WEBVTT 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.810 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and 00:00:10.810 --> 00:00:13.710 Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All 00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129 parties mentioned are considered innocent until 00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.969 proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing 00:00:18.969 --> 00:00:22.410 also contains adult themes and languages. Listener 00:00:22.410 --> 00:00:26.269 discretion is advised. I'm your host, Allie McLaughlin 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:28.989 -Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski. 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:31.289 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover 00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:34.979 cold cases and missing person cases. Hello everyone 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:37.240 and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:40.119 host Ali . And I'm your co -host Eli. Welcome 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:43.659 back everyone. Thank you as always for your patience 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:46.520 with us. I know we were off again kind of unexpectedly 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:50.560 last week. Our dog has been going through some 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:53.240 health stuff and he had surgery last week but 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:56.560 he's doing better. He's almost back to his normal 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.219 self so... Thank you all so much for the kind 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:02.820 wishes and positivity that still came through. 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:04.659 Like, we still got some great reviews over this 00:01:04.659 --> 00:01:07.000 last week. So thank you all so much for sticking 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.799 with us and coming back for another case. And 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:15.799 with that, we are on episode 133 this week. And 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:18.579 we are on a cold case. So should we just go ahead 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:22.140 and get into it? Let's do it. Today, we are talking 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.500 about the cold cases of Grover Cecil, Joyce Reason, 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:28.879 and Johnnie Rankins. otherwise known as the Be-Lo 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:32.260 Murders, and this takes place in June of 1993 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:36.459 in Windsor, North Carolina. But first, a little 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:40.019 bit about Johnnie, Joyce, and Grover. Johnnie Rankins, 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:43.900 he is 48 years old in 1993 and lived in nearby 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:47.159 Edenton. I could find very little details about 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:49.620 him, but we do know that he worked on the cleaning 00:01:49.620 --> 00:01:54.840 crew. Joyce Reason is 36 years old in 1993. She 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:57.659 was a single mother to two young girls. and she 00:01:57.659 --> 00:01:59.700 was also engaged and the wedding was planned 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:03.200 for later that summer. She worked as a cashier 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.900 at the B -Lo grocery store. And Grover Cecil, 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:10.740 he went by the family name of Bud. He was 47 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:13.699 years old in 1993 and was the store manager of 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:16.400 the B -Lo, a position that was newer to him as 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:18.379 he had only been the manager for a few months. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:23.419 He was married and a father. And now, a timeline 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:30.770 of events. Sunday, June 6, 1993. It was nearing 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:33.810 closing time at the B -Lo grocery store. The 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:36.509 grocery store is located in Windsor, North Carolina. 00:02:36.990 --> 00:02:39.849 It's a small community with a population of around 00:02:39.849 --> 00:02:43.449 2 ,400. The employees are busy trying to get 00:02:43.449 --> 00:02:45.729 closing cleaning done and helping the last few 00:02:45.729 --> 00:02:49.289 customers check out. As it neared the 6 p .m. 00:02:49.289 --> 00:02:51.729 closing time, the overnight cleaning crew was 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:53.569 starting to show up and gather their supplies. 00:02:54.430 --> 00:02:56.770 Since it was Sunday, there was a plan to clean 00:02:56.770 --> 00:02:59.909 and wax the floors. The cleaning crew consisted 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:04.270 of four guys, Johnnie Rankins, Thomas Hardy, Jasper 00:03:04.270 --> 00:03:08.689 Hardy, and Sylvester Welch. 6 p .m. came and 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:11.870 the last customers left. The doors were locked 00:03:11.870 --> 00:03:14.189 and most of the employees had left for the evening. 