Kristal Reisinger: Part 3 - Dead Men Still Talk
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Up and Vanished in the Midnight Sun is intended for mature audiences and may include topics that can be upsetting, such as emotional, physical, and sexual violence, rape, and murder. The names of survivors have been changed for anonymity purposes. Testimony shared by guests of the show is their own and does not reflect the views of Tenderfoot TV or Odyssey. Thank you so much for listening. From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, this is Up and Vanished. I'm your host, Payne Lindsey.

In the last episode, I dropped a few bombshells on you there at the end. The two main suspects in this case are now deceased. Dreddie Bryan, aka Brian Otten, has died, and Catfish John, John Keenan, has also died. On the evening of May 16th, 2020, a man named Lance walked up the winding staircase of the Starlit Hostel, just 15 minutes outside Crestone.

That's when he saw him. Brian Otten, better known as Dirty Brian, was lying on the roof deck. His body was still, his skin was purple, and he wasn't breathing. There was a dog leash wrapped around his wrist, Lance's dog, and next to him, a mix of orange peels, vomit, and a strange white foam seeping from his mouth. Immediately, panic set in. Lance bolted down the stairs, yelling for someone to call 911, screaming, "I think he's dead."

The hostel owner, named Doug, eventually made the call. Another guest also went up to check on him. Around 20 minutes later, an ambulance arrived, but it was already too late. Two sheriff's deputies showed up soon after, and EMS confirmed that Brian was gone. At 7:52 p.m., the time of death was officially called. Three days later, the autopsy report came back. Heroin, oxycodone, kratom, nicotine, and marijuana.

No fentanyl, no meth, no signs of choking or asphyxiation. The official cause of death, heroin, and metragynine intoxication. It was a cocktail of depressants and a mix that can be lethal. And that's when all the speculation began. Brian wasn't just some guy in Crestone. He was one of the key figures in Crystal Risinger's disappearance. One of the last people known to have seen her alive. And now, he was dead.

Just two days earlier, Brian cashed his $1,200 stimulus check. Typically broke, he had been working odd jobs at the hostel, mopping floors, washing dishes, just to have a place to stay. But when he got that money, he went on a bender. He and Lance had driven to nearby Salida. Brian drank heavily, rum, beers, 40s, more than usual. He got belligerent, kicked in a windshield, and eventually passed out in a sleeping bag. The next morning, hungover and sick,

He needed something to quote "feel better". That's when he got on Facebook Messenger using his friend's phone and messaged a guy for heroin. The next day, Brian stayed behind while his friends went to town. From morning until late afternoon, he was alone. No one checked on him. Then around 6pm, Lance returned. At first he just thought Brian was laying there, but something felt off. He stepped closer and realized his dog was still tied to Brian's wrist.

Then he saw that Brian's skin was purple and he wasn't breathing. Later that night, after the sheriff's deputies and EMS left, Lance and a friend went back upstairs. And that's when they found it. Brian's heroin spoon and his needle. Still sitting in the bathroom. Somehow the deputies had missed them. Then Lance checked the old phone Brian was using. His cell phone. And he was still logged in. The one that Brian was communicating with me on.

"Right when I thought I was about to meet one of the number one suspects in this case, just like that, he was gone. Brian Otten, one of the last people to see Crystal Risinger alive, was dead. And whoever sold him that heroin, still out there. And Dreddy Bryan isn't the only person to die in this case. For years, John Keenan, better known as Catfish, was the shadow lurking behind the disappearance of Crystal. He was a known drug dealer, a violent presence.

a man accused of holding women captive. And now he's dead too. On September 22nd, 2022, the police in Raleigh, North Carolina found Catfish John unresponsive in an apartment. His friend Tyler was on the scene. According to witnesses, the place was littered with drug paraphernalia. Lieutenant Morrison of the Raleigh Police Department officially confirmed his death. There weren't many details, just that it ended the way a lot of people expected it to.

Six months earlier, on March 29th, 2022, Catfish was arrested in Raleigh, possession of a stolen vehicle, felony drug charges, with intent to distribute. The drugs likely included cocaine, meth, fentanyl, Xanax, Ambien, Valium, all things Catfish was used to using. And this wasn't his first run-in with law enforcement.

Back in 2019, he was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and meth possession. And in 2020, during my own bizarre confrontation with him where I met him at a bar, the man threatened me, tried to attack me, literally threw a punch. Missed though. Crystal Reisinger had told several people that she was drugged and raped at Catfish John's house in Crestone in July of 2016. And just a few days later, she vanished.

And Catfish, well, he was always at the center of it. Then, there were more women. After my investigation into Catfish, another survivor came forward. I'm going to keep her name anonymous, but she had filed a police report in Raleigh, North Carolina back in 2013. Rape by force. She didn't know his name then. She had met him at a bar, didn't drink, was completely sober, but she kept seeing him at every bar she went to that night.

