Listen to Episode

Read Episode Transcript

It's hard to imagine losing a loved one, a wife, or a husband, a child. For many it's their biggest fear. From Wondery, the Vanished is a podcast that tells stories of often overlooked and unsolved missing person's cases. Each episode hosts Marissa Jones dives deep into a new case, sharing the details of mysterious disappearances from interviews with family, friends, law enforcement, and even suspects in an effort to reveal the truth. The Vanished has even aided in getting long overdue arrests through their in-depth reporting. Marissa also reminds listeners of the humans behind the headlines, and aims to help family members find their vanished loved one, or at least a sense of peace. You're about to hear a clip from the Vanished. While you're listening, follow the Vanished wherever you get your podcasts, and prime members, you can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Do you ever watch TV? Do you ever listen to the news? I mean, you got an old lady with a pocket full of cash, I didn't think it happened. But I feel she's not deciding out because she didn't reach the kids or grandkids. So I don't believe she's deciding out. She's checking accounts and saving accounts, and credit cards, and they haven't been touched. She would have... In the cops, and watching all the accounts, they'd know right away if something was spent and they'd get back to me. And I would know, I get to build something on. She'd charge nothing, yeah. So that's about that. I just think something bad happened, that's all. Because she would have contacted my kids or my grandkids. I thought you just left the contactor, you know, run away and contact her lawyer and I'd hear from the lawyer, yet we are a year later. Shortly before midnight, on March 26, 2021, 70-year-old Sandra Eckert got into a fight with her husband. It wasn't their first. In fact, it may not have been their first that day. Sandra and her husband had remained in a mutually miserable marriage, that was plagued by COVID quarantine, inheritance disputes, and other issues. So when Sandra and her husband's vehicle disappeared around 11.30 pm, it seemed possible that she left an anger and went to go stay somewhere else. Wes explained that by the time he found out that something was wrong. He learned his dad had already gone through an entire day as though nothing was a miss. He got up and then he went to, yeah, he just went to breakfast like nothing was wrong because his car was gone. He just took hers. He didn't say anything until Sunday. So Friday night went missing, Saturday cars missing, nothing. Sunday doesn't say anything until about 1 o'clock and that's when my middle sister Kelsey, she stepped in because my mother was supposed to come over to Vivit Jack and they were all going to go out to a lunch, I believe. Or maybe she was just babysitting so Kelsey could go somewhere. I don't remember the full story, but when she didn't show up for that, that's when Kelsey had sprung into action and kind of like, well, what the heck's going on? This is completely out of character. Why didn't she call or text or anything like, if she was canceling plans, she would let us know. If she was trying to get out of the house to go get a divorce at 11 o'clock or 3 a.m., whatever time it is now, she would let us know. She would have called us. When he first started telling his story, he was going to come walking up the driveway with the lawyer and some blue papers. That's what his year year story was. And after a week of no contact, no bank activity, no cell phone activity, doing the check your iPhone to see if she turned her phone on. None of that. I'm like, okay, I'm back to believing what I originally thought happened to happen. He's no longer with us. He's never been found. I think the last APS pain was at the house. So I don't know if it died there or he turned it off there. The car and there's one jacket. No belongings of hers have been taken other than that. Instantly, me and Kelsey thought he had something to do with it. I wouldn't say we saw this coming. We just knew they had a bad relationship and instantly the fingers pointed here. This is because there was so many uncharacteristic behavior that my dad was describing in his story. Look for my mother. I didn't get down there till Monday after everything. So we found out things Sunday and then I went to work for a little bit Monday morning, told everyone I'm probably going to be gone for a little bit. And then drove on down to Milwaukee to see what was going on. And I got to say I tried to believe my father's story. Like, okay, yes, she just mad at you blowing off some steam. She'll be back with the lawyer. Great. One week later. Okay, what's going on here, dad? And then I went back to my original thought was that he finally was set up with it or was doing it over the money or whatever and he either lost his cool. I guess that I don't know if this was premeditated or an accident, but only he knows that. Sandra left that night in her husband's car or at least her husband's car is missing. Sandra is missing and her cell phone is nowhere to be found. The rest of her belongings were at home, including her glasses, which she would have needed to drive at night. Her wallet, purse, medication, and all of her other personal items. But there's something curious about the fact that it's not Sandra's car that's missing. That was a clip from The Vanished. To listen to more, follow The Vanished wherever you get your podcasts. And prime members, you can listen and free on Amazon Music. Follow the Amazon Music app today.