Something Was Wrong - S2 E6: It was Horrific

Episode Date: September 19, 2019

Tee speaks to Sylvia and her family one last time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to something was wrong early and add free on Amazon music. Download the app today. I'm Candace DeLong and on my new podcast, Killer Psychy Daily, I share a quick 10-minute rundown every weekday on the motivations and behaviors of the cold-butter killers you read about in the news. Listen to the Amazon Music Exclusive Podcast killer psyche daily in the Amazon Music app. Download the app today. This podcast is intended for mature audiences and could be triggering to some. Please use So what I did was I contacted the California Nursing Board.

I told them a lot had happened and they said thank you can you type something up so I did can you mail it to me and I did. And I basically told them what I happened. And the police officer called me and he said, Hey, California nursing board contacted me. It did trigger an investigation or like to come and talk to you. And I said, Sure, you know, anytime. So I made a point man. He came. He was a very, very kind man. He was a detective. He came here. He sat and he talked to me for probably two hours at the kitchen table. I had the I had taken the syringes that she was injecting her softwaith. I had taken them when she was

super sick right before she was found out. I took the syringes. I don't know what made me do that, but I did it. And he wanted those. He wanted to test them and see what they were. So I gave him those. And he wanted those. He wanted to test them and see what they were. So I gave him those. And he said, you know, I want to I want to tell you something. He said, you remind me a lot of my wife You're a very kind and compassionate person and I can see how this happened to you And I just want to tell you that don't let this devastate you and move on and just let it go if you can And he said, but I understand. And we will do something. And I don't know if her license was revoked.

I believe that it was. I do believe that it was. Do I have proof? No, I don't. Do I know for certain? No, but I believe I have to try to believe in the system that that worked. And my whole thought process was she shouldn't be working on anyone else's children.

She shouldn't be near medical equipment or any kind. She shouldn't be in any sort of medical environment or any kind. Correct. So yeah, so when this originally happened, the, her ex-husband took his son and the grandmother and her son went and took the daughter. So they were separated now?

They were separated. However, really strangely, that ex-husband released the child back to her. Really soon? Yes, really soon after. Like, within a month, the child was back at home. They went to court to fight over the daughter, but in the end, she had both of her children back. Oh yeah.

Oh my God. Five months after Sylvia was discovered, she sent an email to the doctor who owns the veterinary clinic that she worked out with T and Gen. Doc, I'm not sure what I want to say exactly, but I guess I've just had you on my mind so much that I wanted to tell you how very much I miss you. I know now my life had to be turned upside down and shaken to bring me to a place where I can find happiness. But I hurt all the people I

held close to my heart, and I wish I could change that. I know I've lost you forever and that stills things is bad today as it did five months ago. I think about laughing with you, playing with you, talking with you, just being around you, and just get a huge lump in my throat. I know that losing you is one of the seemingly unbearable consequences I have had to face for my actions, but I have a hard time figuring out why it still hurts so terribly. Losing you and losing my children are things that I struggle with on a daily basis. I try to use those aches and pangs as fuel to keep on finding the answers I need in order to be a whole healthy person.

Work is going well. I'm working in the PICU and doing what I love. I've started going back to school and I got into the nursing program at UC Davis. Going to lots and lots of court to try and fight to get my daughter back. And on a smorgasbord of medications with plenty of sides of gut-reveling therapy have been a big part of my life's menu. Smiley face. And overall, I feel better about who I am and how I live my life today than I have in my whole life. I just have a hard time not hating myself for what I did to those who I've loved. My dog Ruby is having our last litter in mid-February. I'm pretty excited about that. It won't be the same without you, but it will bring lots of smiles, I'm sure. I guess I wanted to tell you, you were and always will be

one of my greatest loves. That there will always be a big part of me that will miss you and love you. I want you to know that. And saying sorry just doesn't seem to even touch the feelings of regret and sorrow I have for what I put you through. But maybe it still means something to you nonetheless. Always thinking of you. Sylvia. I guess I wanted to tell you you were and always will be one of my greatest loves. Yeah, that's fucking bizarre. And it's fucked up.

And also did something happen? No, nothing. Never. But in her head, clearly, but I'm telling you, I absolutely 100 million percent know nothing happened. Like I know, like this man is my brother. I know nothing happened. And I confronted him because she told me, you know,

something did and he actually laughed in my face. It was, he was like, what? And then there was just like instantly I was like yeah because she is lying so see you path and he's like yeah no. No, no. But she had actually told me at one time that he came to her and said that he liked her and that they kissed and stuff. She just always kind of made it seem like they had a special relationship. I didn't question her about it, but my first thought was, there's no way that that happened. I mean, like I said, I never questioned her or told her that she was probably lying, but my thought was always that, you know, I don't believe that this situation happened between them.

Always thinking of you again. This is bizarre. Right. And then again, like she does this for him and then nothing to respond to me, nothing, nothing. Did he seem creeped out? Yeah, he was very creeped like this person is clearly not well. Right, and the response he said was

something to the effect of what, with the things that the lies and the deception and the things that you did have made it impossible for us to have any relationship whatsoever. I am afraid that we can no longer be friends. So, it's like don't contact me. Correct. So, she did try to allude to you before

that she had some sort of relationship with him? Yeah. And did she seem, she made it sound like that was ongoing or was relationship? She didn't say that. What she told me was that she said, I, I wanted to kiss him and he said, oh no, I'm married, I can't do that. And she said, but I really, you know, I care for you. And he said, no. And that's what she

told me was that he said, no. I'm not. He said, no, absolutely not. When I confronted him, and I said, hey, did this happen? No. So that didn't. No. So she was pretty open with you like I had feelings for him. Oh yeah. You wanted to kiss him. So that was something that you knew. Yep. On top of her being married. Or was this at different times like when she was single or something?

This is when she was living with Jason. Now what I want you to know is what I found out after all this. She was never married the first time. She lived with that gentleman and had a baby with him. but they were never married. Were she told all of us? Divorce. Her husband, I got to get a divorce, she went through the whole divorce thing, they were never married. Yeah, that never happened. What if you were trafficked into a cult over shot nine times, or fell in love with a vampire,

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You can listen to Add Free on the Amazon Music or Wonderly app. I did talk to the daughter after she was found out. The grandmother had her and I asked if I could come spend time with her and she said yes and we went for a walk. How much longer do you remember? I don't. She was still really little. I mean yeah, so yeah, around that timeframe,

that's a good estimate. And I remember I'm like, you know, I really miss you. Like, you know, we were tight. And she's like, yeah, I miss you too. And I said, well, you know, do you know what happened? And she said, yeah, my mom thought she was sick and she wasn't. And but I'm kind of mad at you. And I said, why?

You know, and she said, because you tried to take my mom's job away. And I go, what do you mean? And she said, well, my mom told me that you tried to get her fired from her nursing job. And I said, well, honey, you know, she was hurting herself. And, you know, you can't, you know, she was a child, but look at how this little child is materially talking to me like this though. And I was like, the burden that she's putting that on her daughter, even to prep those things. So I was like, you know, she shouldn't be, yeah, but that's not true.

She was just sick and I go, but honey, she'd light to us and she made her so sick Well, I don't believe that. My go, honey, it's true. And then I knew right then I had lost her. I was done Several years go by I haven't heard from her Nothing haven't heard from her family and I answer the phone at work. She says, Hi T, it's Sylvia. My heart just like is pumping out of my chest, right? And she's like, so she goes, how are you? I'm fine.

And shows I want you know, I think of you every day. And I said, I want you to know, I think of you every day. And I said I want you to know I think of you every day too. But I met my different way and she's like so I know you're probably not going to believe me or anything but I was at Yosemite and I fell and now I'm in a wheelchair and I have to get rid of one of Ruby's puppies because I can't care for anymore because I'm in a wheelchair. And I was like okay well I'll put the word out. You know, and she was, okay, and she was, I know you probably don't believe me. And I'm like, well, you know, I'm gonna add. Wait, did you just kind of stay silent? Like in shock. Because you're not expecting to get

that fun call. Seer just like really. Right, yeah, I know about like a ghost visiting me. Yeah, yeah. And it just like stirred everything up. And she's like, yeah, I'm in a wheelchair. My mom bought me a van. That's wheelchair accessible. And it's like, yeah. Well, because she got in an accident, she said. At Yosemite, she's like,

faking her, she said, I fell at Yosemite. And I'm in a wheelchair now. I was working in Sylvia called me at the hospital to see if I could take one of her bulldogs and it's called me up, like nothing had ever happened. Like, hi, how's it going? I was wondering if you could take one of my dogs for me and I was just like, no, I can't.

That was pretty much the conversation. And then like two days later I sat down at my work computer, I opened my email and the grandmother sent me an email that said, I'm really sorry to inform you, but Sylvia passed away last night. The daughter found her. We don't know if it was an overdose intentional or on purpose, but she has passed away. I literally lost my shit. I got up. I went out to the parking lot. I was like doing the heaving crying like where I thought was gonna throw up and I just was how much more devastation can this person bring. It was horrific. Oh man you know that was really rough. I'm sorry. Um I was so sad. I was devastated

for kids that she left them behind. Um and you know I never really had known anyone that I had been close with that had passed away before. Um, and it was just, it's still really sad for me. And I, you know, reached out immediately to the grandmother and I talked to her and she said we really don't know what happened. She said that the daughter noticed she was slurring her words when she went to bed and when she got up in the morning she found her mom dead in the bed. And I called her mom. Her mom did answer.

We cried together on the phone. We didn't really talk very much. And then that was it. And then I reached out several more times. And then asking her mom to please call me that I needed help talking about this. That I needed some closure with this and that I had a broken heart.

And her mom wouldn't call me bad. I know that her mom lost her child. I understand that. And I understand that her mom had to care of herself. I was trying to care myself. And I kept reaching out to her. Like, can you please just call me? And they said, can you please quit reaching out? Someone, I think it was her unit text me inside, can you please quit reaching out to her? It's too painful. The services are going to be closed to just family only. And I was like, fuck you. You know, you weren't here.

You didn't do the work. You weren't here for four years. None of you were here. Fuck you guys. Oh, so mad. So mad. And did you ever talk to the mom again? Nope. Did you stay in contact with the grandma? Nope. No. After the dad. Well, actually I did reach out via email and I said, I'm really struggling. I can't... can't accept this. You know, I really am struggling for answers. You have any answers. Do you know what the autopsy showed? Like, do you have any information for me? And she was like, I have moved on. You need to move on too. I swear to God, if I had one more person tell me that I was like, I have moved on, you need to move on too. I swear to God I

if I had one more person tell me that I was gonna die, like I just yeah. So all I did was get shut down by her family and with no sense of helping me get closed or made it could care less about me. Did you guys do anything at work or any sort of the neighbor girl that lived next door? We have a little service at her house and Did the neighbor girl stay in contact with her through the end like they were still friends? No, they were friends or close friends, but I do think that she occasionally talked to her Mm-hmm. I'm not crazy

Mm-hmm. I'm not crazy. That's really crazy. It makes me really sad that her daughter had to find her too, like on top of everything else. Yep. Because that's not something you get over. Nope. Never.

Never. Mm-hmm. And then she was immediately separated. The children were separated. And went to their dad. And then is that where they stayed? Did you ever have contact with Jason after she passed away? Yes. Did he have any insights or anything for you? Like did he? A little bit.

Did you talk to her at all? No, not at all. He, um, we still used us as his veterinarian. So I did see him occasionally. And one of the last times I saw him, he said that he was having a really hard time because he needed a death certificate to get a divorce. And the mom had the death certificate and she would not return his phone calls. Yep, that sounds about right. So, and he, you can tell he was just a broken person after, you know. Yeah. And he found out about her lying about the medical stuff

the same day you did. Yeah, we all found out together. So he didn't have it. And he didn't suspect it either. Like in your conversation. Oh, nobody knew. I'm telling you she was good. You'd have to be.

Yeah. But to live with somebody. No. And not even know. No, like I know you were there in insane amount of time, but like you lived with her right he did not know and I had 100% believe that and remember that she went to a counselor that we paid for from the hospital and he didn't know He didn't know I wouldn't solve him after she died. He didn't know. Yeah. Yeah. So the neighbor girl did tell me that she went to work someplace else and was saying she was sick again. So was that true? I don't know because I was out of it. Right.

Yeah. So she's saying that she got another job at a new place and was starting it all over again. That's what she said. T and I will be recording a Q&A episode soon. If you have a question you can send it via email, Instagram or by calling or texting 1, 3, 2, 3, 3, 7, 9, 5, 6, 7, 8. Thank you so much. Something was wrong is written, recorded, edited and produced by me, Tiffany Reitz. All of the music by Gladrags. Share their album, Wonder Under, on iTunes. Follow the hashtag Something was Wrong Pod on Instagram.

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Let it all fall in love Let it all fall in love Let it all fall in love No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Don't know anybody until you don't Don't know anyone Hey, Prime members, you can listen to something was wrong early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.