The opinions expressed in the following episode do not necessarily reflect those of the minds of madness podcast.

Listener discretion is advised.

It was a cool fall morning in Medford, Oregon when police picked up three young runaways by the side of the road.

19-year-old Gavin McFarland, a high school dropout, his girlfriend, 15-year-old Ellen Fryer, and their mutual friend, 22-year-old Russell Pierce Jones, a young man with a criminal record and a history of mental illness.

From the back of the police car, Russell made cryptic comments about being the couple's protector.

Ellen and Gavin claimed they'd run away because Ellen's parents disapproved of their age difference.

Back at home, Ellen's younger sisters had a very different story to tell.

Join me now, as we delve into the case of Aaron Fryer, a father whose trouble raising a teenage daughter reached heartbreaking extremes.

To understand the case, we'll examine three parallel interrogations and the secrets and lies investigators were forced to navigate to get to the truth.

Medford is the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, USA, not far from the California border, with a population around 85,000.

And like many cities in the Pacific Northwest, Medford has a long history with logging and railroad industries, along with a rugged landscape popular with hikers and campers.

Unlike much of the rest of Oregon, it's warm and sunny with a climate that's almost Mediterranean.

But even a town with such a sunny disposition, darkness can find a way to creep in, and on the morning of October 2nd, 2017, two teenage lovers and their friend were running from it.

But first, they just needed to make a quick stop at a local Walmart.

The sun was barely up when a silver mercury marquee pulled into the parking lot, 15-year-old Ellen Fryer, and during 19-year-old boyfriend, Gaffa McFarlane piled out and went into the store.

Their stocky 22-year-old friend, Russell Jones, hung back outside, smoking from a pack of Camel 99's he'd stolen earlier that morning.

Ellen was small and slight, with shoulder-length brown hair.

Her older boyfriend, Gavin, was tall and lean, but gave a punkish impression with his black leather jacket, dark hoodie, and a blue beanie that covered his wavy blonde hair.

The couple wandered the aisles, collecting everything they thought they might need to run away together.

They knew it wouldn't take long before authorities would be out looking for them.

After checking out, the couple got back into the silver mercury and drove off with Russell.

In a plastic Walmart bag, Ellen had everything she thought a teenage runaway might need.

...