Catfish was following her. Later, when her friends went back to her place, Catfish tried to tag along. He offered to make her a drink. It was the only drink she had that night. The next thing she remembers, she woke up in her bed. Catfish was on top of her, naked and raping her. She fought him off, screamed at him for 15 minutes on the balcony before he finally left. She called the police, but like so many cases, it went nowhere.

This sparked a snowball of more women coming forward. Other women who said that Catfish had abused them, held them captive, drugged them. One of them told me that Catfish had locked her inside his house for three days. And when she finally got out, he bragged to her boyfriend that they had been together sexually. She had no memory of that at all. And two other women described similar experiences, being trapped inside Catfish's house, even held at gunpoint.

For years, the people of Crestone truly feared Catfish John. And, well, for pretty good reason. This guy was awful. Evil. And all these years later, even though Dready Brian and Catfish John are dead, the most important question still remains. Where is Crystal?

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What was it like confronting a person of interest or just going into these different communities? I'll be honest, like every single time it was pretty scary because you don't know what's going to happen. And just the sort of the element of surprise kind of gets your adrenaline going. Was there a lot of people that were willing to talk, willing to speak out? Surprisingly, yes. I actually think that some people knowing the podcast made them a little more comfortable with us as a team. In a lot of ways, people were open to talking.

There's something very unsettling about reading a dead man's messages, like a ghost reaching out from beyond. Just a couple days ago, I got access to something that I never expected: direct messages from Dretty Brian. Not just old screenshots, but his real conversations, exactly as they were, completely untouched.

A local woman, someone deeply embedded in this community, reached out and gave me her Facebook login. She wanted me to see what she saw. And what I found was chilling. In these messages, Brian wasn't just talking, he seemed to be confessing, lashing out, threatening, and hinting at something much darker. Something only he and a handful of other people probably knew. And now, for the first time, you get to hear them too.

How you holding up? I'm good. I'm in Crestone now. I'm at Nate's house. Don't remember much of last night. Got a fat lip, gnarly nose, slightly crooked smile. But life goes on. How funny. I'm in Moffat, heading to Crestone later. Josh is getting a place in Salida, and he's making payments on my RV. Once he moves in, I can get my RV back. You looking for a temporary roommate?

Did you just message me? Yeah. Did you read it? Should I have my secretary fax it to you? LOL. You still in Crestone? Yeah. Not enough work here. Wish I had wheels. I got a place in Salida. It's temporary until HUD helps me get something bigger. By the library. Small, but I like it. I could probably grab your stuff when I make it to the hospital. You at Nate's now?

I can't go there. Got a restraining order on James. Don't know if he still hangs around, but I'm not taking chances. Good call. Fuck all the violent toxic bullshit. Love and light. Who's Catfish? Catfish? He stalks people on Facebook. Dude needs a hobby. Oh. Catfish was the last person Crystal talked about before she disappeared. She told me and others she thought he drugged and raped her. Still don't know if it's true.

But that's what she said. Hmm. Yeah. Jesse's staying with me. Fuck. So that's a no-go for me staying with you? James said I'd end up homeless in Salida with you if I left him. Not letting him be even half right. Yeah, I hear you. Been testing people. Feeding misinformation to see who it gets back to. Shauna blocked me real quick. That's all I needed to know. I don't talk about you. Don't worry. Tell James to call me.

What? Tell that bitch ass pussy to be a man and own his shit. He threatened my family. Excuse me? Tell James to hit me up. Now. I swear, if he's hiding, I will find him. You're threatening me now? No. Just need to talk. Try calling Nate. Nate lied. Said James was with you. We are not together. Fuck him. Tell him I said he's a f***. You are threatening my life. You're expendable. I'll end you.

Brian, stop. Biker gangs collect on this shit. I will ruin you. These messages will be used against you. I'm forwarding them. Go fuck yourself, hillbilly cunt. Fuck James. Fuck you. Brian, you need help. I will murder you. I don't remember last night at all. Apparently, you and James are part of a white power biker gang. But if you were, you'd never call the cops. Good to know you're both full of shit. You need help.

If you thought Dreddy Bryant's messages were disturbing, these are something else entirely. This same woman, who gave me her Facebook login, also had messages with Catfish John, the man at the center of everything.

Now Catfish wasn't just paranoid, this guy was unraveling. His words read like the ramblings of someone who knew their time was running out, someone who knew way too much, and yet he still couldn't stop talking. What he says in these messages is the kind of thing that makes you stop scrolling, makes you reread it, makes you wonder, is he confessing? Is he warning us? How many things are wrong with this guy? Either way, it's dangerous.

