MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Goodbye Uncle Jack (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
Mon, 24 Feb 2025
Late one afternoon in the summer of 2014, a pawnshop owner was updating his inventory logs when the bell above the front door jingled. A young couple walked inside and approached the counter. The man said he had a few items to sell, then opened a drawstring bag and dumped the contents onto the counter. A collection of gold chains, rings, and watches spilled out. Many of the pieces were twisted and mangled. And instantly, the hairs on the pawnshop owner’s neck stood up. Because everything about this interaction – from the large quantity of damaged jewelry to the careless way the pieces had been thrown in a bag together – told him that these items were stolen. And this made the owner extremely nervous, because he had cash in the register and didn’t know what the thieves might be capable of. He needed to get them out of the store quickly, without revealing that he was on to them. So, he told the couple he didn’t have enough cash to buy the jewelry now, but would send some pictures to his broker to see if they were interested. The couple agreed and let him take the photos. As soon as they were gone, the owner called the police, and it soon became clear he’d stumbled onto something much bigger than theft. Because this jewelry was linked to a murder case that had rocked a small, suburban community and baffled police. For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: How did a pawnshop owner become involved in a murder case?
Late one afternoon in the summer of 2014, a pawn shop owner was updating his inventory logs when the bell above the front door jingled. A young couple walked inside and approached the counter, and the young man said he had a few items to sell. But then he proceeded to open a drawstring bag and dump the contents onto the counter.
There was a collection of gold chains, rings, and watches, and many of the pieces were twisted and mangled. Instantly, the hair on the pawnshop owner's neck stood up, because everything about this interaction, from the large quantity of damaged jewelry to the careless way the pieces had been thrown in a bag together, told him that these items were stolen.
And this made the owner extremely nervous because he had cash in the register and didn't know what these thieves might be capable of. He needed to get them out of the store quickly without revealing that he was onto them. So he told the couple he didn't have enough cash to buy the jewelry right now, but he would send some pictures of the jewelry to his broker to see if maybe they were interested.
The couple agreed and let him take the photos. And then after the photos were taken and the couple had left, the owner called the police and it soon became clear his gut instincts were right. However, he'd stumbled onto something much bigger than just theft because it would turn out this jewelry was linked to a murder case.
But before we get into that story, if you're a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast because that's all we do and we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday.
So if that's of interest to you, please change all the hot key commands on the follow buttons computer so that every single command just restarts the computer. Okay, let's get into today's story.
Redacted Declassified Mysteries is a new podcast hosted by me, Luke LaManna. Each week, I dive into the hidden truths behind the world's most powerful institutions, from covert government experiments to bizarre assassination attempts. Follow Redacted on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Chapter 2: What is the background of Jack Parks and Carol LaPaya?
One afternoon in mid-July 2014, 59-year-old Jack Parks and his fiancee, Carol LaPaya, walked through their neighborhood of Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania. Jack sported a black fedora, wire-framed glasses, and a lopsided grin beneath a graying mustache. Carol hung on his arm, smiling at how her engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight.
As they walked, they passed by several neighbors who were outside doing yard work or talking. Jack and Carol waved to each person as they passed, and everyone waved back. Their neighborhood was a close-knit, working-class community 10 miles outside of Pittsburgh, and everybody seemed to know each other. In fact, Jack even had family on this street.
One of his nephews, Bradley Johnson, lived nearby. As Jack and Carol passed by Bradley's house, Jack slowed down, trying to see if Bradley was home. His nephew had mentioned wanting to talk to him in person about something serious and urgent, but Jack could see that the house was empty, so that conversation would have to wait. Which was fine, because today, Jack and Carol were on a mission.
Inside of Carol's purse was a large stack of wedding invitations, and they were on their way to drop these invitations in the mail, which was huge for them, because their wedding had been an unusually long time coming. So Jack and Carol had met at a bar 25 years ago. They'd fallen for each other quickly, but Jack had dragged his feet on proposing.
