Transcript

Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor

From True Crime News · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 40 min · 6,665 words · 159 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor", an episode of True Crime News published January 3, 2026 (40 min, about 6,665 words). It mentions 15 people, works and ideas, including Elizabeth Olton, Alyssa Bamante, Crime Watch Daily, Justin DPHO, Trista Reynolds.

What this episode is about

A chilling case unfolds as a 9-year-old girl is lured into the woods and murdered in what authorities label a 'thrill kill.' Investigators discover a disturbing diary revealing a premeditated plan, shedding light on a shocking motive and leading them to an unexpected suspect, all while a grieving family grapples with the haunting mystery of their missing child.

Key takeaways

  • A diary of death reveals chilling premeditation; sometimes, evil wears an everyday face.
  • In the quest for a missing child, community unity often faces the harsh reality of familial grief.
  • Justice for the innocent transforms into a haunting paradox when parents must declare their child dead to search.
  • Thrill kills blur the lines of humanity, reminding us that dark curiosity can mask deeper sociopathic tendencies.
  • In the wilderness of despair, every lost child’s story is a reminder: vigilance is our greatest ally.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Elizabeth Olton, Crime Watch Daily, Patty Price, Chris Hansen
  2. – 10:00: Elizabeth Olton, FBI, Lacrosse County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Patrol
  3. – 15:00: Alyssa Bamante, FBI
  4. – 20:00: Alyssa Bamante, Elizabeth Olton, Crime Watch Daily
  5. – 25:00: St. Martins, Missouri
  6. – 30:00: Justin DPHO, Crime Watch Daily, Trista Reynolds, Phoebe DPHO
  7. – 35:00: Crime Watch Daily, Trista Reynolds, Phoebe DPHO, Waterville, Maine
  8. – 40:00: Crime Watch Daily, Trista Reynolds

Notable quotes from "Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor"

  • Chris, nine-year-old Elizabeth Olton went missing from her home. And what police would uncover in the next few weeks would rock this Missouri town.
    about Elizabeth Olton · at
  • It's a typical Wednesday night at home for Patty Price and her three kids, Anthony, Stephanie, and the youngest, 9-year-old Elizabeth Olton. Well, she was going to be in a play at school, so.
    about Patty Price · at
  • At that point during the investigation, the FBI was involved, Cole County Sheriff's Department was involved, the Missouri State Patrol was involved.
    about FBI · at
  • All four kids live with their grandmother and legal guardian, Karen Brooke. But often the Bamonte and Olton children could be found playing at each other's homes. Was it common for.
    about Karen Brooke · at
  • Using backlighting, we could make out two words, slit and throat.
    about Alyssa Bamante · at
  • That's Ayah's dad on the run, still dodging questions. But now, Crime Watch Daily has learned Trista has a desperate new plan in place. Ironically, the only way she may be able to find out if her.
    about Justin DPHO · at
  • Justin's mother, Phoebe Dietro, even turning the tables.
    about Phoebe DPHO · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Elizabeth Olton — Person · Victim (case subject) · 6 mentions · first at
    Central victim in the Missouri 'thrill kill' case; her disappearance and murder drive the first half of the episode.
  • Alyssa Bamante — Person · Perpetrator (confessed/convicted teen) · 3 mentions · first at
    Teen neighbor who planned and carried out Elizabeth Olton's murder; her diary, interrogation, and plea outcome are key plot points.
  • Justin DPHO — Person · Referenced subject (father in missing-child case) · 4 mentions · first at
    Ayla Reynolds' father; one of the last known adults with the child, repeatedly confronted by Trista; police suspect foul play though he is not charged in the segment.
  • Trista Reynolds — Person · Mother of missing child (case subject / interviewee) · 3 mentions · first at
    Primary family voice in the Ayla Reynolds segment; describes custody conflict, injuries, and the push to declare Ayla legally dead to force testimony.
    Trista Reynolds has been relentlessly chasing the truth to find out what happened to her little girl, Aya.
  • Patty Price — Person · Mother of victim / interviewee · 2 mentions · first at
    Elizabeth Olton's mother; recounts the last known events, the search, and the immediate reporting to police.
  • Chris Hansen — Person · Host / anchor · 2 mentions · first at
    Introduces and narrates the Crime Watch Daily segments, framing both cases and transitioning between reporters.
    Welcome to Crime Watch Daily, everyone.
  • Phoebe DPHO — Person · Referenced subject (paternal grandmother in missing-child case) · 2 mentions · first at
    Justin's mother; appears in courthouse confrontation and is portrayed as challenging Trista and defending Justin while asserting belief Ayla is alive.
  • Karen Brooke — Person · Guardian (referenced) · 1 mention · first at
    Identified as Emma and Alyssa's grandmother and legal guardian; provides household context for the neighbor family involved in Elizabeth's case.
  • Jason Mater — Person · Crime Watch Daily correspondent (brief mention) · 1 mention · first at
    Named as part of the Crime Watch Daily team during the show open; not central to either case narrative in the provided excerpt.
    Jason Mater with Crime Watch Daily.

Companies & orgs

  • FBI — Company · Investigative agency · 3 mentions · first at
    Involved in the investigation of Elizabeth Olton's disappearance and murder, providing resources and expertise.
  • Lacrosse County Sheriff's Department — Company · Law enforcement · 2 mentions · first at
    Primary local law enforcement agency involved in the search for Elizabeth Olton and the subsequent investigation.
    At that point during the investigation, the FBI was involved, Cole County Sheriff's Department was involved, the Missouri State Patrol was involved.
  • Missouri State Patrol — Company · Law enforcement · 1 mention · first at
    Assisted in the search for Elizabeth Olton, providing additional resources and support.
    At that point during the investigation, the FBI was involved, Cole County Sheriff's Department was involved, the Missouri State Patrol was involved.

Places & events

  • St. Martins, Missouri — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The small town where Elizabeth Olton was murdered, highlighting the impact of the crime on the community.
    It's about a week before Halloween and the residents of St. Martins, Missouri, are about to discover that not all monsters are make believe.
  • Waterville, Maine — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The location where Aya Reynolds disappeared, central to the investigation and story.
    20-month-old Aya mysteriously disappeared from her own father's house in Waterville, Maine, just days before Christmas. Justin DPHO, his sister Alicia, and his then girlfriend Courtney.

Media & podcasts

  • Crime Watch Daily — Media · Broadcast · 8 mentions · first at
    The platform presenting the story of Elizabeth Olton's murder and Aya Reynolds' disappearance.
    Welcome to Crime Watch Daily, everyone.

Full transcript with timestamps

I'm Chris Hansen. Right now on Crime Watch Daily from here in New York, a 9-year-old is led into the woods. She doesn't know it, but she's being lured to her death. The victim of a chilling thrill kill.

I don't think it mattered who it was going to be. It was just going to be somebody.

The key clue, a detailed and diabolical plan, a literal diary of death. We can make out two words, kill and throw.

Leading to the most shocking suspect ever. Have you ever seen anything like this?

One of the most reprehensible motives for murder that exists in humankind. Plus,

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS? JUSTICE. TWO PARENTS at war over their missing little girl. Why this mother needs to declare her daughter dead to find out if she's alive. A part of me always wonders if she was she was yelling out for me. It haunts me every day.

Right now, Andrea is Eisenser with Crime Watch Daily. Jason Mater with Crime Watch Daily.

This I'm Elizabeth. I'm here with Crime Watch. I'm Michelle from Crime Watch Daily. Anna Garcia from Crime Watch

is Crime Watch Daily. Stay off my property. We'll find you again. We always do.

Welcome to Crime Watch Daily, everyone. I'm Chris Hansen. We start today with a missing girl, a dangerous predator lying in weight, and a diary of deadly intentions. For that, let's head out to our Melissa McCarti. Hey, Melissa.

Chris, nine-year-old Elizabeth Olton went missing from her home. And what police would uncover in the next few weeks would rock this Missouri town.

The thrill, I wonder what it would feel like to kill. It's a deadly attack on innocents and finding the person responsible.

I was shocked. It was crazy. Will lead detectives into the heart of darkness. Walked her into the woods, telling her, "I've got something really neat I want to show you."

Obviously, the heartache is still as great. You can tell. It's about a week before Halloween and the residents of St. Martins, Missouri, are about to discover that not all monsters are make believe.

Have you ever seen anything like this? I never have and I hope never to see another case like this.

It seems stupid now that we didn't do more about it, but there's no way I could have known.

There was no way anyone could have known. It's a typical Wednesday night at home for Patty Price and her three kids, Anthony, Stephanie, and the youngest, 9-year-old Elizabeth Olton. Well, she was going to be in a play at school, so she was practicing her lines and doing their little songs and irritating her brother. And I was getting ready to cook dinner when

there's a knock at the door. It's a six-year-old girl who lives across the woods.

Did ask if Elizabeth could go play. And originally, I told her no because I was getting ready to make dinner. And both girls hopping up and down, begging, wanted to go play. It's like, "Okay, you can go for an hour." She had to be home by 600.

It is late October and the sun sets at 6:30. Patty knows her daughter Elizabeth will be back and on time for dinner because she's deathly afraid of the dark and the deep and dense woods that separate their homes turn into a scary place once night falls.

Now, Elizabeth was not a type of girl who would walk in the woods by herself. But when 6:00 rolls around,

she didn't make it home. Immediately, Patty calls up to her neighbor's home, and that's when she gets some startling news.

They told me she wasn't there. I just knew it wasn't right. They left together, and the grandmother was telling me she was never there.

Never there. That's when I called the police. The Cole County Sheriff's Department is on scene in just 15 minutes. Sheriff deputies and Patty head over to the last known place Elizabeth was going. her neighbor's house.

Everybody up there said she wasn't there. So then they started doing a search. They called in at the fire department and local officers. And by 10:00 there was probably hundreds of people looking for her.

Teams of concerned residents and local law enforcement agencies form a grid search around Patty's home and her neighbor's house.

They had several groups of people. They had a command post set up up the road. But Wednesday night is slipping away and still no sign of Elizabeth

because they were kept telling me there was no signs of foul play. It's like she didn't just vanish. She's 9 years old.

Patty knows Elizabeth has her cell phone with her and she's been calling it non-stop since her daughter disappeared.

It go voicemail. Then investigators contact the cell phone company and order what is called an emergency ping. Basically signals generated from the phone to the nearest cell tower. The data is collected and used to zero in on the precise location of a cell phone. And in no time, sheriff deputies start receiving pings from Elizabeth's cell phone. one, two, then moments later, a third and final ping from the missing 9-year-old's phone before it appears to go dead. And its location,

the pings from the phone all were located in the general area of the woods. It was a large wooded area behind the house, but it's it's thick forest ground and it was a lot of area to cover.

They're going to need backup. It was the following day in which my unit, my investigative unit became involved and was contacted to assist in the search. I believed she was still in the area.

Still, he had to consider the other horrifying possibilities. She had been grabbed perhaps by a kidnapper or a child molester. Um, so we were also pursuing the the possibility that maybe somebody grabbed her and put her in a car. A missing person's report is sent out to neighboring law enforcement agencies and the FBI.

At that point during the investigation, the FBI was involved, Cole County Sheriff's Department was involved, the Missouri State Patrol was involved. There were somewhere in the neighborhood of about 300 volunteers from the community that came together.

And when you consider that there are only,00 people in St. Martins's, Missouri, the number of people searching for Elizabeth is massive. It's a third of the town. What was it like to see hundreds of people searching for your sister?

Crazy. Like unbelievable. Like that many people would come to look for somebody.

We had checkpoints set up all around the area for everyone driving into and out of the area. Uh we tracked down all the local registered sex offenders. We had planes in the air, helicopters, dog teams, dive teams for the ponds and rivers. everything that we could do at that time we were trying to locate her.

But now it is Thursday afternoon and almost 24 hours since anyone has seen 9-year-old Elizabeth Olton. Sergeant Rice turns his attention back to the last person to see Elizabeth, the six-year-old little girl and neighbor who knocked on the door to see if she could play. Her name is Emma and she lives just a few houses down from Elizabeth.

What was Emma like? she was a little bit younger. Uh they played dolls, just normal little girl stuff. They'd run around and play outside.

And what could this child just out of kindergarten possibly know about Elizabeth's disappearance?

Emma was interviewed by the FBI and Emma simply stated that she was playing with her friend Elizabeth and about an hour later, Elizabeth started walking home and that was the last she saw of her.

Or was it coming up? She kept that pretty secret. Does Elizabeth's six-year-old neighbor know more than she's saying?

Don't tell anyone. Or is there someone else entirely? We just met our suspect. Little Elizabeth Olton answered a knock at the door. Who knew that seemingly innocent moment would change everything forever? For more on her story, let's head back to our Melissa McCarti.

9-year-old Elizabeth Olton is missing. She was last seen on her way to play with her six-year-old neighbor, Emma. It's now late Thursday, and it's been over 24 hours since anyone has seen or heard from the fourth grader. Her best friend, Taylor, is worried.

What was that last moment like that keeps replaying? I remember her getting out of the seat and walking towards the front of the bus, and she turned around, smiled, and said, "Happy birthday, Taylor." And then got off the bus and walked into her house. Investigators continue to talk to Elizabeth's neighbor, Emma, who tells them that after playing for an hour, Elizabeth headed home. But now, the six-year-old is adding to her version of events.

She was outside playing with Elizabeth and then shortly after that became stuck in some thorn bushes and was crying and screaming for help, was crying for her sister, saying, "Alyssa, come help me." Alyssa, as in 15-year-old Alyssa Bamonte, Emma's older halfsister.

The rest of the siblings include Emma's 11year-old twin halfbros as seen in this home video.

All four kids live with their grandmother and legal guardian, Karen Brooke. But often the Bamonte and Olton children could be found playing at each other's homes. Was it common for um Elizabeth to go and play with Emma?

Yes. The brothers hung out with your son. Is that right? Right. And during the time Elizabeth goes missing, all the neighbor kids are accounted for. Well, most of them

only left one person. Alyssa Bamante. She admitted that she skipped school that day, was aware that law enforcement couldn't find this girl, but stated she knew nothing about it whatsoever. During initial questioning, cops find Alyssa's behavior seemingly calm and forthcoming.

She was not uh should not be considered a suspect. Meanwhile, searchers continue to canvas the woods behind the Bamonte home, the same area where Elizabeth's cell phone transmitted its final pings.

It was a big deal. Everyone was shocked. This is a a small rural community in Missouri, and those things just don't happen in those areas. So, people were scared. But it's about to get even scarier when local volunteers stumble across something in the back woods.

Appeared to them to look like a grave in the woods. And that's when my investigative unit became primarily involved in it. We were called and asked to process the scene for the possibility that Elizabeth was in that hole, was in that grave.

Sergeant Rice and his forensic team processed the potential crime scene. We had been out there for several hours and it was during that time the FBI had been interviewing Alyssa initially and they brought her to the scene and I remember watching two FBI agents I know walk a young girl over to the scene.

That's when the sergeant overhears something odd. I heard Alyssa say she dug the hole. And of course my response to that was why did you dig the hole? And Alyssa said, "I just like digging holes and would bury dead animals when she found them."

And what or who was in this possible makeshift grave that Alyssa admitted she dug up for fun.

No one was in that shallow grave. No Elizabeth. And time is ticking on this missing person's case. Now nearing the 48 hour mark. Still, Sergeant Rice is suspicious of this empty hole. He notes it is the perfect size for a small child just like Elizabeth. Simultaneously back at Alyssa Bamonte's home,

the FBI obtained that consent to search the Bamante home and one of their evidence officers was assigned to search Alysa Bamante's room.

And when the agent opens the teenage girl's bedroom door, it's a spine chilling sight. She found several things in that room to to be disturbing.

The walls are covered with bizarre writings. Some of them in pen and others, it appears in blood. In one corner of the room, there is a poem about cutting, which is a form of self-injury, usually involving a knife or razor blade. In the poem, one line reads, "I cut to see blood because I like it." Alyssa's best friend, Jennifer, knew about her high school friend's sadistic secret.

I actually consulted one of our friends and he talked to her about it. Uh, we noticed a lot of scars on her wrists. She talked about suicide a lot. I know that she had attempted it a couple of times.

Then on another wall, there's a crude sketch of a person. The head and arm appear to have slice and slashstyle markings. A closer look and there's a name by the deranged depiction Emma. That's right, Alyssa's kid sister.

I don't know what you say to that. There are also cards and letters taped to Alyssa's bedroom wall from a Caesar Bamonte. The return address prison.

Her father was in prison. He had gotten into some kind of physical altercation and her mother was on drugs a lot. She was in and out of her life. Then the FBI agent spots something else in Alyssa's bedroom.

A diary in the room, a journal. And when the investigator starts to read Alyssa's diary, the words jump off the page for all the wrong reasons,

disturbing things uh that referred to burning down a house and killing the people in it. And then she noticed the last entry of the journal had a date of Wednesday, October 21st,

the very same day Elizabeth disappeared. And what does it say? It appeared to be marked over in blue ink, a blue ink pen, obliterating over what was written, except for the last part of it said, "Now I've got to go to church, lol. Coming up,

she knew that we had read it. The teenage girl is confronted with her own words.

Slit and throat and evil is unearthed. You could see a body part that was covered up with dirt.

We return to today's Crime Watch Daily Murder Mystery. A 9-year-old girl remains missing, but police believe someone might know where she is. A teenage girl who lives down the street. And to say what they found in a room is disturbing would be a huge understatement. Here's Melissa McCarti.

Missouri fourth grader Elizabeth Olton is still missing. And when investigators search her neighbor's home, they uncover disturbing writings in the diary of the oldest sister, 15-year-old Alyssa Bamante. The agent collects the diary as potential evidence. The next morning, now Friday, in two days since Elizabeth went missing, Alyssa is brought to the FBI headquarters for an interview with Sergeant David Rice.

In combination with her strange behavior, I was confident that we were going into an interrogation at some point.

But just before he goes in, the sergeant is handed Alyssa's diary. The last entry of the diary, which was the day that Elizabeth went missing, was completely scratched out. But this cop is determined to bring darkness into light.

Using backlighting, we could make out two words, slit and throat. Armed with potential incriminating evidence, it's go time. Alyssa, her grandmother, Sergeant Rice, and a juvenile officer file into the interrogation room. Sergeant Rice decides to take it slow and easy, but mostly slow

by asking a list of certain questions and then just waiting and waiting. Silence is very effective during an interview or interrogation because people feel very uncomfortable in silence. There were pauses, I believe, that were up to 45 seconds to a minute long. And you could see the stress affecting Alyssa. You could see her eyes begin to tremor and her head begin to shake.

And then right when the sergeant thinks she might break, we have your diary and we've read your diary, even the last entry in which was scribbled out. And I just waited.

The effect is immediate. Once I brought up the diary, I could see a distinct shift in her demeanor. And I think it was that point that she knew that we knew.

And that's when Alyssa finally starts to reveal what happened to Elizabeth. She tells Sergeant Rice it was an accident. She said they were walking in the woods when Elizabeth fell, hit her head, and suddenly died. I explained to Alyssa that we were going to recover the body and the autopsy would show every injury

and he has a pretty good idea of what one of the injuries could be due to the comment or the word that we read from her diary.

That's when he asked Alyssa a direct and damning question. Was her throat cut? And Alyssa said yes. And that's when grandmother uh the grandmother broke down and began crying. It's a huge break in the case. Alyssa's grandmother leaves the room and the 15-year-old comes clean.

She said she sent Emma, her sister, over to the Olden household to pick Elizabeth up. From that point, she claimed that she told Emma to go back home and that she took Elizabeth by the hand and walked her into the woods. It's a quarter mile and 15minute walk into the woods, leaving plenty of time for Alyssa to think about what she is doing and stop. But she continues on holding the 9-year-old's hand and saying,

"I've got something really neat to show you. It's just a little bit further up here."

Unbeknown to the little girl, Alyssa is armed with a kitchen knife and is leading her towards a pre-dug grave. Alyssa said once she arrived at the at the side of the hole that she began to strangle uh Elizabeth while she was facing her that she strangled her multiple times and stabbed her in the chest I believe six or seven times and then cut her throat.

After her confession, Alyssa agrees to take Sergeant Rice to Elizabeth's body. Rice takes me along into the same woods where he retraces and recalls that fateful day.

She knew exactly, you know, where it was led us directly to it. Was it well covered?

It was not well covered. Once she pointed out the area and you looked a little bit closer, you could see that she was only a few, you know, a few inches if that under the ground and you could see body parts uh that that came up, you know, covered with mud. It's a pretty horrifying homicide.

Then the results of Elizabeth's autopsy come in and they appear to mirror Alyssa's diabolical diary. Investigators use a blue light to finally reveal her last entry on the day Elizabeth disappeared. It reads in part, "I just exitive killed someone. I strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them. It was amazing. It's pretty enjoyable. I got to go to church now, lol.

This was very premeditated by the 15-year-old murderer because she had dug the grave holes at least 5 days in advance of the murder. And it was premeditated in the sense that she sent her sister down to get Elizabeth out of the house for the purpose of murdering her.

A premeditated and planned murder meets the legal requirements for a first-degree murder case. But what about her age? Alyssa is just 15. She was certified to stand trial as an adult and a Cole County grand jury uh heard evidence in the case and returned an indictment of two counts, murder and a firstderee and armed criminal action.

And sadly, the signs of a troubled teen seemed to be there all along. Alyssa appeared to like hurting herself and others. On her YouTube page, Alyssa lists under interest in hobbies, killing people, and cutting. And in one video captured on a school bus, she threatens to shoot a classmate.

YOU'RE BEING WAY TOO LOUD. And a week before she killed Elizabeth, Alyssa takes to her journal and writes, "If I don't talk about it, I bottle it up. And when I explode, someone's going to die." But perhaps the biggest warning sign appears at Alyssa's own 15th birthday party. She is hanging out with her best friend, Jennifer, when she says,

"I just wonder what it would be like just to kill someone, see the life just drain out of someone. I wonder what it would feel like that type of power to take that away from someone."

That is one of the most reprehensible motives for murder that exist in humankind, and that is to murder a person for the thrill of murdering them.

2 years and 4 months after the fateful events that rocked the rural town of St. Martins, Missouri. A trial date is finally set. Then the prosecution gets an unexpected setback to their case, and it's a big one.

The uh defense filed a motion to suppress the confession. Alyssa's defense team claims because she was a juvenile, some of the questions asked during her interrogation weren't allowed under Missouri law. The judge agrees, and Alyssa's confession is thrown out. Having the confession suppressed was was a huge blow. Um, this was a clear first-degree murder case.

And there's another big blow to the prosecution's case on the horizon. The US Supreme Court is about to likely rule that life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. So prosecutors offer up a plea deal to the defense, an amendment to murder in the second degree with a range of 10 to 30 years or life imprisonment with the chance of parole.

I notified the mother and the family that that's what I had determined to do. It was mad. It was very bad.

Alyssa's defense team accepts the plea deal. During the sentencing phase, she addresses her victim's family and states, "I cannot even understand what you guys are going through. I'm sorry for that. If I could give my life to bring her back, I would. And I'm sorry."

I don't think she can be sorry. I don't believe anything that she says. She was being fed what to say to us from her attorney, so none of it was real. Boo Damonte was sentenced on the murder charge to life in prison with a chance of parole plus 30 years for armed criminal action. Under Missouri law, she will serve 35 years and 5 months before she will be eligible for parole. Even her one-time best friend wonders now if that's enough. I don't think there is anywhere that she should be besides prison ever because you just can't get away with something like that.

Is there anything you would say to her if she was watching this? Um, that I hate her. That she's ruined everyone in my family's life. She changed everybody's life so drastically. It's not fair. She shouldn't be sending prayers. She should die, too. I don't care how old she was. Age didn't have anything to do with it. There's no rehabilitation for her. Following Alyssa's conviction, Elizabeth's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bamanti's grandparents and siblings. She was awarded $400,000 in a settlement. She's also sued Alyssa herself to ensure that the killer teen cannot profit from her crime. No books, no movies, nothing.

Coming up, tell me what happened to my daughter. It's one of the most publicized cases ever in the state of Maine. What happened to little Ayla? Police find tracks of the toddler's blood, but no body. Crime Watch Daily goes inside the mystery. We don't think she was abducted. We don't think she wandered off. And we think foul play is involved. That's next. Now to a Crime Watch daily update on one of the most publicized cases ever in the state of Maine. A darling little 20-month-old is reported missing by her father. Michelle Sagona picks up the story from there.

Tell me what happened to my daughter. Trista Reynolds has been relentlessly chasing the truth to find out what happened to her little girl, Aya.

What do YOU GUILTY? YOU WOULDN'T RUN. That's Ayah's dad on the run, still dodging questions. But now, Crime Watch Daily has learned Trista has a desperate new plan in place. Ironically, the only way she may be able to find out if her daughter is alive is to declare her dead. What do you miss the most? I miss her smile, and I I miss her blue eyes, and I just I just miss her and just everything. 20-month-old Aya mysteriously disappeared from her own father's house in Waterville, Maine, just days before Christmas. Justin DPHO, his sister Alicia, and his then girlfriend Courtney Roberts were all in the house on the night 20-month-old Aya disappeared.

A part of me always wonders if she was she was yelling out for me and wondering why I wasn't there to save and protect her like I was supposed to. So, no, it it haunts me every day. Little Aloa was a surprise pregnancy for Trista and then boyfriend Justin Dpatro.

He said, "Well, let's put her up for adoption." I said, "You're absolutely crazy. I will not do that."

Trista was a loving mom. But shortly after Ila's first birthday, an old demon surfaced.

You made the decision to go to rehab. I did. I needed to get myself better for her. That's why I did it.

The plan was for little Aya to stay with Trista's sister. But shortly after, Trista checked into rehab. She claims Justin and his mom, Phoebe DPro, convinced a Department of Health and Human Services worker they were supposed to have legal custody of Aya.

That night when the officers brought her down, I told that officer straight out. I said, "She's going to flip out. She's going to flip out because she does not want to go with him." No.

Trista and her father, Ronald Reynolds, were both worried about Aya living with Justin. They both claim she came back home with mysterious injuries, which is consistent with what DHS found in its investigation.

She had bruises like going up her leg. And you know, I said, "What's this, Justin?" And he was like, "Oh, she was playing at Chuck-E-Cheese in the ball pit and some little kid was kicking her. Problem was there was no ball pit at Chuck-E-Cheese."

Trista immediately checks herself out of rehab and begins to fight to get Aya back.

I said, "Trista, why aren't you bringing her to me? Why won't you let me see her?" and he just said, "You're never going to see her again." And that's when I started thinking like, "What are you doing?"

Trista says Justin kept Aya from her for weeks. And then she learns her daughter has a broken arm. Justin claims it was raining and dark and he was carrying her. He tripped on some steps and accidentally landed on top of little Aya. But Ronald says it was an all too familiar story.

You're saying he broke her arm? Yes, ma'am. I am. I am. I don't believe it was an accident. Trista says she calls to check in on Aya, but Justin tells her their 19-month-old daughter is too busy to come to the phone.

