01x06 - Cody

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Cody virgin, a
25-year-old living in Arizona

with his girlfriend, Nataly.

Hey, are you coming?

Both of them worked together

at the la palma correctional
facility in eloy, Arizona.

With Cody working as a
correctional officer since 2015

after graduating from
Arizona state university.

After graduating from
Arizona state university.

Cody was a very hard-working
individual from a young age.

With his mother passing when
he was only nine years old,

he had no choice but to
take control of his own destiny.

And at 18 years old,

he started working
full-time at a local prison

during the night shift

and also going to
school during the day.

He seemed like a resilient kid.

Prison work is very hard

and being a student
at the same time...

Oh yeah, he had
to be hard-working.

It is at the la palma correctional
facility where he would meet Nataly.

Like many couples in their 20s,

they loved to share
their lives on Facebook,

posting pictures of
themselves together.

They had a love for
road trips to Vegas

and they would always wait
excitedly for the next 'marvel' movie.

Everything was going
great in Cody's life,

until Paige woods
enters his online world.

Cody receives a friend request
from a woman named Paige woods.

He doesn't recognise the name

he doesn't recognise the name

but notices that he has
several mutual friends

and accepts the request.

It's always dangerous to
accept invitations online.

But for a lot of people,

seeing that you
have mutual friends,

even if they're
complete strangers,

seems to be enough
to put people at ease.

While having mutual friends
with somebody on Facebook

is ideal when meeting
strangers online,

it can also offer a
false sense of security.

It's always recommended
to be super cautious

when establishing a
connection with somebody online.

Because once you're
friends with them,

they have access to everything.

Whether that be your posts,

your family, your
friends, your photos.

Despite having what seems

to be a fun and exciting
relationship with Nataly,

Cody begins to flirt with Paige.

Over the next four months,

the two get to know each other
through messenger on Facebook,

and in January of 2017,

Paige proposes that
they finally meet in person.

There are always safety concerns

there are always safety concerns

when it comes to moving an
online relationship into the real world.

You may think you
know that person

on the other side of the text

but it often gives people
a false sense of security.

To be fair, Cody seemed like a
guy who could take care of himself.

I mean he worked at
a correctional facility

so he was no stranger to
dealing with tough individuals.

And he had mutual
friends with this person,

so why not pursue it?

Paige suggests a meeting place

and sends Cody a
Google maps location.

But the location Paige sends

is in a dangerous
part of Arizona.

Pinal county.

This area has been known

for human trafficking,

drug smuggling
and missing persons.

This is a dangerous proposition,

even for a man with law
enforcement training like Cody.

When meeting
someone for the first time,

it's highly recommended to
meet somewhere in public.

It's highly recommended to
meet somewhere in public.

Paige's suggestion was secluded,

dark and on top of that,
a cellphone dead spot.

Bad idea.

Women are taught
at a very young age,

either from parents or
society or even school,

that it is unsafe for them
to go out alone at night.

But for men, this type of
precaution is a little less obvious.

Stranger danger should
be applied to anybody,

regardless of gender,
age or experience.

Cody agrees to meet

and Paige suggests that he come
out to a bonfire out in the desert.

On 30 January, 2017,

Cody lets his cousin Conner

know where he's headed
and sets off to meet Paige.

Cody tells Conner everything,

even that it might turn into
cheating on his girlfriend, Nataly.

This is far from
the most ideal way

to meet someone
for the first time,

but letting someone
know where you're going

is a good habit for those who
enjoy the online dating lifestyle.

Is a good habit for those who
enjoy the online dating lifestyle.

For good reason,
it's pretty common

for people who meet others online
to keep those interactions private.

And people tend to use
different personas online

and having that exposed to
the world scares a lot of people.

Thankfully, for Cody's family,

Conner and Cody didn't
keep secrets from each other.

Conner wakes up and there
is no message from Cody.

She waits until late afternoon,
and still no word from Cody.

After he doesn't
show up for work,

she calls the
sheriff's department

and Cody is declared
a missing person.

This online flirtation quickly
turned into the worst-case scenario.

Where was Cody?

And who, exactly
was Paige woods?

Yeah, initially, the
bulletin was just,

"25-year-old, casa grande
resident, is missing."

Be on the alert.

And that was kind of it,

I don't remember there being a
lot of more information beyond that.

Border patrol found a vehicle,
abandoned in the desert.

Border patrol found a vehicle,
abandoned in the desert.

It belonged to Cody virgin.

And so they notified us that
they had found this vehicle,

and there were some
suspicious things,

it looked like they had
done some sweeping away,

or raking away around
the vehicle of the footprints.

And then we saw some
blood droplets there too,

so, we went out
to investigate it.

31 January, 2017,

Conner day, Cody virgin's
cousin and confidant,

fears that the worst has
happened to her cousin

and calls the
sheriff's department

to report that Cody
has gone missing.

Missing persons cases

can be a gruelling process
for law enforcement,

but since Conner reported
it in a timely manner

and knew where Cody
should have been at what time,

their chances of finding
him are much higher.

And the fact that Cody
was also in law enforcement,

there was an added
sense of duty to find him.

Police set out to the location
that Paige had sent Cody.

There, they find Cody's
car with traces of blood.

They find what
looked like tire tracks

that have attempted to
be covered with a shovel,

indicating that Cody has,
indeed, met someone,

but Cody, himself, is
nowhere to be found.

Our crime scene was the vehicle,

because of the suspicious nature

of how they raked around where
the footprints would have been,

in an effort to try to cover
them up, it looked like.

And then also the
droplets of blood,

that is enough for
us to kind of believe

that there's foul play afoot.

Cody's family is
desperate for any hint

as to where he might be,

so they reach out to this
mysterious Paige woods,

hoping that she might
have more insight.

But instead of Paige woods,
they find brittney James.

So Paige woods had then
changed her name to brittney James

and all of the
photos and friends

associated with the
account were gone.

Associated with the
account were gone.

This extremely suspicious
behaviour was now a suspect

trying to cover
their own tracks.

The profile would soon
be completely deleted,

giving more credit to the idea

that this mysterious person

had something to do with
Cody's disappearance.

With suspicious
behaviour like that,

finding the person behind the
Paige wood's Facebook account

becomes top priority.

But it doesn't take long to find
the hands behind the keyboard.

Police link the deleted Facebook
page to a William Randolph,

a 26-year-old living in Arizona.

But what motivated this
man in his 20s to catfish Cody

and lure him out
into the desert?

Cody's family has
a pretty good guess.

Most m*rder victims are
k*lled by people they know

or have some sort
of connection with,

and in this case, it seemed
like Cody was, in fact, targeted.

William Randolph was
Nataly's ex-husband.

The same Nataly that Cody
shares an apartment with.

And I think the next big development
was that they made an arrest.

And I remember thinking
like, "well, an arrest for what?"

What happened?

So, that was the strange
thing about the case,

it kind of happened backwards,
where the person went missing,

they solved the case, but they
didn't have the body of the victim.

Police arrest Randolph due
to his conflicting accounts

of where he was on 30 January,
the night Cody went missing.

But what pushed this man

to carry out an elaborate
plot to lure out Cody?

This was beginning to look a
lot like a case of a jealous ex.

With Cody out of the picture,

Randolph believed he could
possibly get back with his ex-wife.

Could Nataly have been
giving Randolph false hope

in rekindling their
lost marriage?

Or had Randolph operated alone,

or had Randolph operated alone,

creating his own
delusions of grandeur?

While the family
found it hard to believe

that Nataly had nothing to
do with Cody's disappearance,

it should be noted

that Nataly delivered an order
of protection against Randolph.

In Arizona, this is the
equivalent to a restraining order,

preventing Randolph from
committing domestic violence

or even contacting Nataly.

But before police can
dive into why this happened,

they still need to find Cody.

When arresting Randolph,

he claims his truck
had broken down

and that he had no
idea where he left it.

Police put out an apb and
find it almost immediately.

Cody is still no
where to be found,

but the police declare

that this was now being
treated as a homicide case

and that the truck had been used
during the commission of a homicide.

Yeah, I don't believe
he was called in

as a missing person.

I can tell you for a fact
that it was the border patrol

that found his vehicle,

and I believe that's what
kicked off the investigation.

And I believe that's what
kicked off the investigation.

According to
friends of Randolph,

he had exhibited
pretty strange behaviour

right after Cody's
disappearance.

One friend claimed that he
wanted to go buy bleach for his car

because he knew that if
police found Cody's body

they would be suspicious of him.

Another friend said that Randolph
had contacted him on 31 January,

to hide a pair of tires,
which seemed random,

but apparently those
tires matched the tire tracks

that police found at the scene.

It was clear that Randolph
was hiding something

and on edge.

Law enforcement on the
online side of the investigation

discover that the
Paige woods account

was made with a phone
number belonging to Randolph.

After questioning him again,

Randolph admits to creating
the fake profile to contact Cody.

He even goes on to admit

that he had invited
him out to the bonfire.

He claims his intention
was to lure Cody out

and trap him in his vehicle.

Police don't buy it and
they still need to find Cody.

Police don't buy it and
they still need to find Cody.

Now that they know for sure

that Randolph was
involved in some way,

they use his cellphone to find
where he had been that night.

A few days later, a charred
body is found in a fresh bonfire.

On 4 February, 2017,

police helicopters
spot charred remains

of what used to
be a fresh bonfire.

Upon searching the area,

they find a body of who they
suspect is the missing Cody virgin.

The body is so charred
that they're unable to confirm

the identity on the spot,

but after analysing the remains

including a pair of shoes

and some jewellery,
dental records,

they were able to conclude,
it was, in fact, Cody.

Police also discover
that Cody died

by a fatal shot to the
head prior to being burned.

This must have been incredibly
difficult for Cody's family,

this must have been incredibly
difficult for Cody's family,

finally finding him after almost
a week of desperate searching,

horrified at what they found.

Police now focus on
Randolph as the m*rder*r.

While Randolph has yet to
confess to the m*rder of Cody virgin,

police are able to put together
what had led to this tragedy.

Four months prior
to Cody's death,

William Randolph
comes up with a plan

to get revenge on his
ex-wife's new lover.

Nataly was said to have still
talked to Randolph after the divorce.

But after police look further
into their online interactions,

they conclude that Nataly
played no part in Cody's m*rder.

But while Nataly did
not share any blame,

there's no doubt she
was Randolph's motivation

for his actions.

Over the next four months,

Randolph would flirt with
Cody as Paige woods,

be-friending him
and gaining his trust.

Yes, it's extremely unfortunate
yes, it's extremely unfortunate

that Cody entertained the
idea of cheating on Nataly.

And sometimes
interactions online

are seen as a separate reality,

devoid of consequences and
easy to hide from those around you.

Then in January 2017,

Randolph must have believed that
Cody was far enough into his trap

that he would agree
to meet in person.

Randolph claims that
his intention had been

to strand Cody in the desert,
somehow trapping him in his car.

He tells Cody that there
is a bonfire gathering

on 30 January and that
they should meet there.

Randolph would
often go off-roading

and have bonfires,

so he clearly chose a spot
that he was familiar with.

Cody would fall for the trap,

heading out to a dangerous area,

known for human
trafficking, drug smuggling

and missing
persons, all by himself.

This could have
been a fatal decision

for any number of reasons.

In an area with no cell service,

even an unintended accident
could have lead to someone's death.

Even an unintended accident
could have lead to someone's death.

If Cody had never told his
cousin, Conner he was out there,

they might have never found him.

According to police, Cody
arrives at the given location,

only to find a 26-year-old
William Randolph

prepared to k*ll him.

Cody is shot in the head

and Randolph loads
his body into his own car,

leaving Cody's at the scene.

Randolph will then
drive to another location

where would build a bonfire in
order to get rid of Cody's body.

So far, Randolph has yet
to admit to murdering Cody,

with his court date being
continually pushed back

due to experts needing more
time to go over the reports.

Amazing.

Police then believe

that after trying a
number of different ways

to hide his truck,

he ends up abandoning
it in hopes that police

are unable to
recover it for evidence.

But his effort is for nought

when police not
only find the truck,

but also traces of blood
that matches Cody's.

But also traces of blood
that matches Cody's.

A search of Randolph's residence
also reveals blood on his boots,

again matching Cody's.

Luckily, it wouldn't
be too long after that

Cody's body would be found,

putting the search to a rest.

This crime from the very beginning
was characterised by police

and prosecutors as just being
very calculated and very cold.

They portrayed William as
somebody who planned this out

over the course
of several months.

Finally, William Randolph

is sent to the pinal county
adult detention centre

where he'll await his trial.

His bail, originally set to
500,000 upon his arrest,

rises to a million.

After the discovery of Cody's
charred and burnt body.

You know we did a lot
of search and rescue,

I can't go into the details

but we spent days and
days we did not give up,

but we spent days and
days we did not give up,

our people did a really good
job of continuing to search,

and ultimately a piece of our
aviation, search and rescue

were able to locate him.

There was just a
lot of shock and awe

of how and why this happened.

I couldn't understand who
would want to do this to him?

He seemed like a very friendly
down to earth kind of a nerdy kid.

He's really into comic
books and video games,

kind of the standard thing
25-year-olds would be into.

And they all just seemed
at a loss for what happened

and couldn't understand why
anybody would want to hurt him.

After discovering Cody's fate,

his family reminisce

about how he was
a light in their lives,

and that he didn't deserve
what happened to him.

Now they direct their
attention on those responsible.

Conner would
speak at the funeral,

recalling the last time she
had seen her cousin alive.

They would both express

how grateful they
were for each other

how grateful they
were for each other

and that they would be
lost without one another.

The funeral
celebrated Cody's life,

but also vowed justice
would be served.

Even though Randolph admits

to creating the fake
Facebook account,

he continues to deny murdering
Cody, and the family just isn't buying it.

They and prosecutors
pursue the harshest sentence,

which, in Arizona,
is the death penalty.

Prosecutors describe the crime

as heinous, cruel,
diabolical, cold, and calculated

and are prepared to fight
for the death penalty in trial.

But for Cody's family,

Randolph isn't the
only one at fault.

As Nataly was the
victim's girlfriend

and the potential
m*rder*r's ex-wife,

many people,
including the family,

suspect that she may have
played a bigger role than she led on.

Cody's family
definitely believes

that his girlfriend must have
had access to his Facebook

and knew what was going on
between Cody and this Paige woods.

And knew what was going on
between Cody and this Paige woods.

After his funeral, Nataly
would post on Facebook

about how, "people can talk.
It's not gonna bring me down."

But at the same time, when
she spoke at the funeral,

she said she understood that
some people needed to blame her

for what happened.

I went to the memorial
service for Cody

after they found his
remains and she was there.

And of course, she was never
criminally charged with anything

so she's never been officially
accused of any wrongdoing

so that should be made clear.
She very much cared about Cody.

I think in her statement
she was trying to apologise

for dragging this
domestic violence situation

into Cody's life.

Nataly would even be
harassed by Randolph

despite the protective
order in place.

Randolph would contact

family members from jail

to harass his ex-wife,

which would lead

to a separate charge

of aggravated harassment.

With true crime
being such a hot topic

for news outlets and podcasts,

for news outlets and podcasts,

there's always a lot of
speculation that goes on,

with attention being
put onto relationships

the victim may have had.

And while it's true
that most victims

are k*lled by people they know,

these accusations can still be
very hurtful to those being accused.

But with police
finding no evidence

that Nataly knew about
the night Cody went missing,

it is highly unlikely that
Nataly will see a date in court.

In the meantime,

Randolph's trial will
continue to be put off.

We would've had
this case adjudicated

but you hit 2020 and 2021,

and that really pushed
a lot of the courts back,

but it's not uncommon
for a homicide case

or m*rder trial or
any of these things,

to be three, four years.

Randolph's case would
originally be set for 29 April 2019.

As a first-degree m*rder trial,

prosecutors estimate
it would last ten weeks

given the amount of evidence.

But the defence claims
they need more time

to examine 14,000 pages of
evidence, pushing back the trial date.

To examine 14,000 pages of
evidence, pushing back the trial date.

By 2021, a trial date
has yet to be set.

It isn't uncommon
for trials like these

to be pushed back for years,

but for a family ready
for answers and justice,

it can be extremely
difficult and disheartening.

After being put
through the unthinkable,

Cody's family must
continue to fight for justice.

A justice that can only
come with identifying

and convicting Cody's m*rder*r.

Whether or not Randolph is
convicted of murdering Cody,

Cody was a victim of
Randolph's jealousy.

A jealousy that drove
Randolph to abuse technology

and lure Cody into a trap.

Cody believed he had
befriended Paige woods,

but in reality, he met
his m*rder*r online.