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:18.030 Two employees remained, Joyce Reason, a cashier, 00:03:18.129 --> 00:03:21.490 and Grover Cecil, the manager. A few minutes 00:03:21.490 --> 00:03:24.629 after 6, Jasper, a member of the cleaning crew, 00:03:24.849 --> 00:03:27.710 looked up and saw Joyce and Grover walking towards 00:03:27.710 --> 00:03:30.930 them with a strange look on their face. Behind 00:03:30.930 --> 00:03:33.169 them was a man that Jasper had never seen before. 00:03:33.849 --> 00:03:37.330 He's described as a black man in his 20s or 30s, 00:03:37.330 --> 00:03:41.490 around 6 foot tall, slender with medium complexion. 00:03:41.789 --> 00:03:44.889 His nose had a noticeable bump, like he had had 00:03:44.889 --> 00:03:48.069 an injury to it prior. The man had hidden in 00:03:48.069 --> 00:03:50.069 the store and waited until the doors were locked 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:53.509 before approaching Grover first with a gun. The 00:03:53.509 --> 00:03:56.610 man had the gun to Grover's back. Grover tells 00:03:56.610 --> 00:03:59.469 the cleaning crew, quote, do what he says. He 00:03:59.469 --> 00:04:03.009 means business. The gunman seemed at ease and 00:04:03.009 --> 00:04:05.189 even seemed to anticipate how many men were part 00:04:05.189 --> 00:04:07.990 of the cleaning crew. He asked where one of them 00:04:07.990 --> 00:04:10.590 was when he only encountered three of them, according 00:04:10.590 --> 00:04:14.000 to reports. The gunman is able to get all four 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.839 members of the cleaning crew and Joyce and Grover 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:18.800 to the back of the store near the meat counter 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:22.019 very quickly. The man gathers cash and money 00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:25.199 orders from the store. He ordered the hostages 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:27.680 to bind each other up at the wrists and ankles 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:30.459 using duct tape and dog leashes that he had found 00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:33.199 in the store. Grover was ordered to bind the 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:35.579 hands of the rest of the hostages, and then the 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:39.120 gunman bound Grover's hands. Once everyone was 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.920 tied up, the gunman had the hostages lay down 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:44.819 and put them into three piles of two so they 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:48.040 were lying on top of each other. Jasper, one 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:50.220 of the cleaning crew members, thought everybody 00:04:50.220 --> 00:04:53.360 was going to be okay. Everyone was complying 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:55.959 with the gunman. Jasper said that the man kept 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:58.160 saying, quote, I don't want to have to kill anybody. 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.360 He also kept promising that no one would get 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.680 hurt as long as they followed orders. He also 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:07.500 told the hostages that he used to be a police 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:10.600 officer and he had been fired from his job. He 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.600 didn't have anything left to lose. Jasper was 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.579 lying on the floor with another person on top 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:18.540 of him. He was laying with his face turned toward 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:20.740 the wall and was praying for the ordeal to be 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:24.879 over. Then, suddenly, the man fired a bullet 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:28.160 into each pile. Jasper said, quote, I heard the 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.160 shots, pop, pop, pop. Sometimes there would be 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:38.730 a grunt when someone was hit. It appears that 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:41.470 when the man went to fire a fourth time, the 00:05:41.470 --> 00:05:45.529 gun jammed or he ran out of ammunition. The gunman 00:05:45.529 --> 00:05:48.069 then rolls each victim onto the stomach and leaves 00:05:48.069 --> 00:05:51.129 them on the floor. He leaves for a couple minutes 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:54.230 and returns with a knife that he had found. The 00:05:54.230 --> 00:05:56.649 gunman approached Jasper and his brother Thomas. 00:05:57.230 --> 00:06:00.529 He asked them if they would identify him. Thomas 00:06:00.529 --> 00:06:03.199 told him no. To which the man shouted, quote, 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:07.199 I don't believe you. Jasper was still lying facing 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:09.699 the wall, so he didn't see the gunman approach 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:12.860 his brother and stab him. Thomas is violently 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:16.019 attacked. His throat is slit and the butcher 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:18.899 knife breaks off in his back. The gunman then 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.920 approached Jasper and asks him as well, quote, 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:24.980 will you identify me? To which Jasper responds, 00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:28.420 quote, no, man, I don't know you. The man then 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:31.529 replies, quote, okay, big man. I'll let you live. 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:35.430 Jasper waited. He didn't believe the man and 00:06:35.430 --> 00:06:38.610 he thought he would be attacked next. But the 00:06:38.610 --> 00:06:41.449 man doesn't attack him. He gathers up the money, 00:06:41.569 --> 00:06:44.910 a little over $3 ,000 in cash and money orders, 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:48.149 and places them into a grocery bag along with 00:06:48.149 --> 00:06:51.670 keys to the store and heads out the door. Jasper 00:06:51.670 --> 00:06:55.490 was alive and unhurt, but still bound. Sylvester 00:06:55.490 --> 00:06:58.230 Welch and Thomas Hardy were also clinging to 00:06:58.230 --> 00:07:01.740 life. Thomas had been stabbed and Sylvester had 00:07:01.740 --> 00:07:05.060 been shot in the back. Sylvester is able to free 00:07:05.060 --> 00:07:07.439 himself from the binds and drag himself to the 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:10.939 office and call 911. The phone call comes in 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:15.220 at 6 .56 p .m. When police enter the B -Lo grocery 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:18.000 store, they find Sylvester in the front office, 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.019 but everyone else were in bloody piles in the 00:07:21.019 --> 00:07:24.279 back rear corner of the store. A first responder 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.379 said, quote, I remember the smell of blood. There 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:31.120 was blood everywhere. Sylvester Welch and Thomas 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.660 Hardy are still alive but in critical condition. 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:36.920 They are rushed to Pitt Memorial Hospital in 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.860 Greenville. Johnnie Rankins, Joyce Reason, and 00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:43.259 Grover Cecil are all dead inside of the Be-Lo. 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:46.740 Jasper Harding was left unhurt and is able to 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:48.819 provide police with details from the terrible 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:52.540 night. Police begin combing the scene. We know 00:07:52.540 --> 00:07:55.560 they find two spent casings from a .45 caliber 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:59.339 pistol. As more police gather at the B -Lo, neighbors 00:07:59.339 --> 00:08:02.180 start to come out. A man who was visiting his 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:04.259 girlfriend who lived across the street from the 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:06.699 B -Lo, and they were both home during the attacks, 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:10.399 they said they didn't hear anything. Witnesses 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:12.939 tell police that they saw a white car with Maryland 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:16.199 license plates speeding north on U .S. 17 after 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:21.360 the shooting. The next day, Monday, June 7, 1993, 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:25.839 Thomas, who was stabbed, is still listed in critical 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:28.980 condition, while Sylvester, who had been shot, 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:31.899 was in a serious condition, according to the 00:08:31.899 --> 00:08:35.440 hospital. The brutal slaying sent shockwaves 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.200 through the small community. Police say that 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.600 they saw an uptick in applications for concealed 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:44.960 carry the very next day. Jasper, who walked away 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:53.570 unhurt, says, quote, and you can believe I plan 00:08:53.570 --> 00:08:57.110 to stick to every one of them. Police are still 00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.029 working their way through the crime scene. Sheriff 00:09:00.029 --> 00:09:02.409 Perry believes that the gunman might have piled 00:09:02.409 --> 00:09:04.669 the victims up so that one shot would kill two 00:09:04.669 --> 00:09:08.509 people. Police say, quote, We think he may have 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:12.169 been low on ammunition. Only in military executions 00:09:12.169 --> 00:09:15.009 have I heard of it. I've never heard of it in 00:09:15.009 --> 00:09:18.230 a robbery. I've heard of the enemy stacking our 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:22.440 soldiers and killing them this way. Jasper is 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:35.240 on edge. He says, quote, Local police are able 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.120 to rule out all former officers for their departments, 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:40.440 so they send out an alert to other departments 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.919 in the state and other states to see if any recently 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:46.700 fired officers fit the description of the gunman. 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:50.679 On Tuesday, June 8th, two days after the murder, 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:54.000 police tell media that there may have been a 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:57.320 second man involved in the crime. Sheriff Perry 00:09:57.320 --> 00:09:59.539 tells media that the white car that was seen 00:09:59.539 --> 00:10:02.399 speeding north after the murder was also seen 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:04.559 in the parking lot just before the killings took 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:08.000 place. A man was seen waiting in the car in the 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.220 parking lot, and then two men were seen in the 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:13.179 car when it was speeding north. The second person 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:16.000 is described as a black man with a darker complexion. 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:19.139 He would have been between 6 foot and 6 foot 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:22.679 2 in his mid -30s and was described as being 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:26.320 very muscular. Police are still at the Be-Lo 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:28.759 combing through the store in search of more evidence. 00:10:30.059 --> 00:10:34.779 Altogether, $3 ,324 was stolen from the store. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.379 On Wednesday, June 9th, it's been three days 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:40.480 since the murder, and there is some good news. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.519 Thomas and Sylvester are doing better. Their 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:47.240 condition is upgraded to fair and they are healing. 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:50.980 Investigators are still sorting through officers 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.000 who had been fired from other departments. But 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.480 investigators also wonder if he really was a 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:01.440 police officer. Sheriff Perry says, quote, At 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:08.779 this time, most police officers would carry a 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:12.379 9mm pistol. or older officers would sometimes 00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:16.480 carry a .357 revolver. However, the casings that 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.340 were picked up at the store were from a .45 caliber 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:22.899 pistol. Police don't think that he knew the victims. 00:11:23.379 --> 00:11:26.080 They believe he was an outsider, and investigators 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.879 alerted Maryland authorities due to the license 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.779 plate seen on the white car. Police continue 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:35.379 to investigate, but the updates slow down. The 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:38.559 next one comes in November of 1993, so it's been 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:41.700 five months since the murders. And the FBI have 00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:43.899 gotten involved along with the State Bureau of 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.139 Investigation. The FBI have created a profile 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:49.379 of the suspect and they release it to the public. 00:11:49.980 --> 00:11:52.600 They believe that the gunman would be a threat 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:54.539 to his family and friends because of the stress 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:57.399 he is under. They believe that this is not the 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:59.320 first time that he is killed and that he has 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:02.059 likely served time in the past on felony charges 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:05.679 of some kind. While in prison, he likely thrived 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:08.720 and was a model inmate. He could have even found 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:12.139 religion there. He would be very manipulative. 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:15.200 They believe that he could convince anyone of 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.820 almost anything. The FBI say, quote, think back 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:21.460 to Memorial Day. Who came to this area for a 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:24.960 visit? Who came to this area for a funeral? We 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:27.179 are asking that anyone who knows this person 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:30.320 to please give us a call. The reward for information 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:35.559 has grown to $30 ,000. Over the next year, police 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:38.039 continue to work on the case, and they even create 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:42.200 a task force. But still, in June of 1994, so 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:45.179 a year since the murders, there's no suspect 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:50.139 in the case, and the B -Lo has closed down. Investigators 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:53.259 strongly believe that the killer likely has had 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:55.820 or is in a relationship with a woman who lives 00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:59.019 in the area. Police say, quote, the investigation 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:01.840 has led us to believe that this woman may also 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:04.980 be in danger and is possibly afraid to come forward 