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Sonia Exelby | She Told Her Family About a Network of Sadistic Men… and Disappeared (Part 1)

Crime Weekly

Hosted by Derrick Levasseur and Stephanie Harlowe

2h 21m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode explores the harrowing disappearance of 32-year-old Sonia Exelby, who flew more than 4,000 miles from the UK to Florida in October 2025 and vanished. The host and the guest, Derek Levasseur and Stephanie Harlowe, trace Sonia's descent from a gentle, musical childhood into severe depression and isolated online spaces, including the controversial forum motherless.com, where she communicated with a man named Dwayne Hall about violent self-harm fantasies. Law enforcement investigation reveals that Hall, a roadside assistance business owner in Florida, picked Sonia up from the airport, took her to a rented Airbnb, and filmed a disturbing video before her disappearance. The hosts analyze Hall's chilling, manipulative police interrogation, dissecting his elaborate lies about a mysterious client named Harold, his bizarre conspiracy theories, and his eventual admission to filming a video of a distressed Sonia.

  • Monitor your loved ones closely when prolonged isolation and heavy internet usage replace real-life relationships. 14:17
  • Be extremely cautious of dark internet forums that encourage or facilitate severe self-harm or violent fantasies. 20:37
  • Do not assume that anonymous online personas or encryption will protect vulnerable individuals from predatory actors. 33:43
  • Pay close attention to inconsistencies and evasive behavior when individuals are questioned by law enforcement. 53:35

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Introduction to Sonia Exelby Case

    Hosts set the stage for the new series, outlining the mystery and upcoming legal developments.

  2. 0:32
    Sonia’s Early Life and Family Background

    Explains Sonia’s upbringing, family dynamics, and the early signs of her withdrawal.

  3. 1:09
    Sonia’s Online Isolation and Dark Corners

    Details Sonia’s shift to online communities and her eventual descent into dangerous internet spaces.

  4. 37:48
    The Motherless.com Revelation

    Hosts uncover the nature of the adult content platform and its role in Sonia’s story.

  5. 46:12
    Debunking the Payment Mystery

    The hosts dissect the suspicious payment attempts to Sonia Exelby’s card, questioning the legitimacy of the service and the true purpose behind the charges.

  6. 48:12
    Sponsor Break: Skims Basics

    A brief commercial segment promoting Skims’ comfortable basics, interjected between investigative commentary.

  7. 51:40
    Tracing the Payment Trail

    Law enforcement follows the chain of payment processing companies, uncovering a $1,200 transaction that defied earlier declines and raising red flags.

  8. 1:06:00
    Dwayne Hall’s Interrogation and Background

    The hosts review Hall’s interview with law enforcement, his murky past, and the complexities of his relationship with Ginger Stein.

  9. 1:22:30
    Harold the Mysterious Client

    Hall reveals a secret client named Harold, detailing the NDA, the high-paying job, and the unsettling disappearance of records and communications.

  10. 1:24:00
    Concluding Thoughts and Next Episode Teaser

    The episode wraps up with reflections on the case’s complexities and a teaser for the next installment, promising deeper dives into the network of men.

  11. 1:27:42
    Digital Footprints and Vanishing Records

    Hall discusses how his phone logs, texts, and emails mysteriously disappeared during the critical weekend, hinting at surveillance or tampering.

  12. 1:31:47
    Witnessing the U‑Turn and Back‑Road Wait

    The narrator describes following a suspect, waiting on back roads, and the tension of the encounter.

  13. 1:32:35
    Digital Footprint Disappears and Pegasus Allegations

    Discussion of missing digital evidence and alleged surveillance technology used to erase records.

  14. 1:33:14
    NDA, Surveillance, and Silvery Car Follow‑Up

    Hosts explain the NDA, being followed, and details of the suspicious car involved.

  15. 1:34:33
    Interview Dynamics and Behavioral Shifts

    Observations of the interviewee’s changing demeanor and description of the suspect.

  16. 1:36:05
    Dwayne Hall's Work Schedule and NDA Constraints

    Explanation of Hall’s work location, phone restrictions, and tool usage during the investigation.

  17. 1:39:06
    The Mysterious Airport Pickup

    Narrator recounts picking up a woman from Gainesville airport and the strange encounter.

Highlights

Quotes

  • “She could talk to strangers about the things she was afraid to tell the people who loved her.”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 1:01
  • “She was going to forums where people also thinking about taking their own lives were existing.”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 16:48
  • “Sonia's Tesco Bank card was successfully charged for $1,200”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 51:09
  • “They also found long brunette hair in the trash”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 52:08
  • “A black Jeep owned by Dwayne Hall”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 53:25
  • “She was diagnosed with this around 2014”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 56:56
  • “I came back, I U-turned and come back because it's like, there's no way.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:31:47
  • “I was working in Gainesville, shift ended at 6. He called me up and he said, "Hey, I need you to go pick somebody up from Gainesville Airport."”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:39:27
  • “I think it's very clear, this man's been arrested. He goes to trial in November.”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 2:15:59
  • “And I also want to be very clear, even if Sonia willingly and voluntarily went there, what he did is still murder.”
    Stephanie Harlowe · 2:19:04
  • Quince 23:06–28:17
  • Skims 48:12–49:53
  • IQ Bar 1:22:30–1:25:11
  • Wild Grain 1:48:55–1:51:55

About this episode

Consider supporting and donating to The Kaylee Goncalves Foundation/Murder Has a Name here: https://www.murderhasaname.com/ There are some people who disappear all at once - One day, they're there, and the next day, they're gone. But sometimes, a person disappears slowly. So slowly that the people who love them don't realize what's happening until they look back and understand that they had been losing them for years. 32-year-old Sonia Exelby was the youngest of six children, and for much of Sonia's life, there were people who loved her very much. But somewhere along the way, Sonia began slipping away from them. At first, it looked like depression. Then isolation. She stopped going out, stopped answering invitations. Stopped letting people in. Until eventually, much of Sonia's world existed through a screen. Online, she could be whoever she wanted to be. She could talk to strangers about the things she was afraid to tell the people who loved her - but listening and helping are not always the same thing...

Transcript

0:00
2:21:30

28,150 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Florida
  • United States
  • Airbnb
  • Gainesville
  • Reddick
  • Florida Department of Law Enforcement
  • Ohio
  • Walmart
  • Ocala
  • Solver Wolf

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated