Pod Insights True Crime with Kendall Rae Vanished From School? The Disappearance of Nathaniel Holmes About this episode On December 19, 2017, 17-year-old Nathaniel Holmes was dropped off at high school for the last day of school before Winter Break, and was never seen by friends or family again. When his mother went to pick him up at the end of the day, she was informed by administration that Nathaniel wasn’t at school, and hadn’t been to classes all afternoon. He seemingly just left the building. Strangely, Nathaniel didn’t take any of his belongings with him–no phone, money, or anything that a “runaway” might want to take with them, if they were planning on running away. None of it made any sense.
If you have information on Nathaniel’s disappearance, please contact the Westminster Police Department Tip Line at +1 (303) 658-4360.
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Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Visit SNHU.edu/ KendallRay.
0:45 Speaker 00 Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks, and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
1:29 Speaker 00 Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much, as always, for joining me today. And if you're new to the show, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. Now, today, guys, I am going to be covering a case that happened very, very close to me. I'm going to be talking about the disappearance of Nathaniel Holmes. And this occurred very shortly after I lived in the area where it occurred. And it was quite shocking to me to hear about this case because I never heard about it through word of mouth or through our local media. I had no idea Nathaniel was missing, which is just so frustrating because I've also asked people in my life. If they have heard of Nathaniel and none of them had.
2:13 Speaker 00 And this is one of those cases where I truly believe that Nathaniel is out there. I think it's quite possible he could still be in Colorado or in a state close by. So hopefully talking about it today will raise some more awareness and more people will be able to recognize what he looks like and know his name and spread the word. And now let's go ahead and get into Nathaniel's case, starting with some background information on him. So Nathaniel James Holmes was born on November 5th, 2000 to his parents Wendy Kittle and Ben Holmes. And he was raised in Arvada, Colorado with two sisters and one younger brother. I couldn't find that much information about his earlier years, but I did learn about an important life event that happened at a young age.
2:56 Speaker 00 When he was eight years old, his parents got divorced and his father Ben was granted sole custody of all of the kids. Wendy still did have a role in their lives and would have the kids to her place every Monday night for a family dinner. But aside from that, Ben took full care of them. And as you can imagine, this was a pretty tumultuous time for everyone in the family. As it normally is when parents get divorced, it can be very, very difficult on the kids, of course. But through it all, the siblings bond really seemed to remain strong. And a lot of that was actually thanks to Nathaniel. His older sister Hannah said that he would put all of them first and always made sure that they were okay.
3:32 Speaker 00 And after a while, it seems like the dust sort of settled and everyone kind of got used to their new arrangement and how life was at this point in time. And even though it was a lot of responsibility for one parent, Ben absolutely loved it and he called it the best deal. And I just want to say Ben seems like a very good dad who really treated them all so well and truly loves his children. And over the years, Ben was even able to take them on some really, really cool trips to places like Canada and Mexico, Scotland. And then even a month-long safari in Africa, which is just about the coolest trip I can even imagine going on.
4:12 Speaker 00 And not only were these trips a ton of fun, obviously, and a great way for them all to bond, but Nathaniel especially loved them because he was really into. Aviation, so I imagine flying to all these different places was just fascinating for him and really exciting. Nathaniel also liked to play video games and one of his favorites was a crowd favorite, World of Warcraft. And he also had some other hobbies like hunting and fishing. But his biggest interest of all over aviation and the video games and all of his other hobbies was actually playing the bagpipes, which is super cool and unique. You almost never hear of anyone playing the bagpipes, especially at this age nowadays. And I've seen videos and pictures of Nathaniel playing and it just seemed like he was super, super passionate about the bagpipes.
4:57 Speaker 00 And he really sort of came alive while he was playing them. And he was a normally pretty quiet kid. He was kind of known for being shy, so it was super cool to see him sort of come out of his shell while he was performing. And actually Ben, his dad, plays the bagpipes as well. And he actually plays in a local band called Celtic Legacy. And I guess Nathaniel really wanted to play with them, but of course, these are professional musicians. And just because his dad was in the band didn't mean he could meet their standards. So Ben made him a deal. If he could get his abilities to where they needed to be, he could join in. And he said Nathaniel really took it very seriously and quickly went from an intermediate player to an advanced one.
