“We found some dirt right here. They’re saying a truck must have backed up right here, right?”

“Oh my god.”

“Back up. Back up. Please back up. Just back up.”

Officers reported to a seemingly routine traffic incident in Moses Lake, Washington. What no officer on scene realized was that this encounter would be the start of a terrifying investigation, leading to the most dark and twisted body cam footage we’ve ever shown.

“But if you want justice—” “I already know who did it.” “Listen to me. Please get out of your car and come get my kid. Put him in cuffs right now.” “Don’t say anything right now. We don’t know.” “Did you do it? Look at me. Did you do it?”

It was an early Sunday afternoon on November 3rd when officers patrolling downtown Moses Lake identified a truck matching a stolen vehicle report logged just hours earlier. Multiple police units were dispatched—more than typically assigned to a stolen vehicle report. Almost as if from the very start, police somehow knew this vehicle theft report would soon unravel into something much worse.

Inside the vehicle was twenty-seven-year-old professional athlete Isaiah Thomas, the former wide receiver for Eastern Oregon University, who was currently armed with a weapon.

The truck was reported as stolen. “Whose truck is this?” “It’s my truck.” “Okay. Do you have your ID and registration? Just go and turn it off, please. I apologize if it’s your truck, but it wasn’t registered in your name, man.” “Yeah, I know.”

There was ammunition in the front seat. The officer quickly realized that this encounter could escalate at any moment, so they swiftly ordered him out of the vehicle only to uncover something interesting about his identity.

“What up, Greg?” “What’s up, man?” “How you doing, Isaiah?” “Another day.” “Don’t forget, make sure you don’t have any weapons on you.” “I do got a weapon on me.” “What do you have?” “I think I got a knife right here in my pocket.”

It turned out that Officer Alvarado and Isaiah went to high school together. Alvarado recalled Isaiah as a standout football player who went on to compete at the college level. But now in front of him was a disoriented young man, barely able to focus and answer their questions in a stolen vehicle—a stark contrast to the athlete Alvarado once knew.

In reality, there was a very good reason for Isaiah’s odd behavior. One that Officer Alvarado would soon understand. Within minutes, Isaiah and his family would be at the center of a murder investigation with only one question left unsolved.

For now, officers decided to contact Isaiah’s family to inform them of his recent actions and detainment. They quickly got his family contact details and called his mother, forty-seven-year-old Cassie Thomas. However, the information Cassie provided shifted the course of the investigation in an unexpected way.

At this point, Officer Alvarado began to realize the mistake they’d made. Now it made sense why Isaiah immediately asked for a lawyer. He was being accused of something he clearly didn’t do. As Officer Alvarado continued speaking with Isaiah’s mom, he decided to ask about something that had been worrying him since the very moment Isaiah stepped out of the truck.

“I went to high school with Isaiah. He wasn’t never really like this. Is everything okay?” “He just seemed a little bit off to me when he was talking.” “Well, probably because he’s being accused of something he didn’t do. It’s his grandpa’s truck.”

Officer Alvarado didn’t know it yet, but his suspicion that something was very wrong with Isaiah wasn’t far from the truth. Still, with no evidence tying Isaiah to a crime, they had no choice but to release him. But as he walked away, Officer Alvarado followed him, hoping to reconnect with his old friend.

“All right, bro. Let’s walk over to the front of your truck real quick. I just want to tell you something. It’s all right, man. I know you don’t want to talk about this, but it’s cool. You don’t have to. So, you all right, man? You like off the books. Do you want to talk about anything? ‘Cause I’ll turn off my camera station, bro. It’s just like we’re at a time right now, bro.”

“There’s a time in everybody’s life, bro, where they just need to like really reevaluate what’s going on, you know? If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call. I’ll sit down and have a conversation with you, bro.”

To Alvarado, it seemed Isaiah wanted to say something, but he just couldn’t find the words for now. Isaiah got into his truck and drove off, unaware that this wouldn’t be the last time today he’d be accused of a crime.

“I was wondering if I could speak to somebody about a missing person in Moses Lake. It’s my father. Nobody’s seen him.” “And his first and last name?” “Richard Andrews.” “And what is his home address? Is it 430 Dale?” “Correct.”

On the phone was Kelly Kirkendall, reporting that her father, seventy-five-year-old Richard Andrews, had mysteriously vanished. Officers were sent to his address, and minutes later they arrived to investigate.

Waiting for Sergeant Rodriguez were Carmen, Kelly, and Cassie—daughters of Richard Andrews, the missing elderly man. As he began speaking to them, hoping to learn more about their father’s disappearance, a familiar face stepped out of the house.

Isaiah stepped forward. The same Isaiah who had been detained earlier for driving his grandfather’s truck. Now he stood in front of officers again, this time as a potential witness to his grandfather’s disappearance.

“Do you know where your grandfather is?” “No, I have no clue where he’s at.” “He didn’t tell you anything where he was going? Did you see him leave?” “No. Basically what I did see was him talking to somebody out here. He was kind of parked a little farther out. They were talking in the window. I looked down. That’s it.”

While officers were surprised to be speaking with Isaiah and his mother Cassie for the second time that day, their priority right now was finding his grandfather Richard. With the timeline now established and Isaiah believed to be the last person to see Richard, Sergeant Rodriguez turned his attention to him. But as their conversation unfolded, he began to notice something strange about this family.

What stood out to Rodriguez was how differently the family reacted to the disappearance of their relative. While Isaiah and his mother Cassie suggested that Richard’s absence wasn’t especially unusual, with Isaiah even casually smoking weed, his daughter Kelly saw it very differently and appeared genuinely concerned for her father in a way the others did not.

That’s when Isaiah’s father, Anthony, arrived, bringing with him the breakthrough they’d been waiting for.

Several family members headed to Richard’s shop with a deputy while Sergeant Rodriguez stayed behind to gather the remaining details. As he did so, he took note of the family statements so far. What stood out was Anthony’s frustration with Isaiah. It seemed like the two of them knew something the others didn’t, as the way Anthony questioned his son sounded like he was accusing him of being involved with Richard’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Isaiah was being defensive, claiming everyone was overreacting. His mother remained calm, smiling, and at times even answering questions that weren’t directed at her.

Rodriguez noted the contrast in this family’s behavior and stepped away to drive to Richard’s shop. But before he could go, Isaiah’s mother made a horrifying statement—one that would come back to haunt her.

“Get out of your car and come get my kid. Put him in cuffs right now.”

Those statements came from Isaiah’s mother, Cassie, as she approached the officer. In a sudden shift, Cassie told the sergeant to arrest her own son, catching him completely off guard. Just moments ago, she hadn’t seemed particularly concerned. Now she was adamant that Isaiah was guilty of something. It was a sharp change in behavior, one that left officers wondering if Cassie knew far more than she was letting on.

By now, Anthony was on his way to Richard’s shop, just two miles from the house, with a patrol unit following closely behind. As the first deputy pulled up to the shop, he noticed several other family members had also gathered. Expecting to find a lead on Richard’s whereabouts, they would instead uncover something no one was prepared to see.

Buried in a shallow grave in the front yard of his own shop lay the remains of seventy-five-year-old Richard Andrews.

Richard’s daughter Kim was the first to see him. She recognized her father immediately, revealing part of his leg with the same jeans he always wore. It was a horrifying discovery. Even the deputy was shaken and unable to control the situation on his own. But as he observed the family, something about it felt off. By the time he arrived, the family had already begun digging. And within moments of uncovering Richard’s remains, they started pointing fingers, fixating on the one person they were convinced was responsible.

To the officer’s surprise, Kim didn’t hesitate to blame her nephew, Isaiah. Despite there being no direct evidence linking him to what happened here, shaken and unsure how to handle the situation, the deputy allowed the family to remain at the crime scene even after the body was discovered.

Then two minutes later, Sergeant Rodriguez finally arrived, stepping straight into the chaos. He tried to regain control of the situation, but it didn’t take long before he lost his patience.

Despite Kim’s certainty, officers weren’t yet convinced that Isaiah was responsible. Because as they inspected the scene closer, something else stood out—something that started to point to someone very different. Burned debris was scattered across the grass, a clear sign that something had been intentionally destroyed. But the cover-up went even deeper. The section of lawn where Richard was buried had been cut out, replaced, and even watered afterward—an effort to make the yard appear completely untouched.

For investigators, it was still unclear whether Richard’s life ended here or if only his remains were dumped. To find out, they needed to search his shop, standing just a few feet away. Inside, the deputy noticed the shower appeared to have been recently used, suggesting whoever was responsible may have been here only minutes earlier. Officers then continued clearing the rest of the shop, finding no signs of a struggle—nothing to suggest Richard was killed here.

As officers began to regain control of the chaotic scene, Richard’s daughter Cassie arrived—the same woman who had told the sergeant earlier to arrest her son Isaiah. Why she accused him before the body had even been discovered was now a question detectives needed to answer. But first, they had to break the devastating news to her.

Naturally, Cassie was distraught. Not only because her father was gone, but because she suspected her own son may be responsible. For now, officers continued securing the scene and prepared to send Richard’s remains for examination. But as they did, they began to overhear the family frantically talking amongst themselves. What they were saying suggested the situation was only escalating because someone else might be about to get hurt.

