1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,680 [Music] 2 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:19,680 Hello and welcome to our podcast Talk Gruesome to me, where we talk about movies and shows that cover true crime, paranormal, and horror. 3 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:27,920 I am one of your hosts, Dawn. I am currently located in Los Angeles and I think I'm pretty well versed in the horror genre, 4 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:35,360 especially those 80s classics. A quick fun fact about me? I have a very extensive crystal collection. 5 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:43,920 Hello, I'm Amy. I'm from Kentucky and my area of expertise for this podcast is paranormal. A few fun facts about me. 6 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:50,240 I'm an empath, I collect old dolls and you know, I've never flown on an airplane. Can you believe that? 7 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,920 Now Dawn and I are also obsessed with true crime, so here we are. Talk Gruesome to me. 8 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:04,160 44 News did reach out to the Evansville  Police Department regarding an update on any arrest in Mariah's case. 9 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:16,640 At the time of this airing, we have not heard back. The Shrother family says a 25,000 dollar reward still stands for anyone with information regarding the suspects responsible for Mariah's death. 10 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:27,280 There's people who have had no stuff, but how long do you let that sit on your conscience? This thing with people not going to help in the community, we've got to get better. 11 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:34,160 Because if we don't get better, gun violence will continue to rise and it will continue to keep running this city. 12 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:44,480 In the meantime, her father says he will continue to speak out against gun violence, asking both the city and EPD to step up and their efforts to fight it. 13 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:57,360 Welcome in. What you just heard was a clip from local 44 news and that was an interview with Mariah Strother's father and he was talking about the disappearance and of his daughter. 14 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:07,040 Today we're talking about this case. It didn't get nearly enough national attention and since it's near me, we definitely want to cover this story. 15 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:16,240 There isn't a ton of info, so this might be another short episode, but what we wanted to do is get these victims and their names out there. 16 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:23,120 So this case, it's about the unsolved murders of 2 20 year olds. They're both the same age. 17 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:30,400 Mariah Strother, which we just heard, as Amy said, from her father and then Keijaun Baker. 18 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:41,280 And they were both gunned down outside of a gas station in Evansville, Indiana. And this was the early hours of May 30th, 2020. 19 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:49,920 Like a lot of other stories we've covered, no one has been arrested. And it's been more than six years since this happened. 20 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:58,880 Well, and what makes this case, especially frustrating, is that the investigators believe someone knows exactly what happened. 21 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:05,120 Absolutely they do. But before we talk about the crime, let's go ahead and talk about the victims. 22 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:13,040 Mariah Desiree Strother was just 20 years old. She grew up between Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana. 23 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:21,760 And friends and family described her as a trustworthy caring and someone who could brighten a room just by walking into it. 24 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:32,640 At the time of her death, she was working at a white as a white dress. Let me correct that. At the top of Tropicana, Casino, and reading about Mariah, it's, it's heartbreaking. 25 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:42,080 Because everyone says essentially the same thing. She was just a kind person, just a young woman out trying to live her life. 26 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,560 And Keijuan Baker, as I said, he was also 20. 27 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:58,160 While much less has been publicly reported about him, those who knew him have described him as someone with a bright future ahead of him. 28 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:06,720 That's one of the hardest parts of a case like this. When a murder goes on, solve, these victims become just a headline. 29 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:16,640 So these have become two names, two photographs, and a few paragraphs of what we could find in some articles. 30 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:22,720 But these were real people and they have families that are waiting for answers. 31 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:32,400 Yeah. To think like this is in my area and I never heard about it. Yeah. Never heard of these two names before. 32 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:42,480 And this is my area. I can watch that news if I choose to, but it's my local news. And never heard of word of it. 33 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:49,520 It's heartbreaking. So let's go ahead and get to the story of what happened to Mariah and Keijan. 34 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:55,440 The story begins shortly after 4 a.m., and that's on May 20, 2020. 35 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:02,080 The two of them and at least one friend had stopped at a gas station on Kentucky Avenue in Evansville. 36 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:12,160 The timing is important because it's early morning, so most people would obviously be asleep and then the traffic is light. 37 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,480 So unfortunately, the witnesses might be limited. 38 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:23,040 Yeah. According to the reports, the group had exited the gas station and were leaving when gunfire erupted. 39 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:31,760 And it happened very fast. One of the surviving friends later described hearing shots ring out before she could even process what was happening. 40 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:37,920 She ran for cover behind a trash can and when she looked back, her two friends had been struck. 41 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:49,840 And Mariah, so she died at the scene. Keijaun was transported to a local hospital and then he passed there from his injuries. 42 00:05:49,840 --> 00:06:01,040 But imagine surviving that one second you're at a gas station with your friends and then the next you're watching your friends die. 43 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,360 Investigators quickly began piecing together what happened. 44 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,920 Police said two men were seen leaving the area after the shooting. 45 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,360 However, authorities never publicly identified them. 46 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:22,240 But that's a huge detail. So two men reportedly left the area and that sounds promising. 47 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:27,840 But apparently, you know, it wasn't enough to generate any arrests. 48 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:31,760 Right. Now investigators, they've publicly revealed a motive. 49 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,720 Was it targeted? Was it mistaken? 50 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,920 Identity? Was it connected to someone else? 51 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:42,960 Police have never answered those questions publicly because I don't believe they know. 52 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:47,200 Well, but also then that's where speculation starts. 53 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:53,600 The problem is that speculation can hurt investigations. We've talked about that on here before. 54 00:06:54,800 --> 00:07:02,240 As always, you know, we're trying to stick to facts. The facts are obviously two young people were shot. 55 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:09,120 Two men were seen leaving the area and nobody's been charged and that's really all we know. 56 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,480 And you would think after six years if they knew a little bit more, 57 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:17,200 they would have went ahead and put that out maybe to try to keep the case going. 58 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:24,720 I don't know, but yeah, one of the most emotional pieces of reporting came from the friend who survived. 59 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:31,600 She described hearing the shots and then running to Mariah and her words are absolutely devastating. 60 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:39,680 She said she held Mariah, tried to help her, but she knew immediately that things were very bad. 61 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:47,360 And the friend repeatedly emphasized that Mariah wasn't someone who caused problems. 62 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:52,400 She just struggled to understand why anyone would want to hurt her. 63 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:57,040 And that's something that we often hear in these types of cases. 64 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:02,720 The families are trying to figure out not only who did it, but why? 65 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:07,600 Sometimes, unfortunately, they never end up getting that answer. 66 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:15,920 That's the truth. Like you said, unfortunate. And it's very sad, but weeks passed, then months, then years, 67 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:17,680 still no arrest. 68 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:26,560 Yeah. And then in June 2020, Evansville police acknowledged that multiple murders in that city 69 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:34,000 remained unsolved and emphasized that they often rely on tips from the public to move investigations 70 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:41,760 forward. Investigators stated that a lack of witness and information can significantly slow homicide 71 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:48,640 investigations. And unfortunately, that appears to be exactly what has happened here. 72 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:56,400 Someone isn't talking or enough people aren't talking. I mean, I guess we can go back to maybe 73 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:02,480 there just wasn't anyone around at the time, but still, like said, in the beginning, someone knows. 74 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:10,320 And Mariah's father that we heard from in the previous clip, he has spent years 75 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:16,800 pushing for justice. Imagine waking up every day, knowing that the person who killed your child 76 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:24,480 is out there. That's a level of pain I can't even comprehend. He repeatedly urged anyone with 77 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:30,800 information to come forward. And at one point, the family even offered her a reward for information 78 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:37,040 leading to an arrest. Well, and that's something that families do a lot when they feel like the case 79 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,480 is slipping away from attention, which as you said, you had never even heard of it. But 80 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:48,560 these families, they don't want people to forget because for them, obviously it never goes away. 81 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:55,920 No, it never does. And in 2024, local news outlets revisited the case on the four-year anniversary, 82 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:03,840 but the story was basically the same. Two victims, no arrest, no public suspect, and again, no closure. 