5:40 Speaker 00 Very, very fast, which was really impressive. And so his dad held up his end of the deal. And in the summer of 2017, the two of them performed with the band at Colorado Renaissance Festival. Which I don't know if Renaissance festivals are in every state. I'm pretty sure most states have them, but here in Colorado, it's a big deal. I've actually never been, I've always wanted to go, but I know a ton of people who go every year and are super into it. And Ben later said that playing there with his son alongside him was one of the best times of his life. But what's really tragic is just a few short months later, everything would change. And first, let me tell you a little bit more of what happened leading up to that, so it makes a bit more sense.
6:27 Speaker 00 My husband had braces growing up and like so many people, he did not continue to wear his retainers as he got older. And he didn't want to go through the whole braces process again. So that's how we found SmileSet and it could not be easier, you guys. My husband is currently straightening his teeth while he sleeps. SmileSet delivers doctor prescribed clear aligners for under $1,900. That's 60% less than traditional braces or in-office treatment. And what's so cool is a licensed doctor reviews your case and builds you your own custom treatment plan. You start with an at-home impression kit and your aligners chip straight to you. Progress is then monitored remotely through the SmileSet app with doctor check-ins available whenever you want them. SmileSet has treatment options and payment plans that fit around your life.
7:12 Speaker 00 And like my husband is doing, nighttime-only aligners mean you can straighten your teeth while you sleep. And monthly payments start at just $89. There have been over 2 million smiles treated with this technology. And they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee after starting treatment. Listeners of my show get an additional 35% discount when they go to smileset.com/tckr. With this discount, you can get the smile of your dreams for under $1,200. Go to smileset.com/tckr to get started. Smileset.com/tckr. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start.
7:57 Speaker 00 Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks, and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
8:23 Speaker 00 So around that time Nathaniel had been attending Pomona High School and he wasn't doing well there. He told his parents that he had a lot of trouble focusing in class because the pacing was just too slow for him. So it was actually his idea to try online schooling instead because he would be able to set the pacing himself, set it at his own rate, and they agreed to let him try that out. Unfortunately, after trying it for a little bit of time, it wasn't working. He was struggling with that as well. So his mom just said that he didn't have the self motivation really required to make something like online schooling work. So instead, they ended up enrolling him at Hidden Lake, which is an alternative high school in the nearby town of Westminster. And the school
9:07 Speaker 00 promised that they could get Nathaniel on the right track to graduate on time. So Ben and Wendy had faith that this would be a positive change. But unfortunately, it wasn't a quick fix. And on top of that, he was going through some other struggles at the time. First, he got in a minor fender bender, which happens, of course, but after that, his car privileges were taken away, which of course, as a teenager, sucks. And then something else that sucks as a teenager happened, his phone broke, which is like the end of the world. So at this time, he didn't have a cellphone because it was too expensive to replace it. And so Ben was going to get him a new one as a Christmas present. So he was waiting for Christmas to come along. So all of these things combined,
9:51 Speaker 00 you know, having trouble in school and changing schools and then not having a phone, not having access to a car. These things are really hard on a teenager and his family noticed that during this time, he just seemed pretty off compared to his regular self. His personality seemed to go from being pretty happy to drained all the time. And his sister Hannah also said that he had completely changed and just seemed more overall down or depressed. But I'm sure they never could have imagined what would end up happening because only five weeks after starting at his new school, Nathaniel completely vanished.
10:31 Speaker 00 Which takes us to just days before Christmas, December 18th, 2017. And that afternoon, Ben picked up Nathaniel from school and right away, he just noticed that he was very out of it. He was nodding off, he was slurring his words, he was just not making any sense. So of course Ben questioned his son and Nathaniel eventually admitted that he smoked weed and took Xanax while at school. But he said it was the first time that he had ever done it and never wanted to again. And as you could probably guess, his father was not happy about this. He was very upset, actually. And he told Nathaniel that he would have to be grounded and also receive some sort of other punishment.
11:13 Speaker 00 Didn't have time to figure that out, though. They had to pause the conversation for that moment because Ben actually worked evenings. He worked nights and it was almost time for him to go to work. He had to go soon. So he obviously didn't want to leave Nathaniel alone in that state. So that's when he called over his mother Wendy so that she could, you know, look after him that night and she agreed. And since it was a Monday night, Hannah came over as well to have their weekly family dinner. And while they were eating together, Wendy described Nathaniel as being in a different zone. So because of this, after dinner, she decided to look through his things. And that's when she found more pills hidden in his wallet. And she obviously took them away and then she confronted Nathaniel about it.
11:56 Speaker 00 And he was absolutely terrified and not because his mom found his drugs, but because she took them. Because he tried to explain to her that they belonged to someone at school. And whoever that person was would be really upset if he didn't bring them back. But she wasn't swayed by this and she kept the pills. And even though he was really scared, he would still have to go to school the following day. Especially because it was the last day before winter break. So the next morning rolls around and Wendy takes him back over to his dad's house, his main home, to pick up his math folder that he needed for the day. And when he's there, he sees Ben and he tells him, you know, the two of us are going to finish our conversation that we didn't finish yesterday. When you get out of school.
12:41 Speaker 00 And it sounds like he wasn't super resistant to this. In fact, according to his parents, he seemed relatively okay that morning. Also, his sister Hannah recalls that he didn't seem too stressed or upset, just really in a hurry to grab that math folder and get off to school. So they exchanged their I love yous and wished each other a good day before Nathaniel left his home for the last time. And then Wendy dropped him off at Hidden Lake, watched him enter the school, and then went about what I'm sure she thought was going to be an average day. But unfortunately, that would not be the case.
13:19 Speaker 00 My husband had braces growing up. And like so many people, he did not continue to wear his retainers as he got older. And he didn't want to go through the whole braces process again. So that's how we found SmileSet. And it could not be easier, you guys. My husband is currently straightening his teeth while he sleeps. SmileSet delivers doctor prescribed clear aligners for under $1,900. That's 60% less than traditional braces or in-office treatment. And what's so cool is a licensed doctor reviews your case and builds you your own custom treatment plan. You start with an at-home impression kit, and your aligners chip straight to you. Progress is then monitored remotely through the SmileSet app with doctor check-ins available whenever you want them.
14:01 Speaker 00 SmileSet has treatment options and payment plans that fit around your life. And like my husband is doing, nighttime-only aligners mean you can straighten your teeth while you sleep. And monthly payments start at just $89. There have been over 2 million smiles treated with this technology. And they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee after starting treatment. Listeners of my show get an additional 35% discount when they go to smileset.com/tckr. With this discount, you can get the smile of your dreams for under $1,200. Go to smileset.com/tckr to get started. Smileset.com/tckr. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start?
14:46 Speaker 00 Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers Customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
15:15 Speaker 00 Now Nathaniel was already late when he got to school, but instead of just going straight to class, he started acting odd. And I've seen what happened, explained or reported two different ways. So I'm just going to share them both with you because I'm not quite sure which way it actually played out. So in one version, once Nathaniel got into the school, he went to the school office to speak with the principal. And then in the other version, he was outside of a classroom waving his hands to try to get the attention of his friend, Anthony, who was already in there. And that's when the principal saw him and came up to him. And even though that small part is unclear, there aren't any conflicting reports about what they discussed.
15:58 Speaker 00 Apparently Nathaniel told him that it was urgent that he talked to Anthony, but the principal said that he would have to wait until lunch to speak with him. Then he told Nathaniel to go to class, but he replied that he didn't have to because he was switching schools anyway. And just to pause for a second, Ben and Wendy have both said that that was never a plan and they have no idea what he was talking about. And I'm not sure if the school principal questioned him about this at all after he said that, but after that Nathaniel just simply walked out of the school. Now, you may be wondering what I was wondering at first, which is, does this school have cameras? Well, there's some conflicting reports on that too.
16:43 Speaker 00 I've read that there were no cameras, but I've also seen that there were, and they just didn't capture him leaving for whatever reason. I don't know if they're pointing a different way, or he somehow avoided them, or the classic, they weren't working is possible. Who knows? Either way, really, really frustrating and it seems like no answer. Could be found there. And it's really, really frustrating when this happens in any case, but especially at a school. That is so disappointing. I've also read that there was a school security guard, but apparently he just didn't see anything. Which I guess makes sense if there's only one security guard for the school. They can't see everything that's happening at all times. Um, but some of his friends did actually say that they saw him leaving, but they didn't think much of it at the time.
17:27 Speaker 00 Which apparently none of the school staff saw him either. Because no one from Hidden Lake contacted his parents and let them know that he left, which is frustrating, really confusing. But at the same time, my high school was set up in a way where you could just straight up walk off campus at any time. Now, I haven't been in school in quite a long time. I graduated in 2011, so I don't know how it is now. Uh, it's really frustrating, given the circumstances here for Nathaniel. Because
17:57 Speaker 00 things probably, I mean, very well could be different if his parents were alerted right away when he left the school. And it's frustrating that he had just had this conversation with the school's principal, who is definitely the person who is most in charge of student welfare. I also don't know if their school had an open campus policy. Cause at my school, you could just come and go at any time. If you had an off period or a lunch break, you could walk across the street and go to the grocery store and pick something up, or go to a restaurant or whatever. I don't know how things were set up at Hidden Lake. But cases like this definitely make you rethink when schools are set up that way. Obviously, it's very convenient as a teenager to be able to just walk off campus whenever you want. I loved it.
18:41 Speaker 00 Um, but clearly in Nathaniel's case, there just aren't enough measures to keep the students safe. And again, if they had enough safety measures. Maybe I wouldn't even be telling you about this case today, but unfortunately, we'll never know. Here's the thing, though. Someone did end up hearing from Nathaniel after all of this, and it was actually his mom Wendy. Now, after leaving the school, turns out he walked for about 10 minutes down the street to a park right outside of the Irving Street Library. And while he was there, he approached a woman who was walking her dog and asked her to borrow a phone, because as a reminder, Nathaniel didn't have a phone. So he uses this woman's phone to call his mom Wendy, and he tells her that she wouldn't need to pick him up from school that day,
19:26 Speaker 00 because his dad's friend, Michelle, would actually be taking him out to get some ice cream. Wendy said that she would check in with her to make sure that that was the plan, to which Nathaniel just said okay, and that he loved her before he hung up. And sadly, this is the confirmed last time that anyone spoke to Nathaniel. Now Wendy is definitely questioning whether or not Nathaniel is telling her the truth. So after she hangs up with him, she calls Michelle herself and asks if she's picking up Nathaniel to bring him to get some ice cream. And she said that she was definitely not planning on picking him up and hadn't even talked to him in weeks. So that's when Wendy decides to go to the school herself and just sit outside of the school about an hour before class ended
20:11 Speaker 00 so that she could keep an eye on the door in case he was trying to sneak off somewhere. And she waited out there until school got out and then watched the kids leave the school, but she never saw Nathaniel leave. So at that point, she went inside to the office. And this is when they inform her that he didn't attend any of his classes that day, that he had left the school. And even then, they didn't disclose everything. She wasn't even told about the conversation that Nathaniel had with the principal, which is pretty important information. And the school wouldn't even inform their family about that until much later. And I'm really curious why they withheld that or if they didn't think to communicate it. Or I don't know what happened there, but it is really important context.
20:57 Speaker 00 My husband had braces growing up and like so many people, he did not continue to wear his retainers as he got older. And he didn't want to go through the whole braces process again. So that's how we found SmileSet and it could not be easier, you guys. My husband is currently straightening his teeth while he sleeps. SmileSet delivers doctor prescribed clear aligners for under $1,900. That's 60% less than traditional braces or in-office treatment. And what's so cool is a licensed doctor reviews your case and builds you your own custom treatment plan. You start with an at-home impression kit and your aligners chip straight to you. Progress is then monitored remotely through the SmileSet app with doctor check-ins available whenever you want them. SmileSet has treatment options and payment plans that fit around your life.
21:42 Speaker 00 And like my husband is doing, nighttime-only aligners mean you can straighten your teeth while you sleep. And monthly payments start at just $89. There have been over 2 million smiles treated with this technology. And they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee after starting treatment. Listeners of my show get an additional 35% discount when they go to smileset.com/tckr. With this discount, you can get the smile of your dreams for under $1,200. Go to smileset.com/tckr to get started. Smileset.com/tckr. This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you.
22:27 Speaker 00 Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Visit SNHU.edu/ Kendall Rae. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids, but what about protecting them? Outlet cover. Kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start?
23:09 Speaker 00 Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers. The kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
23:39 Speaker 00 Without knowing that part, Wendy jumped right into action. She informed Ben that Nathaniel had never gone to any of his classes that day, that he had left the school and no one knew where he was. And soon their entire family was out searching for him. And Ben later said, what I'm sure a lot of you are thinking, that he wished he had been informed as soon as the school knew that Nathaniel was missing class, so that they wouldn't have been hours behind starting their search. But they did all they could do right away. They checked his friends' houses. They contacted anyone they could think of that might possibly know where he is. And they drove around the streets near the school, but nothing came up. They also realized that all of his possessions, including his iPad, his wallet and his ID were at home.
24:23 Speaker 00 Plus, money in his savings account was never touched. And once they realize all of this and they're not able to find him anywhere and no one seems to have seen him, they are getting more and more concerned. And at 5:00 PM that day, his family filed a missing persons report with the Westminster Police Department. But he was quickly classified as a runaway, which unfortunately means the police did not handle it with much urgency. And I've gotten to the point in covering these cases where if I see someone has been labeled as a runaway right out the gate like that, I normally don't have the highest expectations for them being found. Because Less resources are just put towards runaways. The police take it way less seriously.
25:08 Speaker 00 It's just the facts. And that's exactly what happened here. A detective was assigned to the case, but very, very little time and resources were actually spent searching for him. And all this was so upsetting and so confusing to his family. I just don't understand how police departments can even get away with declaring someone a runaway unless you have concrete evidence for that, that you actually know that they just ran away. And the evidence should be pretty high stakes because yes, he did walk out of the school on his own, but he had never done anything like this at all. And who knows what actually happened to him? He may not have just run away. Something could have happened to Nathaniel.
25:52 Speaker 00 And yes, he had some turmoil in his life, but this was actually very out of character for him. He was always home. He had never even spent a night at another friend's house. So this was just, yeah, completely out of character for him. And his family couldn't just wait around and hope he would return and depend on the police department, who now just has written him off as a runaway. So just like so many other families out there, they had to take matters into their own hands. And I just have to say they were and are incredibly dedicated to finding him. They spent all hours searching and hanging up missing posters in Urbata, in Westminster and other surrounding towns. They would go to all the spots that he was known to hang out at
26:35 Speaker 00 and speak to people there to see if anyone saw anything. But all this effort was leading to nothing. And they were all doing their best to find him. But I just have to say, Ben, as a father, really, really went the extra mile. He even sold his car because it was pretty recognizable. And he thought if Nathaniel was out there trying to hide, that he might see it and bolt. He made finding and getting the word out about Nathaniel his mission. And anytime that he saw a police officer, and I've never heard of anyone doing this, and I don't know if you're supposed to do this, but I thought it was interesting. He would, first of all, he would stop and tell them about Nathaniel if he was just out on the street. With a police officer. But a few times, he would even flash his lights while driving behind squad cars to get them to pull over
27:19 Speaker 00 so that he could share the flyer with them. And he said that every time he did this, the police were actually very receptive to the information. But what was frustrating to him was even though they were police in the area that they lived, none of them had ever heard of Nathaniel's disappearance. So after months of nothing, and I mean nothing coming up, they finally did end up finding something when they were searching the area of Arvada, known as Old Town. And that was an area where Nathaniel would hang out a lot. I guess there's this church there that would do community outreach with the unhoused community. And while sharing the flyers there, some people said that they recognized him. Now unfortunately, no one could pinpoint exactly when they saw him. So it was unclear if it had been recent sightings of him
28:04 Speaker 00 or if it was from times where he was hanging out there before he disappeared. Because like I said, he did like to hang out there. But either way, I think as any family would, they took this potential lead very seriously. And over the years, they tried to follow it as much as they could. Ben actually went to thrift stores and bought old worn out clothes. And then he would dress down in them and walk among the unhoused communities to see if maybe he was there. Wendy and Hannah even made these little gift bags with, I'm assuming like toothbrushes and other little essentials. But they also included Nathaniel's missing persons flyer, which I think is really, really smart. And Hannah said, even if they didn't even look at the flyer or they threw it out, that it would fall on the ground and maybe someone else would see it.
28:47 Speaker 00 And I, yeah, I think it's a really smart idea to not only help the community, but to also get the word out. And they didn't just make an effort in Arvada, of course. They also searched unhoused communities nearby, including areas of Denver, Boulder, and even as far as Pueblo. Actually, even farther. Ben has even driven through areas of Utah and New Mexico. Unfortunately though, no solid information or leads or anything came from any of this effort, which is.
29:14 Speaker 00 I cannot imagine how frustrating that is, but their family really held in there strong and they never stopped trying or gave up hope even to this day, it seems. And they did think that maybe they came across a break in the case five months after Nathaniel disappeared. In April of 2018, Nathaniel's friend Jake called their family to say that he had seen him. Jake lived in an apartment complex right in Arvada. And according to him, a well-known drug dealer lived in his building. I guess while he was home one day, he thought he may have seen Nathaniel go into that specific unit. So he told their family, who then relayed that information to detectives. However, law enforcement has been very vague on the details of this, so I'm not totally sure how it was investigated.
29:58 Speaker 00 They have been unable to verify the sighting and I would like to believe, I would hope that they spoke to this drug dealer or whoever lives in this unit. Um, but I cannot confirm that.
30:18 Speaker 00 My husband had braces growing up and like so many people, he did not continue to wear his retainers as he got older. And he didn't want to go through the whole braces process again, so that's how we found SmileSet and it could not be easier, you guys. My husband is currently straightening his teeth while he sleeps. SmileSet delivers doctor-prescribed clear aligners for under $1,900. That's 60% less than traditional braces or in-office treatment. And what's so cool is a licensed doctor reviews your case and builds you your own custom treatment plan. You start with an at-home impression kit and your aligners chip straight to you. Progress is then monitored remotely through the SmileSet app with doctor check-ins available whenever you want them.
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33:01 Speaker 00 I also couldn't figure out if they tried to look at any cameras in the area, not just in the apartment complex, but just in the area as a whole. Because if he was around there, you would hope that they would do that. They may have, I'm not sure. I guess we just have to hope that they did. But even with the uncertainty of that sighting, their family still put up missing persons posters all throughout that area, but no tips were called in. And to this day, nobody knows who Jake actually saw, including Jake. I mean, years later, in an interview that was on an episode of Disappeared through ID Discovery, that he can't really be sure if that was Nathaniel. Maybe it was just someone who looked similar and he,
33:47 Speaker 00 you know, his brain just hoped that it was him. But that's not all, he said or revealed in that interview. He also said that Nathaniel's drug use was far more frequent and serious than his family knew. Now, based on what I've read, it does appear that his parents were concerned about him spending time with the wrong crowd, but it's unclear if they were worried that he was regularly doing hard drugs. It seems that the only time they became suspicious of that was the day before he disappeared, when he was clearly under the influence of something. But if you believe what Jake says, and you know, he was his good friend. I don't know what reason he would have to make any of this up, but it seems like it
34:30 Speaker 00 was much more than just a one time thing. According to Jake, around the summer of 2017, their group of friends was frequently using hard drugs like cocaine, for example. And I guess these friends actually shielded Nathaniel from the drug dealers and would just supply the drugs to him themselves. And Jake claims that he had kind of stopped and that Nathaniel had confided in him that he wanted to stop as well, but he couldn't figure out how to. And it all came to a head that night before he disappeared, when he called Jake crying and pleading to help him get drugs. And Jake told him to relax, to get some sleep, and they could figure out a plan the next day.
35:13 Speaker 00 And it's interesting to hear and kind of matches up with what happened that night, that Wendy took his drugs away and he was very worried about whoever they belonged to not getting them back. And all because of this, Jake wonders if maybe Nathaniel was going directly to drug dealers for drugs and maybe he stole or ripped someone off. And then maybe he ran away as a way of trying to protect his family. And his mom has also expressed that she's worried that he left because he may have been scared of someone or something bad happening. So is it possible that he was asking for Jake's Help that night because he had to find a way to get drugs to someone else.
35:58 Speaker 00 And that leads to bigger questions like was he so scared of that person that he left the school to hide out? And did something happen to him along the way? Did he come in contact with that person? Did he leave school to actually go and meet up with that person? Did someone confront him? Did it end badly? This is just one of those cases where you could sit there and theorize and come up with questions for hours. And then at the end of those hours, you could sit there and think, hmm, maybe I didn't even come close to guessing what actually happened because nobody knows. I can't imagine going through anything worse really than just the agony of wondering
36:42 Speaker 00 for not just a day or hours like most people who consume true crime. You know, you spend a little bit of time worrying about it, thinking about it. But for most people who go, who it's actually their loved one who is missing, they're just thinking about that for years on end. For Nathaniel's family, it's now been eight years of them desperately wanting these answers, thinking of every possibility. And there have been times where they thought maybe they were getting close because there have been potential sightings over the years. For example, in January of 2020, about two years after Jake said he may have seen him, Westminster Police received a call from a woman in Weatherford, Texas.
37:24 Speaker 00 She worked at a counseling center near a church that did a lot of outreach with the unhoused community. And one day, this young man came into her office trying to sell her bread. And she didn't really think much of it at first, but then later that evening, she was scrolling on Facebook when Nathaniel's missing flyer popped up. And she thought the guy that she had seen earlier looked like him, so she called it in. Now, this guy was actually captured on their surveillance camera, but it's not clear enough to really confirm anything either way. But Wendy has stated that when she saw it, she didn't believe it was him. And I couldn't figure out if anyone actually made contact with this person or if he was identified, but either way. It didn't give their family any solid answers.
38:06 Speaker 00 Then about a year later, they got their hopes up again in March of 2021, when police received a tip about a possible sighting in Gallup, New Mexico. A truck driver was stopped when a young guy approached her and asked her how long it would take to get to California. And she claimed they seemed to be very under the influence of something or having some sort of mental break. And she was concerned about how he was acting. So she told him that he should go back home. And apparently he said he couldn't because he was from Colorado and there were people looking for him. And she asked him what his name was and he said Nate Holmes. And then after that, he just walked off. And she claimed that she was so weirded out by the situation
38:50 Speaker 00 that she ended up Googling the name afterwards. And then, of course, came across the missing persons flyers for Nathaniel Holmes. And that's when she called the police. And about six to seven hours after the encounter, Gallup PD did a search of the area, but didn't find anything significant and couldn't locate this person. And when his parents learned about this, Wendy initially thought it was odd that the person said Nate because he always went by Nathaniel. But of course, he very well could be going by the name Nate. Maybe he is going by a different name now. Maybe it was another Nate Holmes, who actually has nothing to do with Nathaniel Holmes. Or is it possible this didn't actually happen? That this person just made it up? Which of course does happen.
39:34 Speaker 00 There are weirdos out there, but I will say this. I don't know. It seems pretty strange to, I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I guess there has been stranger. But I feel that this, I don't know. It seems to me that this truck driver probably really did encounter someone, whether or not it was Nathaniel Holmes or just someone else with the same name. I don't know. So once again, they're left with more questions than answers. And Ben has driven around several areas of New Mexico to try to find anything, but he never did. Now, whether or not this actually happened or not, it does tie into the next possible. Sighting, which was just a few months later in September of 2021.
40:18 Speaker 00 A woman in Oceanside, California called the tip line. Which is kind of interesting because if you remember, the truck driver from before said that Nate Holmes was wondering how to get to California or how long it would take to get to California. And now there's another sighting in Oceanside? I guess this woman had been out walking when a guy approached her and asked her to borrow her phone. But when she gave it to him, he didn't actually make a call. Instead, according to this witness, this man went on Facebook and looked up the page dedicated to finding Nathaniel. And then he searched for Ben's profile page, which is very, very interesting if this truly happened. Now, she couldn't confirm if it was actually him, but she said it looked enough like him that she felt like she should call it in. Who else would be looking up Nathaniel's
41:03 Speaker 00 missing persons page? I mean, that's just so odd. And then to look up Ben? I don't know. If that's true, that is very, very interesting. And just like every other big tip, Ben jumped on it and he took it very seriously. So much so that he was on a flight out to California within just eight hours of receiving that tip. But when he got there, this is so frustrating. I can't imagine how he felt. The woman who had called the tip in was ghosting him. And why? I don't know. And it's stuff like that that makes you wonder if that was just made up.
