Summary
Overview
This episode investigates the mysterious disappearance of Christopher Cole Thomas, a 22-year-old who vanished on Black Friday 2016 in Benson, North Carolina. What began as a story about a young man allegedly running off in paranoia quickly unraveled into a complex web of lies involving drug deals, multiple suspects, and constantly evolving stories. Despite surveillance footage, phone data, and testimonies proving the initial accounts were false, Cole's body has never been found and no one has been held accountable for what investigators believe was his murder.
The Initial Missing Person Report
In the early hours of Black Friday 2016, two men approached Benson Police claiming their travel companion, Christopher Cole Thomas, had inexplicably run off after pulling over the car. Julian Valles Jr. and Jeremy Carpenter told officers that Cole became paranoid, took the keys, and disappeared into the night. Police conducted a brief search but found nothing, treating it as a case of an adult who chose to leave. The men eventually found the keys under the car and departed, leaving Cole behind without ever contacting his family.
- Julian Valles Jr. and Jeremy Carpenter approached police at 3 a.m. claiming Cole ran off with their car keys
- They claimed Cole started acting paranoid and ran until he dropped out of sight, possibly due to mental health problems
- Police searched the area but found no sign of Cole or anyone who had seen him
- A locksmith found the car keys underneath the vehicle, and the men left without Cole
- Cole's parents weren't contacted and only learned of his disappearance when police called them on Sunday
" They say that they were traveling with a third buddy, Christopher Thomas, who goes by Cole, and he's the one who was driving. But out of nowhere, he started acting paranoid. And before they knew it, he pulled over, took the keys, jumped out, and then, like, ran until he dropped out of sight. "
The Family's Shocking Discovery About Drug Deals
When Cole's parents were finally notified, they were stunned to learn their son had even been in North Carolina, as he had texted them on Thanksgiving without mentioning any trip. Cole's father quickly contacted Stephen, Cole's supervisor, who revealed disturbing information about the real purpose of the trip. Stephen claimed the men had traveled to North Carolina to buy drugs from dangerous people, and ominously stated he thought "they killed him." This revelation completely blindsided Cole's parents, as their son was a former pre-med student and salutatorian who had been working construction temporarily.
- Cole's parents had no idea he was in North Carolina and only received a simple Thanksgiving text from him
- Cole's father found and contacted Stephen, Cole's work supervisor, through Facebook
- Stephen revealed the trip was to buy drugs from dangerous people and said 'I think they killed him'
- Stephen mentioned something about a strip search and Cole freaking out during the drug deal
- Cole was a former salutatorian and pre-med student who had taken a break from college to work construction
" I think they killed him. "
" He grew up in a small town graduated as salutatorian of his high school, earned some scholarship money to attend the University of Florida, and had plans to go into medicine, inspired by his younger brother who has autism. "
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