S2E13 - She Won’t Stop Looking: Nicole Brooks on Hailey Athay

When someone goes missing, the world moves on—but families don’t.

In this episode, we speak with Nicole Brooks, the mother of Hailey Athay, who shares the reality of living in the unknown. Nicole walks us through the details she knows, the questions that still linger, and how Hailey’s disappearance has changed her life forever.

We also explore the importance of community support and advocacy in keeping cases like Hailey’s alive. This is a raw and powerful conversation about grief, strength, and a mother’s determination to find answers.

Music License - RLPXBMPF8JNDDLQ7

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

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

SPEAKER_01 0:46

And I'm Michael.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Today we're joined by Nicole Brooks, Haley's mom. Nicole has been living every parent's worst nightmare since the day her daughter disappeared. She isn't just here to revisit painful memories. She's here to speak for Haley, to keep her name alive, and to make sure her story is never forgotten. Nicole, thank you for trusting us with your voice and with your daughter's story, and welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Thank you, Alisa. Thank you for for having me. We we appreciate the coverage that you guys are providing for Haley and her story. We're very appreciative.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Yes, we and we love partnering with you and we hope what we're doing helps.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

All right, so before we get into it, um, you know, we want to have our kind of icebreaking questions game. And so Elisa, you want to kick us off?

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Okay, Nicole, first question. Haunted houses, yes or no? No. I used to be a no. However, uh, my daughter's birthday is around Halloween. And so one of the things we started doing was going to haunted houses. And I reluctantly went, right, Michael? Um, and over time I was like, oh, it's actually kind of fun, but I didn't get to that right away. So, Michael, do you want to talk about how that was for you originally?

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Yeah, haunted houses are one of my favorite things because um it's not even for the haunted house, honestly. It's because Elisa and Emma are so terrified of them that when we when we go through it, you know. I mean, Elisa wears me like a backpack. And um, and then what I often do is try once I had an opportunity to break away, I'll break away and go down a hallway and just watch them try to get through it. And it's it's watching the terror on their face is one of my personal, you know, my favorite parts of it, that entertainment.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Yeah. That sounds like something my husband would do, and I would be livid. Um I have much too vivid of an imagination at night time to be able to I will have nightmares. Um I can't do it. Yeah, too much for me.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

And I talk my way through it. I'm like, I see you, I see, I know you're there. You're not gonna scare you didn't scare me.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

And they still they still scare every time.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Terrible, terrible. Okay. Um, next question. What is a completely useless talent that you have?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Um gosh. A useless talent. Um I don't know. Uh I can't think of any.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Well, how about we go and maybe that'll spark something? All right, that'll help. Okay, Michael, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Um, I was a project manager, and so I think that's pretty useless.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

That's your useless talent.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

That's my useless talent. I'm very good at it. That's your career. I don't I don't like it, and um, I try to move on from it.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

I thought you were gonna say something about being ambidextrious.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Like I I can do that one, but I thought the the project management would be funnier because people are thinking that that's a useless talent. That's definitely useless.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

But I I will say it is pretty cool because Michael does some things left-handed and some things right-handed. So for example, he's very much into fishing and fly fishing. And one of the reasons we went to the Pacific Northwest Northwest several years ago. So he taught me how to fish, but he taught me how to fish the way he fishes, which I guess is backwards from the way most people fish.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah, I fly fish left-handed.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

And so we have to turn wheels around. And then my dad is left-handed and he taught me how to tie my shoes. And I didn't realize until much later in life someone was like, You're tying your shoes backwards, that it's because a left-handed person taught me to tie my shoes, which is backwards, I guess, right? So yeah, exactly. That's right, not right, left. So for me, it's really dumb and it's weird and it's useless, but I can flip my tongue around both ways, and I can also whistle really loudly with like four fingers. So it's super dumb. And no one cares. Oh, there see, there you go. She's got that useless talent too. There you go. Yeah. Okay, so did that spark a memory for you?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Uh sure. Um I can't whistle blowing out. I can only whistle fucking in.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

There we go. Wait, I can't I got nothing.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Oh that's actually not bad at all.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Very good.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

She's put together backwards. I was installed wrong, is what that is.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

That I'm gonna practice that. The next time we go on a long ride, I'm gonna make sure I can do that. But it's see, there we go. This is how we learn about people. Okay. Last question. What did you want to be when you were little?

SPEAKER_00 5:33

A lawyer. So good. I always wanted to go to law school and uh you know, I just didn't come from a family that could afford it. So uh my second best option was my love of math. So I became an accountant.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Very two very detailed things, right? Right. That follow us very well, I think accountants follow a structure. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

I think it's called math.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Math structure. Yeah, everything has to balance, right? Everything needs to reconcile. So where you put one number on the, you know, on the expense side, you know, then you take it out of the asset side or the liability side or you know, everything it in the end balances. So uh, you know, that strict making sure that everything is in the boxes they're supposed to be in. So uh, you know, it's really good at categorization. Don't expect me to do math on my head. We have calculators for that. But um, you know, as far as accounting for your finances, uh, I'm great as long as they're not my own.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

So, Michael, I have a question for you. Would you like to have Nicole or me as your accountant?

SPEAKER_01 6:44

I definitely think it'd be Nicole.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Why? Why can't I be your accountant?

SPEAKER_01 6:49

Um that's I think we probably shouldn't go on go into that on the air. But yeah, it's just definitely keeping track of money is not your not your forte.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

And putting things in boxes and back where they're supposed to be and that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

So she's the same person that, you know, when you open up the refrigerator, if you want something, you better check all the lids because they're probably not tight. And so if you pick them up, you're gonna spill them everywhere because evidently tightening the lid is a challenge.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Right. And mine are are nicely packed with each food in its own container because I don't like my food to touch and all nicely organized in the refrigerator so that you can find it. Wow. Yeah, and don't waste it.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

No, I'm coming over to your house.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Wow. Yeah, that is not me at all. Michael, how about you? What what did you want to be when you with me?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

I was always into zoology. And so even as a kid, I would go around and catch bugs and frogs and all kinds of stuff, and then even started that in high school and college, and then then somehow got into computers and left zoology behind. So I sometimes I regret that decision.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

And didn't you bring all kinds of weird critters into your grandma's house? And didn't a bug fly into her juice or something?

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Yeah, there was uh there was a giant water beetle that I had in one of my tanks, and you know, I I didn't know it flew it could fly. I I'd not studied it well enough, and so it actually flew out and then ended up somehow in her coffee cup that she would leave out um every morning. And then, of course, I heard this blood curdling scream come from the kitchen, and I'm like, oh, I now know where the bug is. And so it's in certain of it was in her coffee cup.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Mm-hmm. Sounds like uh Kayla, who's the uh Haley's oldest daughter that that I have raised and uh sh any kind of animals. Uh last week, uh my husband's mother is raising and releasing monarch butterflies, and now she wants us to buy milkweed that we can plant so it'll attract the native butterflies so that she can watch them go through uh go through, you know, the cocoon and uh apparently this milkweed attracts them. So I didn't know. If there's anything to know about animals, I love flying. She's the kid to tell you. She she looks up everything before she even talks about it, so she knows her facts. And then she schools my husband and I all the time. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

That's amazing. Mine isn't as as cool as that. I wanted to be a stewardess. Oh, because I I still do love flying. I like the whole thing about getting your backpack out and packing your clothes, and I like going to the like I like it all. Um, but I'm terrible at hospitalities.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Well, no, that would have been a horrible stewardess. Yeah, she talks about I I want to be a stewardess, I'm like, but you don't like people. And so that's gonna that's gonna be problematic.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

That would have been the worst. I would have been great as long as people didn't need something. If they just wanted to talk and kind of stuff, that'd be great. But like get me a pillow, I'd be like, what? It's right there. Right. Your own. Exactly. So probably good that I I didn't go in. Well, actually, if I was gonna go into hospitality in my freshman year of college, I went to University of Denver to do hotel and restaurant management.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Yeah, yeah, and Nicole, you gotta hear this. This is my favorite part of the story. I'm not even gonna let her tell it. I'm gonna tell it.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

No.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Um would you like to know why she didn't go into that?

SPEAKER_00 10:03

And and why is that?

SPEAKER_01 10:05

She didn't go into that, but the classes were too early. It was at 7 30 in the morning. She so she changed her major to go to nine o'clock.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

I didn't want to get up that early. I was like, what? 7 30? That's silly. Yep. I didn't yes. Well, actually, I changed the entire school because that school I was going to was boring and I wanted to go to a fun school, so I completely transferred schools and did something completely different. Yes. Yeah, so there we go. Okay. Good thing a lot of us wouldn't have lasted. All right. Well, thank you for that. Um, I think it's good that we we have a little joy because you know this topic is is hard to talk about um and obviously very personal for you. So thank you for kicking us off with a little bit of fun. We really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

All right, so let's talk about Haley. And we just want to give you an opportunity to tell people what you want them to know about Haley.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

So uh Haley was born in Yakima. Um, but we moved back to my hometown of Longview when she was very young, uh, then moved back to Yakima and back to Longview, so back and forth on the east and the west side of Washington State. Um, but we moved back to Longview uh when she was about in the seventh grade. Um, and that's where uh we had stayed um, you know, for the rest of her youth. Uh Haley was always a bit of a wild child. She she just had a wild spirit and and we loved that about her. We embraced that about her. Um, she was uh your typical older sister to her brother and sister, and uh loved to pick on them as the oldest um until uh I had uh married a man that also had three children and she was no longer the oldest. Um and so got to kind of learn what it was like to get picked on. But um, you know, Haley grew up to be just very loving and very open. She fought fiercely for those that she loved and cared about. She, you know, was kind and generous, um, you know, sometimes to a fault. Um, you know, I I remember uh she was about 10 years old and I let her dye her bangs purple. And um, you know, some of my other friends, you know, her friends as moms were like, I can't believe you let her dye her hair. And I said, if that is the worst thing my kid does, I've done a damn good job. I am not gonna worry about colored hair. So um, so you know, we we embraced the fact that she just loved to be a little bit different. And um, you know, and it took her places and it allowed her to be creative. She was uh a very talented artist, um, you know, uh a skill that I absolutely did not pass on to my child. Um, I'm not sure where she got it, but uh we still, you know, we have her art um here at home that that we keep that uh reminds us of of her every day. Um, you know, Haley had her struggles. She was not perfect, you know, just like the rest of us. Um, you know, she had some mental health struggles. Um, she had some trauma in her childhood. She had um grew into um some addiction struggles and had been uh in and out of some treatment facilities over the years. Um, you know, we worked really, really hard to address uh some of those issues, but it seemed like once we got a grasp on one, then you know, another issue would come up and it would undermine the progress made in the first. And and she really, really battled with that. Um, you know, she battled with wanting to be the woman she knew she could be, um, you know, and the and the woman that she was with the people that she loved and the people that loved her, you know, but there was always this, you know, monkey on her back, so to speak, that um, you know, inexplicably called her to, you know, return to the cycle over and over again. And and um, you know, it it made it really hard. It made it hard to, you know, be in constant contact with her. It made her hard for, you know, her children who she didn't want her children to see her like that. Um, and so it it did cost some divide, but it just, you know, it it broke our hearts, and we were just constantly searching for ways that we could reach her and support her. And and that's where her friends came in, friends like Shasta, who could understand some of the things that she'd been through that I had not. Um, and she found solace in those friends, and she found a foundation that she knew, you know, that if she didn't feel like she could come home, she had a place, you know, that was home to her um with her friends that carried her through those times um that were especially difficult. Um so um if you knew Haley, uh you knew that, you know, it was it was all in. All in. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

Yeah, and listening to your story, it reminds me of um my cousin who had similar um struggles in her life. And I just remember watching my aunt and uncle just desperately try to help, you know, and got her graduated from high school and and that was a wonderful celebration. And then, you know, she kind of came off the map for a little while and then she returned. And yeah, all this, you know, obviously there you're that that's your child and you're going to do everything you can possibly do. And I just remember watching just how hard it was. And then there were these really high highs and celebrations, and then these really deep lows, um, you know, for for quite a period of her life. So thank you for sharing um that um so transparently. Um, so can you talk a little bit about sort of your recollections uh about what was going on in Haley's life, like in the days and the months, you know, leading up to when she went missing?