41:39 Speaker 00 Or maybe that woman just didn't want to get involved? I don't know. I just, ugh, it's maddening to think about. But while Ben was there, he did still do some searching and passed out flyers. And he even went to a police department. But when he tried to give them a flyer, he claims they brushed him off, saying there were thousands of homeless people around there and didn't offer him any assistance. And unfortunately, none of these possible sightings have led to any answers. And the last significant one was now over four years ago. And unfortunately, I feel that we are no closer to answers than we were back then. And what makes it even more frustrating is there is so little to point to what actually happened here. I mean, if we believe these sightings, that could
42:23 Speaker 00 Point to him joining the unhoused community and having sort of a transient lifestyle. But even if he did want to start a new life or has started a new life, it just doesn't seem like he planned much for that. Again, he was 17, but he didn't take his wallet or his iPad or any of his money, all of which you would think he would want to have if he wasn't coming back. And even though all of that was left behind, none of it pointed to any clues. And this is going to make you so mad, but his broken phone and iPad were never properly examined by police. So we don't know if there's anything on them that indicates that he had been thinking about leaving. So maybe it was an impulse decision to leave school, which could again indicate that he was scared of someone and felt like he had to hide.
43:08 Speaker 00 I keep going back to the fact that he was so scared when Wendy took his drugs, thinking, you know, I have to give them back to someone. They don't belong to me or I'm going to have to face somebody. It seemed like he was very, very concerned about that. And it's interesting that that happened the night before. But then, when I think about it, I also get hung up on the fact that this was the last day before winter break started. Like if he needed a break from school and needed to hide out because of that, maybe he would have just gotten through a couple of hours and then he wouldn't have had to go back for a few weeks. Maybe that would give him some time to sort it out if he was in any trouble. But it's possible the person who he was scared of didn't actually go to the school and had nothing to do with that.
43:50 Speaker 00 And then, of course, there's the idea that he left school, maybe to meet up with someone or to take care of a situation or who knows why, but then just came across the wrong person and something bad happened. Or the person he was afraid of took action. I don't know. There's just so many different scenarios. But his family has not given up and they are definitely still trying to get the word out about Nathaniel to this day. Over the years, they've held vigils, including one in 2020 where Ben played the bagpipes to honor him. And you can just see at all of these gatherings how much Nathaniel is loved and missed. And it just really breaks my heart and made me want to help them with their efforts to find him. And that's why I felt like it was important to cover this case today.
44:33 Speaker 00 Even though he left school on his own that day, it doesn't mean he deserves to be missing, especially after all this time. So I really hope maybe this episode will draw out some much needed attention on Nathaniel. And obviously, the more people who know about a missing person, the better. So please help spread the word about Nathaniel Holmes, whether that's through just sharing his missing persons flyer, or you could share this episode, or share the disappeared episode on Investigation Discovery. I mean, any type of coverage and article, just get the word out there if you can. And I also want to ask my incredible audience, which so many of you guys always do this. If you could please go ahead and follow the Bring Nathaniel Home Facebook page, which I will link below.
45:17 Speaker 00 I know that it just helps so much for these families to feel like they have as much support in their corner as possible, that people haven't forgotten and are standing with them. And before I go, I want to share Nathaniel's official description. So he is 5'9", he has blond hair, blue eyes, and is Caucasian. And at the time of his disappearance, he was 17 years old and weighed approximately 140 pounds. And as of the date I'm recording, he would now be 24. And anyone with information should contact the Westminster Police Department tip line at 303-658-4360. And this always feels really weird to say, but Nathaniel, if you're out there and you happen to see this, I just wanted to say that I hope you're okay
46:01 Speaker 00 and that you're able to find your way home, if that's what you want. But that is going to be it for me today, guys. God, it is just always so hard to cover cases about children. I mean, Nathaniel was 17 when he disappeared, and now he's 24 years old. Just so much time. It's just wild.
46:26 Speaker 00 That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.
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Previous Killer Pretends He “Forgot” What He Did: The Case of Jackie Vandagriff Next Killed by Her Best Friend!? The Unbelievable Case of Taylor Wright Page updated November 1, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated