CrowdSolve Seattle Event Recap

When the idea for CrowdSolve began to take shape, we knew it would be a much different event from our regular annual CrimeCon convention. Rather than rotating between distinct sessions from hour to hour, CrowdSolve participants would focus on one real-life cold case with crash courses in key investigative fundamentals. The days would be longer and more intense with one clear goal: to find answers for the grieving families of Nancy Moyer and Karen Bodine. 

We quickly learned exactly how differently this event would go at Thursday night badge pick-up and registration. After verifying their registration and issuing their badge, I directed attendees to the Fifth Ave. banquet room for our opening night reception. A surprising number of attendees asked, “Oh, is that mandatory? May I just pick up the case file and go read in my room?”

That’s when I knew this crowd was not messing around. 

Still, there are worse things than free food and a well-stocked bar,. Most attendees seemed to enjoy the reception before filing into the Grand Ballroom. CrowdSolve Chief Investigator and host Art Roderick kicked off the weekend with an appearance by Oxygen’s powerhouse investigative journalist Stephanie Bauer as she introduced their new web series Searching For. Attendees were treated to a pleasant surprise: an advance premiere screening of episode one, which features Nancy Moyer’s baffling disappearance.

The evening’s main event, Hide & Seek: Behind the Scenes, brought the podcast’s host James Baysinger, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mickey Hamilton, Nancy’s ex-husband Bill and daughter Sam Moyer, and Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier. Hide & Seek podcast dedicated its first season to Nancy’s disappearance and Baysinger worked alongside each of the people onstage during the production process. 

The session revealed some of the scariest - and most amusing - situations Baysinger found himself in while recording the show. It was surprising to learn how much old fashioned pavement-pounding Baysinger did to find new information about Nancy's disappearance. We as podcast consumers can often overlook the truly difficult and time-consuming work that podcasters do to deliver their product, but this behind-the-scenes glimpse gave CrowdSolve attendees a unique new perspective about their favorite pods.

As attendees filed out the doors after the session, nearly all of them inquired again about when they could get started reading and working.

“We consider CrowdSolve attendees to be our fellow investigators,” Det. Hamilton said in a previous interview. When attendees walked through the doors on day two, they became CrowdSolve Investigators. Since rookie detectives have a lot to learn, we began by hearing from three prominent experts in various investigative disciplines: perpetrator profiling with Dr. Maurice Godwin, an in-depth analysis of the Eric Roberts confession with statement analysis expert Mark McClish, and a detailed examination of the timeline with Art Roderick and Det. Hamilton.

“This is a lot to absorb before lunch,” I heard one Investigator whisper to her partner. I grinned, because I knew Roderick was about to drop a bombshell as he introduced the next session.

“We’re supposed to talk about persons of interest now,” Roderick said. “We’re going to talk about one in particular.” He then welcomed Aaron Huntley, the POI everyone loves to hate, to the stage to a chorus of hesitant but respectful applause. Huntley was a polarizing and charismatic character who appeared on the Hide & Seek podcast to explain his sexual relationship with Nancy Moyer. Huntley, to his credit, was composed and confident, facing down tough questions from Roderick, Baysinger, and CrowdSolve Investigators. 

After lunch, the real work began.

Investigators broke into three groups and retreated to separate rooms to complete breakout work in the areas of perpetrator profiling, statement analysis, and the timeline of Nancy’s disappearance. 

Armed with the crash course knowledge they had just learned from our renowned experts, the groups narrowed down their lists of POIs based on the perpetrator profile and witness statements from the unsealed case files. The groups reconvened to share their findings with Det. Hamilton, who will incorporate their recommendations into the open investigation. 

The highlight of the Moyer investigation was observing the strength and composure with which Nancy’s ex-husband Bill and 19-year-old daughter Sam carried themselves. With 300 strangers asking difficult questions about their loved one - from her sexual partners to potential drug use - Bill and Sam answered anything asked of them with poise and grace. 

“It’s hard,” said Sam when I chatted with her. “But it’s all to help find her, so it’s worth it.” She shared some memories of her mother with me, such as the tattoo of pink flowers Nancy had on her hip - and the matching tattoo Sam has to honor her mother.

I’m proud to say I made it back to my room that evening before bursting into tears.

At the end of Day Two, we officially switched gears from the Nancy Moyer disappearance to the unsolved homicide of Karen Bodine with a reception for Karen’s family. Many Investigators didn’t linger long this time, though - the Karen Bodine case packets (in a swanky file folder courtesy of Oxygen) were waiting outside the reception for Investigators to read overnight.

Day Three welcomed bleary-eyed but energetic Investigators to their longest day yet - nearly ten solid hours of 101s, group work, and rotations. Statement analysis expert Mark McClish returned to give Investigators a crash course in deceptive language; crime scene analyst Karen Smith taught the fundamentals of crime scene investigation; and Snohomish County Medical Examiner Chelsea Warneke explained how autopsies are conducted and what the ME looks for in terms of evidence. 

"One thing I didn't expect and I appreciate so much is how accessible all of the experts are," an Investigator said to me during a break. "They genuinely want to hear our opinions and thoughts no matter how 'ridiculous' it may be. It's great to know we're being taken seriously."

This is something we pride ourselves on during our annual CrimeCon event, as well. Unlike a typical fan convention, CrimeCon attendees are able to rub elbows with their favorite speakers and podcasters. The best conversations are had after hours at the hotel bar or while sharing a table during the annual VIP dinner. 

Let it never be said that these Investigators didn’t earn their lunch each day. Just before breaking for lunch, Karen Bodine’s children Taylor, Karlee, and Tanner joined Art Roderick on stage to share their memories about their mother with the crowd. 

All three wear their hearts on their sleeves in different ways: Taylor is soft-spoken but persistent, Karlee is direct and determined that people remember her mother as more than a victim, Tanner is quiet but articulate. 

It was a powerful experience. Many Investigators had never met or had a conversation with a victim's family. Some Investigators lined up to ask questions. Some just offered hugs as the Bodines made their way through the room. There was barely a dry eye in the house as Investigators departed for lunch.

When they returned, Investigators again broke into their groups to rotate through sessions to analyze the Bodine crime scene with Karen Smith, better understand the manner of death with Dr. Bill Smock, head of the Training Institute for Strangulation Prevention, and to create a perpetrator profile with Dr. Maurice Godwin. After these whirlwind sessions - which contained extremely sensitive and difficult case material never seen by the public- the groups created a timeline of events leading up to the discovery of Karen’s body before calling it a day.

The day wasn’t finished for VIP badgeholders, though. The VIP dinner kicked off at 8:00, welcoming VIP badgeholders to share a dinner table with the experts and families.  They were treated to a surprise appearance by Christopher Barbour, a forensic sketch artist with a twist - he claims to receive information about the suspects in a case intuitively, with little to no knowledge of the case beforehand. His sketches have helped open leads in cold cases and more than a few high-profile cases such as the murder of Skylar Neese by her teenage best friends.

Provided with only a picture of Nancy and Karen, Barbour sketched the men he believed to be the perpetrator in each case in front of the VIP audience before comparing them to known POIs. While many in the audience believed they found a match in the Nancy Moyer case, the sketch of Karen Bodine’s killer was not immediately recognizable. (Note: While Karen's family and dinner attendees were able to view the sketches, for confidentiality reasons, we have not released them to the public.)

Day Four began promptly at 9:00 am as groups worked to narrow down the list of POIs who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill Karen Bodine. One group got a frustrating glimpse into the detective life when they discovered a page missing from their case packet. Further investigation revealed that the page has been missing from the TCSO file for quite some time. “Welcome to life as a cold case investigator,” joked Karen Smith as she broke the bad news to the group.

"I truly learned what goes on at the detective's desk," said CrowdSolve Investigator Amanda A. "It seems so easy to solve a case when you're watching a 2-hour documentary from your couch and you don't see the huge amount of work and frustration that goes on behind the scenes."

As groups provided their reports to Det. Hamilton, the twisted and tangled nature of the case became evident: there is no shortage of suspects and witnesses, but the few who did talk to detectives provided unverifiable information. Still, the groups were able to identify two witnesses as possible “weak links” who probably had more information and may crack if re-interviewed now, 12 years after Karen’s death.

With MMOs complete, groups again broke into separate rooms to begin their final reports. "This is why we're here," one group leader cheered, recognizing the waning energy level of her cohorts. "This is where the rubber meets the road, people. Let's get to work!" 

It was exactly the boost the group needed to power through the home stretch. With the help of professional facilitators, the groups began to identify the specific questions that should be answered and actions to be taken to move the case forward. 

These actions and questions became tangible, workable ideas and recommendations that TCSO should take to breathe new life into the case, such as re-testing evidence for DNA using the new-to-market MVAC machine, re-interviewing key witnesses, and offering a reward for information, even testing soil compositions found on Karen's body.

The groups lined up to issue their marching orders to a gracious and appreciative Det. Hamilton at the end of a long, life-altering weekend. As we wrapped the event, I felt like I knew almost everyone in the crowd. New friends exchanged hugs and phone numbers (or Snapchats or however people communicate these days). Diehard fans lined up to speak to the experts with just one more question or theory. 

It looked and felt like the ending of an annual CrimeCon, celebratory and happily exhausted. While Investigators know that Karen and Nancy’s killer is still out there, there was a sense of triumph in the air. CrowdSolve Investigators delivered dozens of new leads that Det. Hamilton is investigating. They learned valuable information about the investigative process that challenged their assumptions about how cases are solved. "I'll never watch CSI the same way again," I overheard as Investigators filed out of the room (P.S. - Sorry to ruin that for you!)

Most importantly, CrowdSolve Investigators have generated movement in two cases that were frozen in time for too long. As the case moves forward, Investigators will receive updates from Det. Hamilton and TCSO. Team CrimeCon has budgeted for new DNA testing and other procedures and will continue to collaborate with Thurston County Sheriff’s Office as those needs arise.

I overheard Karlee Bodine tell Det. Hamilton “At the end of the day, our family has more answers now than we did.” That’s what we set out to do: deliver answers to families who have spent more than a decade without knowing what happened to their loved ones.

Three hundred people walked into the room four days prior hoping to find the people who killed Nancy Moyer and Karen Bodine - yet knowing they likely wouldn’t. They showed up anyway. They worked to exhaustion. And given half a chance, I believe every single person in that room would do it again.