by RJ Parker
Thirty-two-year-old Mark Drybrough of Coventry, England, was an IT technician who had been suffering from depression for several years. His condition started after he had contracted a glandular fever (also known as infectious mononucleosis). When he committed suicide in June 2005, his family was shocked. They knew about his condition, but they did not know that he was suicidal; it was just not like him. Later, they would find out that on the morning of the day in which he killed himself, Mark had been communicating with a female nurse who was using the nickname ‘Li Dao.’ Minutes before Mark hanged himself from a ladder in an upstairs bedroom, he received a message from Li Dao asking, “Are you all right?” After reading through two months of chat history between Mark and ‘Li Dao,’ they discovered that the two had made a suicide pact.
Around November of 2006, Celia Bay, a sixty-four-year-old British schoolteacher and grandmother who lived in Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire, England, had received word that a teenage friend of the family had made a suicide pact with a female nurse. The nurse was using the name ‘Li Dao.’ Celia was able to convince the girl to postpone her suicide plans (four hours before the suicide) in order to give her more time to investigate. Thanks to Celia, that girl is still alive. However, some hard work was waiting for Celia. She had heard about the suicide of Mark Drybrough and made the connection between his case and the teenage girl’s case due to the use of the same nickname ‘Li Dao.’ Further investigation led her into discovering that the same person was using other nicknames such as ‘Falcon Girl’ and ‘Cami D.’ As she contacted other people, she also found out that this individual had entered into suicide pacts with other people as well, encouraging them to kill themselves in front of the webcam. Each time, ‘Li Dao’s’ webcam always encountered technical problems, and no one had ever seen her face. Celia posted warnings about that person on the chat websites. After spending months trying to collect evidence about the case, she went to the local authorities, who refused to initiate an investigation. Celia realized she was fighting this battle on her own, so she decided to get help elsewhere.
Celia got help from thirty-seven-year-old Katherine Lowe, an unemployed mother of two living in Wolver Hampton. Around January 2008, Kat and Celia decided to catch this individual in the act. At the same time, ‘Falcon Girl’ (or ‘Li Dao’ or ‘Cami D’) was already claiming another victim.
Eighteen-year-old Nadia Kajouji was an attractive student in the Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. She was studying public affairs and policy. It was her first year and she was having trouble adjusting to the university life. On March 9, 2008, Nadia disappeared. That Sunday was the last day her roommates had seen her. Her family, fearing that Nadia was involved in a foul play, urged the police to conduct search, which they did. Nadia’s belongings were all found in her room, including her driver’s license and her wallet, indicating she did not run away. On her computer, the police discovered Nadia had been visiting online chat rooms devoted to suicide. Believing that Nadia would not kill herself, the family traveled to Ottawa, crossing more than 300 miles, to help with search. They even announced a reward of $50,000 for her safe return home. The family knew that she was going through some hard times, but she was not suicidal. Just like Mark’s family before, Nadia’s family was wrong. On April 19, 2008, someone found the body of a woman on a rock on the area of the Rideau River, which runs behind the Saint Paul University, a few kilometers away from the Carleton University. The body was identified as Nadia’s, and it was ruled as a suicide since there was no evidence of any foul play.