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:07.950 with information about the killings. The task 00:13:07.950 --> 00:13:10.409 force is willing to provide complete anonymity 00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:13.289 and a safe haven for her and others she may have 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:16.429 told about the incident. There's even more of 00:13:16.429 --> 00:13:18.590 a probability that this woman has mentioned the 00:13:18.590 --> 00:13:21.330 murders to friends or other family members, but 00:13:21.330 --> 00:13:24.409 has made them assure secrecy in order to prevent 00:13:24.409 --> 00:13:27.110 her own death. Police believe that the woman 00:13:27.110 --> 00:13:29.190 would have likely been in an abusive relationship 00:13:29.190 --> 00:13:32.309 with the man. Investigators also give more of 00:13:32.309 --> 00:13:35.789 the profile of the murderer. They say, quote, 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:39.509 He is not an ordinary killer. He would be a neat 00:13:39.509 --> 00:13:42.009 person, but still someone who would rather wear 00:13:42.009 --> 00:13:45.210 jeans than suits. He would be very, very smart. 00:13:45.870 --> 00:13:48.649 They believe he drives a small to medium two 00:13:48.649 --> 00:13:51.129 -door vehicle, which is possibly medium blue 00:13:51.129 --> 00:13:55.070 in color with rust spots. They also believe the 00:13:55.070 --> 00:13:57.450 killer is connected to the drug world and wouldn't 00:13:57.450 --> 00:14:00.190 keep a legal job for long, but he would have 00:14:00.190 --> 00:14:02.629 a strong ability to do detailed work with his 00:14:02.629 --> 00:14:06.289 hands and mathematical skills. He is physically 00:14:06.289 --> 00:14:09.929 fit but not muscular. Smooth skin and light brown 00:14:09.929 --> 00:14:13.330 -green eyes. He also has a large Adam's apple. 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:17.769 Police say, quote, this is a person who probably 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:20.309 stays home a lot during the day and comes out 00:14:20.309 --> 00:14:23.370 at night. He may even stay away from home for 00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:27.389 several days but always returns. Investigators 00:14:27.389 --> 00:14:29.610 hope that the woman will come forward and once 00:14:29.610 --> 00:14:32.669 again offer protection to her. But another year 00:14:32.669 --> 00:14:36.320 comes and goes. in June of 1995, so it's been 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:39.080 two years since the murder, and police say they 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:40.860 are still actively working the investigation. 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:45.259 The SBI is still working the case, and agent 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:48.960 Dwight Ransom says, We have taken countless leads 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:51.720 into this case. Many of them turned out to be 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.440 dead ends. We've worked every lead we've been 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:56.899 given, exhausted every single thing reported 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:59.320 on this case, no matter how trivial the information 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:02.269 might have been. but we have not had enough to 00:15:02.269 --> 00:15:05.570 move close enough to an arrest. The suspect or 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:08.690 suspects may very well be in or around the area, 00:15:08.850 --> 00:15:11.409 and we firmly believe somebody knows something 00:15:11.409 --> 00:15:14.350 that may very well lead us to the suspect or 00:15:14.350 --> 00:15:18.370 suspects in this case. But the case goes cold. 00:15:19.009 --> 00:15:21.649 Years pass without an update, but investigators 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:24.389 work behind the scenes on any leads that trickle 00:15:24.389 --> 00:15:28.649 in. The next update is in 2018. so it's been 00:15:28.649 --> 00:15:32.070 25 years since the murders. A lot of the original 00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:34.870 investigators have retired at this point, but 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:38.509 the case continues to puzzle them. Retired investigators 00:15:38.509 --> 00:15:41.669 now theorize that robbery was a secondary motive. 00:15:42.110 --> 00:15:44.809 The man's real intentions was to hurt people. 00:15:45.409 --> 00:15:48.090 They also question his claim that he was a police 00:15:48.090 --> 00:15:50.549 officer, something that they've done since the 00:15:50.549 --> 00:15:53.350 beginning. Quote, it has always puzzled me that 00:15:53.350 --> 00:15:56.740 he had only one magazine for his pistol. A person 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.100 trained in the military or as a police officer 00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:02.200 always carries more than one magazine. That leads 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:04.860 me to believe he wasn't military or a police 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:08.559 officer. All I do know is he is a cold -blooded 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:13.480 killer. As of 2023, there have been no new updates 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.639 in the case. However, there is still a $30 ,000 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.450 reward for information. So if you know anything 00:16:20.450 --> 00:16:23.769 about the murders of Grover Cecil, Joyce Reason, 00:16:24.009 --> 00:16:26.690 and Johnnie Rankins at the Be-Lo grocery store 00:16:26.690 --> 00:16:30.309 in June of 1993, please call the Windsor Police 00:16:30.309 --> 00:16:36.450 at 252 -794 -3111 or the North Carolina State 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:40.929 Bureau of Investigation at 1 -800 -334 -3000. 