This week's episode discusses crimes against a child.

Listener discretion is advised.

Jennifer vanished sometime in the overnight hours.

Right now there is no trace.

Investigators say evidence lead them to believe that she's dead.

Stick my nose back on the trail. That's all I can do.

This is already gone.

Already gone.

Already.

Every family story has a beginning.

A moment where separate lives come together to create something new.

For Amy, that moment came when she reconnected with a man named Dave Mason.

As their relationship grew, so did Amy's world.

David wasn't just a partner, he was a father and a grandfather.

It was through this reconnection with David that Amy first met his daughter, Amanda, and Amanda's nine-month-old son, Matthew.

At nine months old, Matthew was a happy child who was deeply loved.

Amy didn't just step into a relationship with David.

She stepped into the role of grandmother.

Thank you. she stepped into the role of grandmother. The bond between them formed quickly.

Early on, Matthew was described by those who knew him as a happy, well-cared-for child. His mother, Amanda, appeared to be attentive and affectionate, doting on her young son. Amanda accepted Amy so much early on that she even kept Amy's name in her phone simply as mom. At the time, they all

lived together in Dave's home. Amanda gave Matthew constant attention, and the house was filled

with the sounds of a growing toddler. To Matthew's grandfather, Dave, and his grandmother, Amy,

...