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Yeah. Excuse me. So um, you know, she had been uh with a man um that uh she had a child with, and um, you know, continued she got clean for a while, and she had um she had a child and got to keep that child, and she uh was doing well and she was staying clean and they were making a life for one for you know each other. And um we know that there was some legal issues, uh there was, you know, a drawback into addiction. Um and uh she ended up giving birth to another child. Um and that was uh almost exactly one year before she went missing. Um and that was really the last time we were able to uh try to try to get her into you know another another treatment program. And so to say that uh we hadn't heard from her on a regular basis at that time, um, that wasn't unusual because when she was using, she would try to stay away from her children, but she never stayed away from Shasta, she never stayed away from that core group of women. And so, you know, when the holidays came and there was no word from Haley, she hadn't reached out to wish the girls a Merry Christmas or a happy birthday. Um, we knew then that something was wrong because even in the depths of her addiction, she would show up for those things. Um, and that's when we realized that something had happened and um started sounding the alarm on social media at first. Um, you know, hey, has anybody seen Haley? Um and and very, very quickly um things took, you know, things that were being said took a very, very dark turn. Um, it was not very long, maybe two weeks, before rumors that um she had been murdered, that she had been kidnapped, that she had been uh was being held as a sex slave. There were um, you know, uh people coming forward with all kinds of uh street rumors um and information. Um, you know, she was reported as a missing person in January of last year, um, where the Kellitz County Sheriff's Office um took the case and began trying to build a timeline of uh of what had happened. And so that's kind of uh how we got up to her being reported as a missing person and started um the search for her.

SPEAKER_02 19:28

Are you aware of um any evidence that was found that maybe could have ruled any of those? You talked about three um potential scenarios, and I would imagine there were probably many more swirling around social media. But when the um when law enforcement um became involved, were they able to rule any of those completely out or lean more towards one or anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 19:54

So we we do know, and it's been uh confirmed that uh she she was dropped off at uh a Chevron station in Lexington, which is on the outskirts of Kelso, Washington, uh, where she was then picked up by um Nick, and uh they drove to Rose Valley, which is on the other outskirts of of Kelso, um in the foothills. Um there's we're a big uh logging and paper mill industry area, and so we have a lot of timberland, stateland, uh, very wooded areas in this part of the country here. So what we know is they met with a third party at the bottom of Rose Valley Road, uh, where um Nick and that person proceeded to use drugs. Um, it was stated to me that Haley did not um at that time. They were in a red truck, and when they parted ways with that person, they headed up to Rose Valley Road to go mushroom picking. What we know is that Nick came out alone on foot. Without the Jeep, right? Without the truck and without Haley. Um, we know that the truck was recovered up there before in the month of December. So before we realized Haley was missing and they found it was stolen and returned it to its owner who is in Kent, Washington. You know, my first question is, you know, what happened? What happened to the truck? What happened to Haley? This is a a person who grew up in a small town called Tootle, which is ironically where my family's from. Nick and our family come from the same set of um ancestors, brothers, uh the Finkus brothers from the Tootle. Uh his side of the family. Came from one brother, and my side of the family came from the other brother. So they were actually blood relatives. But we don't know exactly what happened to the truck. We do know that it was once the police had connected the dots, they did go get that truck and searched it. Um, to my knowledge, there wasn't anything left in that vehicle that was usable at that point. Um also, you know, video footage from the minute marts, a lot of those only keep them for 30 days. So we didn't have, you know, we had to rely on firsthand stories. And unfortunately, a lot of what we got was secondhand stories. People were too afraid to come forward, but they would tell someone else. And um, you know, and as much as information is is valuable, it limits what the police can do. Um, you know, they have laws that they have to follow. They have, you know, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, right? So they can't just like go out and say, hey, buddy, you know, knock on your door and say, I heard that you did this. Um, so there's a lot of frustration, you know, where we feel like they're not doing anything, but we don't have enough information to, you know, to get them to do more. Um we know that uh Nick has admitted to, according to his words, he lost her out in the woods. He turned his back or she wandered off, which is odd because he was known for being a woodsman. He knew his way around those woods from Rose Valley to Windlock, uh, miles, acres, all the back roads, logging roads, and he was familiar with all that, uh, which is not unusual for boys born and raised out in the country in those hills. And so uh I don't buy it. I don't buy it for a second.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

Well, one one question I have, I I want I want to go back to the truck for a second. Was there any explanation on why the vehicle was left behind?

SPEAKER_00 24:08

No, not that I'm aware of, no.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

So he came out on foot and then he just said, Oh yeah, I know where the vehicle is, it's in there, and I just left it. Like what was his he had no reason at all?

SPEAKER_00 24:19

No, he had somebody else come pick him up. When he came out on foot, he called another person, a woman, who came and picked him up from Rose Valley. He was on foot and without Haley. Whether or not that woman knew that he'd gone in there with Haley or in a vehicle, I don't know, to be honest. I don't know what she knew other than he asked her to pick him up at the bottom of the hill.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

So um Which is interesting because I th I didn't realize this until this interview that he didn't just become separated from Haley, he became separated from the vehicle as well.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

And then he had no real, as far as we know, have no real explanation for that. That seems strange.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

Correct. And I don't have an answer for that, unfortunately. I wish I did. It's entirely possible that you know she was lured out there and there was somebody already out there. It's entirely possible that he did something to her. It's entirely possible that again, rumors are it's not the first time he's left a woman in the woods. We had three women come forward who also said that he had taken them out to the woods and left them. So based on that, you know, I can only come to my own conclusion.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Understood.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

I heard you say that a lot of the information you're getting is secondhand because people are reporting that they are afraid. Do do you have an idea of what they're afraid of?

SPEAKER_00 25:53

You know, I yes and no. I mean, some of the things I can't tell you how brutal some of the rumors were, things that people were saying had happened. I can't tell you how dark that world is. Um, I haven't been a part of that. Um, you know, the the drug use and the trafficking and and and all of that stuff that we hear about, right? We hear about it on the news or we hear about it here and there, but you know, I don't know how many of us really have have understood what that looks like. And I'm one of those people. I don't understand how people can can treat other people that way. It's just not in me to to take somebody and leave them in the woods, or to be cruel to someone, or you know, I it it just blows my mind. Like, how can somebody do that? There aren't words. I don't know what to do. Yeah, there are. Like, who does that?

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Yeah, I can hear, and I remember when we were talking to um Shasta, and I think it was Ashley, um, this gap between potentially when Haley actually went missing and when you guys were able to come to that realization and make file that missing person's report. And I want to go back to this truck for a minute. And so it the truck was was obviously located before you all. I mean, I think the red flags were kind of starting to come up at that time. But do you know what did someone just randomly find the truck or do you know how it was recovered?

SPEAKER_00 27:36

Not specifically. I know that things started getting shared on social media about a red truck looking something like this. Um, I don't remember, you know, I'm it was pickup to my recollection. Um and then um I received a uh message from the sheriff that had said, um, hey, we recovered this truck um when I put the dot when I was able to connect the dots um that Nick was the one driving that truck, and we'd searched the truck and we didn't find anything. That is all the information I'd been provided.

SPEAKER_02 28:19

But you knew that there was a truck because it well, that's not the pick that was the one that was seen on camera at the Chevron station. So there was a truck, but you guys they put the pieces together and then contacted you. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Well, they contacted us after it started coming out on social media. So um let me make it clear. The Sheriff's Department has not been forthcoming with information. They don't provide updates. Oftentimes when we ask, um, it's oh, it's not that, oh, we've already looked at that. And quite frankly, because they aren't sharing, I don't know how much they've done or not done. I don't know if they're telling me the truth. I don't know if they're um just not doing anything because of her circumstances. Um I I I don't know. I don't have a whole lot of faith that much is being done to really investigate this, other than, well, she's a missing person. If she shows up, you know, at one point the detective told me hopefully she'll show up in a hotel in Portland somewhere. And I just thought, are you serious? Like that's the that's the uh positive silver lining that could happen in this, like really?

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Um, that's that's hard to hear about your child.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

It's something that I can speak about one of our one specifically, one of our moms whose son has been missing for about 14 months. And she's what you are saying are almost her exact same words. I don't know what's going on, no one's contacting me, I don't know what they're doing. I feel like maybe they're not paying attention because he had some substance abuse issues. It's getting very, I think at one point as we continue this journey, I was kind of confused when those things happen. And then I was real sad that families weren't getting what I think they should have. And now I'm just angry. The more this keeps happening, the more angry I'm getting. Um I don't understand. I don't get the the actively withholding information from people, from family members, specifically moms, specifically in our other story. And so one of the things that we always do is reach out to law enforcement. We request as much information as we can, and we send very, we send a lot of emails and make a lot of phone calls. Um, and in our case here in Waucala County with this uh man Ian that has been missing um for a almost a year and a half now, we we've actually been able to get in front of meet in person with the lead investigator on his case. Now it took us several months to get to that point. But we one of the things that we feel is really important is inserting ourselves into that push to get information from law enforcement.

SPEAKER_01 31:30

Yeah, one thing that we always encourage, and we're gonna encourage you now, is you know, there's no limit on the pressure that you need to put on law enforcement to get what you need. All the cases that we've been involved in, it's taken an immense amount of pressure for them to even return a phone call. Highly, highly frustrating. But we've also, several of the you know, subject matter experts that we've had on the show that were, you know, that involved in various meth you know, organizations like the FBI and things like that, they've indicated to us that that's how it's done. That you have to you have to become the buzzing fly that just will not go away. And whenever you do that, you know, they'll ignore you for a while and you you right about the time you're gonna give up is when they start talking. Um, and so I'm just gonna encourage you to do that.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Well, and hopefully maybe this will get them to to do something. I mean step one. Yes, keep in mind I have to I have to say that we do have some people here in this area uh that think that they are detectives or PIs and and would call daily with wild goose chases. Um which was very frustrating because it felt like it was impeding, you know, things that we we knew had already been done, but we didn't let the public know because, you know, in any investigation, right, they want to keep some of those details um so that it doesn't uh what's the word so that it doesn't um hinder the prosecution by having all of the details out in the public, right? So I don't know how much is being kept because perhaps it stumbled into something else. I I again I don't know. And there's there's so many names and so many people that you know well this person and that person. Um, you know, for me, the only person that has said anything and who has said yes, I was there with her was Nick. And so that's the only name that I'm willing, comfortable sharing in public is that he said he went there, he said he took her there, he said he was with her, and he said he left her. And right there for me means that he's got culpability here. You know, people don't just go dump people in the woods. Like humans, it it it's just not natural. And oh kind of evil would protect somebody to do that.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

It's always either should be I should say and the person closest to someone who's missing, like their spouse or whatever, and or the last person to see them who law enforcement needs to really do their due to due diligence to make sure that they can exclude them as a possible suspect. What do you think from the limited information that we have? I mean, I I feel like he should have at least been named as a person of interest or like what's missing? What do you think is is I mean, obviously sometimes we have these situations where law enforcement won't do anything until they find the person we're looking for. But I mean I mean well we we don't know that she's dead or alive.

SPEAKER_03 34:56

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

We don't have a body, we don't have a crime scene. We have hundreds of thousands of acres of timberland that that cannot physically be searched. They have searched with canines at some specific, I believe three or four specific places, one being the place that Nick says he left her. And there was no sign whatsoever that she was ever there. Um so you know, again, I'm sure he was misdirecting as to where they went or didn't go. Um but there's no way to no way to tell. Um, you know, he could have gone all the way up through the warehouse or gates and all the way miles, like 30, 40, 50 miles of the freeway on those logging roads up there.

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Can you talk about the nature of their relationship? Did she know him? Were were they new to each other?

SPEAKER_00 36:00

Um well um as far as I don't know that they were in a mutually exclusive relationship, from what I understand. There was some fickering with other girls over this over Nick. Um, I think that it was more of an advantageous relationship for the both of them that most likely involved being physical, but I can't tell you that with any certainty. Um, but they from what I understand, they were dating, and she bickered with some of her friends that she'd known for quite some time about, I guess one of the other girls had dated him too, kind of a thing. Um, and so a lot of rumors swirled around her and this other girl that she had known since her teenage years. Um, and a lot of accusations were made against the other girl who, ironically, about the same time disappeared and was later found in Arizona. So, and there were rumors associated with that as well. But um, again, uh I don't have any evidence to back up anything that uh has been alleged. Um, and that girl won't be me and she won't speak to Shasta. And that tells me that she has something to hide.

SPEAKER_02 37:30

Talk to us about um the community support that's happened um to try to keep, you know, this story in the forefront and support you all.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

So uh to be honest with you, I didn't think we would get any. Um, you know, when this all when we realized that that something was really amiss, you know, I told Chester, I said, we're not rich and she has a history of addiction. Nobody's going to cover this story. Nobody's going to keep her name out there. I said, we're going to be on our own. And and that has not been entirely true. Um I KGW News out of Portland, Oregon, um, has done two interviews. Um the local newspaper, the Daily News in Longview, covered um a candlelight vigil that we had for her 34th birthday uh there in Longview. Um we have several uh social media groups and pages that are constantly um sharing our posts, continuing to share her story, to say her name, to show her picture. Um significantly more than I thought um we would get. And we are incredibly grateful um for that.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

And I believe the Facebook group is called Bring Haley Home. Did I get it right? Well, correct. Okay. Bring Haley home. So we want all of our listeners to make sure that they're joining that Facebook page. You know, one, because the more people you have in there, the I I I believe that you feel that support of people joining that group. And two, because we've heard this story now a couple of times of someone close to Haley and close to Nick who was actually found in another state, not even a close state. Like that's pretty far. Um, and you know, we have listeners, well, what in like every continent now except for Antarctica? Yeah, that's pretty much it. The right one. So, you know, we have people listening all over, and um, you know, we want all of our listeners to join that Facebook page um and just keep your eyes open. I I know that Shasta does an amazing job. She's sending us some t-shirts, which I'm really excited about. Um and we can wear our t-shirts all over the country, as a matter of fact.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

So um we appreciate that. I mean, you know, it is very possible that there are co-conspirators, there are people that could have left the area that we're not aware of that might say something in another state to another person, and that might be the piece that we need. Um, and so just having this information out there, having her face out there, her name, her story, um, you know, we don't know where that can carry. And and we've seen social media do some amazing things, right? Like that's right now that's what we have our hope in. Um, we have a small fund um for a reward. We have, you know, I think$1,500 um leading to information that would lead us to her. And unfortunately, that uh initially that led to a lot of wild goose chases, but it hasn't led to a lot. But we do have that available and we have had people offer to match portions of what we've raised. Um and so hopefully that will continue to grow if you know we do get viable information that helps us find her.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

And just so that we can name it for our listeners, is it we will always tell everyone that we speak to, if there is anything that we do that leads to um us getting this reward money, we we are not taking it. We will give it back, we give it to the family um and to do what they want um with it. So we're not in it to get that reward money. Um, we're in it to give you hope and to help you get some answers. Thank you. Yeah, of course. Thank you. So as we kind of wrap up, is there anything that you wanted to share about Haley that we did not give you an opportunity to talk about?

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Oh, this is the part where, you know, a lot of people forget. In about 10 minutes, I'll say, Oh, I wish I I wish I had said this. Um, you know, at the end of the day, you know, Haley is my daughter. She's my firstborn. We love her. We love her girls. Just three beautiful children that want their mother to come home. You know. We truly feel that you know, she can still be out there. Um you know, some people don't believe that there is any hope, but uh but I have to. I have to cling to the hope that she's still out there somewhere, and she needs to know that we're still looking. That we haven't stopped, that we haven't given up on her. And we won't. Until we're able to bring her home.

SPEAKER_02 42:55

You've been listening to Tragedy, a true crime podcast. Our purpose is to honor victims by sharing their stories through the voices of friends, family, and those whose lives were forever changed. If today's episode resonated with you, we encourage you to subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast so these important stories continue to be heard. Together, we can preserve their memories and ensure their voices are never forgotten. If you have ideas for cases we should cover or questions about what you heard, you can connect with us through our Facebook group, Tragedy a True Crime Podcast, on X at Tragedy Podcast, by email at TragedyAt True Crime Podcast at gmail.com, or by visiting our website www.tragedy a true crime podcast.com. Thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time.