Meanwhile, Celia Bay and Katherine Lowe continued their investigation in full force. Katherine had been contacting ‘Falcon Girl’ and gained her trust. The individual told Katherine that she was a nurse working in an emergency room in a United States hospital, and claimed that she had experience and could give advice about the best way for a person to commit suicide. ‘Falcon Girl’ even claimed that she had watched a man kill himself some years earlier. The man was not identified, but ‘Falcon Girl’ claimed that he was from Birmingham, England. ‘Falcon Girl’ assured Katherine that she would go with the suicide pact this time, although other times she didn’t. According to their chat log, these are some of the messages they they exchanged:
- “The four people you think hanged themselves, did they do it while you were online?” (said by Katherine)
- “No, just one.” (said by ‘Falcon Girl’)
- “When the guy in Birmingham went, why did you not go, too?” (said by Katherine)
- “I was put on a new drug [to] see if I could get better” (said by ‘Falcon Girl’)
- “I am scared” (said by Katherine)
- “I know. I agreed to help you 'cause we both know each of us is sincere about needing to die. That is why I agreed to watch/help you if [you] needed it.” (said by ‘Falcon Girl’)
- “I have tried cutting my wrists” (said by Katherine)
- “That is why I really suggested the rope 'cause it's so much more dependable.” (said by ‘Falcon Girl’)
Later, ‘Falcon Girl’ sent a picture of a female to Katherine. However, the picture’s filename was the name of a male. Katherine began suspecting that she was speaking to a totally different person. Moreover, in her chats with other members of the groups, she learned that the same individual was using different names, including ‘Li Dao’ and ‘Cami D.’ The members were able to figure this out because of the individual’s choice of words, topics, and the way the three nicknames expressed things—instead of offering support, ‘Falcon Girl’ (and her other aliases) encouraged people to actually commit suicide. Katherine was lucky enough to convince ‘Falcon Girl’ to use the webcam. She saw a man and was able to take a picture of him with her mobile phone. At last, Katherine had enough information to trace this person’s IP address to the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Celia and Katherine took the information they collected, including a transcript of the chats between Katherine and ‘Falcon Girl,’ to the police in the United Kingdom, who rejected the case. They also sent the information to the FBI, who also rejected the case, due to jurisdictional issues that prevented them from launching an investigation. However, these two women along with Mark’s mother, Mrs. Drybrough, did not give up. Finally, the police department of St. Paul, Minnesota, agreed to take the case after they reviewed all the evidence collected by the women. The true identity and home address of ‘Falcon Girl’ was discovered—it was William Francis Melchert-Dinkel.
It is not known exactly how many people William convinced to commit suicide. He could have contacted hundreds of people over several years. He always pushed them to carry out with their suicidal plans. He also suggested ways in which they could do it. Thanks to the efforts carried out by the three women in the United Kingdom, The link between the suicides of Mark Drybrough and Nadia Kajouji was made to William Melchert-Dinkel. It was discovered that before her death, Nadia was contacting William in the suicide chat rooms, under the name ‘Cami D.’ The police also discovered that William had entered into many suicide pacts with people from all over the world. William had to be hospitalized after questioning because of his behavior. He told the nurses in the hospital that he was addicted to the chat rooms where he could meet suicidal people and that he had encouraged many to kill themselves.
On February 5, the nursing board suspended William’s license. He was seen as a risk to the lives of others. After a few months, his nursing license was revoked entirely.
On April 30, 2010, William was charged with encouraging Mark Drybrough to commit suicide in 2005, and Nadia Kajouji in 2008. It was a controversial case because William didn’t physically assist with the suicide of these people, he only encouraged them to kill themselves verbally; he was practicing his freedom of speech. However, William was convicted on March 15, 2011 under a rarely used Minnesota law, forbidding individuals from advising and encouraging other people to commit suicide, a charge that could have resulted in fifteen years in prison and a $30,000 fine. The court ordered Wi
lliam to stay off the internet during his trial. On May 4, 2011, William was sentenced to just 360 days in jail. On July 27 2012, the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed his sentence. In early 2014, the State Supreme Court ruled that anyone advising or encouraging suicide is protected under the First Amendment right of free speech. His conviction was reversed and the case was sent to the lower court to determine the outcome. At the time this book went to press, closing arguments had been heard and William was waiting to hear Rice Co. District Court Judge Tom Neuville’s ruling.
Chapter 32: Derek Medina
Social media monsters don’t just use the internet to locate and lure their victims—some of them have used social media to actually confess.
