Oct. 2, 2024

Secrets in the Snow: John O’Keefe Vanishes Part 1

How does a Boston police officer vanish after a night out, only to be found under mysterious circumstances? Join us in this gripping episode of "69 South Podcast" as we unravel the enigmatic disappearance of John O'Keefe. We begin with a frantic 911 phone call from Kerry Robert’s, John's friend, who was contacted by John’s girlfriend Ms. Karen Read who launches an immediate search that leads us through the tight-knit community of Canton, Massachusetts. Discover John's dedication to his family and his move to Canton after the untimely loss of his sister, painting a vivid picture of his life before that fateful winter night.

What happened during that night out, and how did a simple social gathering turn into a complex web of tension and miscommunication? We examine the evening John and his girlfriend Karen Reed spent with acquaintances at the Waterfall Bar and Grill, followed by an unexpected after-party at the Albert home. The social pressure, Karen's reluctance, and the couple's dynamics set the stage for a series of events that culminate in Karen's frantic search for John. Listen as we delve into the emotional turmoil and unravel the sequence of harrowing moments leading up to the discovery of John's body in the snow.

Is there more to John O'Keefe's death than meets the eye? In the final chapter of this episode, we explore the mysterious injuries found on John's body, challenging the initial assumption of hypothermia. The discovery of specific wounds raises more questions than answers, leaving us with a compelling mystery that demands further investigation. Stay with us as we piece together the puzzling circumstances of Officer O'Keefe's untimely death, with each revelation drawing us deeper into a story of tragedy, mystery, and a relentless quest for justice.

Do you want to advertise with 69 SOUTH?

Support the show

Disclaimer: All defendants are INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY in a court of law. All facts are alleged until a conviction!

00:23 - Podcast 69 South

08:11 - Friendship and Family in Canton

19:35 - Late Night Disappearance and Miscommunication

31:17 - Desperate Search for Unresponsive Man

37:51 - Mystery Surrounding Officer O'Keefe

WEBVTT

00:00:23.673 --> 00:00:33.259
Welcome everyone to podcast 69 south, where we test and discuss true crime, cold cases, current events and hot topics, along with our state of society today.

00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:35.064
This is your trigger warning.

00:00:35.064 --> 00:00:39.853
Our podcast content is produced for adult listeners, 18 years of age and older.

00:00:39.853 --> 00:00:44.110
We discuss situations that may be offensive and triggering to some listeners.

00:00:44.110 --> 00:00:47.689
Sit back, relax and enjoy.

00:00:58.881 --> 00:00:59.786
Please start recording.

00:00:59.786 --> 00:01:03.344
Hi, my name is Carrie.

00:01:03.344 --> 00:01:06.632
I'm calling because my friend's boyfriend did not come home last night.

00:01:06.632 --> 00:01:14.832
We were at Waterfall and now she is calling me, hysterical because she doesn't know where he is.

00:01:14.832 --> 00:01:18.490
You didn't pick anybody up by the name of John O'Keefe, did you?

00:01:18.490 --> 00:01:31.183
John O'Keefe, yeah, he's a Boston cop and he would be on foot, but no, I think he probably got a ride and passed out at someone's house, I don't know.

00:01:31.183 --> 00:01:34.368
But yeah, but no, we didn't lock anybody up or anything like that.

00:01:34.368 --> 00:01:36.984
And where does he live?

00:01:36.984 --> 00:01:41.194
He lives on Meadow off of Pleasant.

00:01:41.194 --> 00:01:43.849
He lives on Meadow off of Pleasant.

00:01:43.849 --> 00:01:44.980
Okay, okay.

00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:47.165
And where is the white woman?

00:01:47.165 --> 00:01:48.326
You said your girlfriend.

00:01:48.326 --> 00:01:50.430
It's his girlfriend.

00:01:50.450 --> 00:01:57.606
Yeah, they were out having drinks and then she left and expected him to come home at some point and he never did.

00:01:57.606 --> 00:02:15.274
Yep, and so I said to her you know, I had been out with him earlier in the night, but then he obviously came home and he had custody with niece and nephew because their parents passed away, and so she's home with the niece and nephew and they're old enough to be home, and so she's nervous because he never even called the niece.

00:02:15.274 --> 00:02:21.998
So she's like I feel like something happened and I said, okay, well, so he called the area hospital, but nobody happened.

00:02:21.998 --> 00:02:26.931
I personally think he, probably someone, probably picked him up in a cab.

00:02:26.931 --> 00:02:27.592
So I don't know.

00:02:27.592 --> 00:02:30.485
Yeah, we answered, did he?

00:02:30.485 --> 00:02:31.787
He didn't drive last night.

00:02:31.787 --> 00:02:41.088
No, no, okay, I mean yeah, I mean again, it's more, it would be driven by.

00:02:41.088 --> 00:02:45.717
He would have to, you know, call in couple of stations, um, and talk to us.

00:02:45.717 --> 00:02:51.594
But I mean, as of right now, it's more, you know, he just didn't come home last night.

00:02:51.594 --> 00:02:53.000
Is this, is this common sometimes?

00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.909
No, no, no, no, that's why.

00:02:56.909 --> 00:02:57.972
That's because she didn't.

00:02:57.972 --> 00:03:02.667
He didn't call his niece, um, that's kind of why she's more freaking out.

00:03:02.687 --> 00:03:05.893
So I called the area hospitals.