83 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:10,320 Well, and the police are still asking for tips. That's significant. It sounds like maybe they 84 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:16,800 haven't completely forgotten about this case. But when law enforcement keeps asking for information 85 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:22,880 years later, it often suggests that they still believe that someone knows something. 86 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:29,360 Oh, most definitely. Cases don't stay open this long because investigators enjoy doing paperwork 87 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:35,440 or they like to drag things out for the fun of it. They stay open because detectives believe the 88 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:43,680 answers are still out there. And let's talk about these questions. Was this targeted? Like you said 89 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:53,360 before, was it targeted? But then who was the intended target? Was it Mariah? Was it Keijon? Someone else? 90 00:10:53,360 --> 00:11:01,360 Was it an accident? Yeah, were the victims followed or would you say the shooters simply 91 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:06,880 just incaliterm them there? Because I mean, I don't know. Maybe they could have followed them or maybe 92 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:14,000 I don't know. There's a lot of questions. Yeah. What role did those two men that were leaving the 93 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:22,000 area play? Were there zero witnesses? What about cameras? What about people who got scared and ran? 94 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:28,240 Like we just don't know. No. And because the police have released so little information, the public 95 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:36,320 doesn't know either. And one thing that often surprises people is how difficult these homicide 96 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:41,840 investigations can be, especially when there are no witnesses cooperating. What I was thinking 97 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:47,520 that earlier, what about camera footage? Maybe that was poor quality or they or no one was on the 98 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:55,520 camera or maybe people are afraid to come forward. I mean, I know where you are. You're used to cameras 99 00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:04,640 everywhere. We're just now starting to come forward in that way. So there may not have been more 100 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:12,960 than ring cams or cameras at the gas station, things like that. So I mean, there's just a good chance 101 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:19,360 that there wasn't any footage. That makes sense. I was wondering that. Okay. Yeah. I mean, there's just a 102 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:26,400 chance there wasn't. And the first few days after a murder are often the most critical as we all know. 103 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:34,160 And if no one talks, leads dry up, memories fade and people move away. And then you have your evidence 104 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:44,320 it disappears. Yeah. Let's just recap. Moriah's brother 20 years old, Keijon Baker 20 years old. So 105 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:52,160 young little babies. So young. And today they would still both be in their mid 20s. But instead, 106 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:58,000 there's no birthday. The families are still marking anniversaries, still holding memorials, 107 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:02,480 and still wondering if they'll ever know who pulled that trigger that morning. 108 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:09,520 And the most frustrating part is I feel like somebody must know something. And I feel like the cops 109 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:16,240 think somebody knows something. Somebody heard something. I don't know. Somebody knows more than 110 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:24,560 what they've said or have said at all. I mean, surely the person who did pull the trigger didn't go 111 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:31,520 all these years quiet about it. I don't know. But until a person comes forward, this case is going to 112 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:39,120 remain sadly frozen in time. So if you happen to have information, again, this is Evansville, 113 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:48,560 Indiana, this was the end of May. This was at the Conoco gas station. And this was at 4 a.m. 114 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:56,880 ish. But if you have any information, again, Mariah's brother, Keijaun Baker, you just never know, 115 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:04,400 even the smallest detail could help them figure this out. Or even you may think it's a small detail. 116 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:10,800 But to them, it solves okay. So don't hold back. Even if you were in the area, you thought you saw 117 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:17,040 something that I don't know, didn't make sense. And maybe it does to them. You just you never know 118 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:23,840 just like the person that saw the two males leaving. But with that six years without justice is a very, 119 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:31,200 very long time. Evansville tip line give them a call if you do have any information that number is 120 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:42,320 812 435 6194. Of course, you can do anonymous tips as well. Again, the Evansville tip line number is 121 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:54,000 812 435 6194. That's the part that I wish people would realize or utilize more is if you're nervous, 122 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:59,360 or if you think they'll be a retaliation thing or something like that, most 123 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:08,080 everywhere that I've ever seen, they all have anonymous options. Yeah. And I will sing it 124 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:15,360 from the mountaintop. If you were in that area at that time, maybe you were traveling, maybe