00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:46.389 So that is the unsolved case of the Be-Lo murders. 00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:51.549 I thought that I had known this case or maybe 00:16:51.549 --> 00:16:56.710 heard about it prior to tonight, but I'm just 00:16:56.710 --> 00:17:00.169 glad that you brought it back to me, at least. 00:17:00.370 --> 00:17:05.410 The details of this case are so bizarre and terrifying, 00:17:05.529 --> 00:17:09.869 and I know that this case is actually a little 00:17:09.869 --> 00:17:13.069 different from ones that we've covered prior, 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:17.759 but I'm really glad to be... to be talking about 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.759 it. And just to jump right into the timeline, 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:29.359 that closing shift exhaustion, while you provided 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:35.119 great detail of what those moments were during 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:39.799 the crime, but as someone who has worked closing 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.359 shifts before in a store setting, this kind of 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:45.900 scenario is something that I've... played out 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:48.640 in my own head or just like worst case scenario 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:53.259 where someone is still in the store. And yeah, 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:58.460 it's terrifying to think about. I think anyone 00:17:58.460 --> 00:18:03.559 who has worked in a retail or maybe service setting 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:06.259 where there is a closing, you go and lock the 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:10.559 doors. I think this kind of thing runs through 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:12.980 a lot of people's heads. Unfortunately, it's 00:18:13.869 --> 00:18:16.730 It's something that we run into in the true crime 00:18:16.730 --> 00:18:19.630 world where a closing shift is kind of targeted. 00:18:20.069 --> 00:18:23.869 That's actually the next question I had. And 00:18:23.869 --> 00:18:27.670 I have my own answers so far. But why was this 00:18:27.670 --> 00:18:31.650 place targeted? And I'm curious to know your 00:18:31.650 --> 00:18:34.509 thoughts. I think that's a really good question. 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:41.930 You know, police seem to feel that. the suspect 00:18:41.930 --> 00:18:45.730 is an outsider that this he didn't know any of 00:18:45.730 --> 00:18:47.549 the people there this was not like a personal 00:18:47.549 --> 00:18:53.210 vendetta against anyone um this this was um an 00:18:53.210 --> 00:18:55.809 attack like almost like a random attack but to 00:18:55.809 --> 00:18:59.700 me there are some details that seemed to suggest 00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:04.119 that this person at least studied the store a 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:06.619 little bit to know to hide what time closing 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:10.119 was and he seemed to know how many men in the 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:12.200 cleaning crew would be there like he anticipated 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:15.900 four of them so it does seem like he planned 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:21.660 it out but why this store why June why why right 00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:25.740 now I have no idea that was a similar question 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:30.430 that popped up for me Or something that I just 00:19:30.430 --> 00:19:33.369 believe that maybe he did, which was study the 00:19:33.369 --> 00:19:39.470 store, study the closing and cleaning crew, like 00:19:39.470 --> 00:19:42.430 clock out times, arrival times, just maybe eyes 00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:46.349 on the building. But again, just, you know, begs 00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:50.250 the question, why? And I know that's the crux 00:19:50.250 --> 00:19:53.230 of this case and that it's the reason we're covering 00:19:53.230 --> 00:19:59.029 it now. The randomness of it just really sticks 00:19:59.029 --> 00:20:03.529 out in my head. Well, yeah, and it just doesn't 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:05.210 really make any sense because it's like, well, 00:20:05.250 --> 00:20:08.809 if this was a robbery, he got all the money really 00:20:08.809 --> 00:20:11.890 quickly. He didn't need to kill anybody. Everybody 00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:14.109 was complying. They were doing exactly what he 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:17.769 said. So if this was purely a robbery, why turn 00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:21.970 it into a triple murder? I mean, it seemed as 00:20:21.970 --> 00:20:25.390 if he... thought he had killed five people there. 00:20:25.549 --> 00:20:30.049 So why escalate it to there when everyone was 00:20:30.049 --> 00:20:32.369 complying, everyone was listening, you know, 00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:36.509 he got everything he wanted. So why this carnage? 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:44.009 Yeah, the headspace he seemed to be in was chaotic 00:20:44.009 --> 00:20:49.740 and erratic, which granted, you know, You think 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:51.759 that maybe most people committing crimes like 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:54.180 this are in that headspace, but I don't know. 