Derek Medina, a six-foot-two, 200-pound property management supervisor living in Miami, Florida posted many of his life’s activities on social media. He often posted photos and videos of himself working out and engaging in his hobbies, such as kick boxing and sailing. He was also a writer and published six self-help eBooks detailing the importance of communication to a successful marriage. He promoted the books on his website and Facebook page. One of those books was titled, How I Saved Someone’s Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication.
Derek married Jennifer Alfonso in 2010. The couple actually divorced in February 2012, but remarried just three months later. Neighbors in the condominium complex where the couple lived with their daughter found him to be polite, but odd. He often walked around the complex, patrolling the area, telling anyone who would listen that he was on patrol for the neighborhood watch. He also told others that he had a concealed weapon permit and carried a gun at all times.
On August 8, 2013, Derek’s Facebook friends were shocked to read a rambling post from him at 11:11 in the morning: “Im [sic] going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys, miss you guys takecare [sic] Facebook people you will see me in the news.” He went on attempting to justify his actions: “my wife was punching me and I am not going to stand anymore with the abuse so I did what I did I hope u [sic] understand me.” Minutes later, he posted a photo of Jennifer’s body on the kitchen floor of their home. She was on her back with her legs bent awkwardly underneath her at her sides. Her arms splayed out away from her body and one of them appeared to be covered in blood. Jennifer’s chin rested on her chest and her head was tilted at an unnatural angle. Along with the photo, Derek typed, “RIP Jennifer Alfonso.”
To the horror of everyone who knew Jennifer, the gruesome photo and Facebook post remained live on the site for more than five hours, where it was shared over 170 times. Dubbed the “Facebook killer,” Derek Medina’s story made headlines almost instantly. Facebook finally took action after receiving reports from Jennifer’s friends and family. They removed the disturbing image and posts and contacted law enforcement at that time.
According to Derek, the two had gotten into an argument in their upstairs bedroom. When Derek pointed a gun at her, Jennifer left the room. She then turned around and told him she was leaving him. Derek followed her down the stairs where he said she began punching him. He told officers he went back upstairs to retrieve his gun and by the time he got back to the kitchen, Jennifer had grabbed a knife. Derek claimed he successfully snatched the knife out of Jennifer’s clutches and put it back in a drawer when she began to punch him again. That’s when he shot her six times, killing her.
He then snapped a picture of his dead wife’s body, posted the image to Facebook, changed his clothes, and drove himself to the South Miami Police Department, where he turned himself in. When police arrived at the scene, they found Jennifer’s body in the kitchen, where he had left it. Her ten-year-old daughter from a previous relationship was also in the residence, hiding upstairs wrapped in a blanket. She was unharmed.
Derek pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges. Surveillance footage from the couple’s home released later showed the moments leading up to the murder. While the video doesn’t clearly show the murder take place, the two can be seen arguing. Derek leaves the room briefly before returning. Gunpowder can be seen in the video when the gun is fired. He then calmly snaps a picture of her corpse before walking back upstairs to change clothes before leaving.
The autopsy report concluded that Jennifer was shot multiple times in her left forearm, indicating she had been trying to shield herself from the gunfire. The bullets traveled through her body in a downward trajectory, suggesting she had been cowering on the floor in front of him with her arms up in a protective manner. This completely contradicted what Derek had told police about Jennifer being the aggressor.
In December of 2013, prosecutors increased the charges to first-degree murder in light of those autopsy results. Derek continued to maintain his actions were in self-defense and pleaded not guilty. In January, his defense team requested to test the victim’s tissue samples for traces of a drug called Alpha PVP, more commonly known as “bath salts,” known to cause paranoia, panic, and agitation. The defense team claimed to have found a batch of pills that did not belong in a jar of garlic supplements in the couple’s kitchen. The surveillance video released by police shows Jennifer reach into the cabinet where the bottle was found approximately eleven hours before the murder. In May 2014, the medical examiner released his findings—there were no drugs in Jennifer’s system at all.
