0:00

Do you ever wonder where all your money

0:02

went? Like every single time you look at

0:04

your bank account? Honestly, it's

0:06

probably all those subscriptions. I

0:09

felt that way too, until I got Rocket Money. Rocket

0:12

Money helped me see all the subscriptions

0:14

I'm paying for, and it was eye-opening.

0:17

Between streaming services, fitness apps, delivery

0:19

services, it all adds up so

0:21

quickly. Rocket Money is

0:23

a personal finance app that finds and

0:26

cancels your unwanted subscriptions, clears

0:28

your spending, and helps lower your bills. Rocket

0:31

Money has over 5 million users and has helped

0:33

save its members an average of $720 a year, with over

0:35

$500 million in cancel subscriptions. Stop

0:40

wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel

0:44

your unwanted subscriptions by going

0:46

to rocketmoney.com/Wondery. That's

0:49

rocketmoney.com/Wondery. rocketmoney.com/Wondery.

0:53

This podcast is supported by FedEx.

0:56

FedEx offers fast delivery, more

0:58

visibility, simple returns, and weekend

1:01

home delivery to 98% of

1:03

the U.S. population on Saturday and 50% on

1:05

Sunday. With FedEx,

1:07

you get picture-proof of delivery, ensuring you

1:10

always know where your package is. Returns

1:13

are simple, with package-less and

1:15

paperless returns. Plus, FedEx Ground

1:17

is also faster to more

1:19

locations than UPS Ground. See

1:21

the FedEx service guide for delivery information.

1:24

So what are you waiting for? See what

1:26

FedEx can do for your business. Absolutely,

1:28

positively FedEx. They

1:33

were the perfect couple, living

1:35

their golden years in a

1:37

wilderness paradise. People

1:40

were drawn to her because of her smile,

1:42

because she has kind of a giddy laugh.

1:45

Hard work was his mantra. You worked hard for

1:47

what you wanted and worked hard to get what

1:50

you got. They had a

1:52

perfect marriage, a storybook marriage. They

1:55

had the kind of partnership that

1:57

other people aspired to. But

2:02

once rigid morning tragedy will alter

2:04

the rest of their lives. I'm

2:07

on my way to see a defense emergency. Cordon-Lay.

2:11

Okay, tell me exactly what happened. There's a

2:13

dead body on our shoreline. Murray,

2:15

what below the surface? It wasn't seen again.

2:18

Dark secrets lie beneath

2:20

these icy waters. I

2:23

would... I would love to know what the whole

2:25

thing is. I

2:27

don't think you killed your husband. I would

2:29

kill myself before I hurt Larry. This

2:33

was a woman whose entire

2:35

world, entire life was unraveling

2:37

before her eyes. How could

2:39

I have been so stupid? Why

2:42

on earth would you take off?

2:45

Why would you disappear? What are you doing?

2:48

It really made you stop and think.

2:51

How well do I know my neighbor? February

3:06

13, 2018, Cordelane, Idaho. A

3:11

four-season playground for residents and

3:14

visitors alike, Cordelane offers a

3:16

lush sanctuary for nature enthusiasts.

3:20

We have lakes, mountainskiing, hiking, fishing,

3:24

all the outdoor activities you possibly

3:26

want. The crown

3:28

jewel of the region is Lake

3:30

Cordelane, a vast and breathtaking expanse

3:32

of water more than 25 miles long and up to

3:34

200 feet deep. Lake

3:40

Cordelane is what continues to draw

3:42

people to the area. It is

3:44

absolutely stunning every single season. But

3:49

on the morning before Valentine's Day, the

3:52

serenity of Lake Cordelane would be pierced

3:54

with a woman's cries for help. What's

4:00

the other emergency? I

4:02

need help. I'm on the right. But I don't

4:04

know where. My husband

4:07

had a stroke. Can you tell? At

4:11

10.23 a.m. Dispatchers at

4:13

the Coeur-de-Lane Police Department receive

4:16

a panicked call from 64-year-old

4:18

Lori Eisenberg about

4:20

her husband, 68-year-old Larry Eisenberg. She

4:24

was reporting that she was out on Lake

4:26

Coeur-de-Lane and that her husband had possibly had

4:28

a stroke and fallen overboard. So

4:32

you saw him fall off the front of the boat? Yes,

4:34

yes. I grabbed

4:37

him. I stripped him. Oh,

4:40

good. All right, we're going to

4:42

get through this. She

4:44

was obviously very distraught, somewhat

4:47

panic-stricken, crying. I can't

4:50

find him. I

4:52

can't find you. Well,

4:55

of course. What's his name?

