We Pulled the Files — And Something Didn’t Add Up | Forensic Files

If you're a crime junkie, then you know we don't just go surface level for cases. We have all the questions and
when we do, we always go a layer deeper. And sometimes this deep digging means filing a FOIA request. FOIA, the Freedom
of Information Act, gives anyone, you, me, the legal right to request records from federal agencies. It's one of the
most powerful tools available to us in our investigations. And if you've been here for a while, then you've definitely
heard me say, "We filed a FOIA request." Often followed up by, "Our FOIA request
was denied." But sometimes, sometimes it unlocks something no one expected. Today, I'm sharing three cases where
filing a FOIA request led us to new or more information. Details that changed what we thought we knew, shifted our
investigation, or raised even more questions. Let's get into it. Number three, our
look into the murder of Kristin David. In 1981, a 22-year-old college student set out on a 3-hour ride through rural
Idaho and she never made it home. Days later, her dismembered body was found floating in garbage bags in the Snake
River. Now, for decades, her case has been linked to a suspected serial killer in the Pacific Northwest, but we believe
that it is possible she may have been killed by someone else entirely. And to dig deeper, we filed a FOIA request to
access the original case file. On June 26, 1981, Kristin David left Moscow, Idaho planning to bike 30 miles back to
Lewiston. It was mostly downhill, so a ride that she could easily handle. Multiple witnesses reported seeing her
along Highway 95, but some of those witnesses also described something that, looking back, is a bit chilling. A brown
van with Oregon plates, a bearded man, and one person reported seeing Kristin loading her bike into the back of that
van. Then, on July 4th, a fisherman found black garbage bags floating in the Snake River. Five bags in total, and
inside were parts of Kristen's dismembered body. The dismemberment was described as almost surgical, precise,
methodical. Newspapers from April 1981 were used to wrap the body parts before they were placed in the bags. So,
whoever did this had time and likely privacy. Police canvassed the area for brown vans with Oregon plates. They
pulled DMV records manually, narrowing down the plates ending in 37 or 737, but nothing stuck. They profiled the
killer as a white male in his early to late 20s, intelligent, possibly narcissistic, likely to keep souvenirs,
even body parts. Over the years, dozens of men were investigated and ruled out. But, we didn't just rely on only public
archives for our investigation. We obtained Kristen's case file through a FOIA request, and with that, we were
able to review things like autopsy documentation, forensic reports, evidence logs, and investigative notes.
And inside that file was something major. Detailed documentation of Kristen's cause of death and specific injuries.
Now, the detective that we worked with for our full episode on Kristen's case requested that we not publicly disclose
those details. Now, out of respect for the ongoing investigation, we're not. But, we now know that's information that
they have to keep the investigation moving forward. This case is still active. The FOIA file also included
detailed documentation about a possible crime scene at the Sacagawea Lodge. Apparently, a housekeeper had reported
finding a blood-soaked bathtub, a bloody suitcase stand, and hair samples that did end up getting tested. One hair was
consistent with Kristen's, but not conclusively identified. Now, that hotel room had been rented to someone by the
name of Pete Madsen, a name that led investigators and me, obviously, down multiple rabbit holes. But ultimately,
those fizzled out. Unlike some cases where FOIA uncovers explosive misconduct, in Kristen's case, it really
did serve the purpose of transparency that strengthened our reporting on the case.
We believe that Kristen may not be connected to the well-known Lewis Clark Valley murders that she is often
considered to be a part of. But investigators are still digging. And so are we. And in this case, FOIA confirmed
something critical. There is still evidence, there are still unanswered questions, and the investigation is far
from over. Number two, the mysterious death of Steven Altman and Mary Ann Hayes. Two
deaths, 12 years apart, both ruled suicides. But decades later, one woman uncovered documents that completely
changed how she saw her brother and her mother's deaths. And it all started with
a FOIA request. In 1984, 21-year-old Steven Altman was found hanging from a crane hoist inside
his stepfather Don's Chicago workshop. Police ruled it a suicide. Then 12 years later, in 1996, Steven's
mother, Mary Ann Hayes, was found dead in her bedroom with an extension cord wrapped around her neck. Her death was
also ruled a suicide, specifically self-strangulation. But Robin Altman, who is Steven's sister
and Mary Ann's daughter, never felt right about either case. Steven had been making future plans, and
he told friends that he would be right back the night he died. And Mary Ann, she was fixing up a condo, preparing for
a new chapter after separating from Don. But the cases were closed, that is, until 2013.
Nearly 30 years after Steven's death, Robin decided to file a FOIA request with Chicago police for her brother's
case file. Because remember, anyone can file one. She was hoping to finally see what investigators had documented in her
brother's case. But instead, Chicago PD responded that they had no records. No investigative file, no detailed reports,
no documented interviews. Nothing for a death ruled a suicide inside a business property.
So, her request wasn't exactly denied, but it didn't result in anything helpful, either. And that wasn't just
shocking, it was revealing. It raised questions around whether or not Steven's case was meaningfully
investigated at all. But that was not the only FOIA request that she filed. At the same time, Robin
filed a second FOIA request. This one with Northfield police for her mother Mary Ann's 1996 case.
And this time, the response that she got back was completely different. Her request was approved. And what she
received would change everything. Inside the file were full police reports, witness statements, and evidence logs.
And as she looked through, Robin quickly noticed something disturbing. The police report of her own interview
didn't match what she remembered saying. Then came the forensic bombshell. The file showed that police had collected
the extension cord used around Mary Ann's neck, a broken fingernail with blood, and vaginal swabs. And the
vaginal swab contained unknown male DNA. The crime lab even recommended comparing
that DNA to a potential suspect. But because the case was ruled a suicide, that never happened. And FOIA
exposed that critical evidence had sat untested for two decades. Armed with these new documents, Robin
went back to Northfield police in 2018 and pressed for the case to be reopened. And remarkably,
they agreed. The vaginal swab and the fingernail were re-submitted to the crime lab, and the
results confirmed that the unknown male DNA was still present. Police brought in one individual for
questioning and asked for a DNA sample. That person initially agreed, then asked
for a lawyer, and ultimately refused. And after that refusal, the report states that the case would
remain closed. Again, independent forensic pathologist later reviewed Mary Ann's autopsy and called
the investigation a cataclysmic failure, arguing that self-strangulation without
a locking mechanism is extremely rare. But despite expert opinions and renewed attention, both deaths remain officially
ruled suicides. FOIA did something powerful, though. It exposed that Steven's case had virtually no preserved
documentation, that Mary Ann's file contained DNA evidence, that key forensic leads were
never pursued, and that decades later, even after reopening, the case stalled when cooperation ended. Without FOIA,
Robin and all of us would never have known what police documented and what they didn't. Today, Mary Ann's case is
used nationally as an example of what experts call a hidden homicide, which is a death staged to look like a suicide.
And it all began with one woman filing the FOIA requests. It didn't secure convictions, but it did force
transparency. Number one, our investigation into the mysterious death of Gwen Hassellquist.
In this case, FOIA definitely functions as a tool for transparency and re-examination, as we question the
official ruling of Gwen's death. In March 2020, as the world shut down from COVID, Gwen Hassellquist, a Washington
mom of two, vanished in the middle of the night. Hours later her body was found in the Puget Sound and police
ruled it a suicide. But five years later when we dug into this case, what we uncovered through FOIA requests raised
serious questions about whether law enforcement's investigation ever truly dug deep enough. Just after midnight on
March 20th, 2020, a Washington State Trooper found a wrecked minivan stopped on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. All four
doors were open, the passenger side windows were shattered and glass covered the roadway.
Now police told us that it looked like the van had hit the guardrail and a man named Demetrius Jackson was standing
nearby holding a beer. And his story changes quite a bit. One of his accounts claims that the woman,
who we know to be Gwen, gave him the van and then just disappeared. The van was registered to Gwen's husband, Eric
Hasselquist. Gwen had left home at around 10:19 p.m. according to a Ring doorbell screenshot that he showed
police. By 2:00 a.m. Eric called 911 to report Gwen missing. Later that afternoon, so now it's March 21st, her
body was found 7 miles from the bridge. She had tiny shards of broken glass stuck to her clothes, multiple rib
fractures, bruising, a missing tooth and more injuries. Clonazepam, an anxiety medication, was
in her system. The medical examiner ruled her death as suicide from multiple traumatic injuries
consistent with jumping from a height. Case closed. Or is it? Last year we began reviewing
the case from scratch. And this is where FOIA becomes crucial. We filed multiple
Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain the full police reports, the investigative documents and photos of
the van. And through those FOIA documents we were able to see exactly what investigators
documented and more importantly what they didn't. For example, photos that we obtained through FOIA showed only the
damaged van but not the guardrail that it allegedly struck. There were no clear images showing paint transfer or
definitive impact points. We were told that some of the damage appeared inconsistent with a simple scrape along
the bridge rail and may have happened before the van ever even reached the bridge. So, do we actually have proof
that Gwen's van hit the guard rail? Or is it possible that more happened, maybe related to her death, maybe not,
somewhere else? That detail was buried and only surfaced for us because we had access to the original reports through
FOIA. But that's not all. Then there was the timeline problem. Gwen left home at 10:19 p.m. and her van
was found at around 12:20. But the bridge is only about 20 minutes away. So, why wasn't her van discovered
sooner? Where was she for over an hour? To answer that, we filed FOIA requests for bridge traffic camera footage and
toll booth video. If Gwen drove onto the bridge, there should have been footage of her vehicle passing through.
But we were told that the traffic cameras were live feed only, meaning nothing was saved.
So, we struck out there, but not because our FOIA request was denied. The toll booth footage, on the other hand, wasn't
considered public record. So, we did not obtain that footage that would have confirmed whether Gwen was even driving
the van. That missing piece is one of my biggest lingering questions in this case.
But there is more footage. We also discovered through our records review that police relied heavily on a
screenshot from Eric's Ring camera showing Gwen leaving, but there was no timestamp embedded in the video file
they later received. The original full footage was never secured via warrant. When they asked Eric for the complete
file, he said that he believed it had been deleted. So, here, FOIA didn't just reveal evidence,
it revealed investigative gaps. Now, there is one place in this case where our FOIA request was indeed denied, and
that was when we attempted to FOIA Eric's military records after learning of prior domestic violence allegations
during his service. But overall, for this investigation, we were actually able to FOIA some really
valuable information. While in Gwen's case, FOIA exposed blind spots. It showed what investigators
documented and what they seemingly never pursued. And those are three cases where
filing a FOIA request didn't just give us paperwork. It more information and more perspective.
In Kristen Davis' case, FOIA confirmed that critical details still exist and that the investigation is still very
much active. In Steven and Mary Ann's cases, FOIA exposed missing records, untested DNA, and investigative
decisions that changed how a daughter understood her family's deaths. And in Gwen Hassellquist case, FOIA
revealed the blind spots. The photos that weren't taken, the footage that wasn't saved, and the questions that
maybe should have been asked sooner. FOIA doesn't always reveal a figurative or literal smoking gun, but it can show
us what's documented, what isn't, and what still deserves a second look. Because the truth isn't always buried in
a conspiracy. Sometimes it's buried in a file cabinet, and anyone, literally anyone, can ask to
see it. If you want to hear the full deep dives into these cases, you can find them on Crime Junkie. And if you're
interested in how FOIA works or more of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into our investigations, let us know in
the comments. And don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit that bell so you never miss our next
investigation.

If you’re a Crime Junkie, you already know we don’t stop at the surface. When the answers don’t add up, we go deeper. And sometimes, that means filing a FOIA request.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives anyone the legal right to request records from government agencies. And while those requests don’t always come back with answers… sometimes they uncover details that completely change a case.

In this video, we’re breaking down three real cases where FOIA requests revealed new evidence, exposed investigative gaps, or raised questions that still haven’t been answered.

Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:54 Kristen David 04:34 Steven Altman and Mary Ann Hayes 09:15 Gwen Hasselquist

#3: Kristin David (Moscow & Lewiston, Idaho – 1981) On June 26, 1981, 22-year-old Kristin David disappeared while biking along Highway 95 between Moscow and Lewiston, Idaho. Days later, her remains were found in the Snake River. Through a FOIA request, we obtained access to her original case file, including forensic documentation and investigative notes that confirmed critical evidence still exists. The files also revealed a potential crime scene at the Sacajawea Lodge, raising new questions about whether Kristin’s case has been linked to the wrong suspect all along.

Watch the full episode on this case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4wILtzn5Zw

#2: Steven Altman (Chicago, Illinois – 1984) & Mary Ann Hayes (Northfield, Illinois – 1996) In 1984, 21-year-old Steven Altman was found dead inside his stepfather’s workshop in Chicago, Illinois. In 1996, his mother, Mary Ann Hayes, was found dead in her home in Northfield, Illinois. Both deaths were ruled self-inflicted. Nearly 30 years later, Steven’s sister Robin Altman filed FOIA requests and uncovered something shocking: Steven’s case had virtually no preserved records and Mary Ann’s case contained unknown male DNA that was never tested. Those documents led to the case being reopened and exposed how key evidence had been overlooked for decades.

#1: Gwen Hasselquist (Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Washington – 2020) On March 20, 2020, Gwen Hasselquist disappeared in Tacoma, Washington. Her damaged vehicle was found on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and her body was later recovered in the Puget Sound. Through multiple FOIA requests, we uncovered missing or incomplete crash documentation, no preserved traffic camera footage, gaps in the timeline of Gwen’s movements, and key evidence that was never fully collected. These records didn’t just provide information, they revealed what investigators may have missed.

Watch the full episode on this case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSjaE0UzJ4A&t=421s

FOIA doesn’t always solve a case. But it does something just as important: It shows us what’s documented… what’s missing… and what still deserves answers. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrimeJunkiePod Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

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Check out these other great crime channels: @KendallRae Stalked & Murdered By Her Own BF?! The Devastating Murder Of Lilie James https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep9SFf04vdo @rottenmangopod Unpacking 3 Million Pages Of Epstein Files + Epstein’s Secret 2 Hour Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSKdtALJcg&t=1s @bellafiori The Camm Family Murders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgTCMHFfWCg&t=10s @christinaarandall Wife Goes to Trial For Ending Her Husband & Is Shocked By GUILTY Verdict! Kori Richins Web of Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WU3xUaBixQ&t=1s

Brief Summary

FOIA requests revealed crucial details in three criminal cases, raising questions about investigations and official rulings.

Key points

The Power of FOIA. Filing a FOIA request can unlock critical information in cold cases.
Kristin David's Murder Case. A FOIA request revealed new details about Kristin David's dismemberment and ongoing investigation.
The Altman-Hayes Mystery. FOIA requests exposed critical evidence in the deaths of Steven Altman and Mary Ann Hayes.
Gwen Hassellquist's Death. FOIA revealed investigative gaps in the ruling of Gwen Hassellquist's death as a suicide.

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WatchMar 25, 2026

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