True Crime for the Short on Time: Plastic Graves

A missing couple. A submerged car. And a smell that no one could ignore.
What started as a missing person's investigation turned into a nightmarish discovery. Join John Conner as he dives deep into the dark to discuss a developing story out of North Carolina. Will this case be enough to make you check the locks?
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This episode of Check the Locks is dedicated, with love, to the memory of our friend Mathew Scott Halliday.
Sources:
Remains near Lake City identified as female, cause of death confirmed
Cause of death determined after remains found in plastic containers in Pee Dee home
Murder suspect held with no bond after extradition to Brunswick Co.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Warning, check the locks podcast as a true crime podcast and may contain graphic descriptions of violence, murder, sexual assault, and more.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Check the locks podcast is not appropriate for all listeners.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Listener discretion is strongly advised.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Check The Lockspotcast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: As always, I'm John Conner.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Same.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for joining me this week.
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[SPEAKER_01]: As we dive into yet another truly terrifying solo bite size true crime case.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You all may notice that it is just me this week.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Olivia is not here.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That is because we had some scheduling conflicts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Unfortunately, the day of this recording, I had something I had to attend to this evening.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And she has a test that she is working on studying for.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So we just couldn't line up, you know, Olivia works really hard.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She got a lot of stuff going on with school and things like that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I do not like to miss episodes if we do not have to.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So this will be a solo case.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I just want to say thank you for hanging out with me this week.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I know, uh, you know, sometimes it's a little bit different when it's just one of us, but really appreciate you hanging in there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Super excited to cover this case with you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It is a developing story.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, that is actually breaking down right now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So super excited to hear what the listeners and the locksmith think.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go ahead and put it out there again.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hope y'all are doing good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hope y'all, you know, having a good week.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody's a happy, healthy families are good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Gonna be hundred percent odds with you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's not a lot of Gabby Gabby's get to.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll just go ahead and jump on into the stabby stabby and break now in this week's short on time case.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But this week, we're headed to Brunswick County, North Carolina, when what seemed to be a missing person's case would soon turn into something much more sinister.
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[SPEAKER_01]: In early June of this year, family members of Christy Ward and Charles Antoine had reported the missing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: While searching for the two individuals, a sheriff's deputy and neighboring Florence County decided to check the Lynch's river boat landing near a local cemetery.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now while investigating the deputy made a strange discovery, their peeking out of the water was the roof of a mostly submerged car.
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[SPEAKER_01]: With help from the MS, the vehicle was towed from the river.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Luckily there was no one inside, but there was still a license plate attached.
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[SPEAKER_01]: When investigators ran the tag, it came back registered to one of the missing people, fifty-six-year-old Charles Antoine.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The plate led to an address on Stillwater Road near Lake City.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Deputies were dispatched to conduct a property check.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They knocked on the door repeatedly, but no one answered.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But something concern the officers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They all noticed an unusual smell coming from the home.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Eventually a search warrant would be obtained, and when deputies entered the residence, they found Charles Antoine sitting alone on the couch.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But as investigators continued to search the home, their initial concerns became a reality.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Three plastic containers were found.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Each one was taped shut with human remains inside.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Antoine was arrested and charged with desecration of human remains.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, these remains were sent to the corner for examination, where it was determined that the body was that of a female.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The corner was also able to identify that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and it appeared that the body had been dismembered post-mortem.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, investigators are fairly certain that the victim in the bins is Christy Ward, but it will take some time to make a definitive identification.
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[SPEAKER_01]: After the autopsy was completed, Charles Antoine was also charged with murder.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And on July twenty-nine, he was transferred back to the Brunswick County Detention Center.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, this is a developing case, so we'll definitely need to keep an eye on it and report back with any updates.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I don't know about y'all, but this is definitely an unsettling case for me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I am not sure what the relationship between Christy and Charles was.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm definitely wanting again to revisit it and find out more about what happened.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really hoping that as this case continues to develop, you know, we will learn more.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's just not a lot out there right now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But the one thing that really, really kind of stuck with me a couple of weeks ago, we did a case about a gentleman named Charles Bird who had killed his wife and wrapped her in garbage bags and carpets and was living in the home with the remains.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it seems like a very similar situation in the Antoine case here where
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's just in the house sitting there on the couch with these bins that are obviously just radiating this terrible smell throughout the home and permeating the residents.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we had officers there that you could smell this smell from outside the home.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And so I just can't imagine living in that situation.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What it would take to just sit with that smell and knowing what you've done, there's just so many layers to it that I find incredibly disturbing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Um, so again, this is just one of those ones that really leaves me wanting more.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'll, you know, just want the details.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I want to know what is going on here.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But just the idea that you're just casually sitting on the couch ignoring the police knocking on your door.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Wow.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These bins are just sitting there and, oh, man, it just gets under.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It makes my skin crawl super hard.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Um, obviously, you know, it does feel like
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[SPEAKER_01]: Antoine is responsible like he ditches car in the river hoping that it wouldn't be found.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But again, there's just so many questions.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's so much more I want to know.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So if I'm breaking down the devil test, I think for me, I would put this just right now with the very little that I know about it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I would put this at about a seven because of the fact that again, you are living in these conditions.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like there has to be some kind of mental illness, some kind of
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[SPEAKER_01]: disregulation that allows you to live in that way and just, you know, be okay with it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think for me, I would put this at a seven, but as always, we want to hear from listeners, the locksmiths, where does the murder of Christy Ward by Charles Antoine Fall on your devil test?
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[SPEAKER_01]: You can let us know, reach out to us on Instagram, check the box pod.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, we're not in our Facebook group.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What the heck are you doing?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Come hang out with us.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We'd love to get the opportunity to spend some time with you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Get to know you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We just had some new members join this week as well.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So if you're interested in coming and being part of our community, there is a link in this description of the episode that you're listening to right now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Click that link.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Come hang out with us.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We'd love to have you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's all about that grassroots growth.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And people will listen if you tell them about it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's all that we have for this week's case, but please make sure that you're subscribed to check the locks and your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We will see you again next week with another truly terrifying bite size true crime case but until then don't forget to check the locks we'll see you all next week.