4:58

Larry Eisenberg.

5:06

Though Coeur-de-Lane is a tourist hub today,

5:09

this area is home to generations

5:11

of proud loggers and millworkers. Larry

5:14

Eisenberg spent a lifetime carrying on

5:17

that tradition. Larry

5:19

was very active in the community. Old-time

5:22

Coeur-de-Lane person, you know, you'd be hard-pressed

5:24

20 years ago

5:26

not to have known Larry Eisenberg from one

5:28

function or another. Born

5:31

in 1950, Larry joined the logging industry

5:34

after graduating from the University of

5:36

Idaho with a degree in Forestry.

5:40

The lumber industry, in times past, certainly drew

5:42

a type of person. There were hard workers

5:44

and hard players, really. They

5:46

knew how to pick themselves up by the bootstraps. Hard

5:49

work was his mantra. You worked

5:51

hard for what you wanted and worked hard to get what

5:53

you got. He wasn't the free handout

5:55

sort of guy. They

6:00

met and fell in love with a woman named

6:02

Ann in 1974. The

6:05

couple flourished in the bucolic backdrop

6:07

of Coeur d'Alene and had

6:10

two children, Jessica and Dean. They

6:13

were the kind of folks that you can always count on

6:15

when you were down. They were a salt of the

6:17

earth type of folks. He was

6:19

a loving father. He was a hard worker. He

6:21

was the kind of person you would have loved

6:23

to have be your neighbor. I

6:26

met Larry in the early mid-90s through

6:29

the Chamber of Commerce. Everybody seemed to like Larry. Larry

6:31

was one of those people that always had a smile

6:34

on his face. Larry

6:36

had been married for, I believe, as much as 29

6:38

years. There was

6:40

difficulties in the marriage and they stuck

6:43

it out until their

6:45

last child came of age and

6:47

then ultimately broke that off. Soon

6:51

after his divorce, Larry found his

6:53

perfect match at the Coeur d'Alene

6:55

Chamber of Commerce. A

6:57

fiery blonde who shared Larry's

6:59

passion for business, 50-year-old Lori

7:02

Barnes. She

7:05

was good to people. I think that

7:07

people were drawn to her because of

7:09

her smile, because she has kind

7:12

of a giddy laugh. Born

7:18

in 1953, Lori Laval

7:20

came from humble beginnings.

7:24

She came from the sect of

7:26

the LDS religion. However,

7:29

her father, according to

7:31

Lori, often didn't have adequate

7:33

funds and they often stayed

7:36

the night in farmhouses, basically didn't have

7:38

a home to live in, so stayed

7:40

where they could until they got caught

7:42

and removed. In 1973,

7:44

when she was just 19, Lori married Stephen Barnes. The

7:50

couple made building a family their

7:53

top priority and over the next

7:55

decade, they had six daughters together.

7:58

I Really felt like Lori. Was really

8:00

all about family and all about

8:02

doing the best that she could

8:05

for all of them. Citing

8:10

irreconcilable differences, Laurie divorced her

8:12

husband in Nineteen Ninety Six.

8:15

Shortly. After Laurie made a bold

8:17

move and left the church to

8:19

be a single mother to her

8:21

daughter's she found a new home

8:23

in Core Delaine. And know

8:25

that her. Her daughter's meant

8:28

everything to her. Laurie

8:30

began working as a self employed

8:32

liaison for City Council's in the

8:35

northern Idaho region, eager to prove

8:37

that she was a formidable business

8:39

woman. She

8:41

often facilitated group meetings for Civic

8:44

Project. She was very active in

8:46

the community and very active in

8:48

politics. In

8:52

two thousand and four eight years

8:54

after Lorries divorce, she settled down

8:56

with a newly single Larry Eisenberg

8:58

and their blended family. Didn't skip

9:01

a beat. By.

9:03

All accounts they had. A perfect

9:05

marriage As story but marriage.

9:08

They had the of partnership the

9:10

other people. Aspire to. My

9:15

two thousand nine, The Eisenberg were

9:17

pillars of course, Elaine and bonded

9:19

by love and family. They

9:22

used their good fortune to give back

9:24

to the community. Larry.

9:27

Round. The Fire Smart program

9:29

Hero which helped clear land

9:31

and make sure that tweet

9:33

to try to control wildfires.

9:37

Laurie. Forged a different path as

9:39

Executive Director of. The North

9:41

Idaho Housing Coalition The

9:43

Coalition. Purchase homes that have

9:45

been foreclosed, hired contractors renovate

9:47

the homes and then either

9:50

sells those homes. Or rents them

9:52

too low to moderate income buyers.

9:55

Lauren. Larry lived a very comfortable

9:57

life. I'd be hesitant to. Say

10:00

they were rich but because of where

10:02

they live because of how they dress.

10:05

Because of that travels that they may

10:07

because of the cars that they drove.

10:09

They were moving a lovely lies.

10:12

The. Eisenberg. We're entering their golden

10:15

years on a think. Klaus.

10:18

Until a cold day in

10:20

February of two thousand and

10:23

eighteen, when really Eisenberg suddenly

10:25

disappeared into the frigid waters.

10:27

Of Lake Cord Elaine the

10:29

Sheriff's deputies got they're fairly

10:31

quickly, probably within fifteen minutes

10:33

are receiving call They had

10:35

arrived at Lord's location on

10:37

the lake were Lorie was

10:39

floating alone, distrust and cross.

10:44

Or he was a. Line

10:51

was found. In various parts of the.

10:54

Worry. Eisenberg said that she tripped

10:56

can sustain the bloody nose

10:58

during the time that she

11:00

was running around in the

11:02

both trying to save Larry

11:04

Eisenberg. As first

11:07

responders rushed to the scene obviously they

11:09

were hopeful that they would be able

11:11

to find player he, but due to

11:13

the time of year and a temperature

11:16

of the water that would likely going

11:18

to be a recovery rather than of

11:20

rescue. Coming

11:25

up the search for Larry. Eisenberg

11:27

intensifies as questions.

11:29

Emerge the investigators began to take

11:32

a second look at whether or

11:34

not there's a potential motives their

11:36

how much. Deception could be

11:39

lurking, just. Beneath the surface as

11:41

a newspaper article or more in

11:43

for sued alleged to have embezzled

11:45

some one hundred thousand dollars is.

11:47

One. Of those moments, a shot.

11:49

I remember just shaking my head

11:52

and telling my husband. And

11:54

I can't see this half. Our

12:12

Domain hoping to find sixty eight

12:14

year old a Larry Eisenberg allies.

12:16

according to his wife Lori, the

12:19

couple were on in early morning

12:21

cruise when Larry fell overboard. Portland

12:25

like can be dangerous. Probably the most

12:27

dangerous part of the lake at that

12:30

time a year is the water temperatures.

12:33

I've been told that at the

12:35

water temperature on that day, which

12:37

was approximately thirty eight degrees. Someone.

12:40

Can only survive for maybe

12:42

have too many. Years

12:45

ago, under hypothermia or drown

12:47

or ball. With

12:51

the search of the massive lake underway,

12:53

Laurie is transported to sure to give

12:55

a full account of what happened. On

12:58

the phone. They

13:00

had gone out for a

13:02

sunrise cruz to make their

13:05

way down the lake to

13:07

have breakfast at the. Core

13:09

Lane Resort. Glory.

13:11

Told first responders. That Larry

13:13

was looking at the motor. Laurie

13:16

went on to say that he suddenly

13:19

straightened up and looked at her and

13:21

she said he just looked awful at

13:23

the for the confusion on his face

13:25

and he collapsed and fell over the

13:27

side of the boat. He

13:30

said as long as long as. It

13:34

is students fascinating.

13:37

Just. Take

13:50

it. he

13:52

leaned against the console

13:54

and was experiencing what

13:56

she described as stroke

13:58

symptoms Lori

14:02

Eisenberg indicated that she got

14:04

up and tried to get

14:06

to Larry Eisenberg, tried to

14:08

grab him in some fashion. Where

14:13

do you recall the blood coming from? My nose,

14:15

my trip, I don't know how

14:17

I think. But you didn't recall seeing any blood

14:19

on him, right? No. She

14:22

was not able to reach him as he was falling

14:24

or immediately after he fell. Larry

14:26

went below the surface and wasn't seen again.

14:31

Lori said that she wasn't able to call

14:34

911 right away because she

14:36

had left her cell phone in the truck when

14:38

they parked to go launch the boat. She

14:41

said that she couldn't find Larry

14:44

Eisenberg's phone and believed that it

14:46

may have gone into the lake

14:48

with him. I

14:51

just drove a gun, I don't know, I didn't have my phone, I

14:53

just left it in the truck because I always bring it in. I

14:57

thought his was in his pocket

15:00

because he always has his phone in his pocket.

15:03

Unable to summon help, Lori continued

15:06

to search for her husband. She

15:09

described going from log to log

15:11

and driving around in kind of a

15:13

fugue state for more than an hour

15:16

before the motor gave out. Lori

15:19

told us that as she moved about the boat,

15:22

she discovered Larry's phone wrapped in a

15:24

blanket. She eventually did

15:26

make that 911 call from

15:29

Larry's cell phone. There

15:33

is one detail of Lori's account that

15:35

would only stand out to seasoned residents

15:37

of Cordelane. So

15:41

you were cruising around trying to find him

15:43

frantically? You were just kind of circling

15:45

mostly me? No, I kept seeing Mom. Okay.

15:47

No, it's stupid. Nothing stupid in

15:50

a situation like this. I just wanted

15:52

to find him. The

16:00

she went from log to

16:02

log. Does it make sense?

16:06

During this time frame. In

16:08

the wintertime, particularly around that time

16:10

of year, in February. There.

16:13

Really isn't that many a

16:15

floating objects in the late.

16:18

As someone who is smillie with the

16:20

area and familiar with the lake she

16:22

would have known that there were occupied

16:24

houses said she was steering pass that

16:26

there would have been a number of.where

16:29

she could have stopped there were points

16:31

when she would have been able to

16:33

see cars driving past on. The Road

16:35

Way. Know. Any

16:39

A. Slight

16:45

the lingering questions it appears to

16:48

detect. Genuinely shaken

16:50

by the as an. Adult

17:01

to kill your has. Her

17:06

theory. At

17:11

this point investigators have no reason

17:13

to suspect a lorry of foul

17:15

play. By all accounts to their

17:17

marriage was on solid ground. I.

17:20

Wasn't aware of conflict between seen

17:22

Larry as I understood and as I

17:24

saw them. they were a loving

17:26

couple. Their. Kids described

17:29

them as sony. The.

17:34

Very same morning that Larry

17:36

Eisenberg disappears, a startling headline

17:38

hits the local newsstands. There's

17:41

a newspaper article Morning wood floor is

17:43

alleged to have been basil some one

17:45

hundred thousand. And

17:51

what's worse, Laurie is accused of

17:53

defrauding of very non profit. she

17:56

worked for the sheriff's office

17:58

was notified by the Court

18:00

of the Lane Police Department that they were

18:02

actually involved in an investigation

18:05

related to possible theft of

18:07

funds from the organization

18:09

that Lori worked for. There

18:12

were accounting irregularities that were discovered

18:14

by the accountant that was assigned

18:17

to review the books for the

18:19

North Idaho Housing Coalition. The

18:23

alleged improprieties began two years

18:26

prior to Larry's disappearance. I

18:29

became involved with the North Idaho

18:32

Housing Coalition when it first began

18:34

its mission to

18:36

provide affordable workforce housing.

18:39

I volunteered initially. Eventually,

18:42

the entity grew to

18:44

the point where we became paid

18:47

accountants for them, and we did the

18:50

tax return on an annual basis. My

18:52

position as an outside accountant was to be

18:55

a guardian in that I would raise a

18:57

flag if I saw something wrong. I

19:00

began to be concerned in about late

19:03

2015, early 2016, that there was a problem with the

19:09

books and records. There

19:11

were many checks being signed, and

19:13

the signatures on the checks weren't

19:15

necessarily authorized signatures. Some

19:17

are in North Idaho Housing Coalition's name,

19:20

some are in Lori's name, some are

19:22

in Larry's name, or she has charged

19:24

all sorts of items she claims to

19:26

be involved in rehabbing

19:28

these houses. It was

19:30

very clear by the books and records that

19:33

the officers and the board of

19:35

North Idaho Housing Coalition had not

19:37

authorized all these transactions. The

19:41

timing of the headline and Larry's

19:43

disappearance is now on the forefront

19:46

of those investigating Lori and

19:48

searching for Larry. There was immediate

19:51

and strong speculation that Lori

19:53

had something to do with

19:56

Larry's disappearance. The timing was

19:59

too unusual. Coming

20:04

up, as the search for

20:06

Larry wears on, suspicions begin

20:08

to surface. Family

20:11

members say he would have been absolutely

20:13

disgusted. She's capable of

20:15

doing what she did with the embezzlement.

20:18

What else is she capable of? This

20:23

is your last chance to save 65% on a full year

20:25

of body. I'm

20:27

Carl, co-founder of Body. It's B-O-D-I, and I

20:29

want to help you lean into your decision

20:31

to start working out and eating better. Right

20:33

now, if you sign up for a one-year

20:35

subscription to Body, I'll give you 65% off.

20:39

Look, I know it's not easy to get

20:41

fit and lose weight, especially if you're trying

20:43

to figure it out by yourself, but we

20:45

make it simple. Just follow a program for

20:47

20 to 30 minutes day by day and

20:49

lose 5 to 10 pounds a month. We

20:52

have over 120 programs that have been tested

20:54

and proven to work, and almost 300,000 five-star

20:57

reviews in the App Store to prove it.

20:59

Body also has complete eating plans and thousands

21:02

of healthy, delicious recipes. So stop guessing and

21:04

start seeing results with Body. And let me

21:06

give you 65% off right now, so you

21:08

save big on the app that CNN underscored

21:10

named Best Fitness App. But the sale ends

21:13

this week, so don't wait. Sign up for

21:15

a year of Body and save 65%. Just

21:18

go to body.com. That's B-O-D-I with

21:21

an I dot com. Hey

21:23

there. If you're anything like me, you've struggled to

21:25

get in shape and lose weight. Here's

21:27

a tip that'll change your life fast. It's

21:30

called Body, a fitness and nutrition program that

21:32

helps me own the morning and focus on

21:34

my healthy habits first thing. Here's

21:36

how easy it is. Every day I wake

21:38

up, drink a Body nutrition shake, and then I do

21:40

a workout on the Body app right in my living

21:43

room. The trainers are amazing, and all I have to

21:45

do is follow along. Before most people

21:47

even get out of bed, I'm already done and

21:49

ready to crush my day, and the results have

21:51

been incredible. If you're ready to own your morning,

21:53

Body has a special deal for you. Be one of the

21:55

next 500 People who go to body.com

21:57

and you'll get 65% off A... Oh,

22:00

you're have access to over one hundred

22:02

and twenty top rated programs from cardio

22:04

to strength and even yoga. I know

22:06

you'll love Body as much as I

22:08

do that. if you don't look and

22:11

feel better, get your money back. So

22:13

don't wait because the sooner you get

22:15

started, the faster you'll start seeing results.

22:17

To just go to body.com That bodi.com

22:19

to own your morning and your health.

22:30

Worries: sixties Two hundred and

22:32

eighteen While the Sheriff's departments

22:34

searches Lake Cord Lane for

22:36

Larry Eisenberg somebody. A

22:38

breaking story hits the news. ran.

22:41

For a, Eisenberg was accused of

22:43

embezzling more than five hundred thousand

22:46

dollars from the nonprofit. Where she

22:48

was working so. People were reading

22:50

about that. And. Then, shortly

22:53

after finding that Larry Eisenberg

22:55

was missing, it certainly had

22:57

people talking. The

23:00

newspaper and Sas came

23:02

out the days that

23:04

that Larry sell basically

23:07

contained that Laurie had

23:09

than excuse from her

23:11

position as Executive Director

23:14

of North Idaho Housing

23:16

and that there was

23:18

money is missing. He's.

23:21

One of those moments of sort of

23:24

how that could happen on the same

23:26

day that in newspaper report is coming

23:28

out. I remember the moment I remember.

23:32

Just. Shaking my head and

23:34

telling my husband this can't

23:36

Be happening. On

23:41

March Eighth, Sheriff's investigators speak with

23:44

the forensic accountant assigned to. The.

23:46

Fraud case against Laurie Virginia

23:48

Kids. Who. Reveals Laurie

23:50

had be exhibiting strange. Behavior

23:53

two years prior. I

23:56

would say the biggest. Red.

23:58

flag of them is

24:00

that Lori stops

24:03

inviting outside people, such

24:06

as the real estate agent, the

24:08

contractors, myself to the board meetings.

24:13

Back in 2015 and going into 2016 when

24:18

we were attempting to get documents, once

24:20

I started asking questions about where are

24:22

these documents, why did the dollars

24:25

not match, I stopped getting

24:27

invited to the board meetings. When

24:30

the realtor started asking why Lori

24:32

was acting in the manner of a real

24:35

estate agent, even though she wasn't

24:37

licensed as a real estate agent, the

24:39

real estate agent stopped being invited to

24:42

the board meeting. As

24:46

the months wore on, Lori

24:48

had systematically taken full control

24:51

of the coalition's finances. During

24:53

the 2016, 2017 time period, I'm

24:57

not able to get into the

24:59

bank account. My login had been

25:02

revoked. I called the treasurer. He

25:05

went down to the bank and

25:07

found out that there were many

25:09

checks being signed and the signatures

25:11

on the checks weren't necessarily authorized

25:13

signatures. And that immediately pushed the

25:16

forensic exam. By

25:20

January of 2018, it became clear to investigators

25:25

the depth of the embezzlement when it was

25:27

revealed an estimated $580,000 had gone missing. Mid

25:33

to late January, we've determined there's a very

25:35

big problem. North Idaho Housing

25:38

Coalition has to suspend Lori for

25:40

an investigation. During the

25:42

course of reviewing the documents

25:44

and records, we did determine that

25:46

four of her daughters were either

25:49

named in the alter ego companies,

25:51

had received funds. Over

25:53

the course of the next two, three weeks,

25:56

I am in regular contact with

25:58

Lori who's dodging my call. of

26:00

course, she's not anxious to talk to me.

26:03

The final straw comes when Virginia

26:06

Tate demands access to Lori's computer,

26:08

and Lori reluctantly agrees.

26:12

I really wanted to get my hands

26:14

on the computer because it had the

26:17

email tracers, it

26:19

had where Lori has

26:21

clearly authorized the bank accounts, it has

26:23

all the forensic trails to be able

26:25

to prove that she was the one

26:27

that initiated the transaction. When

26:30

Lori comes in my office, I talk her

26:32

out of her computer. She is in tears.

26:34

She knew she'd done wrong. Gone

26:37

was the woman who had

26:39

well-kempt hair and looked put

26:41

together and attended social functions.

26:44

The woman in front of me that day looked as

26:47

if she hadn't brushed her hair in weeks. Her

26:50

skin coloring was horrible. Her

26:52

clothes were unkempt. Whatever

26:55

was so upset inside of her was rotting

26:57

her from the inside out. With

27:03

an indictment of fraud pending

27:05

against Lori, police investigating Larry's

27:07

disappearance try to uncover how

27:10

much Larry knew about Lori's

27:12

financial misdeeds. When

27:14

Larry's children, Dean and Jessica, pay a

27:16

visit to the sheriff's office with their

27:19

spouses, they make it clear it was

27:21

all news to them. I

27:23

just wanted to see if you guys

27:26

had seen the article on the local

27:28

newspaper referencing Lori's employment change. That's

27:30

been brought to our attention. Okay. So

27:33

we can do this? You guys know about that? Yeah, and if you

27:35

guys know about that and... We

27:37

have to do it. If

27:40

Larry's children were in the dark, perhaps

27:42

he was as well. With

27:45

the news already breaking of Lori's

27:47

white-collar crime, what motive would she

27:50

have to harm Larry? It

27:53

was concerning all of us,

27:56

Dean. Yeah, we've been in the dark. But

27:59

it could be a crime. Why the hell they were

28:01

out there? I wouldn't suspect that

28:03

the whole damn thing just doesn't feel right.

28:05

Maybe it's just my grief. Because

28:08

I've never dealt with grief, but it literally just doesn't

28:10

feel right. Two

28:14

weeks after Larry's disappearance and the

28:16

bombshell news report about Lori, investigators

28:19

working the embezzlement case execute a

28:21

search warrant of the Eisenberg home.

28:24

And Lori seems to be expecting

28:26

them. When the

28:28

police department arrived, Lori

28:30

was in the process of shredding documents. Police

28:34

arrest Lori on the spot. Lori

28:38

was initially arrested

28:40

on 40 counts

28:42

of fraud and

28:44

one count of grand theft. A judge

28:46

ordered that she be held on $75,000 bail. The

28:50

following day, one of Lori's

28:52

daughters bailed her out. While

28:57

out on bail, Lori does little to

28:59

keep the gusset mills from spinning. Lori

29:03

said that she intended to sell their

29:05

house as soon as possible. Investigators

29:09

began to take a second look at

29:11

whether or not her story

29:14

was a plausible story, whether

29:16

or not there's a potential motive there. It

29:19

seemed like unusual behavior, even for a

29:22

person who's in the midst of a

29:24

lot of turmoil and grief. That

29:27

just added kind of fuel to

29:29

the fire, to people's suspicions. But it

29:31

was certainly strange to know

29:33

that she was trying to leave the

29:36

area when her husband was still out

29:38

there. He was still missing.

29:42

With Larry still unaccounted for, there's

29:44

no way to prove foul play.

29:48

Until police get the call the

29:50

whole town has been waiting for.

29:54

About two weeks later, following Larry's

29:56

disappearance, a resident called 911 because

29:58

they saw what they saw. they

30:00

believe to be a human body

30:02

floating face down in Souto Bay, about

30:05

30 miles south of Coeur d'Alene.

30:08

911, what is the address of the emergency?

30:11

Coeur d'Alene. Okay, tell me exactly what

30:13

happened. Well, nothing's happened, but I believe there's an

30:15

end to their body on our shoreline. Try

30:18

to have the code of our house. The

30:21

sheriff's office dispatched officers to the

30:23

scene and confirmed, in fact, what

30:26

she had seen was indeed a body, and

30:29

that body was the body of Larry Eisenberg.

30:35

With his body preserved in

30:37

the icy waters of Lake

30:39

Coeur d'Alene, Larry Eisenberg is

30:41

quickly identified. Larry's

30:43

body is taken for an autopsy. But

30:47

while investigators had hoped for a

30:49

clear cause of death, what they

30:51

get instead only further muddies the

30:54

water. We

30:56

got the initial autopsy report on Larry.

30:59

We learned that he had not ingested

31:01

a lot of water, and

31:03

the death appeared to be not so

31:06

consistent with drowning, and

31:08

at that point it became even more suspicious.

31:11

The autopsy results ultimately showed

31:13

that Larry Eisenberg did not

31:15

die of a heart attack. He did not die

31:17

of a stroke. Coming

31:22

up. A web of

31:24

lies begins to unravel. He'd

31:27

be heartbroken, he'd be crushed. He'd absolutely

31:29

be crushed, he'd be embarrassed. But

31:32

would one final clue seal the

31:34

fate of this do-gooder gone

31:36

bad? The coroner has ruled

31:38

out any drowning or natural

31:41

causes as the cause of death. It

31:44

would send a person into a delirium. They'd

31:46

become extremely dizzy, confused,

31:49

and disoriented, and

31:52

then ultimately expire as a result of

31:54

it. Two

32:04

weeks after his wife Lori reported

32:07

him missing, Larry Eisenberg's body has

32:09

been found on the shore of

32:11

Lake Coeur d'Alene. The

32:14

coroner has ruled out any

32:16

drowning or natural causes as

32:19

the cause of his death. It's not

32:21

until the toxicology results come in that

32:23

the cause of death is finally revealed

32:26

and the results are red

32:28

flags to investigators. In

32:30

the end it was a fatal dose

32:33

of Benadryl that killed Larry

32:35

Eisenberg. A

32:37

normal therapeutic dose would

32:39

be between 101,000 nanograms per milliliter. What

32:45

was found in Larry's body was more than

32:47

7,000 nanograms

32:49

per milliliter. An

32:53

overdose of Benadryl would send a person

32:55

into a delirium. They'd

32:57

become extremely dizzy, confused

33:00

and disoriented and

33:03

then ultimately expire as a result of

33:05

it. We

33:07

see a level of diphenhydramine in

33:09

the bloodstream that is so extraordinarily

33:11

high that clearly this

33:13

is not an accidental dose

33:17

of Benadryl. This is

33:19

a homicide. This

33:22

was a poisoning. This was not a drowning.

33:24

Larry's body was disposed of

33:26

in Lake Coeur d'Alene. That

33:30

pretty much sent the case

33:32

into a full-fledged homicide investigation.

33:34

We definitely realized that

33:37

there was more to this story than what

33:39

Laurie was saying. It was only

33:41

Laurie and Larry not on the boat. Laurie

33:43

Eisenberg is the prime suspect. All

33:46

eyes are on Laurie Eisenberg, but

33:49

rather than spook their prime

33:51

suspect, investigators circle back to

33:54

the Eisenberg's friends and family.

