Why Didn't Police Look Inside the Septic Tank? | Forensic Files

Our source did make sure that this information got reported to police in 2015. And it seems like police looked
into it because they said publicly that there were updates in the case that year. And former Sheriff Alier confirms
that Deanna came forward to police a few times with information they investigated, although he said he
couldn't elaborate on what exactly, but she always ended up ghosting or backtracking. And when we asked if that
information was consistent with the suspicion that Steven was involved in John and Shel's disappearance, Sheriff
Altier said yes. Okay, but then where are they? That is the question police are constantly chasing. It's like when one
lead fizzles, another one will pop up. Like in 2006, they get another tip that sends them to a rental property that
belongs to one of John's sisters and her husband. And the husband, who would have
been John's brother-in-law, he told us that a neighbor saw him like digging there around at the time that John and
Shel went missing. And so she told her friend who worked as a dispatch at the sheriff's department. So then police
came and like dug around their septic tank, but they didn't find anything. But they dug around the septic tank. Did
they look inside the septic tank? No, they didn't actually look inside the septic tank. I don't know why, but it
stood out to other people because recently in 2024, police went back to that property with the sister and the
husband's permission to do just that. Again, didn't find anything. And when we asked former Sheriff Alier if said
brother-in-law was ever a suspect, he told us that some names came up that police worked to eliminate, but that was

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Brief Summary

The episode discusses the investigation into John and Shel's disappearance, featuring police tips and insights from former Sheriff Alier.

Key points

Police Investigate New Leads. In 2006, police followed a tip about a rental property linked to the missing persons case.
Septic Tank Investigation. Police dug around a septic tank but didn't find anything, raising questions about their methods.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Okay, but then where are they?

Question about the missing persons case

0:35WatchJul 11, 2025

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