True Crime with Kendall Rae - She Called 911 After Being Shot & There’s STILL No Justice: The Case of Rachel Hansen

Episode Date: September 26, 2024

In 2022, 19-year-old Rachel Hansen was shot and killed in her home. Two years later, her family is nowhere closer to closure than they were when the shooting happened. They think she was targeted for ...some reason, but police have since been unable to come up with anything to give the family. Higher Hope Foundation: https://www.higherhope.org/  Rachel's Rescue: https://rachelsrescue2022.com/ Silent Witness: https://silentwitness.org/cases/homic... Interview with Kim Hansen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/21FU... Donate to NCMEC through my campaign! https://give.missingkids.org/campaign...  Shop my Merch! https://kendallrae.shop This episode is sponsored by: Rocket Money Quince Nutrafol - promo code: KENDALLRAE Check out Kendall's other podcasts: The Sesh & Mile Higher Follow Kendall! YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook Mile Higher Zoo REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://bit.ly/32kwPly Form for people directly related/ close to the victim: https://bit.ly/3KqMZLj Discord: https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN CONTACT: For Business Inquiries - kendall@INFAgency.com

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello everyone and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much for joining me today. I truly appreciate it and to anyone who is new, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you. Today I'm getting into a case here that is, oh my God, just so heartbreaking. I mean, they all are, but just the story of Rachel Hansen's life is upsetting in itself, everything that she had been through, and then what ends up happening to her
Starting point is 00:00:37 is just beyond unimaginable. And I feel so bad for her family. They have truly been warriors in trying to get justice for her, but it's been very difficult because law enforcement has really not stepped up in the way that they should have. And also this case has gotten very, very minimal coverage and awareness is absolutely key because they believe and I absolutely believe that somebody knows something. In fact, I think you can confidently say someone has to know something. And yeah, there is still no justice to this day. Rachel was only 19 years old and she was a vibrant, talented,
Starting point is 00:01:20 driven young woman who was so, so kind and her murder going unsolved is just not an option. Now her story starts a little different than most cases that I cover and that's because Rachel, who was born on June 12th, 2002, was actually born with the name Rochelle and the first six years of her life started out in the care of someone other than the family who raised her. And I don't think anything I can say about Rachel will be as well said as what Rachel's adoptive mom, Kim has to say, which side note, I just have to say, Kim, you are so amazing to me. You are such an incredible mother.
Starting point is 00:01:53 Everything that you have done for your children and your family, and you truly inspire me so much. But anyway, Kim can definitely explain Rachel's early life to you a lot better than I can, so I wanted to read a paragraph that she actually wrote for her daughter's eulogy. It says, I wish with all my heart that Rachel had been with us since birth, but she wasn't.
Starting point is 00:02:14 I always wish that I could have protected her little heart from all the trauma that she experienced. She went into the foster care system at an early age after her birth mom left to buy milk and never came back. When she was in kindergarten, she came home from school to find the person she lived with deceased on the floor of their apartment. It was then that she was taken into the Child Crisis Center before being placed with the foster family. She lived with them for several months as severance proceedings took place and her case was transferred to the adoptions unit. By the grace of
Starting point is 00:02:43 God, we were notified by her case manager because we had adopted her biological sister, Grace Ann, a few years before. She thought where she was would be her forever home, so when our family was contacted about adopting her and she moved into our home, it was yet another abandonment in her eyes. The only positive part of what happened
Starting point is 00:03:02 in Rachel's early childhood is that it made her strong, determined, self-reliant, and fearless. Kim also wrote about the day that she got the call about Rachel and it was just too beautiful not to share with you guys. I will never forget the day I got the call about Rachel. We were at a store buying beads to make necklaces in preparation for our daughter Lindsay's wedding. Having put our foster care license on hold, I couldn't imagine why CPS was calling, but I knew I had to answer it. I gave Lindsay my car to pay and went outside to take the call. As I learned of this little girl that needed a family, my heart began to pound in my chest and tears began flowing down my face. There was not a moment of hesitation, doubt or question. Rachel was going to be our little girl. So I
Starting point is 00:03:42 went right back in that store and bought enough to make one more necklace for the wedding. This absolutely beautiful eulogy goes on into more detail about when Rachel came into their lives. And I think what I really took away from it above all else was just how resilient this little girl was. Rachel was first introduced to the Hansen family on February 14, 2009, Valentine's Day, and exactly three months later, they adopted her. As I mentioned earlier, when Rachel first came into their lives, she came with the name Rochelle. And I wanted to tell you the story of how she ended up with the name Rachel because I thought it was very cute and very touching. So there was one evening where Kim was making dinner and at just six years old, she sits down in the kitchen and she asks her mom if when she was formally
Starting point is 00:04:30 adopted if she would get a new name. Kim explains to her that that decision was entirely up to her and that her and her husband Todd would support her no matter what. Now Kim and Todd, like I've said many times are are just amazing to me. And that's because over the years, they had fostered upwards of a hundred children and by this point had adopted, I believe, five children before Rachel. So they were much more prepared to support her needs. And if that meant changing her name, then they had no hesitation about it. And she did want a new name. Specifically, she wanted a name from the Bible like her other siblings. So she chose the first name, Rachel, she wanted a name from the Bible like her other siblings. So she
Starting point is 00:05:05 chose the first name Rachel and the middle name Anne because she wanted to be like her biological sister Grace Anne. Rachel truly hit the jackpot with her new family and she was so excited about her adoption and her new name that I thought this was really cute. She invited her entire first grade class over to celebrate by having a pool party. This is going to be very apparent throughout this episode, but the love and patience that Kim and Todd offered Rachel is something that I wish all children got to experience, especially children who have experienced the levels of trauma that Rachel did from such a young age. In her eulogy, Kim explained that when Rachel first came into their lives she was hyper independent
Starting point is 00:05:46 and not because she wanted to be but because that's all she had ever known. Kim gave this one example of a time where Rachel had gotten out some type of you know juice concentrate and started making mixing up her own juice and Kim offered to help her make a glass and Rachel responded by saying, I always make my own. Think about that. At just six years old, she is saying that she has always made her own juice. And that may not seem like a huge deal, but it's just an example to show you how she really did everything for herself in her early years of life. But eventually though, thanks to a lot of love, support and patience from Kim and Todd,
Starting point is 00:06:26 Rachel was able to really be a kid again and experience the childhood that she always should have had. There are some financial surprises in life that can be fun, like finding a $20 bill on the ground or maybe finding an old check that you never cashed, maybe getting more on your tax return than you expected. But one financial surprise that is not so fun is finding out that you have wasted a bunch of money on a subscription that you weren't even using or like a free trial that you started and forgot to cancel. Before I started using Rocket Money, I really had no idea how much me and my family were wasting on subscriptions that we weren't even using anymore.
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Starting point is 00:07:32 You can see all your subscriptions in one place and know exactly where your money is going. And Rocket Money's dashboard gives you a clear view of your expenses across all of your accounts, and you can easily create personalized budgets with custom categories and help keep your spending on track. And Rocket Money can even try to negotiate to lower your bills for you sometimes up to 20%. They automatically scan your bills to find opportunities to save and then you can ask them to negotiate for you and they deal with customer service which is what really
Starting point is 00:08:00 makes Rocket Money so awesome in my opinion. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of 500 million in cancelled subscriptions which is mind blowing to think about. They have saved members up to $740 a year when using all the apps features. So stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Rae. That's rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Rae. Once again, rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Rae. Once again rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Rae. As Kim put it, she had finally found her forever home and knew that she was finally safe. But that being said, the trauma that she experienced really never went away fully. I am grateful to say though
Starting point is 00:08:41 that she found something at an early age that provided her with a deep sense of purpose and healing, and that was equine therapy. Kim and Todd had been living in Gilbert, Arizona for about two and a half decades at this point. And from what I can tell, they lived on a beautiful ranch style property. And back in the day, when some of their older girls were growing up, they had had horses at their house that the girls used to ride. But since they were older and going off to college around the time that Rachel was adopted, Kim and Todd had actually sold all of their horses and the barn was empty. And Rachel would sit by the barn, sit on the fence, and talk about how badly she wished they
Starting point is 00:09:16 had horses. And knowing the healing powers that horses have on a child, especially a child dealing with trauma, they knew immediately that they needed to get Rachel her first horse. So Dixie came into their lives and that was truly the beginning of Rachel's healing. They would come downstairs as early as six in the morning, look out the window and see Rachel out there with Dixie.
Starting point is 00:09:37 She would spend all hours of the day outside brushing and bathing Dixie and even learn to walk her up close to the fence line where she would be able to climb up and hop on top of her. Now I personally have never got to experience that bond with a horse. I did some horseback riding early in my childhood and couldn't handle it because the barn was too stinky, but I really wish that I would have because I know people now as an adult who have amazing relationships, bonds with their horses, and they're such
Starting point is 00:10:06 incredibly smart creatures who are just so in tune emotionally. And I know that the bond between horse and owner can be something incredibly special. And that's really what it was for Rachel and Dixie. But Dixie was an older horse. They wanted to start her with an older horse. And as she got older, she wanted a horse that she could do more with. So her parents bought her a younger horse who she rode as she was starting to get involved with things like 4-H and rodeo games. And over the years, Rachel was blessed to have several incredible horses. But there was one horse in particular that her parents say was her sole horse. And that was a mare named Dash. Dash was only four years old when they got her and Rachel was her sole horse. And that was a mare named Dash.
Starting point is 00:10:45 Dash was only four years old when they got her, and Rachel trained her basically from the ground up. She was so proud of the work that she put into training her, and she's actually going to be part of this case later on. But before I get into that, there are a few other things I wanted to share with you about Rachel. On top of her passion for horses, which I'd definitely say was her biggest passion in life.
Starting point is 00:11:04 I think that's easy to say. But she also just loved being outdoors. Whether it was going for runs, working in the garden with her mom, or camping trips with her family, Rachel just loved being outside. One story that I loved hearing about Rachel was that in eighth grade, she wanted to join the football team. And she did, even though she was the only girl. But let me tell you you she kept up with the
Starting point is 00:11:26 boys just fine and her mom said that she could even outrun a lot of them. Rachel's confidence and drive is something that I have so much admiration for not to mention her resilience. Personally I think that resilience is one of the greatest and most important qualities that someone can have and Rachel had that times a thousand. Her story is the epitome of turning lemons into lemonade. And while of course that is hugely thanks to her parents who gave her the tools and resources to thrive, she also worked very hard to be the best version of herself that she possibly could, regardless of how her life may have started.
Starting point is 00:12:01 In fact, at just 16 years old, Rachel graduated early from high school. Not just that, but she graduated with a full ride scholarship to Northern Arizona University. She did, however, decide not to go at the last minute and the reasons she decided against college were pretty good ones, if you ask me. And it really came down to two things that she realized.
Starting point is 00:12:19 One, that she didn't wanna be away from her family because they're awesome, I totally get that. And I understand why you wouldn't wanna be far away from them. And second, she realized that she didn't want to be away from her family because they're awesome. I totally get that. And I understand why you wouldn't want to be far away from them. And second, she realized that she was ready to start her own business and really kick off adult life right away. So she created her business AZ Hansen Horses, which to my knowledge was for riding, selling, and training horses. Rachel also worked at boarding facilities all over the greater Phoenix area and had really developed some great training skills. Plus she also wanted to expand her opportunities so she ended up studying and getting her real estate license because her next adventure was going to
Starting point is 00:12:53 be buying and selling equine properties. So Rachel was obviously quite the entrepreneur and keep in mind she's doing this at a very young age. She's still a teenager and I know I've spent a lot of time talking about her and some people weirdly enough enough, get annoyed by that. But I think it's very important that we remember people for who they were when they were alive and not just how they died. But obviously, I am here to tell you about the devastating murder of Rachel Hansen, which brings me to June of 2022. But before we get into that, we do need to talk about what was going on in her life leading up to that, because it's possible that those circumstances
Starting point is 00:13:30 played a role in what happened to her. Sometime after Rachel decided against going to college, rather than move back home, she actually decided to get her own apartment. And the apartment that she got was less than three miles away from where her parents lived, which was a way for her to start her adult life,
Starting point is 00:13:45 but also be close to home if she ever wanted to see them or needed help. And when Rachel got this first apartment, she thought that the strategic move would be to get a roommate so that she could cut her rent in half. However, since it was a one bedroom, having two people in there quickly became too much.
Starting point is 00:14:02 So at some point, the roommate moves out and it's just her. That is until she ended up getting an opportunity that seemed too good to pass up. Rachel was offered a job at a newer ranch in the Queen Creek area where she would be able to move onto the property, bring her own horse with her and work with training the horses that they had brought in. So she would live in a little casita with her horse Dash right outside while getting to pursue her dreams of training. And of course, it seemed perfect. So in December
Starting point is 00:14:29 of 2021, she finds someone to sublease her current apartment, she moves out, and she moves on to this property where she's going to start this new job. In January, she and one other person drove a trailer to Montana where they picked up four yearlings, which is just a horse between the ages of one and two years old, and they brought them back to the ranch. And those four yearlings became Rachel's project. And from what I know, for the first few months, she was really happy there and not just with the new job, but also things were going really well in her personal life. In January of 2022, her boyfriend, Joe met proposed to her and they were eagerly
Starting point is 00:15:05 planning a wedding for October of 2024, which is really sad to think about now considering that's coming up here in the next two months. It's heartbreaking. Kim says that in true Rachel fashion, she even picked out her own engagement ring because she wanted something where the diamonds laid flat and didn't stick up on her finger because she didn't want it to get in the way of working with her horses. So it seemed like in the start of 2022 things were really going good for her and by the time April came around Rachel was also starting the process of breeding her horse Dash. She really wanted to raise a foal from day one and the prospect of doing that was super exciting to her especially because it would be her own horse's baby. Kim says that Rachel did all the research to find the
Starting point is 00:15:49 best stallion to breed her with and on May 1st is when she was officially bred. And obviously it was going to take a while because the gestation period for horses is 11 to 12 months, but you know, anything good is worth waiting for. So clearly she had a lot of good things going on in her life, a lot to look forward to, but sadly this is when things start to, they start to not go so well in Rachel's life. And I'm going to do my best to explain these circumstances, which I do wanna just make a note
Starting point is 00:16:18 that it's a little hard to do that because some of the details are a little fuzzy. Starting at the end of May, Rachel's employment at the ranch was terminated. And it seemed like there were a few things going on that caused this. But from my understanding, one of the reasons was because those yearlings that Rachel was working with to train weren't quite where the owners wanted them to be in their training. Like maybe there wasn't as much progress with them made
Starting point is 00:16:47 as the owners were wanting. Another thing was that Rachel had completely shattered one of her fingers during an accident when she was loading a horse into a trailer, which sounds so, so painful. And obviously that really impacted her ability to ride. Now, Kim says that her daughter was definitely pushing the limits
Starting point is 00:17:04 and doing a lot more than the doctor said she should be doing, but even with what she was doing, it did impact her ability to work. And then there was one more thing, and I think maybe this was sort of the biggest problem possibly, and it had to do with a horse brokering deal
Starting point is 00:17:18 that Rachel was facilitating. I guess there was some deal where this one horse was being either sold or traded for two horses and a foal so One in exchange for three but when this trade happened the mare or the female horse and Her foal just never showed up and I will actually be coming back to this but it seemed like That issue combined with some of the other issues I mentioned resulted in her termination combined with some of the other issues I mentioned resulted in her termination.
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Starting point is 00:19:37 and those 365 day returns. Once again, quince.com slash tckR. So her new plan was to move back into her apartment and to continue to grow her business and develop her skills there. But the problem was the person who was subleasing the apartment was still living there. So she ends up giving them a few days notice to pack up and leave the apartment. And in the meantime, she goes and stays at her parents house. Now for the sake of transparency I do have to say that around this time Rachel's mental health really started to decline. In this transition period from leaving the ranch to moving back into her apartment she'd actually ended up checking into a mental health facility and Kim says that
Starting point is 00:20:21 Rachel was just riddled with anxiety about her future and it really had pushed her to the point where she needed professional help. The thing is though, while she was there, something really awful happened. On May 31st, while she was in treatment, her dad, her fiance, and some of her brothers were actually at the ranch, moving all of her belongings out of the casita.
Starting point is 00:20:41 They had taken a huge haul of her stuff and dropped it off in the garage of their family home and all that was left was for her dad to hook up the horse trailer and go back and pick up her horse Dash. Because when they terminated Rachel they made it super clear that she needed to take everything with her and it all needed to be gone right away including her horse. Now just listen to how messed up this is. Once Todd had hooked up the trailer and started to drive over there, he just texted the owners being like, hey, I'm on my way back for Dash. We will have her off your property per your request.
Starting point is 00:21:12 Not those words exactly, but something super cordial and simple along those lines. And then right after he sends that text message, he gets a text back from the owner that says something along the lines of no need to come. The horse has been removed from the property, here's the number for our attorney. Which keep in mind, he had just been there getting all of Rachel's stuff, so in between the time where he left and brought it back to their place, unloaded it, hooked up the trailer, and was heading back there, these people had the horse removed. Very sketchy.
Starting point is 00:21:44 And what's worse is they wouldn't even tell Todd where Dash was and to this day, they have no idea where they had put her. Thankfully, they did end up getting her back, which I will explain later on, just to put anyone at ease here. But yeah, very, very strange that they wouldn't tell them where they were keeping the horse
Starting point is 00:22:04 and still haven't to this day I mean what so as you can imagine when Rachel finds out about this she went absolutely ballistic she was so angry so upset so scared and You know, she's dealing with a very turbulent mental health at this point and to get this news on top of that just made everything worse She did end up getting out of the facility the next day on June 1st, and as soon as she left, she spent the entire day and the next few days actually looking for Dash,
Starting point is 00:22:32 not only asking for help from people in the community to try and find her, but also posting all over social media to share what happened. And what happened was these people were holding her horse ransom, and they told the Hansen family that they needed to pay $5,000 in order to get her back. And in the meantime, they weren't even allowed to know where
Starting point is 00:22:51 she was. And this is the part that's a little fuzzy, but I guess that money is what these people felt that they were owed due to that horse trade that didn't go as planned where the foal and the mare never showed up because they never had got them. They felt that the $5,000 would cover what they were worth. And then there was also a stud fee that they felt Rachel owed them for breeding Dash, which I believe was $950. Now for any person, this whole experience and just the way that it was handled would be very traumatic and it definitely was for Rachel. But thankfully she of course had the support of her parents. Her dad was on the phone with the attorney nonstop trying to figure out how to get her
Starting point is 00:23:34 horse back and her mom who actually was in Indiana babysitting her grandkids was reassuring Rachel from there that they would pay whatever it took to get her back home. And these people even ended up raising the ransom from $5,000 to $7,500 and still Kim and Todd were willing to pay whatever it took because they knew how much Dash meant to Rachel. And like I mentioned earlier, they did end up getting the horse back, but unfortunately Rachel never got to be reunited with Dash because before they got her back an even worse tragedy happened. Only a few days after Rachel left the mental health institution on June 4th, someone broke into her apartment and shot her. Despite being shot in the abdomen and having several organs punctured, she actually managed to survive long enough to call 911. And even if I had access to
Starting point is 00:24:23 that call, which it is not released, I wouldn't play it for you. But we do know from the recently released transcript that she said, I've been shot. Someone broke in and shot me. The operator asked if she had any kind of clean towel or shirt that she could use to apply pressure to her wounds. But Rachel responded, no. Her call came in at 2 07 AM.
Starting point is 00:24:42 And while she was able to cling on to life until first responders got there, ultimately doctors were unable to save her. Only four hours later, officers from the Gilbert Police Department were knocking on her parents door to notify them of what had happened. And because Kim was in Indiana at the time, Todd was the only parent home to answer. So he had to learn the news of what had happened to their daughter by himself, which is just heartbreaking to think about. No parent should ever have to go through that. Todd and Kim had actually adopted a few more children after Rachel, who were still living at home at the time. So he had to be the one to break the news to
Starting point is 00:25:22 them. These people were so amazing. We actually had nine kids in total. I mean, you guys are just superheroes. But then of course, Todd had to do something even more difficult and make that call to Kim and tell her the most heartbreaking news that she had ever received. Less than 24 hours earlier, Kim and Rachel were talking on the phone late into the night,
Starting point is 00:25:43 which is something that they did quite often. And she had no idea, neither of them had any idea that that conversation the night of June 3rd would be their last. The last thing that Kim remembers saying to her daughter was that she loved her and that she would be home on Sunday to help move her and the rest of her belongings into her apartment.
Starting point is 00:26:01 And Rachel responded with, I love you, mom. I said, I'll be home on Sunday and help you move in and get everything set up and she just said, I love you mom. Everything was good. There was nothing indicating anything was ever going to go wrong. And because Rachel was such an independent person, she wanted to get back into her apartment as quickly as possible, and she actually didn't want to wait until the 5th when her mom was back to go ahead and move back in.
Starting point is 00:26:33 So between June 1st and June 3rd, while in the midst of trying to get her horse back as well, Rachel managed to move her bed and box spring into the apartment so that she could at least start staying there again. Joe Met had also been with her for those few days, and he was helping in any way that he could both physically and emotionally. And he was actually with her just hours before her murder and I want to be so clear here because I know where a lot of people's minds are probably already going, but the Hansen family does not believe whatsoever that he had any involvement in her murder. Jomet is really like a son to them. He had always been nothing but wonderful to their daughter and they do not suspect him whatsoever. But like I just said, he was with her hours before her life
Starting point is 00:27:16 was stolen from her. That night they had a totally normal night. They had watched a movie together at her apartment, but because he had to get up early to work with his dad, he ended up leaving right around midnight. And I guess Rachel had fallen asleep before he left, and as he was leaving, he woke her up to tell her that she needed to lock the door behind him. And this is a key part to the case. After Rachel had asked the girl
Starting point is 00:27:39 who was subleasing her apartment to move out, her and Jomet decided that they should change the locks in the apartment. I'm going to explain this a little bit more in depth later on, but basically the girl who was living there before seemed to have a lot of people coming in and out of the apartment at all hours of the day and the night. And I guess some of the neighbors had issues with her and there was speculation that she possibly could have been selling drugs.
Starting point is 00:28:02 Totally unsure on that. But a lot of the neighbors had believed that was the case because the apartment often smelled like weed inside and outside. So just to be safe, because so many people had been coming and going, they make the smart decision to change the locks. And according to Kim,
Starting point is 00:28:20 the lock that they installed locked from the inside. So when Jomet was leaving, again, he asked Rachel to wake up and come and lock the door after he left. And she responded twice that she would. And unfortunately, she never did. And just two hours later, someone entered the apartment through the unlocked door, physically kicked down her bedroom door and shot her. And as of recording this episode, it has been two years since her murder and we still don't know who was responsible and why.
Starting point is 00:28:53 Their family knows just about as much information today as they did back on June 4th, 2022. And that absolutely has to change. And the Gilbert Police Department has really done an awful job here. They have done a massive disservice to Rachel and her family. And I think we can all agree that they deserve answers and justice. So let's get into what theories the family has and also what the police have and have not done. I love being partnered with our next sponsor today, Nutriful, because Nutriful is a product
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Starting point is 00:31:13 promo code Kendall Rae. Once again, that's Nutri-Ful.com, promo code Kendall Rae. So one of the theories that the Hansen believe could be the reason for their daughter's murder has to do with what was going on with Rachel's horse Dash. And when you look at the way that everything went down, clearly there was some anger and animosity going on. And to this day, they probably will never understand the full extent of it. But whatever happened between these people and their daughter was enough for her to be fired and kicked off the property really, really quickly.
Starting point is 00:31:48 Obviously, we went over some of the reasons for her termination earlier, but you have to wonder, and I know Kim and Todd do, if there were other reasons that they didn't know about. Is it possible that the people who held their daughter's horse for ransom had something to do with her murder, which let's not forget that happened five days after Rachel was forced off of the property. However, when it comes to this possibility, the Gilbert Police Department says that there was no real reason for these ranch people to kill Rachel and therefore they've basically said they investigated the lead and
Starting point is 00:32:24 they will not be looking into them any further. But it's frustrating, of course, because they're not giving Rachel's family any real reason as to why they have been ruled out. To my knowledge, the police basically told them that they have plenty of money, a lot of money, and that's why they think they didn't do it. As if that makes any sense,
Starting point is 00:32:43 and maybe they have more information that they haven't shared, I don't know why they think they didn't do it. As if that makes any sense, and maybe they have more information that they haven't shared. I don't know why they wouldn't, but yeah. If it were my daughter, that would not be a good enough reason to rule someone out in my book. And believe me, and I wanna be really clear here, the Hansen family is not trying to make them be guilty
Starting point is 00:32:59 if they aren't. They just want a legitimate reason for why they've been ruled out. They want answers, and the answers that they're getting are kind of bullshit. So that's one theory they have and then another theory, and I'm sure a lot of you are already thinking this, is about the person who was subleasing her apartment. Basically, when Rachel decided to sublease her apartment, her parents were skeptical.
Starting point is 00:33:21 They weren't sure if she was technically even allowed to, but Rachel assured them that it would be fine and they just trusted that that was the case. To my knowledge, she ended up finding this girl on Facebook to live in her apartment and like I said before, I guess she wasn't the best tenant. Basically from the way it's been reported, it sounds like there's some concern that she may have been dealing drugs or at least possibly was associated with people who were. And I guess when Rachel started moving back in she had to do a ton of cleaning because the place absolutely reeked of weed which of course weed is legal in Arizona but that doesn't mean it was the only drug being
Starting point is 00:33:56 sold if it was being sold. And so the theory here is that this tenant had got into some sort of altercation with someone related to drugs, and then that person had broke into the apartment, killing Rachel thinking that she was the other girl. Because keep in mind, Rachel had asked her to move out in just a couple of days. So it hadn't been that long since she was living there. And in Rachel's parents minds and I completely agree, I think it's a very real possibility that someone had broken in thinking that Rachel was this other tenant. But when it comes to this theory, it sounds like a similar situation to how the police
Starting point is 00:34:36 handled the ranch lead. They looked into it, they say that there's nothing there. And as far as I'm aware, there wasn't a really good reason given as to why they have decided to rule this theory out. And it's really frustrating to think about because it just makes you wonder how thoroughly they actually looked into it. And I'm sure a lot of you agree this Being just a random homicide seems very unlikely and truly just doesn't make any sense Not only are homicides committed by a stranger way less common But in what world does someone enter a gated apartment complex walk up to the third floor and then walk to the unit all the Way in the corner and commit murder That honestly just sounds like a logistical nightmare for someone who is just trying to commit a random act of violence.
Starting point is 00:35:29 And so to me, to this family, and probably to a lot of you guys, this seems intentional. Now, there is one more theory, but I do just want to say there's very little information about it, and it has to do with Joe Metz dad. So according to the podcast Truth Be Found with Justin Yentis where Kim was interviewed and I will have it linked below if you would like to take a listen for yourself. She briefly talks about an altercation that Rachel had with Joe Metz dad. Kim prefaces by saying that she knows very little about what happened but says there was some kind of altercation where Jomet's dad made violent statements against Rachel. And it was like six weeks before her murder. And I guess in this altercation, he actually physically pulled her out of a car, yelled at her and told her that if he
Starting point is 00:36:16 ever saw her again, he would kill her. And the police were called that night. So they knew about this incident. And when Rachel was shot and called 911, they knew within 10 minutes that this was the same girl who was involved in that incident six weeks prior. But honestly, guys, that's really all we know. And without more information being released to the public and without knowing where her family stands with him, that's all I'm going to say about that. But I did feel like it was important to mention, especially because Rachel's mom has brought it up. I also think it's important that we talk about safety features or lack of safety features when it came to Rachel's apartment. The thing is where Rachel chose to live was generally considered to be incredibly safe. Her parents had no concerns
Starting point is 00:37:02 whatsoever that she could possibly be in danger by living there. That being said though, they did learn some things after the fact about this apartment complex that is really upsetting to hear when it comes to safety. The main thing being lack of security cameras, which I know we talk about this all the time, but what's really frustrating is they said they had security cameras and it turns out they didn't. Kim and Todd have spoken to people who live there and they say that they have been begging the complex to put in security measures such as cameras and even after years of asking they just never did it. And I guess one detective even flat out told Kim that the cameras they do appear to have are fake. So that's great. And I'm
Starting point is 00:37:44 sure a lot of you are thinking, well, what about ring doorbell footage? That's incredibly useful in so many cases. And you'd imagine that investigators probably went door to door asking people if they have footage, right? Well, I guess at one point Kim had posted something on a community Facebook page and someone replied who was living in the apartment complex and
Starting point is 00:38:06 said that they lived on the same floor as Rachel and that they had security footage and at no point did police ever ask them to see that footage. Now maybe it's possible. I hope they have asked other people and maybe they have footage from someone else's security camera but they haven't released that information yet. But I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that the Hansons have repeatedly been made to feel like Rachel's case just isn't a priority. And I wish I could say that this is a one-off failure for this department,
Starting point is 00:38:37 but that couldn't be further from the truth. It turns out that they have recently come under a lot of fire for how they have mishandled and quite frankly swept other murder cases under the rug. There's one case in particular I wanted to mention and that's the case of Preston Lord who was a 16 year old boy who was murdered by a gang of other boys called the Gilbert Goons on Halloween in 2023. And after looking into that case it's definitely a case I wanna cover in the future if you guys are interested and I'm sure that you are. But yeah, the community is really upset with the Gilbert PD for how it's been handled.
Starting point is 00:39:13 And as we can see from Rachel's case, clearly they are not learning from their mistakes. And of course, this family is rational. They were not expecting for an arrest to be made within 24 hours of Rachel's murder or anything like that They fully recognize that justice does take time, but it has now been two years and they have absolutely Nothing not even confidence in the people who are investigating all they are really asking for is Transparency from the Gilbert Police Department an ounce of respect and for this case to be treated as a priority
Starting point is 00:39:45 And this really pisses me off. I don't understand how you get into this line of work and not just know to do this or care enough to do this, but the police chief still has not reached out to them to offer any kind of condolence or anything. And there was even one instance where the main detective on the case had a meeting with Kim and this was right around the holidays and he told her that he had blocked Todd's number and Kim was obviously like, why did you block my husband's number? And he said that he couldn't handle Todd texting him at all hours of the night. And to be clear, Todd was not texting him at all hours of the night.
Starting point is 00:40:23 And what's even more infuriating is his last text to this detective was actually a thank you message for helping to try and get justice for his daughter. That's it. Not to mention that after more than two years, they still haven't even gotten a clear answer on what kind of gun was used to kill their daughter. At first they were told it was one thing,
Starting point is 00:40:43 but every time they've tried to ask questions about it, they feel like the detectives aren't giving them a clear answer. And for what? Of course, their family knows that not all information can be shared with the public to protect the investigation. But at some point, this feels less like protecting the investigation and more like protecting themselves. It feels like straight up deceit. In February of this year, 2024, the Gilbert Police Department turned the case over to Silent Witness, where they encouraged the public to come forward with any information or tips on the case. At the time, a $2,000 reward for information was being offered through Silent Witness, but today that amount actually stands at $7,000.
Starting point is 00:41:20 And the department has also released this statement. Rachel Hansen's homicide is actively being investigated by our criminal investigations division. This case continues to be of the utmost priority for the Gilbert Police Department and we understand how hard lengthy investigations can be on families of victims. We can tell you that all tips and leads related to this investigation have been pursued. In addition to the posting today, in February of this year, in partnership with Silent Witness, we have requested the public's assistance with any tips and information that could help us solve the case. We would appreciate any help that we can get with sharing information on the Silent Witness
Starting point is 00:41:54 tip line at 480-WITNESS and how tips and information related to this case can be submitted. But again, I just have to wonder how much is actually being done. For over two years, their family, the public, even several news outlets have made requests for information to be released. And only recently, as I mentioned earlier, did they release the 911 transcript, but they also released body cam footage from that night from the responding officers. But even all of that has been heavily redacted. Heavily blurred video blocking the date and time. Some of the records are blacked out completely,
Starting point is 00:42:31 maybe redacting the answers the Hansen family has been hoping for. We were hoping that there was more information. Gilbert police have now released heavily edited records more than two years after 19 year old Rachel Hansen was murdered. Her mother, Kim, still wondering who killed her daughter. Though we're grateful to have something released, we're surprised at what was released. Rachel was shot at her Gilbert apartment on June 4th 2022. A transcript from that night reveals Rachel called 911 telling a dispatcher.
Starting point is 00:43:07 Hi, I've been shot. Someone broke in and shot me in Rachel's last minutes alive. A roughly six minute phone call. She begged first responders. Please hurry, please hurry. She even used the word please as Rachel would do. Even in a time like that.
Starting point is 00:43:27 The video shows 23 Gilbert police officers arriving too late to save Rachel. Simply the sirens of the first officers that were called and headed there. That was hard, although the videos show officers arriving to Rachel's apartment. It's unclear how long they
Starting point is 00:43:50 waited to go inside and what they found once they did. That's because it's heavily redacted. This video alone has 10 minutes of blacked out footage. A little more information, a little more understanding of the investigation of what's been done, where they're going, anything new, anything more than we have had in two years.
Starting point is 00:44:18 So obviously the hope here is that whatever is being redacted is being redacted for good reason, and will eventually lead to an arrest in the future. But based on how badly Kim and Todd have been treated and how little investigators seem to care about the case, obviously their family is concerned that that won't happen. And without having any idea of why this happened, who did this, their family understandably is not able to move on. They're not able to get any type of closure and that's why they are continuing to ask for help from the public.
Starting point is 00:44:52 They feel strongly and I agree, I think we all can agree that someone somewhere knows something and it's just going to take one person to come forward to solve this case. And so it's really important that people know about Rachel's case and what happened to her. The Hansons do believe that one day their daughter's case will be solved, but they do have very little confidence in the investigation. Thankfully though, I do have a bit of good news. A private investigation firm did end up taking on this case pro bono, so I have hope that they're going to be able to help this family. They have also printed dozens of flyers which they've passed around Gilbert in hopes to get Rachel's name and face out there
Starting point is 00:45:28 as much as possible. And I'm going to have a link available where you can download these flyers too if you're interested in printing them out and putting them up where you live. They also have a GoFundMe, which of course I will have linked below. And if you are able to donate to them,
Starting point is 00:45:41 I know they would greatly appreciate it. Any amount helps. And they're currently raising funds for any costs associated with her case getting solved. And before I wrap up today, I did wanna share something that kind of ends us on a little bit of a high note, something that the Hansons have done in Rachel's honor
Starting point is 00:45:57 that I thought was really, really special. And that was starting Rachel's rescue. As we all know by now, Rachel's love of animals is ultimately what defined her. And growing up, she'd always talked about wanting to open her own rescue for puppies and dogs. So in her honor, her parents have created Rachel's Rescue, which is a nonprofit to do exactly that,
Starting point is 00:46:15 rescue and rehome puppies and dogs. This nonprofit not only helps the animals, but it allows Kim and Todd to have more conversations with people about their daughter. Since it was founded on June 1st, 2023, they have helped rehome more than 200 puppies and dogs. And if you are living anywhere near Gilbert or willing to make the trip out there
Starting point is 00:46:33 and you're interested in rescuing, please consider doing it through them. And I, of course, will also provide a link for that. Rachel's whole family misses her. Jomette misses her. Kim says that she feels the presence of her daughter all the time and has conversations with her where she feels that she's still there in some way. Also having her horse Dash, a big piece of her, has helped them all feel close to her still. And since then,
Starting point is 00:47:02 her horse did have her baby and they named her Dainey, which actually holds a lot of meaning to them. I thought this is really cool, really cool way to honor Rachel. The D of course is for Dash and then A-N-N-E is Rachel's middle name Anne and then the Y is for the horse's father. So I just wanted to mention all those things because I think it is really special the way they have maintained and honored Rachel by keeping her memory alive in ways that she would have loved. They have really captured her spirit in so many ways and I just hope so badly for this family that one day they will get the answers that they need that they will get justice. That is going to be it for me today
Starting point is 00:47:44 guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.

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