I'm trying to find it's not Fruit Loop, it's Fruity. I should have had this up in front of me. I'm sorry. I can't remember everything, guys. My brain is like overload right now from Prime Con, and I'm trying my best to remember everything and everybody. Yeah, it is Fruit Fruity Loops Podcast. So I'm just having a brain fart. Fruity Loops podcast. Phenomenal. And I listen to them, so you should follow them. Stop by Vinnie Politons table, talk to Jonesy for a little bit, because he has some stomping grounds in New Jersey like my mom. And I have so much swag. It's almost disgusting. I sat by the News Nation table, got some sunglasses. Cheryl McCollum signed my book, Sewers. Or I'm sorry, Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer. I'm almost done with it. I've been promising her I'm gonna read it for a month. Phenomenal book. It's how she partnered with a serial killer. Well, he wasn't really a serial killer. He was the murderer of like four or five people. And she partnered with him to help solve the murder of his daughter. And I'm almost done with it. So she signed my book. It's pretty cool. Um and then I got to see my favorite, The Myth, The Legend, The Goat Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan. He is my favorite. My favorite, favorite, favorite. And I'll tell you, I'll tell you why he's my favorite. He is kind, he is gentle, he is humble, he is warm, he is empathetic, sympathetic, he gives a shit. He cares. He's soft, he's intelligent. Every person matters. He doesn't take people for granted, he doesn't take his supporters for granted, he doesn't take families and victims for granted. I could listen to him every day, all oh, I do. What am I what am I saying? I listen to body bags every day. But if I had to pick one guest to listen to all day, every day for three days at CrimeCon, it's Joseph Scott Morgan, hands down. Hands down, you not only learn from the best, okay. He was the youngest forensic investigator of his time at the time. He's the GOAT. He's a distinguished scholar for Jackson State University in Alabama, okay? Jacksonville, Jackson State. I get them mixed up. Sorry, sorry, Joe Scott. Jack's, we'll go with Jack State. A death investigator, a forensic investigator. He's done like 7,000 autopsies, okay, mentored under the best of the best, started a class at college, his own forensics class, and lets the students practice on cadavers. These students have no idea, no idea the the amount of wealth of knowledge that they're getting to be trained by. I would do anything to be able to be a student of Joe Scott Morgan's. I originally wanted to go into that field, but like I hope these kids take every word he says and just absorb it like a sponge. I want to take like an online credit course called Couch Detectives with Joe Scott Morgan just to say I learned from Joe Scott Morgan. Not that I'm gonna go out and like practice it, but like take like a crash 101 for dummies or something. Like, oh my God, had to put that on my resume when I'm applying to sell insurance or what? I'm a credited couch detective with Joe Scott Morgan. Like, that's badass, right? So I walk, you know, I've been in talking to Kimmy all year, and I met Joe Scott, the last one, and supported him all year long. And me and her didn't have never met. And we were supposed to meet in the Hamptons because I was supposed to go to a wine and crime event with them, and Cheryl didn't get to. And that they they all invited me down to the wine and crime event in in Georgia. I didn't get to go. Nancy was there, Joe Scott was there, Kimmy, Cheryl, and Susan Hendricks, I didn't get to go. Aspen went, but I I got to meet Kimmy and she put a photo aside for me of Joe Scott and he signed it. He stopped traffic of people wanting to meet him to make sure I got my signed photo. And when I walked up to him, my mom said he looked like he saw Santa, and he just puts his arms out and he's like, Tiff, and he gives me a hug. And him and Kimmy, you know, they see you. You are a person that matters. You're not just a follower, you're not just a listener, you're not someone that just gives them the engagement they they need. They see you. You exist, you're real, you matter. And he made me feel like he made me feel like I don't even know how to explain it. My mom said he looked at me like he just saw Santa. Like he he was so humbled and gracious and grateful, and I don't even know the word. You could tell he appreciated me. And I'm not saying this in an egotistical way. He sincerely appreciates me supporting him and his mission. And it's genuine. Same with Kimmy, his wife. She hugged me, she stopped traffic to make sure I got a picture with Joe Scott. And this wasn't even the meet and greet line. There was people coming up in the expo hall to meet him, and this lady kept trying to get a picture, and she's like, Nope, Tiff's next. Tiff's next. And then the lady wanted to take a picture of all of us, and Kimmy goes, I'd rather take a selfie. I like selfie styles. And I just felt like they made a big deal out of me when they're the cool ones. Like, I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an asshole. I'm not trying to be egotistical, but they made me feel just as important as they are. And I respect that. And they're my favorite. I love them. They're my friends. And that he's just the best. If you haven't followed him, followed Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan. He's on Long Crime with Jesse Weber a lot, News Nation. He's on with Nancy Grace all the time. And he's just respected in his field. He's respected in the true crime world. If someone tells me that they don't like Joe Scott Morgan, like I'm really, I'm really going to question their character. Because if somebody doesn't like him, they have to be a really bad person. I'm sorry. Like I'm sorry. They you have to be a really bad, dark, evil piece of shit person if you don't like Joe Scott Morgan. And I I don't want to know you. And I'm not saying that because I just he's my favorite. It's just the fact, like, he's such a good human soul that if you don't like him, there's something wrong with you. Like, and I'm being all serious. Like, there's something wrong with you. Now, I'm not saying like you have to enjoy his podcast or you have to