0:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to USA Unsolved, episode 20. 0:04 [SPEAKER_00]: We have spent a few episodes in California, and while there are a few more cases there that I would like to explore, I figured it was time to expand and look into other corners of the country. 0:16 [SPEAKER_00]: There is technically no shortage of unresolved cases around the US, but kind of difficult to find cases with sufficient information. 0:25 [SPEAKER_00]: So for today's case, it's technically labeled as resolved, but the circumstances surrounding this case still feel a little bit murky. 0:35 [SPEAKER_00]: And as this case involves multiple victims, there are still some questions around that. 0:42 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the case of 26-year-old Stephanie Win and her two children, four-year-old Christina and three-year-old John. 0:51 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's begin. 0:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Stephanie Van Muin was a young mother of two. 0:57 [SPEAKER_00]: She was originally born in Vietnam, but immigrated to the United States with her family when she was a teenager. 1:04 [SPEAKER_00]: Based on reports, she eventually married and gave birth to two children, Christina, born on June 14, 1997, and then John on Valentine's Day of 1999. 1:18 [SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, not much is known in regards to Stephanie's personal life, but aside from being a wife and a mother, she also worked both as a nail technician and the casino dealer. 1:31 [SPEAKER_00]: At the time of the disappearance, she was living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her family. 1:37 [SPEAKER_00]: Stephanie and her two kids were last seen on April 18, 2002 near her home. 1:43 [SPEAKER_00]: Based on information found online, it did not seem as if Stephanie's marriage was working out. 1:49 [SPEAKER_00]: This information was provided by Stephanie herself, who left the note to her parents prior to driving away on her 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. 2:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Prior to her disappearance, it was confirmed that Stephanie had with drawn an undisclosed amount of money from the bank. 2:07 [SPEAKER_00]: She then went to her parents house, left a note along with the money and some of her jewelry. 2:13 [SPEAKER_00]: Per her note, she allegedly detailed her unhappy and failed marriage. 2:18 [SPEAKER_00]: Saying that she has decided to kill not just herself, but also her two kids by driving the car 2:27 [SPEAKER_00]: She was also vehemently opposed to her husband keeping the children. 2:32 [SPEAKER_00]: She requested that her parents sell her jewelry and use that money to pay for their funerals. 2:39 [SPEAKER_00]: That is pretty grim for sure. 2:41 [SPEAKER_00]: I wish I could paint a better picture of her marriage and her struggles, but none of that could help us turn back time and change Stephanie's mind. 2:51 [SPEAKER_00]: Between a time Stephanie drove away, and when the letter was discovered, Stephanie was driving along the Ohio River, and was even stopped by police officer near a boat ramp that led to the Ohio River. 3:04 [SPEAKER_00]: The police officer recounted his interaction, where he did note that the two children were in the back seat, a sleep. 3:12 [SPEAKER_00]: This would be the last time anyone ever saw the three of them alive. 3:17 [SPEAKER_00]: once new spread of their disappearance, police began an extensive search based on stuff in his letter. 3:24 [SPEAKER_00]: The husband, of course, was questioned extensively, and according to the police, he cooperated with them, and there was no indication that he was behind their disappearance. 3:34 [SPEAKER_00]: So, the Ohio River is not only in Ohio as the name might suggest, 3:41 [SPEAKER_00]: It actually extends from Western Pennsylvania to Illinois, spanning and bordering six separate states. 3:48 [SPEAKER_00]: If Stephanie really planned to drive into the river, she could have done it in the state of Ohio or in any other part. 3:57 [SPEAKER_00]: But knowing what they know, the police did a search of parts of the Ohio River, unfortunately coming up zero signs or clues. 4:05 [SPEAKER_00]: The river is known to be very deep, very wide, and can also have strong currents depending on the weather. 4:13 [SPEAKER_00]: While dive teams were used, it was not the easiest body of water to navigate. 4:19 [SPEAKER_00]: The police, though, also believed it was possible that Stephanie could have either changed her mind, or had written that note to mislead her family and the police. 4:28 [SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps yes, due to her failed marriage, she wanted to leave. 4:33 [SPEAKER_00]: But instead of killing herself and her two kids, she could also have just decided to drive 4:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Both scenarios were very likely, and seeing that their river search and diving teams found nothing, the case began to grow cold. 4:53 [SPEAKER_00]: However, thanks to a turn, 19 years later, on October 14, 2021, which feels pretty recent. 5:03 [SPEAKER_00]: The police decided to reopen this case, and with the improvement of technology, they took another look around the Ohio River using so-and-art technology, and that's when they got a hit about 300 feet from the bank, and 50 feet below the surface. 5:19 [SPEAKER_00]: They found a vehicle, which was eventually pulled out of the Ohio River, from Aurora in Indiana. 5:26 [SPEAKER_00]: The city that literally runs along the Ohio River, it was indeed a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. 5:33 [SPEAKER_00]: But of course, it was a terrible shape, having spent nearly 20 years underwater. 5:39 [SPEAKER_00]: They were able to match the car to the vehicle that Stephanie was driving that night, so the mystery of where the car went is now resolved. 5:48 [SPEAKER_00]: But what about Stephanie and the two children? 5:53 [SPEAKER_00]: It took some time for professionals to sift through the debris, but they eventually found a human bone, which was later confirmed to belong to Stephanie. 6:02 [SPEAKER_00]: It does appear that Stephanie followed through on her promise to drive into the Ohio River. 6:08 [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever happened to the children though, is still a bit of a mystery. 6:13 [SPEAKER_00]: Ockens Razer would dictate that the two kids were also in the car when it went into the river, so it's likely that all three died that day. 6:22 [SPEAKER_00]: But without finding any remains or evidence that the kids went the back seat, it's not a hard yes. 6:29 [SPEAKER_00]: There is also speculation that perhaps Stephanie dropped her two kids off somewhere else, perhaps with a trusted friend or something of that nature. 6:38 [SPEAKER_00]: But is it possible that whoever took the kids in, never knew that the police and the wind family were looking for them? 6:45 [SPEAKER_00]: And how would they have gone undetected these 20-plus years? 6:49 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think this is completely impossible, but it does seem a bit far-fetched. 6:55 [SPEAKER_00]: I would hope that that was the case and these two innocent kids didn't lose your life because their parents had a terrible marriage. 7:04 [SPEAKER_00]: As of now, the two children are still listed as missing. 7:08 [SPEAKER_00]: Until new evidence shows up. 7:12 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a very unfortunate case. 7:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Relationships are very difficult, and it is often times made more difficult when children are involved. 7:21 [SPEAKER_00]: I can think of many reasons why Stephanie would have wanted to leave her husband in such a drastic way. 7:27 [SPEAKER_00]: But because I am not Stephanie, and I certainly do not know what she went through, I cannot sit here and jump to conclusions or make any judgments. 7:37 [SPEAKER_00]: I am very sorry that her kids had to get involved, especially knowing that they are still missing. 7:43 [SPEAKER_00]: I do think the police make the right decision to revisit this case years later, and finding that car must have been like hitting the jackpot for them. 7:51 [SPEAKER_00]: With cases like these, it does give me hope that more cases will be revisited in the future, and more clues will be found, and more answers will be delivered to their loved ones. 8:03 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in, and listening to Stephanie Kristina and John Story. 8:09 [SPEAKER_00]: Be kind, take care, and until next time.
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