00:03:05.893 --> 00:03:09.799
I said I would call Canton police just to make sure he didn't get picked up.

00:03:09.799 --> 00:03:11.609
But, like I said, he's about some police officers.

00:03:11.609 --> 00:03:12.856
I know there's a bunch of people.

00:03:12.856 --> 00:03:14.427
Anybody could have picked him up.

00:03:14.427 --> 00:03:15.855
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's freaking it out.

00:03:15.855 --> 00:03:20.524
Okay, apparently they were having a blimp party of some sort.

00:03:20.524 --> 00:03:26.671
Yeah, no, I don't know, unfortunately I wasn't there, I was stuck here, but we didn't get any calls, anything like that.

00:03:26.671 --> 00:03:28.493
Nobody was arrested or anything like that.

00:03:28.493 --> 00:03:33.305
You know, okay, alrighty, all right.

00:03:33.305 --> 00:03:34.668
Well, thank you, all right, no problem.

00:03:34.668 --> 00:03:36.893
Good luck, okay, see you, thank you.

00:03:37.801 --> 00:03:38.021
Bye-bye.

00:03:38.021 --> 00:03:40.850
Welcome to 69 South Podcast.

00:03:40.850 --> 00:03:44.632
I'm your host, chop, and with me as my co-host back.

00:03:44.632 --> 00:03:46.981
Finally is Julie, how you been doing Beautiful.

00:03:47.543 --> 00:03:48.283
I'm good.

00:03:48.283 --> 00:03:48.825
How are you?

00:03:49.586 --> 00:03:53.423
I'm doing wonderful now that you're back, so tell us what you've been working on.

00:03:53.423 --> 00:03:57.901
I've been telling everybody how we've been working on this big, extreme, crazy case.

00:03:57.901 --> 00:03:59.383
Let's get right into it.

00:04:00.544 --> 00:04:09.415
So I've decided to dig into the murder of Boston police officer, john O'Keefe.

00:04:09.415 --> 00:04:24.634
Now, for today, our true crime story is going to take us to the East Coast, to Canton, massachusetts, a suburb of Boston located approximately 15 miles south of the city of Champions.

00:04:24.634 --> 00:04:31.709
Located approximately 15 miles south of the city of champions, this has been one of the voted, one of the best places to live in massachusetts.

00:04:31.709 --> 00:04:36.047
Reviews say that this is an awesome suburb with a tight-knit community.

00:04:36.047 --> 00:04:42.964
High school sports are a huge community community draw and they have an excellent school system.

00:04:44.747 --> 00:04:46.271
What is the city of champions?

00:04:46.932 --> 00:04:47.692
It's Boston.

00:04:47.793 --> 00:04:48.334
Boston.

00:04:48.334 --> 00:04:52.269
Yeah Well, I like a lot of sports teams and I disagree with that.

00:04:52.269 --> 00:04:54.026
But anyway, let's get on with it.

00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:57.646
Now for being a suburb.

00:04:57.646 --> 00:05:04.466
It's more rural than most suburbs, with a population of about 25,000,.

00:05:04.466 --> 00:05:08.553
Most homes in the area are million-dollar homes.

00:05:08.553 --> 00:05:20.023
People from all walks of life, from corporate executives, teachers, police officers, firefighters, lawyers, to the stay-at-home PTA.

00:05:20.023 --> 00:05:22.725
Soccer moms live in this area.

00:05:22.725 --> 00:05:31.533
Soccer moms live in this area, so it seems like a tight-knit community, a nice place to grow up low crime.

00:05:31.874 --> 00:05:48.252
When you say most homes are million-dollar homes, I mean, is this a whole community of rich people or is it just the property value of the area that makes it that much?

00:05:48.252 --> 00:05:53.288
I mean, if you was to pick up one of these homes and set it in rural Indiana where we live, would it be a million-dollar home or would it be?

00:05:53.288 --> 00:05:54.391
I mean like—.

00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:59.399
I think it would probably be like a $500,000 or $600,000 home.

00:05:59.779 --> 00:06:00.583
So it's the area.

00:06:00.583 --> 00:06:02.930
It's kind of a high-polluting area yeah.

00:06:02.930 --> 00:06:06.201
I guess you hear about the northeast being a different kind of way.

00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:23.730
I guess that's kind of what they mean yeah, so in 2013, 36 year old boston police officer john o'keefe moved to canton, massachusetts, from where he grew up in Baintree, massachusetts.

00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:39.987
Following his older sister, kristen's death, she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and from the day she was diagnosed to the time she passed away was only five short months.

00:06:39.987 --> 00:06:43.326
Could you imagine?

00:06:43.781 --> 00:06:44.584
No, I couldn't.

00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:50.939
Me either.

00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:51.401
Could you imagine?

00:06:51.401 --> 00:06:51.882
No, I couldn't me either.

00:06:51.882 --> 00:06:52.101
That would.

00:06:52.101 --> 00:06:52.682
That would be so traumatic.

00:06:52.682 --> 00:06:59.581
So when his sister passed away, he wanted to move in and help his brother-in-law raise his niece and nephew.

00:06:59.581 --> 00:07:01.564
So he did that.

00:07:01.564 --> 00:07:16.295
His niece was six years old and his nephew was three years old, and he was extremely close with his family, so he knew the only option for him was to be there for the kids.