follow him, but to say you don't like him and everything he stands for, which I don't think anybody would ever say that. I've never heard anybody say anything like that. But if they did, I would really question who they were as a person, their morals, their ethics, their values, and who they who their character is. Because you can't be a good person if if you don't like Joe Scott. I'm sorry. And that's just the truth. And a a funny thing I learned about Joe Scott, he does a really good Elvis impersonation. He is funny, and his mentor is from Scranton, where I'm from. So that was a really cool insider piece that I learned. And it's just a true honor to call them my friends. And, you know, they told me if I ever need anything, reach out. And the fact that they stopped traffic for me was uncalled for, but appreciative, and I love them for it. So then, last but not least, the Gabby Petito Foundation. I know I'm missing some in between. I'm trying my best to remember, but I talk to a lot of people, guys. As you know, if you've been following me, I'm an official volunteer of the Gabby Petito Foundation. My story is very, very similar to Gabby's, and I started following her since the day she went missing. September 11th, 2021 was when she was reported. And I have been following her since. I have a very similar story. I'm not gonna get into details. If you want to learn, go back to season one, episodes three, twelve, and thirteen, I believe, will tell you the majority of my story and what I've been through. I mean, I was a social media influencer, my ex was vegan, wanted to travel the country in a van. I moved basically overnight to be with him. I was strangled, and it's just a little too close for home. So I left, met another abuser, but this time he was a narcissist. And I'm sorry, that's just evil because it's maliciously intended. You know, they know what they're doing. And I didn't want to, I didn't want to continue and I didn't want to end up like Gabby, and I I just I ended it. And I've been single for a while, for a while, because I'm I don't trust men. I'm I'm afraid of them. And they've all disappointed me, they've all cheated on me, they've all have abused me, they've all shown me that they're not to be trusted. And that is what it is. But uh this trip, I got to see Tara's mom again, Mary, who I met at the second annual Gabby Petito Golf Fundraiser in Long Island last year. And Tara is her daughter, Tara Petito. She is married to Joe. She is Gabby's bonus mom. She looks just like her mom. And finally got to meet Nikki's son with Jim, TJ. TJ is very sweet, and I got to meet his wife. And I also met who has been on some of their live TikToks that I've been on. And she also is connected with the program that the Petitos have been using to raise awareness on cyber stalking. And I will pull it up. Let me read that in a second here. It's called the Committee for Victim Tech Reform. So they've been raising awareness over this, and it closes the gap between abusers and victims. He joined the movement, give a dollar. It's a nonprofit organization. So they've teamed up with the Gabby Petito Foundation to help work together to protect those who need it. Gabby Petito Foundation and Loop Solutions, they partnered to push forward real change and how we support survivors of domestic violence. Technology should keep people safe, not be used against them. This collaboration is about building real safety tools, making sure no survivor is left alone when danger is the highest. Please support the fundraiser. Every share, every dollar, every voice matters. It's a million to one, but together we can close that gap. So I have met Emma. She's a doll baby, loved her. She got me drinking palomas the other night, which I learned I cannot drink. They are phenomenal, but unfortunately, due to some of my medications, my body had an allergic reaction and I broke out with a rash everywhere. No one told me to stay away from grapefruit, and I broke up or broke out with a rash all over my arms, inside my arms, my stomach, my legs, and it itched for days. But it was good, but now I know. So this million to one is at givebutter.com slash Gabby's million slash Gabby's Light Hour Mission. It's called million to one. They've raised $10,766. They're looking for a million, guys. It takes one dollar. The tech that harms is advancing much faster than the tech that protects. Racial and ethnic inequities in victim support must be addressed. They're doing something about it, and it starts here. Join the movement. One dollar starts it, every dollar strengthens it. So check out the Committee for Victim Technology Reform. The center of the work has been missing far too long. Hero is a discrete referral system that we are working to develop alongside their partners at Loop Solutions. This will give EMS, FIRE, police, and healthcare professionals a safe way to connect victims to help instantly, even if their device is being monitored. Hero QR will fill the gap between being seen and being safe, being silenced and being heard. Your dollar helps us, and this tool is to bring to the first responders across the country, giving survivors a lifeline at the moment they need most. This is the heart of our million to one campaign. One dollar becomes one voice. One voice becomes thousands, thousands becomes a million, and a million voices can protect those who cannot speak for themselves. One voice sparked a movement. A million can help build the tools that will save lives. Where your dollar goes, your dollar will support funds directly to the development, security, and national rollout of Hero QR, training first responders on how to use the program safely and effectively, building and maintaining the technology, including protect the back end that keeps victims safe, continuous security upgrades to stay ahead of stockerware and digital threats, and ensuring Hero QR remains a truly clandestine tool for both survivors and first responders. So consider donating, guys. Head over the to the Facebook page of Committee for Vec Victim Tech Reform or the Gabby Petito Foundation, and you will find more information. I have donated to that as I'm always donating to their foundation. But yes, I got to meet TJ, the son of Nikki and Jim, brother of Gabby and Emma and