The Suspicious Death of Christian Andreacchio | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] Mas son Christian Andre AIO was um hard worker loved life he just always liked
the water he talked about either working offshore um in the Gulf then someone told him about the towboats and that's
when he went that [Music] direction he was on the verge of becoming the youngest towboat captain
and probably had a long career running a boat Up and Down the River love to be the center of attention
in the life of the party whether you were 80 years old or you were 15 years old he was going to flirt with
you always wanting to help somebody out ultimately his good-heartedness is what got him in trouble at the
end he had gone to a party across the lake and I think he met her at the party Willie Goodman was very polite
very I mean cute girl when we first met her she was quiet you know and Christian
liked her so that was good enough for us is there any doubt in your mind that Christian fell in love with your
daughter no no no doubt whatsoever and did she feel the same for him she did and she does to this
day we were out to eat at a restaurant had just sat down my father called and said we had a
tragedy now one where's Emergency Man we've had a suicide you suicide yes ma'am that was toughest toughest news I
ever heard it still hurts today who is it sir Chris Rock but he's L across the the bathroom
tub and he he got blood everywhere did he take his own life no sir absolutely not no he he would never
do that okay who's that in the background that's his girlfriend what's her name litle Goodman do you believe that your
son was murdered oh I 100% believe he's murder Mr andreo was shot the right side of the
head there was very little if any investigation that took place on the scene on the day that it occurred it was
totally bungled because the investigators were called off because they didn't do their
job we had to do their job for them sitting across from me today do you know who killed your son Christian
yes I was so confused whenever I started being blamed I really was we're going to keep on fighting I do
have a small army but they're smart she did not kill him as a prosecutor I have never in my career
seen anything like this case I don't care to change anyone's mind they let somebody get away with murder
[Music] [Music] I can't believe this is happening to our family I think everybody was just kind
of in shock good this is something you know that happens to other people it doesn't happen to
you from their Lakeside home just outside Meridian Mississippi Ray and Todd andreao are haunted by the death of
their 21-year-old son Christian in 2014 a lot of days I look out there and you know expect to see him out there with
the jet ski floating about but you know every day you get caught with memories Christian grew up here on
Delwood shore lake where he fell in love with the water and dreamed of becoming a
towboat captain on the Mississippi River he was on his way to being a really good man and I think he would
have made a good father a good husband it's tough to talk about this yeah I miss him every day
[Music] have either of you honestly been able to have any peace in your life during all
of this since your son's death no no we we've kind of been at War since it started and you're at War now yes sir
this isn't over no it's not by a long shot for now there are two unanswered questions at the heart of this case why
would a young man with so much to live for take his own life or perhaps more importantly did someone take Christian's
life from him your son's death suicide or homicide homicide it's definitely a homicide but Lauderdale County district
attorney Cassie Coleman who took over the case in 2018 says the evidence points in another Direction well at this
point there has been further investigation by multiple agencies that have determined it to be a suicide
at issue are the events of February 26th 2014 I had talked to Christian that morning he was on the boat you know
everything was fine Christian was a few days into what's called a hitch a 30-day
work trip on the Mississippi River where he was a first mate on a towboat Ray called him about getting tickets for a
Rihanna concert and he said well let me check the dates to see he said I got to go I'll call you back later you got off
the phone just hours later they were told that Christian was found dead in his apartment which he shared with his
girlfriend Whitley Goodman and I was like no I don't I don't think so Christian's at work he's not even he's
not even in town a Meridian police detective broke the horrible news to them in person and
he said well this is his driver's license and when we we saw his driver's license it became a little bit more
real but suicide nothing made sense to Ray and Todd he's never had any kind of mental problems any kind of
[Music] depression professionally at the age of 21 Christian's life couldn't have been
better and on the personal side he adored Whitley who had dropped out of high school and wanted to become a hair
and makeup artist they made each other happy he was crazy about her what is it buddy Christy Chatterton is Whitley's
mother she's very funny very creative and adventurous she's a young woman that Christian andrao fell in love with she
is Whitley even moved in with the andreakos but after a few weeks race say Whitley became jealous defacing a
picture of Christian and his ex-girlfriend I figured that she stabbed the faces out
and then she brought the picture to me what' you think Todd I thought she was a nut the andreakos asked Whitley to move
out and so you know his kind of attitude was well if she can't be here then I can't be here Christian and Whitley
moved into this apartment which Christian paid for I felt that she was using him for for money he was providing
her with a place to stay with a car clothes makeup whatever Whitley's Mom saw problems too especially when
Christian was on the towboat she would have to stay on the phone with him at night so he could keep up with where she
was and what she was doing you mean for like an hour after an hour like hours and hours and hours every
night I didn't know how unhealthy the relationship had become but none of this seemed to add up to Suicide for the
andreakos so for him to take his life over somebody he'd been dating for 6 months I don't think so
no on the night of Christian's death Ry needed answers she called her brother Chris Thompson and asked that he drive
over to the Meridian Police Department that's where Christian's friend Dylan Swearingen who made that 911 call what
was your first name Dylan Dylan was being questioned along with Whitley and I told him to be sure that Whitley
didn't have Christian's phone at first Whitley denied having it but eventually turned it over to police
to me that was a big red flag right off the bat so she had lied initially about not knowing where Christian's phone was
right it's very suspicious because why would you do that my personal opinion is that she did
not want that phone to get in the hands of law enforcement because there were a lot of sexually oriented photographs and
messages in that phone the andreakos were stunned to learn the investigation at the scene
lasted only 45 minutes and the job they did in this investigation how would you describe it
piss poor but that same investigation did turn up something that the andreakos hoped would be a GameChanger both Dylan
and Whitley are checked for gunshot residue GSR what do they find gunshot residue on
both their hands both hands and what does that suggest to you they were in a room when the gun was fired
[Music] [Music] nobody wants to think that their child was at a point in their life where they
took their own life I mean that's just human nature but we had someone in the community who had killed himself and
that it really bothered Christian and he several times told me you know Mom if anybody ever says I killed myself you
come looking because I wouldn't do that for Christian's family that horrible night in 2014 started to search for
answers that continues to this day we took the time to to have his funeral and then the very next week we started going
to the police department from the beginning the andreakos had questions about that 911
call placed by Christian's friend Dylan Swearingen around 4:45 p.m. now one where emergency they wonder is this a
genuine call or an elaborate act listen closely who is it sir Chris Rock okay try not to touch anything
okay that's Whitley wailing in the background Whitley Whitley is come down here they don't want you to touch
anything come come on come here Whitley come here it just sounds fake to me he get somebody up here I think he
shot himself he's already put it out there in people's mind that it's a suicide so you know now that's how it's
going to be looked at did your son Dylan shoot Christian absolutely not Pam Swearingen is Dylan's mother on
a very bad day my son lost his best friend Dylan and Whitley declined to grant us an interview but their mothers
agreed to speak for the first time to 48 hours while they wouldn't discuss specifics of the case their adamant
their children did not commit any crime it was just so um shocking and you know what she saw like she can never
unsee it I just want them to know that she did not kill him that night Christy rushed down to
the police station where Whitley had just been questioned I just hugged her and comforted her was she in tears she
was hysterical Christian's death suicide or homicide 100% it's suicide investigators found Christian's
body in the upstairs bathroom leaning face down over a blood-filled tub with that gunshot wound to the right side of
his head 4 months after Christian's death Benny Dubose became meridian's new chief of police and took on the case a
lot of the stuff didn't make sense starting with Christian's gun when the gun was sent to the crime
lab they did not find any Prince on the gun at all Christian's Prince should have been on the gun the gun was clean
WIP down he says the bathroom was surprisingly clean too there should have been some blood splatter uh on this side