Investigators claim that Derek told others that he would kill Jennifer if she ever cheated on him or tried to leave him. They insist he was the aggressor in the situation. His trial is set to start on October 14, 2014. While he is facing first-degree murder charges, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office has announced that they will not be seeking the death penalty in this case.
Chapter 33: Brady Oestrike
Thirty-one-year-old Brady Oestrike’s friends knew him as a guy who enjoyed medieval fare and going to Renaissance festivals. According to his Facebook page, he was highly religious and even studied at the Montana Wilderness School of the Bible. He once took a trip with his church group to help build a school and hospital in the Dominican Republic. He worked as a lineman, repairing power lines for a local electric company in Wyoming, Michigan. He was engaged to be married at some point, but when his fiancée broke off the engagement in 2013, friends claim he fell into a serious depression. To many who knew him, he was a generous, kind, and normal guy.
In April of 2014, Brady allegedly entered a bar he frequented in Eastown, Michigan and told several people he had a woman tied up in his home. He claimed to have met a woman on Craigslist, zipped her into a suitcase, and took her home in the trunk of his car. He then allegedly left her tied up in his home while he went to the bar. Alarmed, the bar staff called police and relayed the story to them. When police investigated further, they discovered that the woman was fine and had simply been participating in some role-playing with Brady. Since no crime had been committed, investigators closed the case.
Three months later, Brady responded to a Craigslist ad placed by an eighteen-year-old named Brooke Slocum and her twenty-five-year-old boyfriend, Charlie Oppenneer. Brooke was eight months pregnant with her first child. Sources close to the investigation claim Brooke and Charlie described they were looking for a sexual partner in exchange for money. In part, the post allegedly read, “Hello! A little about me: I am 18, 5’3” about 120lbs now and still growing (I happen to be 8 months pregnant with a beautiful white/Korean baby girl), I am white and petite, short brown hair and green eyes… father of my child and I are sort of involved in this weird open relationship.” Brooke’s roommate later told the media that the couple often met up with people who responded to their ads on Craigslist. Charlie always accompanied Brooke on these meet-ups, and sometimes he would even participate in the sex acts.
Brooke’s father later spoke out to the media. He claimed he was aware of his daughter’s dangerous habit of meeting up with strangers and he had tried to discourage her from continuing with such behavior. But he said she was in love with Charlie and easily manipulated by him. The two had br
iefly broken up in early July and Brooke was planning on moving in with her mother. Instead, she made amends with her boyfriend and the two continued seeking out potential sex clients on Craigslist.
Charlie and Brooke arranged to meet Brady at Gezon Park on July 12, 2014. Four days later, police found Charlie’s body in a wooded area after they were alerted to an abandoned vehicle. His head had been removed and was missing. The medical examiner later determined that Charlie was dead before his head was removed, but without locating the head, the cause of death is still unknown. At the time of this writing, his head was still missing.
It wasn’t long before police realized that Charlie’s pregnant girlfriend was missing too. Investigators searched their apartment and discovered the emails Brooke had exchanged with Brady about the sexual meet-up. Police began watching Brady’s home while they waited for a search warrant to search his residence. They had requested a SWAT team to assist with the search because they believed he was in possession of assault weapons. Around 9:15 on Thursday night, July 17, Brady got into his vehicle and sped off. A high-speed chase ensued, but ended when Brady crashed his vehicle. Police found him dead in the front seat with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. When they opened the trunk to his car, they found the body of Brooke Slocum. She had been strangled to death. Her unborn child, a girl she had planned on naming Audi Lynn, never had a chance to live. A medical examiner determined her death was more recent than Charlie’s.
Police then entered Brady’s home, which they later described to the media as a “hellish environment.” They removed firearms, ammunition, and medieval weapons and knives from the residence. Apparently, Brady had kept Brook captive in the residence for five days, enslaved in medieval restraints he had in his home.
