Gone Before Dawn | The Murder of Trisha Autry

0:00 Welcome to True Crime Stories with Crime-Otrorion. Patricia Ann Autry was a precocious redhead who had an exuberance for life that was demonstrated in the way she worked, loved, and played. Patricia, who went by Tricia, was only 15 years old and working on her first novel, when she was ripped out of her loved one's lives and disposed of as if her life didn't matter. Her family was left with devastation and heartache in the wake of her death. This is Trisha Autry's story.

0:59 In 2000, Trisha was living in Hiram, Utah, with her mother Joanne and father Leroy. Also, her sister Brianne. She was the youngest in a family of two brothers and three sisters.

1:15 Tricia was bullied at school and felt that she didn't fit in with the other kids. She didn't really have very many friends, so she turned to the internet for some social interaction. Her family noticed that she was spending more time on the computer than usual. However, they believed that she was working on her short stories and poetry. At 6 a.m. on the morning of June 24, 2000, Joanne went into Trisha's bedroom to check on her before she left for work. Trisha wasn't in there and her bed was still made.

1:48 Alarmed, Joanne checked Trisha's computer to see if any of her writings could provide any information, but none of her writings were there. This was strange because Trisha had been up all night on the computer and it was assumed that she was writing. Joanne called the police and when they arrived, they suspected that she had run away due to her being unhappy with the bullying she had experienced and her lack of friends. Joanne thought this was unlikely as none of Trish's clothes were missing and all of her money was still in her room.

2:25 Her father Leroy was sick with cancer and the family was scheduled for a meeting with his doctor to discuss his treatment later that day. Police interviewed her friends and they were informed that while walking home from school with Tricia they had recently noticed a green truck driving by them on several occasions. One of Tricia's sisters also told the police that she told her she was afraid of a man she called Sam and would often ask her for a ride home from school. Her computer was checked and it was found that at 3 a.m. on the morning she went missing several emails and files had been deleted.

3:05 She also had three different email accounts, and she was spending a lot of time in chat rooms. A neighbor also reported seeing Tricia getting into a red vehicle with the man at 4 a.m. on the morning of her disappearance. Several weeks earlier another neighbor spotted Tricia getting out of her red car and walking home Police were beginning to believe that Tricia met someone in a chat room and perhaps went with this person Tricia was spotted in a convenience store a couple hours after she was reported missing.

3:41 The clerk stated that she looked nervous while standing looking out the window as if she was waiting for somebody. This went on for about 20 minutes before Tricia left the store without purchasing anything. Missing person flyers were posted throughout Utah and parts of Idaho by the police and Tricia's family. A few months later, a man came forward claiming he spotted Tricia in a grocery store with a man and a woman. He was able to describe this man and it matched the description that was provided earlier by a neighbor of Trisha's.

4:20 Trisha's case was gaining national attention and it was featured on Unsolved Mysteries. In April of 2001, without ever knowing what happened to his daughter, Leroy Autry passed away. The following May, the investigators and Trisha's case received information about a 15-year-old girl that was raped by a man driving a green truck. She told the officers that in May of 2000, she was walking home from school when he pulled up next to her and introduced himself as Sam. He offered her a ride home and she accepted.

4:59 After she got into the truck, he told her he needed to go by his work, which was a wildlife research center in a town called Millville, which is about five miles north of Hiram. Once they arrived, he drove to a wooded area and raped her. This man, 28-year-old Cody Nielsen, was later arrested and admitted to having sex with a young girl. Police began investigating Nielsen and found out that he had been spotted on the facility property using a backhoe to dig trenches and refilling them. This was not part of his job duties at the facility.

5:38 Investigators brought cadaver dogs to the grounds where the trenches were and they hit on the areas around the trenches. The officers dug approximately 10 feet down in one of the trenches and came upon a jawbone.

5:54 They began digging into the other trenches where other various bones were found, as well as a bra, a pair of tennis shoes, and the ripped waistband from a pair of girls' underwear. In all, several hundred bone fragments were eventually found, and all appeared to be burned.

6:14 The mandible was given to a forensic odontologist and the medical examiner and was determined to belong to Tricia Autry. Nielsen was charged with capital aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, and desecrating a human body. He faced the death penalty. When Nielsen was interrogated, he denied knowing Tricia or having any part in her kidnapping or murder. he then admitted to knowing her and speaking to her on three different occasions the story then changed again when he told officers that he did bury Tricia dig up her body and burned it before burying it again He told them that her death was an accident.

7:07 An important detail that investigators found out was the name Sam had been Nielsen's nickname since he was a young boy. The name Tricia revealed to her sister of the man she was afraid of. A plea agreement was made with Nielsen to remove the death penalty and also the charges for obstructing justice and desecrating a body. Nielsen decided to withdraw his guilty plea and let his case go to trial. All charges were reinstated. This meant that he faced the death penalty.

7:46 In October of 2003, just before his trial was to begin, Nielsen filed a complaint against his attorney. Due to this, his attorney withdrew from the case. He was appointed a new defense attorney, which is funded by grants and taxpayer dollars.

8:07 Nielsen's trial began in January of 2004. Prosecutor Scott Wyatt opened by saying, you can't sugarcoat evil. He told the jury that Tricia was kidnapped while out for an early morning walk, murdered and dismembered. Her remains were then burned and buried. When he started, he started with a beautiful 15-year-old vibrant girl at the beginning of her life, he said. When he ended, he left nothing but ashes and rubble. Nelson sat with his head down during the opening statement. His attorneys opted not to make an opening statement.

8:52 Trisha's mother testified that the murder of Trisha was like a massive earthquake or a large boulder thrown violently into a small pool. The initial impact was devastating, but the repercussions just go on and on. Four women took the stand and told the jury about being sexually assaulted by Nielsen. The medical examiner testified that three of Trisha's teeth were missing and had been knocked out of her mouth by a blow to the head around the time of her death. He said several cuts made by a knife or a sharp instrument were also found on the jawbone and it was smooth, suggesting that the flesh had been scraped from it with an instrument.

9:37 This is the most extensive post-mortem dismemberment that I can think of in my career, he added. Although the exact cause of her death is unknown, it was ruled a homicide. The trial lasted three weeks, and Nielsen didn't testify.

9:59 The jury found Nielsen guilty on all charges. A week later, the sentencing hearing was held. Trish's brother, Aram Autry, told jurors about the impact his sister's death has had on his family. His 5-year-old and 10-year-old daughter are afraid most of the time. They sleep in the same bed and his daughter won walk 100 yards to her best friend house alone They believe it is normal for people to be abducted and murdered Aram Autry said That's the reality they live with.

10:37 Pointing in Nielsen's direction, Aram Autry said, Evil has a face. It's because of that man over there. That's why you're afraid. That's why I'm afraid. When making their decision, Aram Autry asked jurors to do what he can't bring himself to do. Think about the events leading up to and immediately after his sister's death. When I allow myself to wrap my mind around it, it is too much, he said. I ask you to take your mind there to do what you need to do. The same jury that found Nielsen guilty came back with a recommended sentence of life in prison instead of the death penalty.

11:23 The jury foreman later told a reporter that initially all but one juror voted for death, so they prayed about it together and after some contemplation, they took another vote. This time, all 12 came back with the decision of life without parole. Nielsen was sentenced to life without parole, after which the judge said to him, Mr. Nielsen, may God have mercy on your soul. After the sentencing, Joanne stated to reporters that the family is finally at peace after fighting to bring Nielsen to justice for close to four years.

12:06 It's good to know that this man, this predator, will not be able to do this ever again. As parents, we have to be much more vigilant, she added. The message that comes out of this for parents is that you have to stop and listen to your children, because if we don't protect them, who will? As a society, we need to start paying more attention to what's happening.

12:34 Nielsen filed an appeal in 2008, 2008, arguing that his trial should have been held in a different county. The judge said that Nielsen failed to show any evidence of actual bias on the part of any of the jury members and denied the motion. Nielsen is currently serving his sentence in the Utah State Prison.

12:59 Tricia was laid to rest at the Hiram City Cemetery. Her obituary states that she had the voice of angel and was known for her bear hugs and had a profound talent in forgiving others who hurt her. Trish's mother, Joanne, passed away in 2010 at the age of 67.

13:24 Thank you for joining me today. I will see you next time and until then, take care.

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