Mary. So I saw her again. And then I bumped into Joe, Nikki, and Tara through the expo hall. Got to meet my mom. And then my mom and I went back to the room to get ready, and we went to the Zach Baggins, Baggins, I don't know how you say his name, museum. My mom is in love with Zack Baggins. She has followed him for years, and it's the one thing she wanted to do. So we we left the resort and we went to Zach's museum. It's a three-hour walkthrough and it is worth every penny. I highly suggest getting the R.I.P badge because you get a lanyard and t-shirt and you get some access to other things some people don't. I don't have pictures except the ones that we took when we rented a camera, but they're really tiny Polaroids, but you're not allowed. I did see Charles Manson's ashes. Apparently Zach got them. Couldn't take a picture of those though. That was unique. And so there was a painting in there that somebody used some of his ashes to put in his eyes in the painting. I got to see a whole wolf full of John Wayne Gacy's art, this pack of cigarettes he had before they executed him, some letters and some of his belongings. And I've always been intrigued with John Wayne Gacy, so that was neat for me to look at. I saw some things from the Night Stalker, his ashes as well. Some Ted Bundy stuff they had on display. It was like a whole room for serial killers. And then there was a doll that Zack said he'll never look at again. And right before I opened they opened the door for us to go in and look at this doll, I got really hot and really dizzy, and I thought I was gonna throw up. So that was weird. It apparently the house that this museum is in used to be Jenna Jamison's, you know, the porn star. And she had some creepy shit happen to her after they went, you know, they left. And uh I stood at the top of the steps, and as soon as my foot hit the floor, I got this really sharp pain that shot up through my left foot all the way up to my thigh. And it was it was so crazy. Like, and that was going down into the basement, but it was like standing at the top of the steps. And people said like when you walk into this place, you feel things. Like I felt things twice. And I also was really dizzy because they had a lot of like sage and incense going and fog as well, but it was a really cool experience. Like I would do it again, and I would just get the guys if you're gonna go do the do the RAP badge and just get the full experience. Took three hours to get through though. So like make the time for it because it it does take a while. I got to see a haunted mirror from the Titanic, and then I saw a bunch of stuff from the yacht that Natalie Wood, you know, was on the night she went missing and was murdered, even though I still think she was killed on that yacht and placed in the dinghy, but who am I? Um so I got to see some of her stuff, and that's all I really like that stuck out to me from that museum. Some of the stuff from the Warrens from the conjuring movie, like one of their rocking chairs I saw, and some other spooky things. It's hard to explain, and I don't have pictures, but if you ever get the chance to go to the Zach Beggins Museum, go. It's just a museum full of objects that are haunted, apparently. So I'm actually wearing a t-shirt right now. So I'm glad I got to do that. And then Saturday was the day of the clue awards. And my mom and I sat in to listen to Joe Scott talk with Dave Miller of Ortham DNA or Arthurum, I don't know how you pronounce it. And, you know, he explained us how they extract DNA to help solve missing people's cases and I to identify them. And it's intriguing to me because I know they use it to identify missing people, but like, why can't they use that to identify the DNA in John Benny Ramsey? Like the den the DNA that is from an unknown male. I mean, I guess if he's if his if he's not in the CODIS and family members haven't done the genealogy tests, I guess he wouldn't show up. But here's the hoping. That was a phenomenal session. My mom loved it. I mean, Joe Scott just owned that stage and his presence was felt. And we also watched, I'm gonna do a whole episode about this one with my best friend Aspen, who was there. Got so sick he walked out half, not even halfway. So you guys know I'm a big Lacey Peterson supporter. I followed that case since 2002 just as closely as I followed Gabby's. So I was in eighth grade around the time this happened, maybe ninth. And that's the first I really started watching Nancy Grace. So I I go back, you know, this true crime stuff isn't new for me. And I didn't go to this session to support Scott or Mark Gargos. I went to support Lacey and to hear the ignorance and arrogance that came out of Mark's mouth. And boy, was I right. This son of a bitch came in and talked about himself the entire hour. Didn't care. He rolls out in sweatpants, was on a cell phone the whole time. When his co-hosts would talk, he'd be on a cell phone. But when he talked, they gave him their their attention. Sneakers, says the F-word on stage, has no respect for his colleagues, for his audience, for Lacey's family. I wouldn't say Scott because he's a criminal, doesn't he just deserves disrespect, but it was disgusting. I'm gonna go on to a I'm gonna do a whole episode on this because Aspen walked out halfway. He just got so disgusted and left. I kept waiting because I wanted to see if he was gonna call Scott and pull a stunt like he did in Nashville with Lyle Mendendez. I wasn't there, but I I heard what happened. And he was on his phone a lot. So I'm it was like, oh, maybe he's trying to connect with the jail to get him on. Um, and I was like, I wanted to go because I wanted to listen to the QA, but he didn't have a QA. And my guess is because I knew people were going to say some not very nice things. You know, he's trying to give us evidence that Scott is innocent and talked about, you know, oh, I know I'm a I'm a defense lawyer, and people ask me how I sleep at night, and you know, I get it. And you know, people put bombs outside of my house. I get it. But there was, you know, I know somebody has to do the job. Like everybody's entitled to an attorney, public defender, whatever. You're entitled to that. Somebody has to do the dirty the dirty work. I get that. He's doing