River Arrest - EPISODE 10 (The Bakersfield Three) | Forensic Files

to work in a newsroom you have to have a special skill that is learning how to work without the blaring news from the
police scanners driving you mad and that's just if you want to skate by essentially doing the bare minimum a
truly skilled employee in the 17 Newsroom can not only get their work done with the scanners going off they
can also listen to them at the same time this is in my opinion an incredibly impressive skill one I was never good at
especially since most newsrooms have several different scanners playing at the same time here's a little snippet of
what that sounds like confir they we canit one I think listening to that all day would make the average
person want to rip their hair out but not 177 news assistant news Director Erica Torres I'm very good at listening
to the scanner I can tell when there's you know breaking news happening or big event the scanner is key because without
it there are tons of things happening we'd never know about or if we waited for the police to notify us it would be
long after the scene was cleared which for TV news especially doesn't work well Erica has been the one who heard and
alerted us to countless fires shootings standoffs you name it but there's a lot of stuff on the scanner that Erica
listens to that isn't something we'd really send a news crew to Pursuits and chases are an everyday thing nothing out
of the ordinary but one summer after afternoon in July 2019 Erica was listening to
scanner chatter about a foot pursuit that had an interesting twist the pursuit ended up in the
[Music] river I'm Olivia Lavo and this is the Bakersfield 3 [Music] I remember a few of us started to gather
around the scanner and kind of joke to each other that's a new one people do all sorts of things to try to avoid the
cops but jumping into the karna river was a first and based off what dispatchers were saying on the scanner
it sounded like a first for them too subject in the river that PE was chasing they're requesting you bring your boat
went underwater about 10 seconds ago you should be right directly in the middle of the river confirm with County fire if
they have a boat uh we can only fit one officer on the fire boat at one point we weren't sure if the
officers wanted to get on a boat to go grab the suspect in the water to arrest him or rescue him either way it was all
pretty interesting to hear tidbits of it as I was getting ready to fill in on the
anchor desk that night I think we were about 30 minutes into the 5:00 p.m. newscast when I started to hear a
commotion coming from Erica's desk everyone knew that I had got a hot tip I think every time I hear something big I
run into our news director's office and I told Mike try he I don't know if I can
curse but holy [ __ ] I Matthew Queen is in the river now it wasn't just an interesting weird standoff anymore it
was a big story former 17 News producer Rafel Strode had to scramble in the middle of his newscast basically like oh
my God it's Matthew Queen right just stranded in the river while police were trying to figure out a way to get to him
and uh figure out how to arrest him and bring him back on the land during the newscast literally I think we were
meeting in between commercial breaks about how we need to get Olivia on the story because it's her story yeah Liv
was anchoring that day and eventually we were just like get her out there an anchor leaving the desk in the
middle of a newscast wasn't something we'd normally ever do but this was big what were officers arresting him for of
course we all had the same thought it had to have something to do with Bailey's disappearance and that's what
was going through Jane's head when she got the news I look at my phone and I have all these texts and mies phone
calls and I think I called D and she's like McQueen's in the river and I'm like what what are you talking
about you know and I'm like oh my God I got to get over there but by the time Jane and I got there all the action had
fizzled out Matt Queen had eventually on his own walked out of the river and into
police custody here's Sergeant Garrett the water wasn't extremely deep he was able to navigate it fairly well but I
mean there's at times where he submerged himself into water to try to hide from us and as it turned out police weren't
even there to arrest him that day went there to execute a search warrant on his Suburban as well as get a buckle
swap from him and he uh fled his place of employment and let us on an hours long standoff which wasn't entirely
expected the intention was to get a saliva swab his DNA and search his car but when he ran things shifted and that
day all police would say is he was booked into jail on a kidnapping charge of course we all thought does this mean
he k kidnapped Bailey it didn't the next day we got confirmation the kidnapping victim was not Bailey or Micah it was a
guy named Caleb whose name had come up several times after bayy and Micah went missing as he was part of what the moms
call the circle he hung out with Bailey Micah and Matt Queen the alleged kidnapping took place shortly after the
do Phil episode aired in early 2019 Queen and two of his friends woke up Caleb in the middle of the the night
and allegedly forced him into a car they had a gun which turned out to be a BB gun but Caleb reported being scared for
his life nonetheless Queen wore a bulletproof vest and questioned Caleb about him talking to police about Queen
having Andor selling guns Caleb also told police about another unsettling incident between him and queen that
happened not long before Micah went missing Caleb said it started out like a regular day with him and Micah going
over to Queen's house to hang out The Voice you'll hear asking him questions is prosecutor Eric Smith we walked in
the house and went straight to the garage and then uh it he pretty much just told me to sit down on the chair
and he zip tied me do it what were you thinking when it happened ah man I didn't know it was hard to judge with
Matthew because he was a very good friend of mine and I didn't think he would necessarily kill me but he was
definitely uh he wasn't screwing around you know so you didn't think you were going to end up dead you just figured
you might get hurt yeah I guess I mean I I I couldn't say for certain you know it was a weird