And then when he had felt ready, Carol was swamped at work. Then Jack was busy. The timing was just always bad. And the longer they put marriage off, the less important it seemed. And anyways, they were in love and totally committed to each other. They didn't need a marriage license to prove that. But last February, Jack's mother had passed away.
Her death had made him realize that he wasn't getting any younger, and he really wanted to marry the woman he'd loved for decades. So a few months ago, he'd finally proposed. And ever since, their days had been consumed with wedding preparations. They had the venue, the dress, and the rings, and now it was finally time to send out the invitations.
The couple came to the end of the block and stopped in front of the mailbox. Carol took the envelopes from her purse and then joked that this was their last chance to cross anyone off their invite list. Jack just laughed and said they were not cutting anyone. So Carol pushed the envelopes through the mailbox slot until only one invitation remained.
Carol hesitated for a second, looking at the name on that last envelope. It was her nephew, a 22-year-old named Michael LaPaya. She and Jack had been angry at Michael this whole past year. Their broken relationship with him was a sore spot for both of them. So, Jack and Carol did not have children of their own, but they'd always doted on their nieces and nephews.
When the kids were younger, Jack and Carol would have them over for slumber parties where they'd stay up late watching movies and eating popcorn. And as the kids got older, they'd all stayed close. Except for Michael. A few years back, Michael had started drifting away from Jack and Carol and the rest of the family and getting into lots of trouble.
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Chapter 3: What events led to the discovery of Jack Parks' murder?
Jack had hired this realtor to sell his mother's house after she had died, and now the realtor said some potential buyers wanted to see the house that afternoon. She wanted Jack and Carol to meet her there at 4 p.m. This was all good news because Carol and Jack had been eager to sell that house as quickly as possible.
But before hanging up, Carol asked why the realtor called her instead of calling Jack. The realtor said they did call Jack first. He just didn't answer. This seemed odd to Carol. As soon as she hung up, she tried Jack's cell phone, and it rang several times before going to voicemail. She left him a message, then hung up and called the house.
And as it rang, she expected to hear Jack's voice any second, but again, the call went to voicemail. Carol just sat there, trying to ignore the sick feeling of dread in her stomach. Jack knew what a worrier she could be, so he always answered her calls. But she told herself that maybe he was in the shower, or maybe outside mowing the grass without his phone on him.
He would probably call her back any minute. But the clock kept ticking, and by noon, Jack still had not called. And so Carol tried him again, but he still didn't answer. Frustrated, she dropped her phone back in her purse and just focused on her computer, trying to ignore her mounting anxiety.
But by 2.30 p.m., when still Jack had not called, so now it's been three and a half hours since that first missed call, Carol just couldn't take it anymore. So she left work and began heading straight home. Twenty minutes later, Carol pulled up outside of her and Jack's house. right away, she saw that the garage door was open and Jack's car was inside, which meant he had to be home.
Carol felt relieved. She was sure Jack would explain why he had missed her calls, and better yet, they'd still be able to make their 4 p.m. appointment with their realtor. But as Carol got out of her car and started up the walkway, she saw something that made her stomach drop all over again.
So Jack and Carol's front porch was enclosed by a gate, and both Jack and Carol always kept the gate closed because their dog was a runner, and they wanted to make sure he didn't get out. But now Carol saw the gate was wide open. Carol rushed through the gate to the front door and turned the knob.
But even though the doorknob turned, meaning it was unlocked, the door didn't budge when she pushed on it. That's when Carol realized the deadbolt inside, which they never used, must be locked. And now her anxiety turned to actual fear. Between the deadbolt, the open gate, and Jack not answering his phone, she was certain something had to be wrong here.
Carol's hands shook as she dug through her purse for the house key, then struggled to get it into the lock. Finally she did, the deadbolt turned, and the door swung open. Carol stepped inside with her heart pounding, but the house was silent and still. She took a few steps further in, and then her eyes suddenly fell on something under the coffee table inside of the living room.
