Hi, Grime junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

And I'm Brett.

And the story I have for you today is about the hunt for a killer who murdered a young

mother in cold blood. A man who investigators learn has a darker past than they could have

ever imagined. This is the story of how they captured Michael Townsend.

William Stoffer is going about his workday in Titusville, Florida when his phone starts

ringing. He's not expecting a call, but he answers anyway, and he's surprised to hear

it's his girlfriend's daughter's on the other end.

Now, it's a little before 3pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2007, so the kids should just be getting

off the bus where their mom Sherry Carmen normally waits for them. But the kids start explaining

that Sherry isn't there to meet them at the bus stop and walk them home like she always

is. They say that they decided to just walk home by themselves, assuming that she'd be

there, but she wasn't even at the house. Her car is missing too, and there's not like

a note or anything, saying when she'll be back.

I mean, that would immediately put on a high alert if she's always there and hasn't

called.

Yeah, I mean, it definitely sounds like it would be cause for concern, but William actually

isn't worried because he had just spoken to Sherry on the phone like a couple of hours

ago. I mean, it was some time before lunch. And when he talked to her, there was nothing

about their conversation that made him worried.

Jessica Gertler reported for WREG that Sherry told him she'd slept in, was getting a

late start to her errands for the day. So, William probably figured she's still out

...