029 - The Disappearance of Teresa Lynn Butler

Trace Evidence

Steven Pacheco

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.7 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2017

⏱️ 62 minutes

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Summary

Thirty-five year old wife and mother of two, Teresa Lynn Butler spent the evening of January 24th, 2006 with her sister-in-law. She went home that night to put her two and four year old sons to bed, received a call at approximately 10pm and seemingly vanished into thin air.

When her husband, Dale, arrived home the next morning, he found his wife missing and his young sons fending for themselves. Items were missing from the home, and Teresa's jeep which was still parked in the driveway was missing its stereo. Investigators found the entire case perplexing as there were no signs of forced entry, nor any signs of a struggle. In the home, authorities would later find foreign DNA, though they have never confirmed where or in what form. A key was also found broken off in one of the homes door locks, and the light bulb on the front porch had been unscrewed.

During the course of the investigation, no trace of Teresa was ever found and there were two cryptic, early morning phone calls made from her cell phone to individuals she did not know. Her wedding ring was later found beneath the couch, something her husband says she never took off. A year and a half later, a man would come forward stating that he had been offered one of the stolen items in exchange for some drugs less than twenty-four hours after Teresa disappeared.

What happened to Teresa Lynn Butler? Was she the victim of a home invasion turned abduction? Does her husband know more than he is telling? Did a vindictive ex-wife choose to lash out against her replacement or did Teresa choose to run off and leave her life behind? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this complex and confusing disappearance in hopes of finding some answers in a case devoid of hard evidence and rampant with speculation.

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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/teresa-butler

Transcript

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0:00.0	35-year-old Teresa Lynn Butler was living in the small town of Risco, Missouri with her
0:15.0	husband, Gary Dale Butler, and their two young sons, Gavin and Garrett. Everyone who
0:22.0	knew Teresa described her as an incredibly sweet woman with a great big heart, though
0:27.2	possibly a little naïve about the darker intentions people can often have. Teresa was a hardworking
0:34.4	woman, employed at a local Walmart, and a full-time mom, while her husband worked overnight shifts
0:40.8	to help support the family. Despite the daily struggle to maintain a balance between work and
0:46.9	her home life, Teresa has said to have never lost her happy demeanor and to always have put
0:52.3	her children before everything else. On the evening of Tuesday, January 24, 2006, Teresa spent
1:00.6	most of the night with her sister-in-law, chatting and talking about the future. She returned
1:06.5	home with her boys that night looking to put them to bed. Around 10 pm she had a phone conversation
1:12.5	with a relative, but neither of them knew this would be the last time they would speak. When Dale
1:18.7	attempted to call his wife at 11 pm just one hour later, there was no answer. This wasn't
1:25.0	something he was concerned about, as Teresa would sometimes be asleep by the time he called,
1:30.3	and on other occasions, the metal shielding of his job site caused interference which didn't allow
1:35.7	the calls to get through. Thinking nothing of it, he went back to work. Ending his shift early in
1:42.2	the morning, Dale did not go home immediately, but instead met his mother for breakfast.
1:48.5	Arriving home at approximately 10 am, Dale found his two young sons unattended and in his bedroom.
1:55.5	Worried, Dale searched the house for his wife, but when he could find no signs of her,
2:00.2	he began placing calls to friends and relatives hoping that they might be able to provide an explanation.
2:06.2	It was during this time that Dale discovered several electronic items missing from the home,
2:11.4	and though he was now panicked about Teresa's whereabouts, it was Teresa's sister-in-law who
2:16.5	notified police. This would later become a point of contention for those who feel that Dale knows
	...

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