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:57.039 A lot of people are very methodical and calm 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.359 when they're committing crimes, especially that 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:04.460 involve causing physical harm and or murdering 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:09.420 multiple individuals. That's one person with 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:12.440 a lot of power over multiple people. Yeah, and 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:14.839 some of the choices he makes, you know, some 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.920 of them. do lean towards like you know he studied 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.880 the store he knew how many men in the cleaning 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:24.079 crew to anticipate but then at the same time 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.440 it seems like he didn't bring enough ammunition 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.480 for how many people are going to be there he 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:30.299 didn't bring the duct tape or the dog leashes 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:33.019 those were things he found in the store so those 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:37.000 things kind of seemed spur of the moment or chaotic 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:40.339 in that sense not thought out but then other 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:44.380 aspects of it do seem more calculated so Yeah, 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:52.140 this case is really puzzling, trying to sort 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:54.559 that out. Just was this planned? Was it random? 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:57.640 Did he study it or did he just kind of know? 00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:00.140 I don't know. There's so many questions here. 00:22:00.779 --> 00:22:03.900 The FBI profile is also something that brings 00:22:03.900 --> 00:22:07.460 up a lot of questions for me because there is 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:13.059 such specificity. in their description that it 00:22:13.059 --> 00:22:16.279 almost sounds like they are describing a person 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.619 that they think committed this and they are just 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:20.799 waiting for somebody to come forward and say 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.680 like yes he did this you know to the point where 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:27.500 it's like he you know he drives um you know like 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:30.579 a a two -door medium blue car with rust spots 00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:34.200 like that is highly specific and seems like they 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:37.420 are talking to some to somebody you know directly 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:40.619 saying we know it's you So that's really interesting 00:22:40.619 --> 00:22:44.339 to me. I would wonder if the FBI would stand 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:46.799 by that profile today, if they would release 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:50.880 as much, or if that's still along the lines of 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:53.660 who they think did it. I think it says a lot 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:57.380 about even the time period, how seriously they 00:22:57.380 --> 00:23:00.539 took this case. And it kind of surprised me, 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.200 honestly, to see that the FBI was involved and 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:06.869 came up with a whole... profile at all that they 00:23:06.869 --> 00:23:10.089 were able to. And the way law enforcement responded, 00:23:10.430 --> 00:23:12.710 it's so infrequent in these cases that we cover 00:23:12.710 --> 00:23:15.609 that we see, you know, law enforcement really 00:23:15.609 --> 00:23:19.569 step up. And this was a case that I feel like 00:23:19.569 --> 00:23:24.049 they did. Yeah. You know, the local police were 00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:26.750 really up against like a horrific crime scene 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:28.930 and something that they did not see in their 00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:31.710 day to day or even their like year to year, something 00:23:31.710 --> 00:23:36.609 as horrific as this murder. So for them to reach 00:23:36.609 --> 00:23:40.269 out quickly to the State Bureau of Investigation 00:23:40.269 --> 00:23:44.029 and the FBI because it did seem likely that this 00:23:44.029 --> 00:23:48.650 person crossed state lines, I think it was a 00:23:48.650 --> 00:23:53.329 really smart move to just bring bigger forces 00:23:53.329 --> 00:23:56.450 with bigger resources into this investigation. 00:23:56.450 --> 00:24:02.150 But even with the FBI, the SBI, we're still covering 00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:06.150 this case today. Even with three survivors who 00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:09.150 were able to give testimony and a really good 00:24:09.150 --> 00:24:11.930 composite sketch, we're still talking about it 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.269 today because this person has not been caught. 