Partial transcript from ‘After the Carver’ Episode 4 – Return of the Carver
[Podcast Intro Music Fades In, Then Out]
FREYA:
Hey everyone. Welcome back to After the Carver. I’m Freya Landis.
KENNEDY:
And I’m Kennedy Campbell. Today... we’ve got a lot to get through.
FREYA:
Yup. A lot . So grab a coffee, settle in, and brace yourself. Because this one’s going to be heavy.
KENNEDY:
Right. First off, let’s talk about what’s coming up in this episode.
We’ve been granted exclusive access to some of the original Carver case files. Actual evidence and reports from back when the first victims started vanishing over a decade ago. It’s the kind of stuff that’s never been seen outside law enforcement circles… until now.
FREYA:
We also have two of the original riddles that the Carver mailed to the police , and Corwin Bay PD has given us permission to share those with you.
KENNEDY:
Not just here on the podcast. We’ll post them on our website as well, so you can read through them at your own pace.
FREYA:
But before we get into all of that, I just want to say one slightly unprofessional thing regarding everything that’s happened over the last week. And that is… holy shit.
KENNEDY:
I think those two words have been sitting on the tip of everyone’s tongues over the last week or so.
FREYA:
For good reason. Most people assumed the Carver was either dead or done with killing. It’s certainly what I thought. But I was wrong.
KENNEDY:
He’s back. And he never really stopped.
FREYA:
It turns out the original investigation made a mistake. They assumed that the five missing victims were carried off by wild animals after their dismembered remains were dumped in the woods. That there was simply nothing left to find.
But new evidence says otherwise. Lab tests from the remains of the two latest victims—Christopher Miles and Silas Boone—have confirmed that they were alive up until last week. Held somewhere by the Carver all this time.
KENNEDY:
Ten years. That’s how long the Carver kept them alive before finally killing them. Can you even comprehend that? I can’t. I’ve tried, and I just can’t . The horror of it... the suffering they must’ve endured… only to end up brutally hacked apart in the end, just like all the other victims.
FREYA:
That brings us to a question we’ve been getting over and over from listeners.
Kennedy, a lot of people want to know why the Carver has chosen to deliver his macabre packages to you.
KENNEDY:
The short answer is: we don’t know. We can only guess.
FREYA:
Our main guess is that he's targeting her because of her connection to one of the victims. A victim who, as of yet, hasn't turned up, which gives us reason to believe he's still being held by the Carver along with Heather Voss and Brian Delgado.
KENNEDY:
[Softly] My father. Mark Campbell.
FREYA:
In a twisted way, this startling revelation gives us hope. Because it means Mark is probably still alive as we speak. Just like Heather Voss and Brian Delgado.
KENNEDY:
God, I hope they’re alive. I really do. But hoping for that… it’s kind of like walking on a knife’s edge. Because if they are alive, it means they’re still living in his world. And none of us can imagine what that’s been like for them.
FREYA:
It’s very heavy stuff. And Kennedy, I just want to say—because I know you won’t say it about yourself—you’ve been incredibly strong through all of this. Not just for your family, but for everyone following this case.
KENNEDY:
Thank you.
FREYA:
Can you share how you’re feeling with us?
KENNEDY:
Yes. It's been a real shock, for obvious reasons. It took me a long time to accept that my father was dead, so to find out that he might still be alive after all… it’s really got me reeling. It just rips the wound open again.
FREYA:
I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.
KENNEDY:
[Brief pause, soft breath]
I think one of the worst parts is… sometimes I find myself thinking that a quick death would be far more merciful than ten years of imprisonment and torment at the Carver’s hands.
Then I feel like a total monster for even thinking that, because it means I’m thinking that it’d be better if my own father was dead.
FREYA:
You're not a monster at all. Absolutely anyone would understand exactly what you mean by that.
KENNEDY:
[Softly] Thanks, Freya. And thanks to all our listeners, too. I’ve gotten so many supportive emails over the last week, and I can’t tell you what it means to me.
FREYA:
On that note: listeners, please keep sharing our show with your friends, family, and anyone else you can think of. Just one tip could be all it takes to crack this case wide open and reveal the Carver’s identity. And right now, we need it more than ever.
KENNEDY:
Because we’re not just discussing the past anymore. It’s happening right now, and that puts us up against a ticking clock before he claims another victim.
FREYA:
Exactly. [Deep breath] Now, let’s get into those riddles…
[End of partial transcript]