He said, "Well, she's watching Home Alone right now." And I said, "Really? And you're not going to let me talk to her?" And he never did. And then that was it.

Trista would never speak to or see her daughter Aya ever again. How did you find out your daughter was missing? And I got on the phone and it was my dad and he was in tears and I said, "Dad, what's going on? What's wrong? The police are here and Aya's missing. Nobody knows where she is." According to the main state police, Justin put Aya in her bed around 8:00 the night before. And when he went to check on her the next morning, her bed was empty. Obviously, when a toddler wanders off, uh we we obviously start searching starting from the the place where she was last seen. And in this place, it was their their home. And uh that search got wider and wider.

While police and divers search every inch of Waterville, investigators began questioning Justin, his sister Alicia, and his girlfriend Courtney, who were all in the house that night. All three claim Aya was abducted. We don't think she was abducted. We don't think she wandered off. And we think foul play is involved.

Within days, what began as a desperate search for a lost little girl turns into a hunt for a possible killer.

We think it is highly unlikely that Aya Reynolds will be found alive. Police find Ayah's blood throughout the house. my whole insides. Like I felt like my whole heart and just everything in here just feeling like it was crackling and and it just broke and I just dropped to the ground. And I told my mom, I said, "It's real, Mom. Like she's dead." Trista says police showed her crime scene photos from inside the house the morning Aya went missing. And a map similar to this one, pinpointing every spot where they found Ayah's blood. It was found on her slippers, a baby doll, um in her car seat.

Then Trista says cops gave her the theory of what happened to Aya. They actually think that it ended with them um rolling her up in a blanket and sticking her in a tote. Do you try not to think about what Aya may have gone through? I actually do. My biggest thing is I wonder if she did if she um she called out or if she was just really mad at me cuz I wasn't there. I think she thinks she's really mad at me and that's what hurts the most. Police refuse to name anyone a suspect, but they wholeheartedly believe there's a dirty secret being covered up.

We have said from the very beginning that the three adults inside that home know more than they've told us. For months, Justin, his girlfriend, and sister refused to talk. Then Trista is tipped off. Justin as a court date for an alleged domestic battery incident. She shows up to confront him once and for all.

Just the way she is. Justin, JUST LOOK ME IN THE EYE SO I CAN SEE HER. Up next, the explosive confrontation.

Justin, what are you doing? I'm guilty. You wouldn't run. Now, back to our Crime Watch daily update on Aya Reynolds, the toddler who has been missing for more than 5 years. Here's Michelle Sagona.

Chris, Ayla's mother tells me she believes the child's father knows much more than what he is telling police. And in a nasty confrontation caught on tape, she faced off with him right out in front of the court.

Just look me in the eye so I CAN SEE HER. A heartbroken mother's frustration erupts outside of a main courthouse.

Know you care. Trista Reynolds desperately wants answers from one of the last people to see her baby daughter, Aya, alive. Justin DPro, Ayla's dad.

Justin, look at me. Ask him. Ask him. You do want to look at me. But he's not talking.

Do you remember this, JUSTIN? WHAT you doing? Justin's mother, Phoebe Dietro, even turning the tables.

I am grandmother and I believe she's alive and I am her mother. slinging accusations that it was Trista who took this beautiful little girl.

Yes. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SHE'S ALIVE? AND TELL US WHAT you did with her. After five agonizing years without her daughter, Trista is left wondering what really happened inside this house in Waterville Maine.

What do you do with her? Guilty. You wouldn't drive. I just wanting my answers. It's all I've ever wanted. It's like I can see it in his eyes that he wants to tell me, but he's too scared. Justin, his sister Alicia, and his then girlfriend Courtney Roberts were all in the house the night 20-month-old Aya disappeared. They all claimed they had nothing to do with the toddler's disappearance and insist she was kidnapped from her bed by a stranger, but mainstay police are adamant this was no abduction.

We thought foul play was involved likely from the very start. They say there's plenty of evidence, and it all leads them to one sad conclusion. Little Ayla is dead. Trista tells me detectives showed Her pictures of Ayah's blood found throughout the house, in her bed, on her favorite doll, in her car seat, all over the basement where Justin was sleeping, and even on his shoes.

I think seeing the pictures are things I'll never um never forget. It's kind of like when you close your eyes, it's always a flashback. Police still won't name a suspect, but Ayla's grandfather, Ronald Reynolds, says he's confident Aya was murdered. And in several published reports, he claims the motive was money.

3 days before she went missing, he took out a insurance policy out on her. How much was the insurance policy for?

$10,000. Trista says on the days leading up to her daughter's disappearance, there were troubling signs. Little Ayla's arm was broken in what Justin called an accident. And a number of news outlets have reported Justin began sending disturbing text messages to Trista.

He sent messages like you're never going to see her again. And sometimes I feel like those were messages of like giving me warnings.

Do you think that that it was an accident or what do you think happened? I just think things got really out of hand and he didn't he didn't know how to handle it the way that he should.

But Justin maintains his innocence. In fact, he told a local newspaper he took a polygraph test and quote, "I smoked it."

The only proper answer you could say is, "I told the truth. I passed my polygraph." Instead, he said, "I smoked it." as if it was a junior high math test that somehow he got passed. This was a child that went missing.

Peter Hyatt is a statement analyst, a sort of human lie detector who helps police with cold cases.

How did you get involved in Ayah's case? Aya's case um touched me emotionally through the news, but it was the initial statement that the father of the missing child had made that caught my attention.

What exactly did he say? He referenced her in the past tense. Referencing someone in the past tense is an indication of knowledge or belief that the child is dead.

We asked Peter to analyze some of Justin's statements. Spoke briefly with the Today Show in 2012 and said, quote, "I would never do anything to harm my daughter." Is this statement deceptive? And if so, why?

Okay. The statement has no commitment. He did not say, "I did not harm my child." He said, "I would not." And there's a difference there. Peter says the most telling statement may be in that heated confrontation in front of the courthouse between Trista and Justin's mom, Phoebe.

What she does is she challenged Trista. What did you do with Aya? Then tell us what you did with her.

But turns away knowing there's no answer to that. What we saw with uh Phoebe Dietro was a bullying of Trista Reynolds. Up next, Justin's sister Alicia speaks out for the first time about what she says really happened inside that house.

Officially on the record, I will say little Ayla has gone missing. She disappeared from this house where her father, Justin, was reportedly sleeping in the basement. Cops suspect foul play. Justin has never been named a suspect, but Ayla's mother, Trista, and police are convinced he knows more than he's saying.

I sit here and I think about those early days when I covered Aya's case. It's been years and I'm covering the story again and it's unsolved. I'm mad it's unsolved. I thought by now it would be.

Trista is so desperate for answers she's even tried tracking Justin down on the street.

JUSTIN WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT? TRISTA HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET anything out of Justin. So, I went back to the house where little Aya disappeared. Justin, his mom Phoebe, and his sister Alicia still live here.

Hi. Hi. How are you doing? Sorry to bother you. I'm Michelle from Crime Watch Daily. Right. What is your first name?

Alicia. Justin wasn't home, but that's his sister, Alicia, who was also in the house that terrible night. She didn't want to sit down for an interview, but agreed to answer a few of my questions.

On the record, I will say that we do believe she is out there somewhere. Did investigators show you evidence from what they had from what was found inside the house?

We have seen pictures of what they found in the house. Yes. What would explain the blood?

She'd been vomiting quite a lot. She had lactose issues. Okay. Um so she had been sick.

Nothing happened in the house that night. Nothing happened. No foul play. No foul play in the house then cuz my brother's a good father. He loved his daughter.

Well, still loves her. While Trista continues to hope little Aya is alive, Crime Watch daily has learned the desperate mom may now be forced to declare Ayah legally dead. According to the family, a death certificate will allow Trista to file a civil lawsuit against Justin for the wrongful death of Aya. Justin has never been charged with anything related to Alo's disappearance, but police maintain he knows more than he's saying. The family says a wrongful death suit will force Justin to testify under oath as to what really happened inside this house on the night the beautiful 20month-old went missing.

Hopefully giving this tortured mom and Ayah's little brothers the answers they've been chasing all these years. I have my 5-year-old tell me that he plays with her in his dreams and you know she's got these beautiful wings and they're always playing in a garden with other little people with wings. Tells me right there that she's in heaven that she's looking down and she's watching us.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor"?

Chris Hansen (Host), Melissa McCarti (Guest), Patty Price (Guest), Alyssa Bamante (Guest), Jennifer (Guest), Trista Reynolds (Guest), Justin DPHO (Guest), Ronald Reynolds (Guest).

What is "Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor" about?

A chilling case unfolds as a 9-year-old girl is lured into the woods and murdered in what authorities label a 'thrill kill.' Investigators discover a disturbing diary revealing a premeditated plan, shedding light on a shocking motive and leading them to an unexpected suspect, all while a grieving family grapples with the haunting mystery of their missing child.

What is mentioned in this True Crime News episode?

15 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Elizabeth Olton, Alyssa Bamante, Crime Watch Daily, Justin DPHO, Trista Reynolds, FBI. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Teen convicted of ‘thrill kill’ murder of her neighbor"?

The episode runs 40 min; the transcript is about 6,665 words in 159 timestamped sections.

More from True Crime News

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.