Shawna Garber/Grace Doe
This story begins in rural Missouri, specifically on Oscar Talley Road, a narrow, winding route between Pineville and Lanagan. On December 2, 1990, Linda Grohler and her husband stumbled upon a the remains of a woman during their walk. The woman had been tied up using six different types of restraints. Despite investigators' efforts, her identity remained a mystery for over two decades.
Enter Detective Lorie Howard, who took on the challenge of solving this cold case. Lorie's determination led to the nickname "Grace Doe" because, as a friend told her, the woman would only be identified through the Grace of God. Through Detective Howard’s work, Grace Doe had an artistic rendering done to help identify her. She also sent Grace Doe’s fingernail to be processed for mitochondrial DNA and secured Grace’s remains so they could later be used to run more genetic tests. In 2020, Othram, Inc., a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy, joined the investigation. Despite several challenges, they manage to use Grace Doe’s DNA to create a family tree, connecting Grace Doe to her half-sister.
On March 29, 2021, Grace Doe is publicly given her name back. She is Shawna Beth Garber and she was 22 at the time of her murder. Originally from Garnett, Kansas, Shawna had been in foster care before being reverted back to state care during her teens. Separate placements from her siblings meant that the siblings had lost track of Shawna when she was a young child.
Despite this identification, investigators are still looking for information about Shawna’s whereabouts before her murder. They are also looking at potential suspects in this murder which has led to some speculation that she could have been the victim of a serial killer.
People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:
Shawna Garber (unsolved murder case)
Connie Zaleski (solved murder case)
Joseph, Julia, Joseph and Josephine Otero (solved murder case)
Kathryn Bright (solved murder case)
Shirley Relford (solved murder case)
Nancy Fox (solved murder case)
Marine Hedge (solved murder case)
Vicki Wegerle (solved murder case)
Dolores Davis (solved murder case)
Cynthia Kinney (unsolved missing persons case)
Kimberly Miller (solved murder case)
Deborah Hoch (solved murder case)
Guest reader
Teryl Rothery
Vancouver native Teryl Rothery has had a keen interest in performing arts since childhood. Her outgoing personality gravitated her towards the entertainment industry, beginning her career as a dancer at age 13 when she performed in her first musical, Bye Bye Birdie. She made her first television appearance five years later on a CBC Halloween special and has been delighting audiences ever since.
After performing voiceover work for the English-language version of the popular anime series “Ranma 1⁄2,” Rothery made her CBS/Fox MOW debut with the Christopher Reeve drama “Mortal Sins” – her first of more than two dozen made-for-TV movies in 10 years. Her most recent MOWs include “Valentine in the Vineyard,” “Christmas Detour,” “Santa’s Boots” and “Holiday Date;” the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Originals “A Bramble House Christmas” and “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Disappearing Game” and Lifetime’s “Santa’s Boots.” Her theatrical features include the family films Flicka 3, Andre, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Masterminds with Patrick Stewart. She was featured in Christopher Guest’s cult comedy Best in Show and held co-starring roles in “Video Voyeur” with Angie Harmon, “The Book of Ruth” with Christine Lah;, “The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve” with Molly Shannon and Whisper with Josh Holloway.
Rothery has made guest appearances on The CW’s longest running hit “Supernatural” and “iZombie,” Netflix’s “The Killing,” A&E’s “Bates Motel,” Bravo’s “Imposters,” Showtime’s “The Outer Limits,” and Fox’s fan favorite series “The X-Files”. Rothery has had recurring roles on Showtime’s “Jeremiah” and Fox’s “Wayward Pines” and large recurring roles on Netflix’s “Travelers,” The CW’s “Arrow” and “Hellcats,” ABC’s “The Good
Doctor,” Freeform’s “Kyle XY” and SYFY’s “Battlestar Galactica” spinoff “Caprica.” Rothery’s television career also extends into animation, where she has been the voice of lead and supporting characters for multiple series such as “Dragonball Z,” “Robocop,” “Reboot,” “Little Prince,” “Barbie,” “Care Bears” and “Martha Speaks.”
Rothery has received four Leo Awards nominations: Best Performance by a Female in a Short Drama for her performance in comedy short “Coffee Diva,” a nomination for her portrayal of Dr. Janet Fraiser in Showtime’s “Stargate SG-1,” one more for her terrific performance in CHUM’s “The Collector” and another for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series for her past recurring role in Global’s “The Guard.” She
was also nominated for a Jessie Award for her role as Claire in Tempus Theatre’s 2007 production of A Delicate Balance.
Rothery is best known and loved for her portrayal of Dr. Janet Fraiser on Showtime’s “Stargate: SG-1” and her starring role opposite Andie MacDowell in the Hallmark Channel Original Series “Cedar Cove.” Rothery can most recently be seen recurring in Amazon’s “Upload”, and Netflix’s “Virgin River”.
Teryl is also a certified intuitive coach and clinical hypnotherapist, whose purpose is to help others understand what their soul is here to learn and what they can do in this lifetime and body to achieve that. She provides a safe and inclusive space to help her clients access the deeper parts of the subconscious to find a common denominator between past lives and this life to heal and to bring light again to an area that’s been forgotten.
Contact Teryl today to begin your healing journey. www.terylrothery.com