00:07:16.295 --> 00:07:30.576
But yet more tragedy comes when Kristen's husband dies two months after Kristen passes away and he basically becomes an overnight dad to his niece and nephew.

00:07:31.201 --> 00:07:32.125
So let me get it straight.

00:07:32.125 --> 00:07:53.048
John O'Keefe's brother-in-law, which has been his sister's husband, passes away of a heart attack and leaves these two kids orphaned to John.

00:07:53.790 --> 00:08:05.850
Yeah, from all the reports that I've read, I believe John shared guardianship with his mother, but the kids lived with him full time.

00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:11.351
I mean, you got to be a pretty good dude man to step in a family role like that.

00:08:11.351 --> 00:08:14.048
So how exactly did he end up in Canton?

00:08:16.425 --> 00:08:29.154
Well, his sister lived in Canton and her house was in Canton, so whenever he moved in with his brother-in-law before he passed away, that's where they lived.

00:08:29.154 --> 00:08:46.297
Now he had met his sister's friends through taking guardianship of his niece and nephew.

00:08:46.297 --> 00:08:50.951
She had friends who had kids that were around the same age.

00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:54.591
His sister and his sister's family were basically established in Canton.

00:08:55.799 --> 00:09:02.514
Yes, and they had friends and a good support system and family and all of that.

00:09:02.514 --> 00:09:10.041
So he kind of moved right into the community and everybody knew what was going on.

00:09:10.041 --> 00:09:12.365
They knew these children were orphaned.

00:09:12.365 --> 00:09:16.520
He stepped in to be the guardian and to take care of them.

00:09:16.520 --> 00:09:21.327
So that's what was going on in his life.

00:09:21.327 --> 00:09:25.914
In 2020, he reconnected with Karen Reed.

00:09:25.914 --> 00:09:31.884
They had met years before, in 2004 at his sister's 30th birthday party.

00:09:31.884 --> 00:09:42.686
She was 24 years old then and they dated a few times and moved on with their lives, so it wasn't anything too serious.

00:09:42.686 --> 00:09:48.835
Now, back to 2020, they reconnect on Facebook during the COVID pandemic.

00:09:48.835 --> 00:09:57.914
By this time, john had been working as a Boston police officer for 14 years and was on the sex crimes task force.

00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.129
And so, by all accounts, this dude was a good ass dude.

00:10:01.129 --> 00:10:06.211
John O'Keefe, I mean, he moved into the role, he moved his life.

00:10:06.211 --> 00:10:18.745
He was a Boston police officer, he was working sex crimes and then he completely uprooted his situation to Canton and started being the father.

00:10:18.745 --> 00:10:28.611
I mean, you know, kind of father, father figure to his niece and nephew, and then I mean I'm impressed with the dude so far.

00:10:29.321 --> 00:10:40.669
And I've seen in an interview that Karen Reed had said that John was the patron saint of Canton and that he was such a good guy.

00:10:40.669 --> 00:10:43.168
He would do anything for anybody.

00:10:43.168 --> 00:10:44.566
He would offer to help.

00:10:44.566 --> 00:10:46.562
He was always there.

00:10:46.562 --> 00:10:53.335
If he was your friend and you needed him, you could call him and no questions asked he was going to be there.

00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:56.866
It sounded like the dude didn't have a selfish bone in his body.

00:10:56.866 --> 00:11:01.793
From what I've heard so far, no, not at all.

00:11:02.192 --> 00:11:10.894
And so, yeah, he was on the Sex Crimes Task Force and Karen wasn't doing too bad for herself either.

00:11:10.894 --> 00:11:22.597
She was a financial analyst for Fidelity Investments and she was also an adjunct professor at Bentley College.

00:11:22.597 --> 00:11:28.019
Now they seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.

00:11:28.019 --> 00:11:36.030
By January of 2022, karen is staying over at John's house on One Meadow Drive four to five nights a week.

00:11:36.030 --> 00:11:41.407
She would go back to her home in Mansfield, massachusetts, on Mondays and Thursdays.

00:11:41.407 --> 00:11:52.130
On Thursdays, she would teach a remote college course and go to her home to do that and reset, rewind and take a break from the life of helping John raise these children.

00:11:52.130 --> 00:11:56.711
Can you imagine what an adjustment that would be?

00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:00.365
No, not at all.

00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:22.775
I mean, john had been in the role for several years, for like 11 years, but Karen, she was in her 40s, she didn't have kids, she was an independent woman, and then she kind of throws her own self into being a mom to a teenage daughter and an adolescent son.

00:12:23.260 --> 00:12:25.808
I wonder if at first it was all like exciting to her.

00:12:25.808 --> 00:12:30.166
You know what I mean Like ooh, I've never had a daughter, I've always wanted a daughter.

00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:44.773
But I don't think she ever pictured herself having children and I think that that becomes tension in their relationship at some point in time.

00:12:44.773 --> 00:12:49.929
So but she was a big help to John.

00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:56.933
He had to go to work in Boston at the headquarters or wherever the sex crimes office was.

00:12:57.201 --> 00:12:59.649
How far was Boston from Canton, where they lived at?

00:13:02.221 --> 00:13:12.668
I'm not 100% sure exactly how far away his job was, but I know if you map it it's about 15 miles, but it says it takes an hour to get there.

00:13:12.668 --> 00:13:19.453
So I'm assuming that's for the downtown traffic and all that kind of stuff.

