Episode 380: Danielle Bell

The First Degree

Alexis Linkletter and Jac Vanek

Society & Culture, News, True Crime

4.5 • 10K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In September 2001, a 14-year-old high school freshman fails to come home after a night out with friends in Cantonment, Florida. As detectives begin searching for her, a troubling picture emerges - one involving older men, threats, and details her mother waited days to reveal. With each revelation, the focus shifts from assumptions of a runaway to something far more alarming. But with no sign of her anywhere, charges remain elusive. As the case stalls, her older sister begins her own investigation, stepping into the role their mother never fulfilled. In episode 380, Jac and Alexis explore the disappearance and suspected murder of Danielle Bell, and her sister Bonnie’s decades-long mission to uncover the truth. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The first degree.
0:02.0	First degree.
0:03.0	First degree.
0:04.0	First degree.
0:05.0	First degree.
0:06.0	First degree.
0:07.0	The first degree.
0:08.0	You see it on the news.
0:10.0	You see it on the paper.
0:11.0	You see it on Facebook.
0:13.0	These things are supposed to happen in movies, not in real life.
0:16.0	This day, I will never forget.
0:23.8	We were in the Class Kids headquarters in Pensacola, and she was doing an interview because
0:32.1	they were doing another media push.
0:34.3	Class Kids did a lot of work for Danielle's case, a lot.
0:43.3	And in the middle of this interview, her stories flips.
0:46.4	Like she starts changing, like dates are off.
0:51.0	I don't remember the specific, but I remember that's kind of when I was like, this, it's changing.
0:55.0	Her story is evolving over time.
0:59.0	And I'm like, what?
1:01.0	This doesn't make any sense.
1:03.0	And so I actually slammed my hands down on the table and was like,
	...

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