his job, but you don't have to be a pompous asshole about it. You don't have to roll out in sweatpants and and be on your cell phone. On stage in front of a packed room of people who chose to come hear you speak over somebody else that actually could have made a difference in the world and be an arrogant asshole and ignorant. You barely talked about any evidence. So I I r I I feel like this was just a publicity stunt to promote the show you're coming out with. The evidence, what evidence did you talk about that we haven't heard about with the with the duct tape and the van and the mattress? We've heard this a million times. But like what other evidence, Mark Ear goes, you're never gonna convince me that Scott Peterson didn't do it. And then the disrespect of calling Amber Fry a hussy on stage and basically calling Lacey fat because she was pregnant, the way he was explaining her. There's no respect. Amber Fry was a victim in all of this. She was a mistress, yes, but she didn't know she was. She did not know that he was married. She was a victim in all of this, and he called her a hussy. I was really hoping Nancy Grace was gonna be around for this, and I was hoping that she was gonna hide in the back and wait till the very end and just turn this just turn the microphone on and just come at him like she's done for 20 years on TV. I was hoping I would have paid an extra thousand dollars just to see that. Just just to watch her rip this man apart. Again, I know somebody has to do it. It's somebody's job, but he he couldn't even have enough respect for his colleagues, let alone the audience or crime con. And he couldn't say anything about Connor, never mentioned Connor's name once, and couldn't say, I'm very sorry for the loss of Lacey and Connor. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. Nothing. Nothing except being a pompous asshole on stage and was disrespectful, unprofessional, and I would never go watch do anything he does again. And again, I did it. I wish I had a t-shirt that says for Lacey because I wanted to ask him questions at the end. And he's like, you know, the evidence is there. And the thing that got me, and I said this out loud at CrimeCon, when he says, you know, here we are 20 years later, and I'm surprised that there's a whole room full of people. As if we're all there to support him, as if we believe him. Most of us, I can't say all, but most of us were there just to listen how much of an ass he was going to make of himself. And well, he accomplished that. And he said one thing that I will never forget. Here we are 20 years later. And now in today's world, we're talking about how Michael Jackson is guilty and how Scott Peterson isn't. And I said, who is saying that? Nobody's saying no, nobody's walking around going, well, Michael Jackson's guilty and that Scott Peterson sure isn't. Like who's who is walking around saying that? And I'm pretty sure the narrative has script on my or has flipped on Michael Jackson. Pretty sure. And I'm pretty and which I never believed all that shit about him anyway. And I'm pretty sure people still think Scott Peterson's guilty. You might have like your little posse group gang girl sister-in-law obsession that he has with his sister-in-law who went to law school to prove that he's not guilty, trying to prove that he's innocent. There's like the Innocence Project, and there's the LA Innocence Project, and I can never remember which one she she's she's with. Either way, he ain't innocent. And if you think he's innocent, I don't want to know you. That's all I'm gonna say. That's the nicest way I can say it. I get that there's always a side to a different story. Okay. And I was gonna give him that platform and that soundboard to convince me otherwise. If you can convince me, I'm happy to listen. I'm not closed-minded. I'm happy to listen to what we have to say. But Mark Garrett goes, you did not give us anything that we didn't already know. You did not convince me otherwise, and you disrespected Lacey. So now I'm really I now I really just don't believe. There's just no way. Again, everybody's r has a right to their opinion. You can believe that he didn't or not. It didn't. I just don't understand how anyone can think this man did not do it. I know a lot of it's based on circumstantial evidence, and we know you can't always take that the furthest, but sometimes it is what it is, and sometimes it's enough. Okay, I've wasted too much time on Arc Garagos, but I wanted to give you a little bit of insight. I was not happy, I was not pleased, and I felt disrespected for Lazy and Lazy's family. They deserved better, and I hope he never speaks there again. Plain and simple. Then after that, we went to listen to Megan Tomlinson being interviewed by Nikki Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito. And I met Megan last year in Denver. Um, after Crime Pun ended, she was hanging out with the Petitos and Schmidts, and I got to meet her. Well, this year I got to hear her speak for the first time and tell her story publicly for the first time. And Nikki interviewed her. And if you're not familiar, Megan runs the Silver Lining of Hope Foundation. It is a nonprofit, and she is helping with homicides, outreach, and advocacy, persons who are missing, and education and reform. It is called Silver Lining of Hope. It's a 5013 survivor-led nonprofit built on hope, H-O-P-E, in honor of her mother, Leslie Hope Houston. Megan helped solve her mother's murder. Her mother was murdered by her husband, which is not Megan's dad, but Megan had to get the photographs and get the cases and get the filings and talk to different people to get to take seriously because they kept saying her mom fell. I saw the pictures. I and I saw some of the files, and I'm gonna be talking to Megan soon. I'm gonna get her on my podcast, and she's gonna have me help her with silver lining soon, and she's gonna help me get my nonprofit going. But if you would have seen the pictures I saw and hear her, and maybe you were there and heard Megan explain what happened to her mom and how she had bruises everywhere, black and blue feet, fingernail marks in her neck, a gash in her head, bruises all over her arms and hands. It's not consistent with a fall. And unfortunately, her mom did not make it. And I don't want to tell Megan's story. I don't feel like it's mine to share because I haven't really had permission to talk about her story to my followers. But I wanted to give you a description of what I learned. But I'd rather have Megan on my show to tell you herself. It's her story, her truth, and it's wild and it's heartbreaking, and I'm so proud of her. And she got up on that stage and she did a phenomenal job in front of everybody at Crime Con. I just adore her. And we met up later that night, and she brought me a little swag goodie bag, and my mom just wanted to hug her. So she came down in the middle of the night just so my mom could see her. And she is such a sweet girl, and it's an honor. It truly is. You may see some of the missing persons flyers she shares. She's also helping with the petition. It's the law against the First Amendment. So she's helping with the Dom and Davion from the crash documentary. It's a it's a uh petition that she's helping Dom's sister Christina get passed. And they're trying to make sure, like it's the victims before influencers. It's the modernized son of Sam laws for the digital era. No victim's family should have to watch the person who killed their loved one turn that crime into attention, followers, donations, sponsorships, merchandise, paid interviews, documentaries, social media income, or other personal benefits. So they started this petition to call on lawmakers to modernize these laws for the digital age and close the loopholes that allow convicted violent offenders to turn tragedy into personal gain. They're asking you, please sign and share the petition. It's completely free to sign, and every signature helps bring awareness and push for change for victims' families everywhere. So if you want to sign that petition, it's at change.org slash p slash dom and Davion Laws victims before influencers. But you can also find it on Megan's Facebook page, Silver Lining of Hope Inc. Again, she did phenomenal. Nikki just looked so proud of her on stage. I got a few photos and she she was just so proud of Megan, and I was too. That was probably my favorite session of the whole crime con this year because it was new, it was authentic, it was from the heart, and it was different, you know. And for a girl to have to become a detective and investigator herself to get people to take it seriously that her mom was murdered and not falling down from having a little bit of alcohol is really the narrative that they tried to spin. And Megan debunked it and uh solved her mom's murder. So give Silverlining of Hope a follow on Facebook. That is my friend Megan. We will be teaming up to be doing some things. So look out in the near future. And then after that, we signed up for Orlando Badge at CrimeCon. We booked our hotel, and then I got ready for the clue awards. So my mom and I went to the cocktail VIP kickoff party where outside I mingled and made friends with the Case Walking Chronicles podcasters. Awesome. They had dinner with us. We sat at the table with them. They were funny, they're awesome. Uh Lacey is in school to be a lawyer and she's also gonna be coming a private investigator. And her husband, Nick, I believe was his name, is the voice. You know, he's the more extroverted one, even though she's on the podcast, but he like goes out and networks. Really cool couple. We had a blast sitting at Clue Awards. Um, and then I had a moment that came full circle. I saw a woman walk across the stage accepting her crime fighting award. And you might recognize this name, Jenna Lisa Jones, an Epstein survivor. Earlier on Saturday, I was walking upstairs where the crime con, welcome to crime con signage was, and a girl pulled me, like pulled my shoulder while she was walking by and said, Hey, I follow you. Good stuff, thank you. And I said, Thank you, what's your name? And she looked familiar, but I couldn't remember her her name. And she's like, Jenna Lisa. And I was like, okay, I know who that is. Like I know that follower because she engages with me. And I'm like, I okay, and the face and the name matched. I'm like, all right, got it. But I never connected the fact that she was an Epstein survivor. And I was embarrassed because that means I'm not paying as much attention as I should. But for an Epstein survivor to come up to me and thank me for what I do, and that moment brought everything full circle because it made me feel like maybe I do have a voice here in just in little old Pennsylvania. And maybe just one person listening, it does make a difference. And I had read Virginia's book about being an Epstein victim. And it was one of the best books I've ever read. I did a whole podcast episode on it. But I was just shocked when I saw her come across the stage, and earlier that day she had thanked me and told me that she followed me. And I'm it was a full circle because it in that moment at Crime Con, it reminded me of why we go to Crime Con, right? Yes, it's fun to meet the people you watch on TV. It's fun to get your pictures, it's fun to mingle, but it's not fun when you have to hear these devastating stories. It it's not fun. I wouldn't call it fun. But seeing her walk across the stage with two other Epstein victims, survivors. I don't want to call them victims anymore because they're not survivors. It's it was an honor. And you really don't know where your story's reaching. You don't really know who's listening, and I got to see them accept their Crime Fighting of the Year Award. And then Haley, I've become friends with a Facebook, and they're all beautiful women. They've all been through a lot, and they should be very proud of themselves. So you have Jenna Lisa Jones, Haley Robson, and Courtney Wilde. They're Jeffrey Epstein survivors and members of Survivors Inc. They won the 2026 Crime Fighter of the Year Award. And what an honor. And I'm I'm standing there in awe of these women, right? Who who've survived Epstein. They're accepting an award on stage. And when you see one come across the stage, it just stopped you in the hallway. Thanking you. Meanwhile, you find out she went through all of this with Epstein and she's thanking you? And telling you she follows you? I mean, what what? She's very sweet, but my mouth dropped. Like she just stopped me in the hallway. I teared up. And in that moment, I'm having dinner. I I realized maybe we're all in this together. And what I say and do does matter. No one, and I want to stress this: no one at CrimeCon is more important than anybody else. We're all in this together. We're we're all victims, we're all survivors, we're all families that we're supporters or podcasters or news reporters or journalists, creators, authors, advocates, all coming together. And I want to stress something. It does not matter if someone has seven or seven million followers, it does not make anyone more or less important at CrimeCon. It doesn't matter who's who, who sits with who, who got a picture with who, at least in my opinion. And yes, we have fun. It's Crime Con. We love true crime, but we enjoy meeting people. But for me, every person, whether a big name or not, I see all the same. A creator, a speaker, a podcaster. We're all humans with a different and sometimes way cooler job than me, a different story, a mission, and a voice. And that's it. Like, we're all human guys. We've all been through stuff and we we're all individuals. But at the end of the day, we're all the same. I don't see people at Crime Con as celebrities. I don't fangirl, but I support others and I know their stories, private or public, could break me to my knees with what they've seen, witnessed, or experienced. So I'm gonna treat you the same as long as you respect me. A name isn't gonna make me like you any more or less just because you have a quote big name. It's not. I like you for who you are, not what your name is, and I'm honored to have met so many people that care. What matters is we're breaking the silence, guys. We're supporting each other, we're creating a safe community, we're helping each other through every hug, smile, handshake, a like, a share, a comment, a quick kind message. We all have a story, or we all know someone who has a story, and we all support each other. And that is what I love about CrimeCon. We are family. These women are incredibly brave, they're beautiful, and they use their voices, empowering others to do so. So it is an honor to have been stopped in the hallway by an Epstein survivor telling me that she follows me and thanking me. What? That is truly an honor. So after the clue awards, I met up with Gabby Petito's family, and we had some drinks throughout the night. I hung out with Mary, Emma, Nikki, Tara, and Joe, my mom and Aspen, and then I spent some time with Megan again from Silver Landing of Hope. I got to hang out with Lauren and Grayson again. Um, and actually get to know them this time. I met them last year at CrimeCon and at the Gabby Fundraiser. So you might know of Grayson Yore, and she's the producer of Hidden, a True Crime Podcast with Lauren Mathias. So I had met them at the Gabby Petito Fundraiser last year in Long Island, and then actually got to sit and actually talk to them this time, and it was it was really nice. Grayson's so so so fun. I like her. I met some other cool people, and my mom left at 3:30 in the morning to go get on a plane so she can make it today to go film the red carpet event for American Idol. And I want to give a big shout out to my mom. Even though she left CrimeCon, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. She started out taking photos for fun, just practicing playing around when I was a senior in high school. And I asked her, I came home one day, I said, Mom, I'd really like you to make a picture with me with the Hollywood sign in Marilyn Monroe. And my mom and I have always kind of been on the same page. Well, she turns her computer screen and she already had it halfway done. So pivot 20 years later, and she's on now on the red carpet herself, kind of like Hollywood, but this was this was in Nashville. The for the American Idol Red Carpet event, photographing the event. She was chosen to be the photographer. And I am so proud of her. And those who met her at Crime Con, she'll be back in Orlando. So I just want to give a little shout out to her. So she left in the middle of the night, and then Aspen and I had food, and then I went to bed and I slept my entire Sunday away because I was a little hungover because I haven't drank in a while. Overdid it, overdid it that night, and uh didn't come out until about three o'clock. Sat by the fountain out front for a few hours, grabbed some grabbed some food, saw Aspen for a little bit, packed, went back to bed, and then Monday I got up early, had coffee with Aspen, and then got to the airport. And it was the longest day of my life. All I wanted was a Dr. Pepper while in Vegas, and nobody had them. I didn't get a Dr. Pepper till I got on the plane. All day just kept getting delays with my lifts I had to cancel twice. My taxi, my first plane was delayed, my second plane was delayed, then my shuttle getting me from the airport to my car was delayed. It was just like one delay after the next. And sometimes I take that as a sign protecting me from something. And I was gonna stay another night when I got back, and I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna drive home. So I did. I got back from Philly at like 6 a.m. yesterday. It was a really long flight. Too long. And I'm definitely an East Coast girl. West Coast is nice to visit, but I am an East Coast girl hardcore. Thank God the next crime con is in Florida. So now other people can feel what it's like to be a jet lag the whole time. I forgot to mention I needed a little bit of a flip put up my ass the other night. And I don't know if Joe Petito remembers, but I go from like zero to 60 very quickly. And it a lot of it has to do with my trauma, and I'm working on it. But I'm also a very vocal person and I voice my opinion and I stand up for what's what what matters, and I'm passionate about what I believe in is right and wrong. And I can get pretty loud, so to speak. Wow. Joe, to me, is inspiring. A man that stands up and speaks out against domestic violence. Now his daughter is Gabby Petito, but him and her bonus dad, Jim Schmidt, both do an exceptional job. Getting laws changed, training first responders, getting lethality assessments passed, being a voice, being a positive male role model in the community and in the world. And Joe, if you've ever stood in his presence, first, usually he'll always have flip-flops on. Two, if he doesn't, he usually does just won't have shoes on. But if you've ever been in his presence, you would agree that he has this energy where Joe speaks and people shut up. Or Joe walks in and you can hear a pin drop. He just holds the energy. He holds your attention and he speaks. You listen. I don't know what it is. At least that is it's for me, but I've seen other people do it. He's just, he has this presence that he doesn't need to be loud, even though he is sometimes. He doesn't need to be loud or aggressive or an asshole, so to speak, to get his point across. And I had asked Joe, listen, I've had problems with the cops here with my PFA. I got screamed at by a cop and I had to scream back at him. He kind of bullied me. And I'm I want to get things changed, and I lose my shit because I'm just I'm so tired of men just shutting me up or silencing me or making me out to be crazy or dumb. I'm so tired of not being heard. And I feel like if I'm not loud and aggressive, that I'm not gonna be heard. And out of everything we talked about, from what I can remember, because I had a lot of alcohol, he talked to me in the sales world because Joe is in the sales world, right? So he gave me the sales talk, the sales language. And, you know, are people gonna be more receptive of you if you come at them angry, aggressive, you know, ah, like, or are they gonna listen to you if you're soft, you open-minded, you listen, have some sympathy, empathy, respect what they're saying, respect what they're doing, and don't let it get to you. He didn't say those words. That's just what I'm paraphrasing. The message I got was from from it was all that don't go to zero to 60. Sometimes you don't have to be the loudest voice in the room in order to be heard, and your energy is going to make or break it, basically. If you come at someone like an asshole, they're gonna treat you like an asshole. Really is at the end of this. I think that's what he was getting at without saying. But he got on my level because he knows I'm in sales, he's in sales, and sometimes all it takes for someone to get on your level. And because he's a man and he has that that presence. It's Joe Petito, you know. Like I admire him and I tell him this all the time. You know, the first time he ever got on TV and there was a picture of Gabby standing behind him on an easel, and he came out as in a press release, and he said, nothing else matters. And he's pointing at her and he goes, Finding her, that's all that matters right now. Like it's something like that. And I remember watching it live and going, Holy shit, that that guy has like the presence he has. Like he made that whole room stop and listen. Like, she's first, and that's all that matters. Like, assertive, not aggressive, assertive. And sometimes I try to be assertive. I can get a little pushy, and get a little bossy, and sometimes I lose my shit because I can only take so much, just like everybody. I'm a trauma survivor, an abusive survivor. Yes, I have faults. Yes, I react. Sometimes my mouth reacts faster than my brain, and uh, I don't mean to, but I'm used to having to be very loud in order to be heard. But I am learning, the older I get, and the more people I talk to that are more my age and older are starting to choose and pick your battles, what's worth your energy, what isn't. And there's just a different way to approach things. And because of this conversation I had with him the other night, I was able to reflect on something I was going through at the time with somebody and step back for a second and go, whoa, like maybe I'm appro approaching all this wrong. And it made sense in the moment. And because of that, it saved a friendship. And I'm glad Joe was able to talk some sense into me, even if he doesn't remember. It was late, I don't know, but I don't I remember half of it because like I said, I had one too many palomas, but we had a good time, all of us, and I had uh I just needed it. I always learned better from a man. I don't know why, even in school, like I learned better from teachers that were men, just how I am. But that was that was Crime Con. I I don't have a lot of stories about quote the big names because I didn't spend a lot of my time with them this year. Um, you know, I like I'm I talked to a lot of them, but it wasn't my mission to track down Matt Murphy and Chris Hansen and every single person on TV. Like my mission this year was to listen to the podcasters talk, listen to those there to to make a change, pass laws, uh, bust predators, raise awareness on missing people, raise awareness on their missing loved ones. That was why that's why I was at CrimeCon this year. And my goal was to talk to more people in Expo Hall this year. And I did that. And I spent most of my time talking to them because their voices matter just as much as Nancy Gray's. And Nancy will say that. Their stories matter just as much as anybody else's story on Nancy Gray's. Their pain, their suffering, their trauma, their tragedy matters just as much as everybody else on TV. Nobody is more important than the other. Unfortunately, we know how the media is. Some just get more attention, and Joe Petito's the first that will say everybody deserves the same amount of attention Gabby got. And it's the media's fault for that. He didn't do that. It's not their fault that their daughter's case, and they're thankful for it every single day. Because if it wasn't for what happened, they would probably have never found Gabby if it never made the news. And Jen Bethune just happened to have her cameras rolling while in her RV driving by, seeing that Gabby's in. Thank God the media put it out there. But every person deserves the same attention. And and Joe will be the first to tell you that. So that was my experience at CrimeCon this year, a little bit different than last year. Last year was the exciting oh my god, I'm here with 7,000 people that love true crime as much as I do, and I get to meet the people I've been watching on TV since I was little. This year was oh my god. God, I'm in a room full of creators and inspiration and ideas and passion and people trying to help other people. And I'm listening to stories of gut-wrenching pain and stories of women and men who were determined to find their missing loved ones, to get them identified in a room full of people who lost their children and get up every day to get justice and to make a difference for the next generation. That is what I got to experience this year. I got to meet people who have had the worst things happen to them and they get up every day and try to make the world a better place. And that is what I got from Crime Con 2026. So if you guys haven't already, please make sure you check out the Gabby Tito Fate Foundation.org, silver lining of Hope Inc., True Crime with Tiff Klein, Crime Con Orlando. Tickets will go on sale June 8th for the public. And remember, guys, try to at least get the VIP gold if you want to set up front. That that pass, it's the middle one, and I I think it's the best. But if it's your first time, try to try to get the platinum. But you will meet most of the people just walking around, especially in Expo Hall. I didn't have to stay in one meet and greet line all weekend. So you just have to network, navigate, and not be afraid to talk to people. If it's your first time, you can go to Facebook and check out the Crime Con unofficial Facebook page. There's like 9,000 of us in there, and there's so many tips and tricks to how to get through CrimeCon. And it's it's amazing, amazing community. I'm gonna be starting my nonprofit turning the corner of Clients Corner very soon. I'm gonna help raise funds for missing persons and domestic violence. And I'm also gonna be joining the board of somebody else's. I won't announce it until she does. I'm also going to be speaking at the A and Z Hotel in Scranton on June 14th with Voices on Heard. And in this area named Meg, starting, she started a foundation called Voices on Heard, her name's Meg. And I'd met her a few years ago through my friend Phyllis, which is full circle. And she was looking for some speakers for this event, and I told her I would, I would speak and tell my story of domestic violence. And it will be the first time I have spoken about it in this area publicly. So I asked her to have it done like interview style, because that's what I'm used to. And not only will I be speaking, but again, it's at the A and Z Hotel in Scranton, PA on June 14th from 2 to 5. There will also be a Jen Estherline from the Honesdale Police Officer. Um she's a paramedic. Elizabeth Rodriguez, founder of the president of Giving Back to the Community. She'll be speaking. Then there's a special guest, Heather Lane, twin sister of Caitlin Harp. Caitlin Harp was from Bloomsburg, PA. You may remember her case from last June where she went missing. Her body was found in a tote and thrown over a hill on her property that her husband did. Her sister will be speaking. So that's at the ANZ Hotel, Scranton PA, June 14th, 2 to 5. It's an evening of strength, stories, and community. The doors open at 1.30. Please come. It would mean a lot to me if you're able to. Um, and then July 16th through 18th, I will be in Long Island again for the third annual Gabby Batito golf fundraiser volunteering and sponsoring. My friend Aspen is coming as well, so I'm excited for that. I had to unfortunately cancel the Crime Stereo Boston Fest in October because I'm having surgery at the end of the end of July, and I need to save all the extra days I can just in case. But after July, my year kind of slows down a little bit. So I'm gonna be doing a lot more with getting my nonprofit submitted and become legit. And then I'm gonna be focusing more on, I don't know if you guys are familiar, did a three-part episode in season two, Justice for Lala Clark. She's the 15-year-old deaf girl that went missing in Pennsylvania, Wilkesburg, Pennsylvania, my town, in January. And she was found at the end of February, and she was murdered by the hands of her aunt, who had a PFA who was not allowed to be around her. And they found her naked, thrown in the snow in front of a garage. And it's a hard one. I've been posting about that. I've been in contact with their family of spokesperson Candice since day one. Amir Woods, who was just uh Lala's adoptive mom since day one. I thank Missing an American Network for getting flyers out for her when she was missing and the Gabby Petito Missing Foundation page for sharing her story as well. I did get in contact while at Crime Con with Nancy Grace's assistant, who put her number in my phone last year and actually remembered me. She copied me on an email and sent it to Nancy Grace's producer to have my podcast on Nancy Grace's show with Lala's family and or spokesperson. So we're trying to get that out there so Lala's story gets more eyes on it. Um her aunt's arraignment is this summer, and then there's gonna be a trial, and she's facing a lot of charges. So again, it's season two of True Crime with Tiff Klein. There's three episodes for Lala. The last one is me reading that 20-some-page affidavit, and I it is a warning, it is graphic, but I had full permission from her family's advocate to talk about this case word for word. So before I posted anything or said anything, I did get permission, guys. That being said, I am running out of saliva. My throat is dry, and I need to go to bed because I gotta go to work tomorrow. I've been out for two weeks, and I have a big presentation I have to be ready for for Friday. And I just wanted to tell you about my experience before everything calmed down. There's a lot going on in true crime world, but right now I'm focused on voices who need to be heard. You know, we could focus on the big quote cases all day, but a million other people are. So I think with this season three, I'm gonna focus more on local and more on small, small cases that need help. You know, nine million people can talk about these big headlines, but everybody deserves the same. So that's my goal for season three. Stay tuned. More is gonna be coming with Lala Clark, the Gabby Petito Foundation, Silver Hope Lining Foundation, Britney Phillips, and Joanne Lowitzer. I'm trying to get them to CrimeCon 2027, so please share their GoFundMe that I started. Join the Crime Con unofficial Facebook group, and I will see you later, guys. Just remember, this is true crime with Tiff Klein. We're gonna keep giving criminals the disrespect they deserve.