00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:30.436
And I'll tell you, for any man that's ever raised a daughter, I mean, it's a hard enough job being a man and trying to raise a girl to a young woman, to a woman.

00:13:30.436 --> 00:13:34.410
That's rough without another woman figure in the picture.

00:13:34.410 --> 00:13:44.001
So I'm sure he was, you know, welcoming the help from Karen Reed and by all accounts, Karen Reed was probably, you know, good for helping him out with that.

00:13:44.022 --> 00:13:47.865
And by all accounts, Karen Reed was probably, you know, good for helping him out with that.

00:13:47.865 --> 00:13:54.889
Yeah, because he wasn't getting the amount of support that he had hoped for from the family.

00:13:54.889 --> 00:14:00.192
So they were kind of stuck together doing it on their own.

00:14:01.673 --> 00:14:05.434
So at this point in our story man, they're basically shacked up together.

00:14:05.434 --> 00:14:10.658
She's living with him, quote unquote, staying with him three, four or five days a week.

00:14:10.658 --> 00:14:20.567
She has a class, she teaches and then she goes home to Mansfield one or two nights a week.

00:14:20.587 --> 00:14:32.760
But basically, they're basically a family, yeah, a family, yeah.

00:14:32.760 --> 00:14:36.051
Now, on Friday, january 28th 2022, karen was taking John's niece to school.

00:14:36.051 --> 00:14:40.224
That morning, they made a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts my absolute favorite place ever, because I love their coffee.

00:14:40.644 --> 00:14:41.769
Of course they stopped there.

00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:46.750
And also Dunkin' Donuts is headquartered in Canton, massachusetts.

00:14:46.830 --> 00:14:48.673
I didn't know that, yeah.

00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:56.394
So before going to school they stop at the Dunkin' Donuts and then Karen drops her off.

00:14:56.394 --> 00:15:00.606
Now Karen did her daily routine.

00:15:00.606 --> 00:15:01.910
It's Friday.

00:15:01.910 --> 00:15:04.168
She wants to make plans for the weekend.

00:15:04.168 --> 00:15:08.804
She's getting ready for this huge snowstorm called a nor'easter.

00:15:09.988 --> 00:15:18.753
Now, if you guys don't know what a nor'easter is, folks, I pay attention to the weather a lot because I'm a contractor and we need to know what's going on.

00:15:18.753 --> 00:15:36.293
But it's a storm that kind of swoops up the east side of the country and the winds from the ocean basically blow it northeast and it picks up moisture and sometimes, when it get up, gets up to new jersey and new york it drops a shit ton of snow on them.

00:15:36.293 --> 00:15:44.768
That's what a nor'easter is, so they were calling for one this evening yeah, the news reports said it was going to be a blockbuster event.

00:15:44.827 --> 00:15:48.052
So you know what do we do here.

00:15:48.052 --> 00:15:51.965
When they call for a blizzard, we go to town, we get all the supplies we need.

00:15:52.407 --> 00:15:52.989
Hunker down.

00:15:52.989 --> 00:16:01.687
And hunker down, but this evening I don't know about you, I'm not trying to interrupt you, but I kind of like it when there's a big storm coming.

00:16:01.687 --> 00:16:11.129
It kind of feels like, oh, let's go to the store and get our movies ready and get our podcast ready and get all hunkered down with our stuff.

00:16:11.129 --> 00:16:11.451
I don't know.

00:16:11.471 --> 00:16:12.373
And be snowed in.

00:16:12.373 --> 00:16:13.315
Yeah, I like that.

00:16:13.315 --> 00:16:14.020
That's my favorite.

00:16:14.020 --> 00:16:16.047
I'd never leave my house if I didn't have to.

00:16:16.207 --> 00:16:23.702
That's how much I love it Ditto, except for to go to the capital of Dunkin' Donuts if they invited you Right Now.

00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:32.980
So that evening Karen leaves her home in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:41.558
She meets John and a few of his friends at a local bar, CW McCarthy's, in downtown Canton around 9 pm.

00:16:42.525 --> 00:16:44.292
Seems like a regular evening so far.

00:16:45.094 --> 00:16:55.985
Yeah, yeah.

00:16:55.985 --> 00:16:58.658
Well, when she arrives and greets John, they kiss and hug, exchange hellos and she takes a seat beside him at the bar.

00:16:58.658 --> 00:16:59.725
Everything looked cordial from security footage.

00:17:00.105 --> 00:17:03.174
This is security footage from CW McCarthy's.

00:17:04.086 --> 00:17:08.720
Yeah, they sit and they talk socialize with one another and they talk, socialize with one another.

00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:18.432
He chats it up with his friends until about 1030-ish, when Karen and John decide to go to another bar down the street called the Waterfall.

00:17:18.432 --> 00:17:20.472
It's about a two-minute walk.

00:17:20.472 --> 00:17:25.464
I think it might be Caddy Corner, across from CW McCarthy's or something like that.

00:17:25.464 --> 00:17:32.515
It's in walking distance, but I mean it's right downtown.

00:17:32.674 --> 00:17:34.037
Right, I can picture it.

00:17:34.037 --> 00:17:35.097
It's kind of like Bloomington.

00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:36.760
Yeah.

00:17:37.005 --> 00:17:39.472
Bar's catty corner, just a couple blocks down the street.

00:17:39.472 --> 00:17:40.174
I see that.