and uh on this side there was no blood splatter suggesting what that number one the crime scene had been tampered with
probably most likely the blood splatter had been cleaned Duo says officers bungled the
investigation taking pictures on the crime scene with a dog on cell phone they all issued cameras and the pictures
needless to say were terrible district attorney Cassie Coleman agrees she inherited the case in
2018 would you use the word incompetent yes without a doubt um it lacked competence it lacked thoroughness
Dylan and Whitley were not even photographed there's been a lot of questions about was there any blood on
either one of them the reality is we don't know the timeline that Dylan gives of the
events don't really add up Dylan told police Christian had called him around 2 early that morning urgently asking for a
ride home from St Rose Louisiana apparently Christian had found out Whitley was cheating on him he was
coming home to kick her out of the apartment you believe he was going back to break up with her yes
sir Dylan says he picked up Christian and they drove back to the apartment almost immediately Christian and Whitley
began arguing when Dylan says Christian suddenly took out a gun and put it to his own head according to the report
Christian threatened to shoot himself telling whitly to tell him that she loved him Dylan uh ended up saying that
he took the weapon away from Christian unloaded it and hit it but Whitley told detectives a different story when
Whitley has asked has Christian ever appeared suicidal she says no I don't think so there were inconsistencies
throughout her stories according to police reports Whitley told responders and friends that
she discovered Christian's body but she told a detective at the station that it was Dylan who found him
she claimed to be asleep on the sofa and a 45 caliber handgun is discharged and she slept through it is that believable
no no not at all you know your guns how loud is a 45 that should have been heard
two to three Apartments over and remember gunshot residue was present on both Dylan's and Whitley's
hands while police have not publicly commented about the GSR on Dylan's hands Whitley told investigators she has an
innocent explanation her response was well I'm going to have it on my hands because I was shooting guns the night
before she said she'd been Target practicing with friends a claim one of those friends said was true but another
said was false but the andreakos are questioning everything including something odd Dylan did earlier that
day what have we seen in this picture um Dylan swaron at the credit union who has
an account at that bank Christian these photos were taken at 12:29 p.m. around 4
hours before Dylan called 911 Dylan told investigators that Christian had given him his debit card
with a startling request he says that Christian told him to withdraw all of his money that he was giving him his
money but there was one little problem Dylan didn't have Christian's PIN number so he left
empty-handed is that suspicious to you absolutely he arrives back he said that they um watched a couple of
movies Dylan said Christian had calmed down so he gave him his gun back he says Whitley settled in for a nap Dylan says
he left for another errand and when he returned now I wonder where emergency man we had a suicide knowing what you
know about this case if I asked you was this suicide or homicide where are you leaning neither how do you mean I don't
think that Mr Andre AIO killed himself on purpose and I don't think uh anybody else killed Mr Andre Akio on purpose
debose believes Christian may have once again held his gun to his own head this time upstairs in the bathroom I believe
that quidley may have reached for the gun and the gun discharged I don't think there was a
motive I think it was just an accident the andreakos aren't buying any of it could it have been an
accident I mean anything's possible but uh I I don't believe it at all in this situation everything points to murder
and then they whoever staged it to look like a suicide that night the coroner ruled the
death undetermined after an autopsy a forensic pathologist labeled it a suicide and just like that the Meridian
Police Department closed the case and so then we had to do this start this investigation on our own so they began
hiring their own private investigators eventually forming a small small army of supporters and experts including a
forensic pathologist named Dr Jonathan Arden it is my conclusion that the death of Christian andreao was a
[Music] homicide we've just been really let down by the police and law enforcement we had no idea what to do or
where to start Ray and Todd andrio began their search for Justice by hiring their own
team of investigators including this man I've performed about 3,000 autopsies on
my own former Washington DC medical examiner Dr Jonathan Arden who examined the case File from the beginning my
reaction was something is wrong here starting with where investigators found Christian's handgun it was pressed
between his left thigh and the front of the tub it's significant to me that the gun is in the wrong place on the wrong