According to Carmen, Anthony was furious and already on his way back to the house, convinced his own son Isaiah was responsible. He had just seen the body of his father-in-law buried in the ground. What he did next was completely unpredictable. Multiple units were quickly sent to the house, racing to get there before Anthony confronted Isaiah.

Minutes later, officers made it to the house just seconds ahead of Anthony, who was right behind them, along with the rest of the family, all demanding answers.

For the second time that day, Isaiah was accused of a crime. Only now it was something far more serious, and the accusations were coming from his own family. They stood by watching as he was taken into custody, convinced the case was now solved. But what officers were about to uncover would complicate everything, revealing that no one in this family could truly be trusted.

While Isaiah was transported to the Grant County Jail, police continued speaking with the rest of the family. But by now, Richard’s daughters were too shaken to talk. So investigators turned to his son-in-law, Greg, one of the first to discover the remains, and they were about to learn that he had vital information that would begin to piece together this meticulous event.

When the family began digging, they discovered Richard’s remains had been fully wrapped in a brown and gray tarp. That tarp belonged to Greg, which now raised two possibilities: either he just incriminated himself, or whoever did this used it specifically to frame him. Greg had his own theory about who may have set him up.

According to Greg, Richard’s truck was shared and often driven by multiple members of the family, which immediately complicated things as the tire tracks officers identified at the crime scene no longer pointed to a single suspect. But just as leads began to run dry, officers learned that the search warrant for Richard’s home had finally been approved.

The moment they stepped inside the home, detectives noticed a strong scent of bleach in the air. All surfaces had been wiped down, and inside there were clear signs of a cleanup job. Detectives knew they were dealing with a methodical individual—possibly more than one. But even then, they would overlook something critical.

When detectives inspected the house more closely, they noticed spots of red on the back door handle that had been missed—their first real piece of evidence tying Richard’s house to what happened. Then they stumbled upon something even more significant: a knife hidden in the living room, still in its sheath, marked with visible stains. Whoever tried to erase what happened here didn’t manage to get rid of everything.

With the scene processed, all evidence sent for forensic analysis, and the family dispersed, the focus shifted to the man back at the station. Since his arrest, Isaiah had refused to cooperate. But now, as officers returned to confiscate his clothing, they were about to discover the most crucial piece of evidence may have been right in front of them all day.

When officers held up Isaiah’s shoes, they noticed they were covered in dirt and possibly dried red stains. It was the first and only detail that could place him anywhere near the crime scene, but it was far from definitive.

With the day coming to an end, investigators finished processing their findings and prepared for tomorrow, hoping they’d finally be able to answer what really happened to Richard. As for Isaiah, by continuing to refuse to speak, he had effectively handed his fate over to his family, who had already begun forming theories and accusations with even the closest relatives ready to completely turn on each other.

The next morning, after nearly twelve hours of detectives digging through the family’s past, troubling rumors began to surface, alleging Isaiah might have been involved in an old cold case that remained unsolved to this day. Detectives also heard whispers that Isaiah’s own parents may have helped cover it up and may have even known what happened to Richard long before anyone else. These were serious allegations that detectives would need to explore carefully.

But right now, their immediate priority was uncovering what truly happened to Richard and who was responsible. To do that, they began calling family members into the station for formal interviews. The first to arrive was Isaiah’s father, Anthony. Among many other details, detectives needed to address one critical question: why was he so quick to suspect his own son? Was it simply a gut feeling, or did he know something no one else did?

Anthony recounted an incident from one week earlier. Police had been called to Isaiah’s aunt Kim’s house after reports that he was experiencing a mental health episode. When officers detained Isaiah, they found him in tears, struggling to hold himself together.

Clearly, there was sympathy in the officer’s voice as he realized the man in front of him had been dealt a very difficult hand in life. And although Isaiah downplayed the incident, in hindsight it would read very differently. Perhaps this was the last and only time something could have been done to prevent the tragic fate of Richard Andrews.

After analyzing the incident and forming a clearer picture of Isaiah, detectives returned to finish their interview with Anthony. Through his account, it became clear he believed Isaiah’s issues stemmed from two factors: prolonged marijuana use and repeated head trauma from his time as a wide receiver—a position notorious for heavy hits. Anthony also went on to clarify crucial details about his son’s mental state, making it evident that his initial suspicions of Isaiah were rooted in his son’s increasingly unpredictable and volatile behavior.

With Anthony’s perspective now on the record, the interview came to an end, and detectives moved on to Richard’s daughter Kim, the person who found the body. Kim went on to explain why she immediately suspected her nephew Isaiah, pointing to his history of violent episodes, including pulling weapons on family members, as well as his white van covered in dirt—something she said was highly unusual for him. Notably, she ended the interview by saying she feared that if Isaiah was ever released, he would do it again.