00:24:14.750 --> 00:24:17.710 Yeah, the fact that there are, you know, some 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:23.289 survivors of this, I want justice so badly for 00:24:23.289 --> 00:24:28.549 this case because it's almost like he was like 00:24:28.549 --> 00:24:31.589 slipped out of their fingertips, you know what 00:24:31.589 --> 00:24:34.180 I mean? The fact that they survived and could 00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:36.500 describe this person, it's like it's a ghost. 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:39.880 I just I would love to see justice for them. 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:44.440 And, you know, with such a specific description, 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:47.140 like we know a lot of details. We know he has 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:49.359 a bump in his nose. We know he has a large Adam's 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:52.579 apple. You know, the description of him, what 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:55.019 he would have looked like in 1993. I think somebody 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:59.180 would recognize him. And, you know, police investigators 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:03.130 feel very certain that. He told somebody about 00:25:03.130 --> 00:25:06.650 this crime. People know that he committed it. 00:25:06.750 --> 00:25:09.569 So I am hopeful that, you know, so many years 00:25:09.569 --> 00:25:12.970 have passed. Circumstances have changed. You 00:25:12.970 --> 00:25:17.309 know, people die. Conscience gets heavy that 00:25:17.309 --> 00:25:19.789 I am hopeful that somebody comes forward with 00:25:19.789 --> 00:25:24.609 information that they know about this case, maybe 00:25:24.609 --> 00:25:27.670 that they've known since 1993. But I hope that 00:25:27.670 --> 00:25:30.049 they come forward and just say what they know. 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:34.440 So again, if you know anything about the murders 00:25:34.440 --> 00:25:38.160 of Grover Cecil, Joyce Reason, and Johnnie Rankins 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.140 at the B -Lo grocery store in June of 1993, please 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:48.400 call the Windsor Police at 252 -794 -3111 or 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:51.140 the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:57.940 at 1 -800 -334 -3000. On our Instagram, we will 00:25:57.940 --> 00:26:01.259 have the suspect's sketch and a picture of the 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:04.380 Be-Lo. This week, we don't have pictures of our 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:07.400 victims. I was able to find a picture of Grover 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:09.740 and his family, but it seems like the rest of 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:12.579 the families are really looking for privacy and 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:16.019 the survivors as well. So out of respect and 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:19.539 since they were not readily available. I'm not 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:22.079 including pictures of the victims of the attack, 00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:24.980 but just the suspect and the Be-Lo grocery store, 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:27.720 which you can see on our Instagram at coldandmissing. 00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:30.039 If you could share that suspect sketch, just 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:32.619 get it out there. Get people looking at it. That 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:35.440 would do huge things for this case just to get 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.119 people talking about it. And we would appreciate 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:41.769 it so much. We also have on our website transcripts 00:26:41.769 --> 00:26:43.730 of all of our episodes. So if you or someone 00:26:43.730 --> 00:26:45.569 you love is hard of hearing, you can follow along 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.329 with the podcast there. It's the official transcript. 00:26:48.529 --> 00:26:51.369 So I go through, I edit, I make sure all the 00:26:51.369 --> 00:26:53.390 names are spelled correctly and everything's 00:26:53.390 --> 00:26:58.009 correct. Podcast players, I know they do. transcripts 00:26:58.009 --> 00:26:59.769 now but they're not always accurate so if you're 00:26:59.769 --> 00:27:01.710 looking for the accurate ones they are on our 00:27:01.710 --> 00:27:05.190 website www .coldandmissing .com and if you could 00:27:05.190 --> 00:27:07.930 take a minute to rate and review us in your podcast 00:27:07.930 --> 00:27:10.630 player five stars goes a long way in getting 00:27:10.630 --> 00:27:13.690 this podcast into the hands of other people into 00:27:13.690 --> 00:27:17.470 the ears of other people so if you could rate 00:27:17.470 --> 00:27:19.789 and review us in your podcast player it would 00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:23.930 mean a lot and share the podcast with Those in 00:27:23.930 --> 00:27:26.029 your community, people who also like true crime, 00:27:26.089 --> 00:27:28.930 like engaging with this content, share our podcast 00:27:28.930 --> 00:27:30.890 with them. We would appreciate it oh so very 00:27:30.890 --> 00:27:33.490 much. But that is all I have for you this week. 00:27:33.869 --> 00:27:35.990 Thank you so much for listening to Cold and Missing. 00:27:36.230 --> 00:27:38.529 I'm your host, Allie. And I'm your co -host, 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:40.849 Eli. Have a good week and stay safe, y 'all. 00:27:41.230 --> 00:27:42.150 Stay safe, y 'all.