Want company? I handled the car and flight change. Are you okay? You got quiet. I went to see my kid. She wouldn't see me. Then I saw Bree. She was kind to me. So were you. And then suddenly, I'm alone again. Every time I get happy, I get slapped down. Like I'm banned from Disneyland. Without love. Without real friends. Is this even a life worth living?

I don't know what happened. I didn't turn on you. You flipped on me. It's not about blame. Just... trying to find my people again. Me too, John. Me too. Fucking Katie's mom came banging on my door. Freaking out. Everyone is afraid of you. Why am I not? Have you even asked yourself that? I know why Crystal had to run. I could expose it, but that wouldn't help anyone. Wait, what?

Do not make me state the adjacent street name, IP address, and proof of her life today. Respectfully, fuck the global powers. If I die, contingency files drop across every major server. What are you talking about? They told me to stay quiet. FBI said don't mention her real name. John, slow down. Payne's friends killed her. But south of Mexico, they think she took the weight.

Wait, what? They are watching me. Watching you now too. I have names but you don't need to know them. If they kill me, I promise you, I'll still get the truth out. I shot the deputy, not the sheriff. And he covered for me. That's real love. Jesus, John. Do you hear yourself? I know my people. I know my enemies. And I see you choosing sides. I haven't chosen anything.

You're either with me or you're against me. You need help. I need revenge. I am a soldier with no gun. They don't understand me. I am the last line of defense. Who is they? The ones who took Crystal. The ones who took everything. They think they're safe. They're not. You're scaring me. You should be scared. I'm done.

Catfish is dead. Dready Brian is dead. For some people, that might seem like the end of the story. But for me, for Crystal's family, for everyone still searching for answers, it's the exact opposite. Because if their deaths proved anything, it's that the people in this town knew something. And some of them are most certainly still alive and capable of talking.

Back in 2017 and 18, when I was deep in this case, I had phone calls with dozens of locals. And two men in particular stood out. They weren't just speculating. They weren't just repeating rumors. They claimed to have direct knowledge of Crystal's murder. And when I finally got the chance to speak with them, I thought I was about to hear everything, finally get to the truth. But let's just say that didn't go as planned.

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Can you tell me what you know about how she was killed? I don't know. I don't know. Like, ready to talk about it over the phone, kind of like I told you last time. You said what? I said I don't really want to talk about it on the phone like I said last time. I know that...

your brother was taken advantage of in some way, and I know more about Catfish's involvement in that, and I also know that you had nothing to do with this, and so I have no interest in trying to bring anybody else into this, just trying to figure out how to close this thing out, and so it would help me if you... Why don't we start with, like, why don't you tell me what you know, and then we'll see if I...

feel comfortable enough to tell you whether you're right or wrong. Catfish dosed your brother. Yeah. They did that to a lot of people for the past 20 years. It's fucked up, man. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, that's what they would do. And fucking catfish would pay people to dose people. Or he'd, you know, set things up.

Yeah, exactly. He wouldn't fucking know shit. But he's laced those drugs with, I mean, all kind of shit. And, like, it's permanently fucked people up, man.

Yeah. And so, yeah, they were poisoning people for a long time. And it wasn't just with, like, acid. You know, there's other chemicals they used. I mean, I know the story. Could you tell me your version of the story? I'll tell you if it differs from mine. Nope. Why not? Because, man, the fucking... Like, I'm... Listen, I'm... I'm only trying to help, bro. My story is...

People already know my story. I'm asking you what you gathered. I mean, if you want to hear what happened, then, I mean, tell me what you got. That's basically it, man. Tell me what you got. I'll tell you if you were right or wrong. And if I feel comfortable enough, I'll tell you enough. I've heard that there was some sort of incident where she was shot.

And in some way or another, they burned her body. Yeah. What caliber? You take all that gas, man. What caliber have you heard? I heard it was a revolver. I don't know. You don't know? It probably wasn't even a fucking real gun. Was it a high caliber airsoft gun? It could be.

Like a $1,700 nice one? Yeah, more than likely. Sounds about right. Okay. Did it occur at Catfish's house? Maybe. So what else you got? You said her body got burnt, huh? That's what I heard. Yeah. Is that true or no? Who knows? Who knows? I mean, like, is that what you heard or no?

That kinda leaves room for fuckin', you know, finding bones and ashes. I also heard that something about a hot tub. A hot tub? I don't know, I don't think anybody around here has a hot tub, huh? Robert, can you help me or can you not? I can, but I mean, like I told you a couple times already. We've been talking for like 30 minutes and you haven't told me anything.

What do you know? What's the story that you know about what happened to Crystal? Who killed Crystal? Just tell me. Please. Yes. Which one do you want? I mean, what do you need for this information? I need money.