00:17:41.185 --> 00:17:46.825
They arrive around 11 pm and go to a table where John's friends are sitting.

00:17:46.825 --> 00:17:51.184
Where John's friends are sitting.

00:17:51.184 --> 00:17:55.916
Now we have the McCabe family and we have the Albert family that John joined.

00:17:55.916 --> 00:18:04.916
John was closer friends with Matt and Jen McCabe, and then there was the Alberts, brian and Nicole.

00:18:04.916 --> 00:18:08.934
Nicole is Jen McCabe's sister.

00:18:08.934 --> 00:18:15.837
Chris and Julie Albert were also there and that's Brian's brother.

00:18:15.837 --> 00:18:25.736
He is also a local business owner and a member of the Canton Select Board and that's basically like the town council of Canton.

00:18:26.265 --> 00:18:27.125
And Brian Albert.

00:18:27.125 --> 00:18:29.967
He was also a fellow Boston police officer, correct?

00:18:30.186 --> 00:18:36.869
Yes, brian Albert was a Boston police officer on the Fugitive Task Force.

00:18:37.770 --> 00:18:41.271
So I wonder if they knew each other well before this meeting.

00:18:41.271 --> 00:18:45.354
No, I mean there's 3,000 Boston police officers, I believe yeah.

00:18:46.154 --> 00:18:50.416
I don't think that they had crossed paths or knew each other very well.

00:18:50.416 --> 00:18:56.900
I believe they were kind of like acquaintances but not close friends.

00:18:57.160 --> 00:18:59.560
You would think, though they lived in a small town, in Canton.

00:18:59.560 --> 00:19:10.607
I mean, it's not a really big town, it's not a super small town, but it's not a giant town, even if they didn't know each other as good friends or buddies.

00:19:10.607 --> 00:19:15.356
If they both knew they were you know, both Boston police officers, they'd have been like hey brother, what's up?

00:19:15.356 --> 00:19:16.298
Kind of like you know.

00:19:16.684 --> 00:19:22.999
I think they had ran into each other and been introduced to each other at a local bar.

00:19:23.365 --> 00:19:35.030
Well, they've about had to with him, knowing Brian's brother, chris, and his wife with him, knowing Brian's brother, chris, and his wife.

00:19:35.050 --> 00:19:42.858
Yes, and the vibe that the Alberts give is that they were more like acquaintances, not close friends.

00:19:42.858 --> 00:19:45.361
Seen him here and there, met him once or twice.

00:19:45.361 --> 00:19:55.189
That was the vibe that you get from the reports that I read of the Alberts.

00:19:55.189 --> 00:19:59.757
Like John had never been over to his house or anything like that until you know this evening.

00:19:59.757 --> 00:20:12.060
But Karen had met Brian Albert once before, and that was the previous weekend at a local bar called the Hillside.

00:20:12.060 --> 00:20:20.057
But it was just like acquaintances, nothing best friends or anything like that.

00:20:20.057 --> 00:20:32.709
Karen said that John O'Keefe wanted to make a good impression on this family and he wanted to be friends with them why we're all.

00:20:32.769 --> 00:20:35.395
We've all the stuff that we have researched.

00:20:35.395 --> 00:20:39.567
I mean, brian albert was like, everybody looked up to him.

00:20:39.567 --> 00:20:40.669
He was a badass.

00:20:40.669 --> 00:20:42.252
I mean he was a boxer.

00:20:42.252 --> 00:20:45.098
I mean his brother owned the pizza shop.

00:20:45.098 --> 00:20:47.229
His family was big shit around there.

00:20:47.229 --> 00:20:51.838
So, um of of course, john O'Keefe wanted to make a good impression on him.

00:20:51.838 --> 00:20:53.009
I mean, this is a big family.

00:20:53.009 --> 00:20:57.332
The Alberts are a big family in Canton, all of them born and raised there.

00:20:57.332 --> 00:20:59.171
They all went to school together.

00:20:59.171 --> 00:21:01.251
They all was in sports.

00:21:01.251 --> 00:21:02.871
Their kids were in sports.

00:21:02.871 --> 00:21:05.472
John O'Keefe's kids were in sports.

00:21:05.472 --> 00:21:07.772
I mean, yeah, I mean everybody looks up to this dude.

00:21:07.772 --> 00:21:10.202
So, yeah, he's going to want to make a good impression on this dude.

00:21:10.403 --> 00:21:13.509
And it would have been a perfect community connection.

00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:14.393
Absolutely.

00:21:14.393 --> 00:21:15.969
I can see that.

00:21:16.692 --> 00:21:30.613
So they arrived to the Waterfall Bar and Grill about 11 or 1045 to 11 and they met the Alberts and the McCaves there.

00:21:30.613 --> 00:21:39.336
There was also another Brian there, which his name is Brian Higgins, and he was best friends with Brian Albert.

00:21:39.336 --> 00:21:46.036
Now I know all of this sounds confusing, but you'll understand why we're introducing these people like this.

00:21:47.145 --> 00:21:47.595
This is a deep story.

00:21:47.595 --> 00:21:48.064
These people like this.

00:21:48.785 --> 00:21:52.884
This is a deep story.

00:21:52.884 --> 00:22:06.471
So Nicole and Brian Albert were ready to wrap it up and go home and leave the waterfall, because their son, brian Jr, was having a birthday party at their home and he had some guests over.