you live 125 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:23,200 in Evansville. Just think back. Was I near the Conoco? Was I anywhere near that area? Did I see anyone 126 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:28,560 acting strange to leave? And what did I see? I don't know. I just feel like a lot of people will go 127 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:34,160 about their daily lives and sometimes they do see things and just don't realize or like me 128 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:39,600 didn't hear about the crime and didn't know that they experienced or witnessed something. So yeah, 129 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:46,720 I don't know the tip line if you know anything. Call. I'm just glad also to be back doing one of these 130 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:53,200 episodes. It's been a little while and I know we both enjoy these episodes because we want to 131 00:15:53,200 --> 00:16:03,680 help victims. Yeah, and this is so close to where I live, where I go all the time. I'm in Evansville 132 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:11,200 daily, nearly. So yeah, it was when we found this one and Dawn said, "Hey, this one's Evansville." I 133 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:17,840 was like, "Yes, absolutely, absolutely." And especially the fact that you would never heard of it. 134 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:28,560 The occasion, Amiraya, I've never heard their names and that's what I hope we can bring to you 135 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:37,520 with these podcasts. Another look into their, what happened to them into their lives and bring 136 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:43,120 their name to be known. These two individuals were murdered and we still don't know who did it. 137 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:49,920 And I did want to say one of the things Mariah's dad has been vocal and he's 138 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:57,360 primarily the one that was doing interviews and things like that. All families deal differently. 139 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:05,680 So because there wasn't information about Keijaun out there that doesn't mean anything about him or 140 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:14,800 his family or their process, that's just probably the way that they grieve is they don't feel like 141 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,840 being public about it or whatever and that's okay. No, so people just want to be left alone so they 142 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:26,320 can grieve. Right. I just wanted to say that because there wasn't a ton of information about him 143 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:33,520 out there personally and because we couldn't say a lot about him, it doesn't mean he wasn't an amazing 144 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:40,000 person. Absolutely not. No. And I don't know. I think that people would understand that once it's been 145 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:45,600 explained out because put yourself in that situation. You know, there is a lot of people that would 146 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:53,360 speak out but some people are just frozen in pain. Exactly. And that's okay. Yeah and my heart goes 147 00:17:53,360 --> 00:18:03,360 out to them. Yes. But we and two weeks are going to be wrapping up her bombister with the 148 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:12,000 last segment which will be horror. I actually finished the Hulu one. You did. I was going to say Amy 149 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:20,560 got Hulu for it. So everyone has to live. Yeah, that was so good. A lot better than what we watched. 150 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:31,600 Oh God. Yeah. To be honest, but we will meet back here in two weeks for that last part of her 151 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:38,960 bombister. And if anyone has any suggestions for the next trio, let us know because that her bomb 152 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:45,600 ister one was a suggestion. Absolutely. Bring them on. We'd love to look into anything that you find 153 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:51,120 interesting or any case that kind of boggles your mind. We'd love to look into that. Like now that 154 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:56,800 we're covering Mariah and Kaye Johnson's case, if you have family members, friends, anyone that you 155 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:02,080 know that is missing or has been hurt and you would like us to cover their case, definitely let us know. 156 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:09,920 Yeah. We have social. You can message us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok everywhere. So yes, 157 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:15,520 send us a message. And I said heart like I was talking on Facebook still. You know what I'm saying? 158 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:22,800 Because on Facebook, I would say heart. But if you have had someone who has been murdered or who is 159 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:28,640 missing or just been wronged in any way like that, let us know. We'd definitely be interested in 160 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:36,320 covering it. I mean, even I don't know. We could get into some juicy ones too. Yeah. Anything, 161 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:40,320 if you got it sure anything on your mind, you'd like us to cover. I'm definitely down to take a look 162 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:46,880 at it. And I know Dawn is too. Definitely. Love it. But make sure you're following us. Again, 163 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:52,160 message us if you have any cases you want us to talk about. Yeah, I guess that's it. Meet back here 164 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:57,360 in two weeks. You harder. Thanks everyone. Bye. Bye. 165 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:08,480 Thanks for making it to the end and hanging out with us. Keep on the lookout for our next episode 166 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:16,000 and stay gruesome.