time for everybody when you're getting zip tied to the chair where's Micah he was uh
sitting across the table from me what was his demeanor what did he look like he scared
shitless did he say anything no he he he just kind of sat there like like he wanted to help me but he didn't know
what he could do what about m Mr queen as you're getting zip tied to the chair what's his demeanor what's he acting
like he's acting like a friend still like it was all a big joke like he was he was real jovial about the whole
situation did you think it was a joke I mean at first I kind of did but then you
know once I was zip tied to the chair then it wasn't funny anymore and it wasn't funny for him
anymore either I guess Caleb said Queen then brought out a shock collar after that was placed on your
neck what happened next he shocked me with it what did it feel like I mean well it didn't feel good it wasn't as uh
as awful as I mean it I expected it to be but it definitely was you know scary and discomforting hey after you've been
shocked what happens next uh he tried to get Micah to shock me too and he wouldn't do
it what happened next uh he hit me in the face with the barrel of a gun now after you were struck what happened he
stuck a Band-Aid on me and Drew a smiley face on it according to Caleb after Queen put
the Band-Aid with the smiley face on Caleb's bloody swollen cut he cut off the zip ties and went back to acting
like they were friends the moms heard this story early on in their investigation and eventually convinced
Caleb to come forward the incident gave us a glimpse into the strange world queen and the circle we're living in
where friends are scared of one another or at least scared of McQueen one month after his arrest and
being charged with kidnapping Caleb Queen was hit with more charges this time in connection to a young woman who
was a friend of Bailey's were calling her Molly Molly was another witness the moms found and begged her to come
forward Molly eventually told police that Queen had pointed a gun at her on two different occasions before Micah or
Bailey disappeared the first was in January U AR 2018 Molly says she and Micah were in
Queen's car when he suddenly drove them to an orchard Molly says Micah seemed terrified and jumped out of the car and
took off running Molly says after Micah ran off Queen grabbed a gun and ordered Molly to get out here is audio of
prosecutor Eric Smith asking Molly about this after Mr Queen points the firearm at your head what does he say to you how
would you feel if my daughter grew up without a mother what was your response to
that I got on my knees and started begging for my life was he asking you any questions
like explaining to you why you had a gun pointed to your head yeah uh something of the sorts of if
Bailey has been cheating on him and I said no I don't think she is the second incident happened on March
21st 2018 just a couple days before before Micah disappeared Molly took her one-year-old daughter to Queen's house
to see Bailey who she says she was worried about at Queen's house that day Molly says Bailey confided in her that
she was pregnant and not sure what to do according to police reports Molly told Bailey she didn't need to go through
with having the baby among other things and unbeknownst to her Queen was standing just outside the door listening
here's Molly and prosecutor Eric Smith again I was talking about how the relationship that she
should get out that it wasn't healthy so when he walked in the room you were telling Bailey to essentially
move out break up with Mr Queen mhm yes what was his response to that he went into his closet I was
sitting on the couch my daughter was walking he comes out from the closet and pulls the
gun to me again and said get the [ __ ] out I got up I moved and then um Bailey tried
intruding and then Bailey ended up getting pushed and slammed up up against a wall and then she baile looked at me
and said go so I grabbed in the car seat and I I ran and then he followed me out
and chased me to the street perhaps one of the more surprising things about Molly's story is
despite the fact that Queen threatened her at gunpoint in January a couple months later she still went to his house
and she brought her baby and after he chased her down when she fled his house the second time he pointed a gun at her
she went on to let him drive her home because she said it was raining outside and she didn't want her baby to get
sick if that seems bizarre it's because it is is but yet not unusual for this friend
group numerous people who say they were terrified of Queen still hung out with him Caleb discussed this strange Dynamic
when describing to prosecutor Eric Smith what he was feeling during the incident
when he awoke to Queen standing over him with a gun demanding he get up and go with
him it was complicated because in the past instances I'd had with him like you it would be like a a really scary
situation but then it would be all joking and laughing at the end of it and it was so it was
unpredictable complicated indeed and it seems Micah also felt the same way several people say Micah referred to
Matt queen as scary Matt and at times seemed genuinely afraid of him but they still hung out and often after the
incident when Queen brought Micah and Molly to an orchard causing Micah to run off seemingly terrified Micah sent a
meme in a group chat with with him Bailey queen Molly Sarah and Matt vand Castile it was a photo of Hannibal
Lecter from Silence of the Lambs Micah wrote quote the expression on Matt Queen's face when he's about to execute
you in the Orchards the group chat seemed to get a kick out of it but Sergeant Garrett didn't think any of it
was a joke and the charges against Queen ranging from threats and assault continued to pile up unlike the last two
times Queen had been arrested in Bakersfield he couldn't bail out now I saw it all as a tactic by Sergeant
Garrett and I figured he probably wanted Queen Behind Bars one way or another if
he couldn't get him on murder he was going to get him on everything else he could
find well he had a pattern of ongoing violent criminal activity and in order to safeguard our public I uh started
investigating all these other things and ultimate goal was getting him held to answer on those cases so that meant him
being in erated that does safeguard and prevent further victims I asked Sergeant Garrett for his
opinion about Queen he's actually a smart person U he thinks of himself highly I don't know him personally per
se but I feel like I know him just the amount of hours and stuff I've looked into his life over the years he's very
calculating and basically you know he likes to pick on people that are weaker mindset of his and that's what he did
continuously during this investigation some people Queen hung out with didn't have jobs cars or even
working cell phones but Queen wasn't like that at all really he lived a double life he had his whole life of
criminal activity and stuff and then he was actually a productive person at work
which is kind of unusual Queen seemed driven at work involved with his kids made enough to
have nice things I heard from some people he just seemed like a completely normal guy not someone you'd need to be
scared of that was something I found myself wondering about too that first year of the investigation who was he at
his core was he scary was he dangerous I remember earlier on in my reporting a couple people telling me to be careful
of him that he didn't like me and I should essentially watch my back it was odd because I've reported on many
suspected criminals ranging from gang members to a guy with face tattoos to make him look like the Joker who told me
that killing someone was better than drugs or sex could ever be and no one ever suggested I should be nervous until
this case when they were worried about you I was worried about you to be honest he he he scared me coming from Bill the
big tough former Cop made me pay attention you know I always said if I if I had another if I was a detective again
I would have wanted you as my partner I mean you're a bulldog and tougher than a
woodpecker's beak but it doesn't matter if you're Olivia La voice 5 foot nothing
and 100 nothing or big fat Bill derby with a gun on his hip if he wants to kill you he's going to kill
you the first and really only time I got Queen to speak with me face to face he said he'd consider meeting with me and
giving me a flash drive with information who knows what that meant as he never did give it to me but during the
conversation I noticed he had clear braces he wore a plaid shirt and had a backpack on and was somewhat
softspoken that moment he seemed more like a nerdy dad than a criminal mastermind he was a middle-aged
electrician suffering through braces hoping for a straighter smile he didn't seem so scary but overall I wasn't sure
how to view him what was real and what was the facade here's Sergeant Garrett and I discussing this I mean some people
will describe him as someone that seemed so dangerous and scary and Powerful scary Matt as they referred to him well
actually he he referred to himself that way too so I think he got off on exerting his power over other people he
has prior convictions of similar nature and it just seems like that's his thing after Queen's arrest he tried to
stay positive or so it seemed in phone calls he made to his girlfriend Sarah who' been Bailey's good friend as well
as the former girlfriend of Queen's good friend Matt Vander Castile Sarah was now
at home taking care of her and queen's new baby on this recorded call from jail Queen appears to tell Sarah something to
the effect of everything is in God's hands and everything happens for a reason the audio quality is terrible and
difficult to make out marrying me even though I'm in prison for me to see that you do love me not your money queen says
maybe it was all a test one it seems Sarah passed after he asked her to marry him from behind bars and she accepted he
says that showed him her love for him is real that it's not just about his money just a note here the pair never
did get married anyhow Queen also tells Sarah on the call everything they've been through LED them to having their
baby that little baby would be here I know to go through all of the things to get him to
say it was like Bailey had to go for us to be it's difficult to make out but Queen
appears to tell Sarah we had to go through all of it to get him I hate to say it but Bailey had to go missing for
us to be together but as the days started to go by Queen's positivity lessened and his frustration of feeling
like everyone had the wrong idea idea about him grew in another difficult to understand jail call queen says he's
never hurt anyone in the circle of friends consisting of Bailey Micah Caleb and others I'm the one that's out here
trying to save not [ __ ] hurt them I'm the in shining armor quote I'm the knight in shining armor I didn't do
anything people are [ __ ] and you know the one I'm talking [ __ ] you know you were there
baby you were there Queen didn't elaborate but the implication seemed to be that Sarah knows the truth about
something because she was there what that might mean we didn't know just [Music]
yet a couple weeks after Queen's arrest something happened that was the first and only purely happy event for the moms
since losing their kids a baby was born I was told that it would be near impossible for me to ever conceive
naturally if I ever wanted kids after spending years thinking it could never happen Bailey's sister Caitlyn got
pregnant and it had a big effect on not just her own family when Cheryl and Lance and when D found out everybody was
just real ecstatic and happy in that moment everyone agreed the baby was a gift from Bailey Caitlyn thought a lot
about her sister and her friend Micah during her pregnancy I knew regardless on if it was a boy or a girl
we were going to incorporate their names in into it somehow Caitlyn says her decision was also based on how close her
and Micah's families got so quickly we had came up with her name larmy and then decided on larmy M
Bailey having Micah and Bailey's name hyphenated together as her middle name just felt right the baby girl felt like
a light all three of the families needed in their lives so for a time though it was brief there was a true feeling of
Joy before everything in the three moms lives was about to be turned upside [Music]
down what the mom's thinking how does this change how they work together that was probably the biggest surprise so far
in a case that's been full of them that's next [Music] time for