side cuz he's right-handed he's right-handed entrance wound in his right Temple how does the gun end up on his
left side once the bullet goes through his brain he's unconscious he can't transfer the gun crime scene photographs
show that the bullet had had struck the wall on the opposite side of the bathroom next to the sink but somehow
the bullet ends up in the bathtub and he's leaning over the bathtub so none of this lines up for him to have shot
himself in the position where he was found it simply makes no sense clearly somebody put him there it's a stage
scene the coroner placed the time of death at 3:45 but Dr Arden believes Christian may
have died earlier he says pictures show Christian's body was in advanced rigor mortise rigor mortis is the stiffening
of the muscles that happens after death the development of well formed rigor mortise tells me that he's been in that
position unmoved undisturbed for at least several hours which if accurate suggests that
Christian may have already been dead when Dylan went to the credit union to empty Christian's bank account so yeah I
believe my son's dead and I believe he's trying to steal his money the evidence LED Dr Arden to reach a dramatic
conclusion somebody else shot and killed him I don't see how you can argue with forensics science doesn't lie people lie
why would someone want your son dead well that's the answers you know that we would like the scene was altered
or staged and usually when you do that you're hiding something the family worked with a team of private
investigators including Sheila Waki to dig further the andreakos have had to fight tooth and nail for the truth the
investigators recorded an interview with Dylan Swearingen a few weeks after Christian died since you are one of the
only three people that were even there that day that he had this to say about his visit to the credit union
that's the only thing I didn't understand like why did he want me to have this money Dylan told them that Whitley and
Christian were always fighting and that Christian didn't trust her even sending Dylan to spy on her I was kind of like
The Babys he always would ask me to check on her see what she's doing and Dylan repeated that he and not Whitley
discovered Christian's body when I opened the door he was hunched over the bathtub
and I knew that I knew he wasn't alive just the way he was just staying there and like didn't add up to
me Whitley's mom Christie says the day Christian died wasn't the first time he allegedly threatened suicide and that
Whitley told her about an incident that happened about 2 months before his death
he had gotten intoxicated and getting angry and hat it and he' put the gun to his
head and he even would put it to her head and he was asking her if she loved him but remember when police asked
Whitley if Christian had ever appeared suicidal she said she didn't think so Ray and Todd don't believe their son
ever held a gun to his head we don't think it happened that does not sound like Christian to you
[Music] no however investigators found a misspelled message on Christian's phone
that was sent to Whitley the night before he died if this doesn't work when I get to my apartment I'm putting my
pistol in my mouth and I'm ending this I'm ending this once and for all because Whitley you're the closest I have ever
been to happiness I don't trust any of the texts because they were in possession of his
phone don't forget Whitley had Christian's phone at the police station Todd and Ray believed the message could
have been planted district attorney C Coleman dismisses that theory the phone was on the tugba with Christian at the
time that those messages were sent and so I do not know of any way that those messages could have been manipulated to
appear that they were coming from the boat if she was a meridians 3 years after Christian's
death Benny Dubose who had taken over as police chief decided it was time to get
fresh eyes to look at the case he assigned Captain J aring gave him the case he worked his butt off
Captain Arrington a 30-year veteran detective of the meridian PD combed through the case File and came up with a
conclusion that Christian's family had long waited to hear it's homicide are you sure of that absolutely and um do
you believe that Christian's body was moved at that scene that somebody moved it after his death I have no doubt
Captain Arrington like Dr Arden concluded that Christian had been dead for several hours before the 911 call
was made allowing time for a cleanup death scene had obviously been altered from its original
state Arrington wrote arrest warrants for Whitley and Dylan the charge manslaughter by culpable negligence
which means unintentionally causing a death while acting with disregard for the person's safety were those warrants
ever served no sir in February 2017 before Cassie Coleman took over her predecessor
decided to hand off the case to the Mississippi State Attorney General's office they wouldn't comment about it
with 48 hours in October 2017 a Mississippi State prosecutor did present the case to a grand jury but but were
you allowed to present your investigative report at the Grand Jury I wasn't allowed to be at the Grand Jury
it's the only one I've ever had done that way in all my years it's the only one without ever hearing from the
detective who calls this case a homicide it's now up to the grand jury whether it
will go to trial do you believe in a court of law you could get a conviction 100% you were a member of the grand jury
correct yes sir and what decision was [Music] [Music] made the woman at the heart of this
Southern mystery Whitley Goodman has never spoken publicly about the case until 48 Hours came to town Whitley
started talking when she agreed to meet our camera crew to get some video shots with her mom two weeks ago it just came
to me like out of nowhere she would not take questions but she did read a poem the title is moist by Whitley Goodman
the verses describe what she says is her tumultuous life after Christian's death
I miss who I was the person I once was allowed to be before the anxiety the pain and the
notoriety before your name was used to in vain as the main source of my pain in Whitley's words she is the victim oh it
has been such a war I guess it's me who we should hate I I'll be everyone's Escape but there has been No Escape for
the andrao family which suffered a devastating defeat in late 2017 when that grand jury returned their decision
to not indict Whitley and Dylan from the jurors that I have spoken with they did
not believe there was sufficient evidence to prove either of these people guilty Beyond A Reasonable Doubt of
either manslaughter or homicide the andreakos were crushed I feel like the Meridian Police Department
the Attorney General's office and everybody involved officially has let us down they let somebody get away with
murder Whitley's mother sees the grand jury's decision as just she loved him dearly the greatest tragedy for her is
still losing him and finding him the way she did that day but the andreakos were
determined to keep their son's case alive so they took to social media starting their Justice for Christian
Facebook page and in June 2019 a podcast culpable started covering the case his death was
ruled a suicide the actions of Whitley Goodman and Dylan Swearingen were now being judged by a national audience the
podcast is exposing all the injustices that have happened during this investigation people from coast to coast
became enraged and they acted on that rage among their targets da Cassie Coleman have you received threats yes
sir I have um received threats towards me towards my family threats of physical violence
take your time there's a lot of tragedy and heartbreak um in everybody's family do
you sleep with a gun by your bedside yes sir it's that serious yes sir in August 2020 the controversy grew
even more intense right before 48 Hours travel to Mississippi to cover this story Captain J arrington's
investigative report from 2017 was made public for the first time I realized that this was things we
had never heard Arrington writes it's my thoughts it could be suicide homicide or
accidental with one of the three to be proved with facts until that is established that death should be
classified as a homicide that's a heck of a sentence when you read that what did you
think I shocked we spoke to Cassie Coleman just days after the report was released m Mr
arrington's findings this report was it presented to the grand jury yes I have had conversations with grand jurors that
were on the grand jury and I've had conversations with the investigators that were there presenting the facts and
they tell me that all of the reports from the Meridian Police Department were presented but while we were reporting in
Mississippi we found a grand juror who said that's not true you were a member of the grand jury that was looking into
the Christian andrao Case correct yes sir the grand juror agreed to speak if we agreed not to use her name or show
her face I'm holding a report here that is dated January 11th 2017 and it was written by a Captain J
Arrington at the time had you heard this man's name before no sir I read her all
the major findings of Captain arrington's report none of which the juror said she knew does that bother you
does is that something that you find in any way disturbing yes it's very disturbing because it seems that he had
a lot more information detailed in his report than what we were presented I think it's a
travesty I think my son deserves more than that now with the release of arrington's EXP explosive report the
andreakos were finally beginning to think maybe they might have one last chance at Justice for Christian I think
we need feds or somebody to come in here and and clear this up I don't trust anybody over Meridian I don't trust that
da we got right now I wouldn't want her anywhere near my son's case [Music] [Music]
in November 2020 like they do every year the andreao family and their friends celebrated Christian Life Today is
Christian's birthday on November 4th and this is our seventh night to have wishing night heartfelt messages are
written on these lanterns and sent floating toward the heavens wish night is kind of a way of just
letting Christian know we haven't forgotten [Music] him this peaceful evening stands in
contrast to the war of words and deeds in this emotional case fueled by social media that includes acts of Cruelty all
of Christian's autopsy photos were replaced on social media and I think downloaded over 2,000 times they
harassed my daughter I still believe someone set her car on fire we've been run off the road you're kidding
absolutely not I bought a new car and within 3 weeks it had bullet holes in it in our interview with district
attorney Coleman she said she would reconvene a grand jury if it turned out that Captain arrington's report had not
been presented I have said repeatedly and standby if that information was not presented then yes yes that is a
situation that would open the door to allow the case to be represented to the grand jury 3 months later hey Cassie
it's Peter vanent with 48 Hours how are you I told Coleman that 48 Hours learned
from that grand juror that she was not informed of Captain arrington's 2017 report a fact that may have changed her
opinion on this case I think they should have done more investigating and brought it back to a
grand jury again with more evidence especially that report to present it to another jury to decide if that it would
be indicted or not Coleman confirmed that arrington's report was not presented to the grand jury and said she
is willing to reconvene a new grand jury she acknowledges the andreao family doesn't trust her to present the case a
request for the appointment of a new prosecutor is pending in court we're 100% confident that if the information
is presented fairly that um people will be indicted and then of course from there um there'll be a
trial complicating matters further nearly 3 years after he finished his report Captain Arrington was indicted in
federal court accused of using City funds for his personal use arrington's attorney J Stewart Parish the
allegations are false they arise apparently from somebody either intentionally or maliciously misleading
other folks caught in the middle of all this are Dylan saringan and Whitley Goodman's
families is there anything that you would like to say to the andrao family that we loved
Christian we gr for him too and we grieve for him Whitley Goodman's attorney Bradley
Clanton filed a $47 million lawsuit against the andreao family the podcast culpable and others for defamation and
emotional distress you can't torture people for the rest of their lives because they got accused of a crime the
civil suit also seeks an injunction to shut down the justice for Christian Facebook page and end their public
accusations you've had four to five law enforcement agencies all the way up to the Mississippi attorney general look at
this and everyone has reached the same conclusion that it's a suicide I was so confused whenever I
started being blamed I really was you know if they were so weak minded that um that they took pride and you know
hurting me without even asking me or confirming you know what the truth is that I don't want anything to do with
them there's only only one life destroyed actually destroyed and that's my son he's not here
anymore today Christian would have been [Music] 28 so the case goes on I think that they wake up every
morning and they have a choice of what they're going to do with their day you know they get to go out and live and
love and travel and get married if they want to and have kids and um you know Christian that's Tak that's a choice
taken away from him doesn't he deserve justice don't we deserve answers [Music] 48 hours to miss it would be a crime
were you at all prepared for what happened in this case [Music] n [Music]

A man dies from a gunshot wound – his friends say they discovered him. Police rule out foul play, but his family says there are troubling clues. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Christian Andre AIO's death raises questions of murder versus suicide, with his family fighting for justice amid a flawed investigation.

Key points

Family's Fight for Justice. Christian's family believes he was murdered and continues to seek answers.
The Tragic Death of Christian Andreao. Christian Andreao, a promising young man, was found dead under suspicious circumstances.
Conflicting Investigations. Different agencies have conflicting conclusions about Christian's death being a suicide or homicide.
Whitley Goodman Breaks Silence. Whitley Goodman finally speaks about the case, reading a poignant poem about her struggles.
Grand Jury Decision. The grand jury decides not to indict Whitley and Dylan, leaving the Andreakos family devastated.
Captain Arrington's Report Released. Captain Arrington's investigative report raises new questions about the case's classification.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I 100% believe he's murdered.

A father expressing his conviction about his son's death.

2:30WatchFeb 24, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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