The signatures he found were nearly identical to the one on the check. It appeared that Shanna Golyar had indeed written that $5,000 check. It was enticing evidence but not proof she’d harmed Cari.
The investigators found it odd that not only had their suspect tried to take Cari’s job, she’d also tried to steal her furniture. She’d been so confident she wouldn’t be caught that she’d blatantly linked her own name to both schemes, signing the check without attempting to disguise her handwriting and applying for the West Corp position under her real name.
It was as if Liz believed she could slip into Cari’s shoes and take over her life. Though they’d yet to prove it, the detectives suspected Liz had stolen Cari’s phone and had set up numerous social media and email accounts in her name. While she hadn’t succeeded in stealing Cari’s job or furniture, Liz had managed to steal her boyfriend. But Liz could never hold onto Dave for long. The detectives realized Liz was fixated on him, desperate to make him commit. Had Liz’s obsession driven her to kill? Evidence suggested that, but all of it was circumstantial. They had no body, no crime scene, no murder weapon, no confession and no witnesses.
The January 2013 downloads of Dave’s and Liz’s phones had produced endless pages of data, and the investigators stared at it till their eyes watered. If the evidence was there, they were determined to find it. But there were not enough hours in a normal work week to sift through everything. Detective Avis estimates he put in an extra 500 unpaid hours, often taking work home, and though his wife, Angie, was understanding and supportive, he knew he wasn’t giving his family the attention they deserved and confides, “Our marriage was suffering drastically.”
On Memorial Day weekend of 2015, the Avis family took an out-of-state trip to visit relatives. It was supposed to be a relaxing getaway, but Ryan Avis was obviously distracted. While his family slept, he sat up until 2 A.M., studying Liz’s phone data. Something caught his eye. Liz had made six calls to a landline, five on November 6 and one on November 7, and each time, she’d first punched in star 67 to block caller ID. The calls had been made to Cari Farver’s home! Liz had called Cari about one week after she’d interrupted Cari’s first date with Dave and about a week before Cari vanished. The longest call had lasted thirty-three seconds.
The 2013 phone download had also captured pictures Liz had taken, including one of a Ford Explorer, identified as Cari’s car, via the plate number. Investigators felt a chill as they noted the date. Christmas Eve, 2012. That picture was snapped while Cari’s car was still officially missing, two weeks before it appeared in Dave’s parking lot. Very interesting, but not proof of murder. They needed stronger evidence to make a homicide charge stick.
As Detective Doty studied the report on the recovered SUV, he was intrigued by the unidentified fingerprint on the mint container. He contacted Katie Pattee and asked her to compare it to Shanna’s known prints on file. Pattee soon reported back that the prints matched! It was an exciting find but no smoking gun. A defense attorney could argue that Dave might have picked up the container and carried it to Cari’s car. It was more circumstantial evidence. Each piece was weak on its own, but collectively, it was gaining strength.
Meanwhile, Liz had no idea detectives were closing in. She had other things on her mind. Garret, wary of her games, had asked her to move. She refused, claiming she couldn’t afford it. While she continued to live in his home, their romantic relationship ended in the autumn of 2015. Convincing Liz to move wasn’t easy. Gabe told Garret, “Dude, I’ll come over and kick her out.” Garret could kick her out as easily as Gabe. Getting her out wasn’t the problem. It was what might happen afterward he feared. He wasn’t afraid Liz would harm him, but he worried about what she’d do to his home.
Dave, too, became fed up that fall. Liz’s jealousy was wearing him down. The tension escalated on Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving Day, a holiday she’d asked him to spend with her. He’d agreed, but their plans were derailed. “There was a blizzard, and Amy asked me to drive Mason to the emergency room.” The baby had a respiratory infection with a fever of 103 and was having difficulty