With the case against Isaiah growing stronger by the minute, detectives then shifted their attention to two more family members: Richard’s daughter Chrissy and her partner Floyd. Unlike everyone else, these two family members were about to become Isaiah’s best—and perhaps only—chance of shifting how detectives viewed Isaiah’s role in all of this.

At this point, detectives began to realize Chrissy and Floyd weren’t just angry at Isaiah. They also held his mother accountable, and the couple’s suspicions aligned with detectives who still couldn’t explain why Cassie asked them to arrest Isaiah before the body was even discovered. So, with all of this in mind, detectives asked them both point-blank who they believed was truly responsible.

Accusations like these don’t come lightly, especially between sisters. Additionally, Floyd’s description of Isaiah aligned with what detectives already believed: that he was impulsive, messy, and incapable of thinking ahead. And with the next interview set to be Cassie herself, detectives understood just how much weight this conversation carried—not only for Isaiah’s future, but for Cassie’s as well.

There was a lot they still needed to figure out: her unusual behavior outside the sergeant’s car, her possible involvement, and even lingering questions about a potential past cold case. But they knew these answers wouldn’t come easily. They’d have to approach this carefully, waiting for the right moment to press her.

As her interview unfolded, watch closely for the moment Cassie began to fear she was the one being implicated.

Clearly, Cassie appeared emotional, possibly even carrying a sense of guilt as she spoke about her son. Beyond that, nothing about her behavior stood out to detectives as suspicious. But as the interview continued, she began recounting the same incident at Chrissy’s house, where some noticeable differences between her story and the rest of the family started to emerge.

While retelling the story, Cassie appeared far less disturbed by the incident despite it involving her own son. She also seemed reluctant to discuss the part where he threatened her husband’s life. So after a few hours of letting Cassie speak freely, allowing her to settle into the role of the victim, detectives would finally begin to push back, starting with one detail that would clearly catch her off guard.

Clearly, Cassie was distraught—not only at the prospect of being ostracized by her family, but also at the possibility of being suspected by detectives as Isaiah’s accomplice. But there was still one more question detectives needed answered, after which they’d have made up their minds about Cassie.

Despite her unusual behavior, the detective appeared to take Cassie at her word, believing she may be genuinely innocent. Her family, however, remained unconvinced. After wrapping up this and several other family interviews, investigators found themselves between a rock and a hard place. So far, there was no concrete evidence that Chrissy or anyone else was involved. In fact, at this stage, there was barely enough to definitively prove Isaiah’s involvement.

Isaiah remained in jail, hoping that with the right lawyer and no further discoveries at the house, he might still be able to walk away.

One week passed before the case finally saw an update—but it wasn’t the one investigators were hoping for. The examination results had just come in. According to the coroner, Richard had died at his home from a severe wound to the neck that resulted in significant blood loss. He also showed signs of blunt force trauma to the head. His body was then dragged out and later buried in a shallow tarp-wrapped grave at his own shop.

But even with these horrific findings, they said little about who was responsible, other than suggesting it was someone deeply disturbed. And with every passing day, both detectives and the family began to fear that the person or people responsible might never face justice.

More than two months passed, and the case began to stall. But then investigators caught a break. They received a major update from the jail where Isaiah was being held. Detectives rushed over and met with one of Isaiah’s fellow inmates, who had some very interesting information to share.

What the inmate described aligned with key details from the examination, particularly the fatal wound. But even then, investigators couldn’t be certain. The inmate could be telling the truth, or he could be saying whatever he thought would benefit him in hopes of a reduced sentence. But that uncertainty would soon come to an end with an update from Isaiah himself.

Two weeks after speaking with the inmate, in early February, Isaiah pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of human remains. On March 10th, he was sentenced to a maximum of twenty years in prison, along with mandatory mental health treatment and no-contact orders involving several family members who cooperated with the investigation.

As of now, no other family members have been charged, with law enforcement ultimately concluding this was a solo actor case, dismissing any allegations of parental involvement. And as for the alleged prior cold case, police have so far found no evidence linking Isaiah to any unsolved cases.

The family discovered the missing father’s head inside a garbage bag—wrapped in a tarp, buried in a shallow grave, hidden beneath the earth at his own shop. The son who drove his truck, who smiled at officers, who asked for a lawyer, who said he didn’t know where his grandfather was—that son was the one who ended him.

And the mother who told police to arrest her own child, who knew before anyone else, who stood at the crime scene and watched—she walked free.

The inmate’s words still echoed: “He asked him if he believed in God. And then he just did it.”

Twenty years. Isaiah Thomas will be forty-seven when he gets out—if he gets out. Richard Andrews will never see another sunrise. The family will never be whole. And the question that haunts Moses Lake is not who did it.

We know who did it. The question is: could anyone have stopped it?