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Chapter 4: How did Detective McKeel investigate Jack Parks' murder?
This was a murder. McKeel stood up and told the other investigators nearby to keep their eyes peeled for bullet casings or a gun. Then she continued scanning the house. The house was lived in, but relatively neat, with boxes of what looked like wedding favors stacked in the hall. But when McKeel stepped inside of the master bedroom, she saw this room had been totally ransacked.
Dressers were overturned and drawers were pulled out. Several jewelry boxes lay empty and discarded on the carpet. Either this was a robbery or someone had staged the scene to make it look like one. As McKeel made her way back to the living room, she saw several photos of what looked like a seemingly loving couple about to get married.
but McKeel's training told her not to take anything at face value. Every relationship had its problems, and a deadline like a wedding could bring tension to the surface. So before McKeel did anything else, she wanted to speak to Jack's fiance. If there were any skeletons in the couple's closet, she needed to know about them.
Later that afternoon, Detective McKeel sat with Carol in an interview room at the police station. McKeel knew that so far, nobody had told Carol much of anything, including the fact that Jack's death was a murder, not an accidental fall. And from McKeel's point of view, this was a good thing. The romantic partner was always the primary suspect in a murder.
And so McKeel wanted to study how Carol behaved in their interview before she told Carol anything about the investigation. So McKeel started slowly, asking basic questions about Carol's relationship with Jack, But as Carol calmed down and opened up, McKeel began to probe deeper. She asked if either Carol or Jack was getting cold feet about their wedding.
And why did it take them so long to get engaged? Were there suspicions of infidelity? What about money problems? McKeel watched Carol for any hint of defensiveness or anger. But while Carol did deny having any problems with Jack, she didn't seem mad at being asked about it. She just seemed confused.
So, McKeel decided to ask a question that she knew would increase the pressure by making it obvious that Carol was now a suspect in a murder. The detective looked into Carol's eyes and asked her if she owned a gun. And at this, Carol froze. After a second, she asked why she was being questioned about a gun when her fiance had fallen.
McKeel stayed quiet and watched as Carol's expression changed from confusion to understanding. Carol just looked at McKeel and said, Are you saying Jack was shot? And then, Carol just began sobbing. Even though McKeel could not officially rule Carol out as a suspect yet, she did think Carol's reaction to this was very genuine.
So, McKeel handed Carol a box of tissues and asked in a gentle voice if Jack had any enemies. Through tears, Carol said no. In fact, if anything, Jack was sometimes too friendly. Recently, Carol said she'd come home to find Jack hanging out in the living room with one of the workers from the factory across the street. Carol said she'd been mad at him for letting a stranger inside of their home.
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Chapter 5: What are MrBallen's podcast recommendations?
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Within a few days of the murder, McKeel led a team of officers to that factory. And as soon as she stepped out of her car, she could see that anybody standing right outside of the factory would have a clear view of Jack and Carol's front door and garage.
From speaking to Carol, she knew Jack had been friendly with several factory employees and on at least one occasion had invited them into his home. And so those types of visits would have been perfect opportunities to learn the layout of Jack and Carol's house and to figure out where they kept their valuables.
Once inside the factory, McKeel and her officers began interviewing close to 40 workers, one by one. And pretty quickly, they identified the man who'd been invited by Jack into their home. His name was Ronald Blevins, and he had a criminal history of petty theft and assault.
To McKeel, this was promising, but Blevins had not been at work on the day of Jack's murder because he was on a scheduled vacation. Now, McKeel did not think this made him any less of a suspect, but this early in the case, there wasn't any physical evidence to connect him to the crime, so she couldn't arrest him. As McKeel and her team left the meat factory, she felt a bit deflated.
She really needed the forensics to come back if she was gonna make any real progress on this case. Fortunately though, there would be new evidence for her waiting back at the station. A copy of Jack's autopsy report was sitting on McKeel's desk. She opened it and began reading. And right away, she saw something important.
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