EPISODE 10/15

River Arrest A police chase takes an unexpected turn.

When two friends go missing back-to-back, and in between their disappearances, a third friend is murdered, their mothers begin their own investigation. As the connections between the three cases are explored, the mothers navigate devastating twists and turns, including one revelation that shakes the community to its core.

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The Bakersfield Three Podcast https://casefilepresents.com/the-bakersfield-three/

----- CREDITS

Writing & Narration – Olivia Lavoice Audio Editing - Anthony Telfer Production and Music – Mike Migas Animation - Mat Rydzik, Paulina Szymanska

Special thanks to the mothers and family of the Bakersfield 3 & KGET News Station

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Brief Summary

Matthew Queen's river arrest reveals chilling details about his criminal past and connections to missing persons.

Key points

Erica's Scanner Skills. Erica Torres impressively multitasks by listening to multiple police scanners while working.
Matthew Queen's River Standoff. A bizarre police chase ends with Matthew Queen in a river, leading to his arrest.
Molly's Gunpoint Encounter. Molly recounts a harrowing experience where Queen threatened her at gunpoint.
Joy Amidst Tragedy. Caitlyn's pregnancy brings a moment of happiness to grieving families.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I can tell when there's breaking news happening or big events.

Erica Torres describes her skill in listening to police scanners.

0:47WatchMay 20, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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