00:22:06.471 --> 00:22:11.931
He had his 17-year-old cousin, colin, and two girls named Julie and Sarah.

00:22:15.018 --> 00:22:15.578
Go figure.

00:22:17.488 --> 00:22:39.911
I've known a couple girls named Julie and Sarah, always together, always trouble, not saying these two are, but just saying so Nicole Albert had told her sister Jen hey, if you guys want to stop by and wish Brian Jr a happy birthday, come on by.

00:22:39.911 --> 00:22:51.069
And then it became like an open invitation for the group that they were in that, hey, we're having kind of like an after party get together because the bar was closing down.

00:22:51.069 --> 00:22:56.996
They were in that, hey, we're having kind of like an after party get together because the bar was closing down, they were getting ready for the Northeaster and the party wasn't over, I guess.

00:22:57.135 --> 00:22:58.057
So they all got a buzz.

00:22:58.057 --> 00:22:59.230
They're chilling at the bar.

00:22:59.230 --> 00:23:02.270
Some of them's friends, some of them want to be friends.

00:23:02.270 --> 00:23:04.791
Some of them may have been friends that we didn't know.

00:23:04.791 --> 00:23:08.627
They were friends at this point and they're like, hey, we're going to go to the crib and chill, let.

00:23:08.627 --> 00:23:12.593
They were friends at this point and they're like, hey, we're going to go to the crib and chill, let's go over there and hang out and party afterwards for a little bit.

00:23:12.593 --> 00:23:14.315
I've been there, I get that.

00:23:15.155 --> 00:23:30.565
So as Jen McCabe is exiting the waterfall she hollers to Karen Reed, you're coming with me, suggesting that she wanted Karen Reed to ride to the Alberts' home with herself and her husband, matt McCabe.

00:23:30.565 --> 00:23:40.257
But Karen Reed had drove her Lexus SUV that evening so that she could give John O'Keefe a ride back to the home, because he originally rode to CW McCarthy's with another friend.

00:23:40.257 --> 00:23:53.230
Now Jen McCabe shoots a text message to John O'Keefe you coming, john texts back where to.

00:23:53.230 --> 00:23:58.478
So in response Jen calls John to give him directions.

00:23:58.478 --> 00:24:05.137
Jen is still in her car on the way to the Alberts and tells John O'Keefe you go past Bella Street.

00:24:05.137 --> 00:24:08.291
It's at the bottom of the hill.

00:24:09.404 --> 00:24:13.155
They end the call and John and Karen pull up to the home.

00:24:13.155 --> 00:24:17.675
When they pull up to the home, jim McCabe is already there.

00:24:17.675 --> 00:24:34.161
So she gets up from the kitchen table to greet John and Karen at the front door because Jim McCabe had invited Karen and John and she knew them better.

00:24:34.161 --> 00:24:38.036
So she invited them to her sister's house.

00:24:38.036 --> 00:24:40.173
Of course she would be the one to go answer the door.

00:24:40.173 --> 00:24:42.211
Yeah, she's standing up there Like a co-host.

00:24:42.346 --> 00:24:43.297
Right, I get that.

00:24:43.297 --> 00:24:44.025
She's standing up there.

00:24:44.025 --> 00:24:46.332
Hey, these are my friends that I know better than you.

00:24:46.332 --> 00:24:51.515
I invited them here, so when they come in, I'm going to be like, hey, this is this so-and-so, this is so-and-so.

00:24:51.515 --> 00:24:52.718
I've been there, I get that.

00:24:53.605 --> 00:24:56.074
But they are sitting in Karen's vehicle.

00:24:56.074 --> 00:24:59.035
So Jim McCabe goes back to the kitchen table to wait.

00:24:59.035 --> 00:25:11.689
She states that she gets up a few minutes later to see if they are coming in and the vehicle had moved up in feet from where it was originally parked.

00:25:11.689 --> 00:25:13.292
So Jen texts John, pull behind me.

00:25:13.292 --> 00:25:15.917
And she didn't get any type of response.

00:25:15.917 --> 00:25:23.338
She goes back to look and Karen's Reed black Lexus SUV is gone.

00:25:23.338 --> 00:25:33.079
Meanwhile it's 1236 am and Karen Reed is pulling back up to John O'Keefe's house on Wedmeadow Avenue.

00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:37.055
She calls John and he doesn't answer.

00:25:37.055 --> 00:25:41.195
She leaves a voicemail that says John, I fucking hate you.

00:25:41.195 --> 00:25:46.656
She's clearly upset because John wanted to go to the Alberts.

00:25:46.656 --> 00:25:59.777
It was late, there was a blizzard or nor'easter coming, john's niece was at home alone and Karen Reed was just ready to be in for the night.

00:26:00.144 --> 00:26:06.351
Sounds like she was done partying and maybe he wanted to go there and hang out with his cop buddies that he wanted to make an impression on.

00:26:07.674 --> 00:26:07.976
Yeah.

00:26:07.976 --> 00:26:22.757
So John was supposed to go in and make sure he was welcome and text her to let her know everything was cool, but John never replied or text back.

00:26:22.757 --> 00:26:40.222
So after waiting a few moments, she decided to head to John's house on Meadows Avenue, which was approximately five to ten minutes away, and we know this because her phone connects to the Wi-Fi at John's house at 1236.

00:26:40.765 --> 00:26:44.675
So that timeline is definitely attributed to.

00:26:45.105 --> 00:26:48.585
Yeah, she's definitely pulling back up to his house at 1236.

00:26:48.585 --> 00:26:51.654
And she's thinking he's over there partying.

00:26:51.654 --> 00:26:57.518
So she's pissed and leaving him nasty voicemails.

00:26:57.518 --> 00:26:59.291
For one he's not answering the phone.

00:26:59.291 --> 00:27:04.156
She just dropped him off and she's trying to call him, call him, call him and she's not getting anywhere.

00:27:04.156 --> 00:27:05.451
So of course she's mad.

00:27:05.451 --> 00:27:18.835
She's mad Now on these voicemails that Karen is leaving John.

00:27:18.835 --> 00:27:25.259
You can clearly hear her walking into the house, her high heels on the floor and her shutting the door.

00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:26.340
Probably stomping.

00:27:26.340 --> 00:27:27.362
Click, click, click.

00:27:27.362 --> 00:27:33.105
You know the sound Like.

00:27:33.105 --> 00:27:33.886
I hate this motherfucker I can?

00:27:33.926 --> 00:27:35.069
I can't click, click, click to me again.

00:27:35.089 --> 00:27:37.737
You females do that on purpose, like make your shoes louder.

00:27:37.836 --> 00:27:41.694
I'm just curious oh, with attitude absolutely you're gonna hear us.

00:27:42.076 --> 00:27:44.342
I fucking knew it now.

00:27:44.482 --> 00:27:48.275
Once she gets inside the house and gets settled, she's mad, mad.

00:27:48.275 --> 00:27:53.888
So she's going to text anything that she can to elicit a response.

00:27:54.210 --> 00:27:56.130
Anything to get his ass home and feel bad.

00:27:56.490 --> 00:28:03.013
So at 12.55, she texted John, I'm going home, followed by see you later.

00:28:03.013 --> 00:28:10.291
And about 7 to 10 minutes passes and she is so pissed she texts your kids are fucking alone.

00:28:10.291 --> 00:28:15.230
And then two minutes after that, I'm back in Mansfield, the kids are home alone.

00:28:15.884 --> 00:28:25.154
So she's hoping I'm texting him this shit, he's going to rush home because the kids are home alone and my girl's gone, so I better rush the fuck home.

00:28:25.154 --> 00:28:26.770
That's what she's hoping, anyway.

00:28:27.525 --> 00:28:30.905
Yeah, that's exactly what she's hoping, but you know she's talking anyway.

00:28:30.905 --> 00:28:38.010
Yeah, that's exactly what she's hoping, but you know she's talking shit, because her house is 25 minutes away from John and she texted him 10 minutes ago.

00:28:38.070 --> 00:28:43.713
She was going home, so she couldn't make it home in 10 minutes 10 minutes from the high heels clicking to, I'm home.

00:28:44.905 --> 00:28:47.449
And most women would be pissed.

00:28:47.449 --> 00:28:51.272
I wouldn't have left you there, I mean no, we're going together.

00:28:51.272 --> 00:28:53.175
Let's have some fun and most women would be pissed.

00:28:53.175 --> 00:28:56.199
I wouldn't have left you there, I mean you're going to go to an after party?

00:28:56.199 --> 00:28:58.701
We're going together let's have some fun.

00:28:58.701 --> 00:29:06.125
We're going or you ain't going, yeah, and so where in the fuck did John go?

00:29:06.125 --> 00:29:10.088
It's like he just disappeared into thin air.

00:29:10.088 --> 00:29:11.730
Why would John disappear?

00:29:11.730 --> 00:29:13.673
What happened between him and Karen?

00:29:13.673 --> 00:29:15.277
Did she really drop him off?

00:29:15.277 --> 00:29:17.038
Is he mad just avoiding her?

00:29:19.825 --> 00:29:20.968
How fucked up were they, you wonder?

00:29:20.968 --> 00:29:21.148
You know?

00:29:21.148 --> 00:29:22.692
Well, we're about to find out.

00:29:22.692 --> 00:29:29.213
So she finally stops texting and calling around 1.20 am.

00:29:29.213 --> 00:29:32.453
She is asleep for about three hours.

00:29:32.453 --> 00:29:38.676
Then Karen wakes up at 4.30 am and John is still not home.

00:29:38.676 --> 00:29:42.724
As most women would, she becomes frantic immediately.

00:29:42.724 --> 00:29:46.055
She starts calling him back to back over and over.

00:29:46.055 --> 00:30:11.541
She even goes as far as waking up his niece Kaylee and asking her to call Jim McCabe, since they were with her the night before and that was the last person that she believed John and she dropped him off on 34 Fairview Road.

00:30:11.541 --> 00:30:22.056
So Jen has been informed that John is missing and that Karen is going to head to the waterfall to look for John.

00:30:22.056 --> 00:30:32.097
She leaves John's house at 5.07 am and while backing out of the garage she just happens to bump into John's car.

00:30:34.027 --> 00:30:34.970
Now, that's on video.

00:30:35.833 --> 00:30:36.153
Yes.

00:30:36.585 --> 00:30:42.857
We literally see Karen Reed backing into one of John O'Keefe's vehicles.

00:30:42.857 --> 00:30:47.114
There the unoccupied O'Keefe vehicle shakes.

00:30:47.114 --> 00:30:47.796
You can see it.

00:30:47.796 --> 00:30:51.066
She absolutely hits it with her passenger side taillight.

00:30:53.609 --> 00:30:58.678
Yes, and after she does that, she's not even worried about it.

00:30:58.678 --> 00:31:09.873
She just wants to make her way back up to the waterfall, or she's driving around town looking for him because she's so worried, because it's not like him.

00:31:10.445 --> 00:31:14.711
That is an interesting point, though, that we need to point out because it's going to come into play later.

00:31:14.711 --> 00:31:18.434
Why is she worried about going straight back to the waterfall?

00:31:18.434 --> 00:31:29.869
I mean, they were talking about this after party, but her initial reaction is to go back to the bar where they were partying at, where they were partying at.

00:31:29.970 --> 00:31:35.719
Well, she had spoke with Jen McCabe and they go back and forth.

00:31:35.719 --> 00:31:44.666
Jen calls her, karen calls her back, Like a game of tag Right.

00:31:44.666 --> 00:31:53.619
So Jen's like Karen, come to my house and pick me up up and I'll go help you look for John.

00:31:53.619 --> 00:32:02.765
So Karen drives over to Jen's house and she gets there at 539.

00:32:02.765 --> 00:32:16.690
Carrie Roberts she's the person who made the initial 911 call just happens to show up there and she starts following behind Karen and Jen and she meets them at John's house on One Meadow Avenue.

00:32:17.250 --> 00:32:27.038
Karen is so hysterical that Jen had to drive the car back there to John's just to make sure he wasn't there or had not showed up since she had left.

00:32:27.038 --> 00:32:31.797
They were only there for about five to six minutes after they arrived.

00:32:31.797 --> 00:32:35.609
Now, when they leave this time they're going to be there for about five to six minutes.

00:32:35.609 --> 00:32:45.525
Karen decides to let Carrie Roberts drive her vehicle because she's a mess, and they head over to 34 Fairview.

00:32:45.525 --> 00:32:53.613
As they approach the residence, jen just happens to point out the tree line and say there's the house.

00:32:53.613 --> 00:33:11.941
And when Karen looks she sees something covered in snow and immediately jumps from the car to see what it is and sadly it's John O'Keefe laying unresponsive in the snow, so she starts to render aid immediately.

00:33:12.430 --> 00:33:14.176
She's freaking the fuck out at this point.

00:33:16.431 --> 00:33:17.977
Absolutely she is.

00:33:17.977 --> 00:33:21.632
He's not breathing, he's unconscious.

00:33:21.632 --> 00:33:25.096
She has no clue what happened to him.

00:33:25.096 --> 00:33:30.144
So she tells Jen hey, call 911, now we need help.

00:33:30.609 --> 00:33:35.622
And this is where the second 911 call initiates from, and we're going to let you listen to that now.

00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:39.270
No, please this is Coraline.

00:33:39.270 --> 00:33:39.911
Where's your emergency?

00:33:39.911 --> 00:33:41.211
I don't know.

00:33:41.211 --> 00:33:41.653
Send a line.

00:33:41.653 --> 00:33:42.532
I think he's dead.

00:33:42.532 --> 00:33:45.015
You need to go, like you got to get here ASAP.

00:33:45.015 --> 00:33:47.777
Okay, I'm going to try and send a line.

00:33:47.777 --> 00:33:50.759
I'm going to try and see the camera.

00:33:50.759 --> 00:34:06.433
Okay, I know, I know.

00:34:06.433 --> 00:34:07.755
Where are the blankets?

00:34:07.755 --> 00:34:08.657
I don't see blankets.

00:34:08.657 --> 00:34:11.521
Terry, 911, what's your emergency?

00:34:11.521 --> 00:34:16.286
I need someone to come immediately because 34, if you have your road, can't get a mask.

00:34:17.572 --> 00:34:18.474
What's going on?

00:34:18.474 --> 00:34:21.704
There's a guy unresponsive in the snow, in the snow at 34?

00:34:21.704 --> 00:34:21.704
.

00:34:21.704 --> 00:34:22.347
He passed out.

00:34:22.347 --> 00:34:22.992
Yes, 34,.

00:34:22.992 --> 00:34:23.896
The Albert resident.

00:34:23.896 --> 00:34:25.509
Yes, I just pulled up and found him.

00:34:25.509 --> 00:34:27.719
Okay, 34 Fairview.

00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:29.956
34 Fairview, canton, mass.

00:34:29.956 --> 00:34:31.811
Yes, 911 is on your call.

00:34:31.811 --> 00:34:32.692
There's an emergency?

00:34:32.692 --> 00:34:35.114
No, this is sad.

00:34:35.114 --> 00:34:36.115
I don't know.

00:34:36.115 --> 00:34:38.318
I don't know, I don't know.

00:34:38.318 --> 00:34:38.898
Hello, yes, I'm sorry.

00:34:38.898 --> 00:34:41.280
Can you come to 34 Fairview Road in Canton?

00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:42.822
34 Fairview.

00:34:43.643 --> 00:34:46.085
Yes, there's a man unresponsive in the snow.

00:34:46.085 --> 00:34:50.813
Okay, is he blue at all?

00:34:50.813 --> 00:34:54.161
You've got to get here, okay, okay, what's going on?

00:34:54.161 --> 00:34:56.414

Secrets in the Snow: John O’Keefe Vanishes Part 1

Listen On

Recent Episodes