Every time I've ever thought this case is over, something pulls me back in. Every time I feel like I've hit a dead end, someone new comes forward. And that's exactly what happened next. A local reached out to me, someone who wasn't just repeating hearsay, someone who I very much trusted. This was different. This person made some of the boldest claims I've ever heard in this case. And all these years later, being able to scan back through everything I know, listening through all the tape,

it's starting to paint a pretty clear picture. Allegations that could change everything we know about what happened to Crystal. And the moment I heard them, I knew I had to record it. I had heard the rumors about Catfish at this point. And they were all rumors to me. I didn't see this guy ever hurting a fly. So, you know, I thought, you know, the rumors were just rumors at that point. Normal day, doing my shit. I get a call from Cat.

Normal erratic. "I really need you over here, man. Like, I know this, that. You know, I need you over here, this, that, that." Fox News did a report again a year after her missing. So, which might have, you know, got his conscious kicking in again or I don't know what. "Really need to talk to you about something, man. Blah, blah, blah." His normal rambling. Didn't make it over there until probably later that evening.

He had just seen more mellow, calm down, but still all over the place. Five minutes being there, you know, I smoke weed and I drink beer. That's my fix. So he did his thing, you know, cracked open his, you know, his famous Del Artois. I packed a few bongs and we sat down where we usually sit. I grabbed one of his laptops, started fucking around. He started talking to me.

And then out of nowhere, he opened up with a question and asked me, if someone was suffering in front of you, would you help them out? If someone in front of you was suffering, would you help them out? I was like, what do you mean, Kat? I was like, no shit. Why? Are you overdosing? I thought, are you okay? What's going on? He's like, no, I'm asking. I was like, yeah. He's like, not the way you're thinking.

And that's where it started. There's five. There's five. I'm not sure who's involved in what. I do know who's involved in some things, but I do know that there's five total. Jody Bryan, Kat, there was a guy, Rice. Rice came to my name. As his name, he drove a blue pickup truck with a green patch on the side.

He lives right down the street from Kat. I'm sure you've heard Rice. I'm pretty sure it was Rice. I never heard how he got, they, sorry, they got her back to the house. But she was there. He had said they had kept her there for a while, two days, and sexually abused her for a while.

Apparently one day she came to, she said, I don't know how he worded it, came to or tried to escape off the drugs. And that's when Bryce, I don't know why I keep saying Bryce, shot her. And it grazed her and she didn't pass right away.

It was Rice who pulled the trigger first? The guy I'm thinking of. Yes, let's call him Rice. The guy with...

If I was there right now, I will never set foot in Colorado again. But I could point where he lives, his car, his girlfriend. The names, the names. It's very traumatic out there for me after all this. So the names, that's what he said. He said that it hit her, but it did not kill her. She was on his floor.

And he said it felt like an hour, but it was only a few minutes until he had decided to do what he did. Did Catfish tell you that he killed Crystal? No. In those words, no. Did he tell me everything that happened to her leading up to the night that she passed and how she passed? Absolutely. And where and how they did hide her? Yeah. Yeah.

He originally asked if someone was suffering, would you help them out? And then told me what happened and told me that he helped her. And then that was it. Then that's when they went ahead and had to do what they had to do. So yes, I guess he did pull the killing blow. He shot her. He called it helped her out. And I knew what he meant. He told me that he...

I must have looked, I don't know. He didn't go into too much detail after what happened after, like what they all did. He did tell me what they did. Oh, shit. They did separate her and place her in different places. His exact words were that they cut her apart and spread her through the mountains. On my end...

I'd have no problem testifying in court or whatever I would need to do. Stay tuned next Friday for the final update episode on Crystal Risinger's disappearance from season two of Up and Vanished. And learn how you personally can help us solve this case once and for all.

Up and Vanished in the Midnight Sun is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Your host is Payne Lindsey. The show is written by Payne Lindsey with additional assistance from Mike Rooney. Executive producers are Donald Albright and Payne Lindsey. Lead producer is Mike Rooney, along with producers Dylan Harrington and Cooper Skinner. Editing by Mike Rooney and Cooper Skinner with additional editing by Dylan Harrington.

Supervising Producer is Tracy Kaplan. Additional Production by Victoria McKenzie, Alice Kanik-Glen, and Eric Quintana. Artwork by Rob Sheridan. Original Music by Makeup and Vanity Set. Mix and mastered by Cooper Skinner. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA, Beck Media and Marketing, and the Nord Group. Special thanks to all of the families and community members that spoke to the team.

Additional information and resources can be found in our show notes. For more podcasts like Up and Vanished, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us at tenderfoot.tv. Thanks for listening.

Here are three things that you need to know about Tenderfoot TV's brand new true crime podcast, Crook County. One, it's about the secret double life of a mafia hitman named Kenny the Kid Tequila. Two, for over 20 years, Kenny kept this secret from his family and it eventually tore them apart. And three, this is a true story. And I know that it's true because I was there. Because Kenny is my father.

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