34:00

Dean indicated that Larry certainly would

34:02

not have been keen at all

34:04

with the idea that Lori Eisenberg

34:07

was stealing money. What

34:09

about if he found out all of a sudden

34:11

bezelment was going on and he'd be heartbroken,

34:13

he'd be crushed. He'd absolutely be crushed, he'd be

34:16

embarrassed. Family

34:18

members say he would have been absolutely

34:20

disgusted, so he would have gotten as

34:22

far away from her as he could. She's

34:25

capable of doing what she did with the

34:27

embezzlement. You know, what else is she capable

34:29

of? Lori

34:32

was a woman on edge. This

34:35

was a woman whose entire world,

34:37

entire life was unraveling before her

34:39

eyes. During

34:44

the investigation, it was determined

34:46

that between the time

34:48

that she was fired and

34:51

the time that Larry Eisenberg was killed,

34:54

Lori Eisenberg had canceled their subscription to

34:56

the Court of Lane Press, the local

34:58

newspaper. Again, a piece

35:01

of information that indicated she was

35:03

trying to avoid Larry Eisenberg finding

35:06

out about what she had

35:08

been doing should an article

35:10

appear in that paper. If

35:13

Larry was to have found out that

35:15

Lori was involved in some sort of a

35:17

theft, he very

35:19

likely would end the

35:22

marriage. You

35:24

would have made sure that your life wasn't

35:26

living hell and left your penniless and out

35:28

on the street and taken everything. Detectives

35:32

conclude their interview with Dean

35:34

Eisenberg, and while reviewing the

35:36

non-financial evidence found on Lori's computer,

35:39

they find something startling. We

35:41

began to analyze her internet

35:43

activity prior to the event

35:45

of February the 13th and

35:49

found quite a few searches that we felt

35:51

were very, very suspicious and

35:53

actually quite incriminating, to say the

35:55

least. She

35:57

was researching drowning deaths. While

36:01

internet searches may suggest Lori's

36:04

state of mind, it's her

36:06

actions that speak loudly with

36:08

regard to Larry's estate. At

36:12

the time the fraud investigation was

36:14

still ongoing, the state was still

36:17

building its case cancer. During

36:19

my investigation, I was able to go

36:21

over to the police department to look

36:23

at documents that they had seized. One

36:27

of the first pieces I wanted to

36:29

look at were wills and trusts. The

36:33

forensic accountant discovered some handwritten

36:35

changes that had been made

36:37

to Larry Eisenberg's will in

36:40

January 2018, about a

36:42

month before his death. Without

36:45

notifying Larry, Lori was making

36:47

changes to the allocations of

36:50

Larry's estate in that

36:52

instead of naming his two kids to

36:55

his assets, she was reallocating it

36:57

to his two kids' answers.

37:05

The discrepancies or changes in

37:07

the will did support the

37:09

suspicion that this was a

37:11

financially motivated homicide. It did

37:13

seem like a great deal

37:15

of planning had gone

37:18

into Larry's death and that just

37:20

made it seem all the more

37:22

diabolical. By

37:29

late May 2018, homicide detectives

37:32

have a bevy of

37:34

circumstantial evidence against Lori.

37:37

But before they can file murder charges,

37:40

Lori surprises everyone yet again

37:42

when dealing with the fallout

37:44

surrounding her embezzlement allegations. Larry

37:47

had a court date in May and she was

37:49

a no-show. That

37:52

was extremely suspicious. I

37:56

immediately wondered if

37:58

she was going to be seen again. The

38:02

general reaction of myself and pretty much

38:04

the community was that she didn't

38:07

want to face the music. The local newspaper and

38:09

local media picked it right up and got the

38:11

word out as best as they

38:13

could. This was certainly the talk of the newsroom.

38:15

It was so shocking and it

38:18

was so disturbing yet intriguing.

38:21

People wanted to know what was going to

38:23

happen next. On

38:26

July 25, after being

38:28

missing for four weeks, Lori

38:31

Eisenberg again captures the media's

38:33

attention when she struts into

38:35

her court appearance after surrendering

38:37

to authorities. She'd

38:39

had her hair done. She

38:42

looked very well quaffed and put

38:44

together. She had this nice

38:46

smile in her mug shot. She

38:49

looked like she had been on vacation and

38:51

not like she had been hiding from the

38:53

law. Doesn't

38:55

that mean that she really was guilty

38:57

of killing Larry and why on earth

39:00

would you take off? Why

39:03

would you disappear? What are you doing?

39:08

Coming up, a stunning allegation

39:10

is about to bring the waters

39:12

of Coeur d'Alene to a boil.

39:15

The bombshell botched suicide claim

39:18

was absolutely wild. It was

39:20

incredibly dramatic and I don't

39:23

think anyone in the

39:25

community saw that coming. How

39:28

else would you put it? The angel and devil exist in the

39:30

one woman. After

39:39

a brief time on the lam,

39:41

former nonprofit executive director Lori Eisenberg

39:43

is back in

39:46

Idaho facing charges of embezzlement.

39:49

But that's just the tip of the

39:51

iceberg. Lori is now

39:53

the prime suspect in the

39:56

murder of her husband, Larry, and

39:58

we're preparing to take this to the table. to a grand jury.

40:03

Lori pled guilty to the

40:05

embezzlement charges. It

40:08

was actually quite a relief because then

40:10

it meant that she was owning up

40:12

to what she had actually done and

40:14

willing to take the punishment for that.

40:18

She was sentenced to five years

40:20

in prison for wire fraud and

40:22

for theft from a federal program.

40:26

But keep in mind, the embezzlement charges,

40:28

that was only one piece of this puzzle.

40:31

And what people were really thinking now

40:33

is when is Larry going to

40:35

get justice? Nearly

40:39

three years later, Larry's family and

40:41

friends get their answer on January

40:43

31st, 2021, when

40:46

Lori Eisenberg is formally charged

40:49

with murder. But

40:51

rather than face a jury, Lori

40:54

makes a bold move and submits

40:56

an Alford plea. This

40:58

means a person does not admit

41:01

guilt, but acknowledges that there

41:03

is enough evidence to convict them at

41:05

trial. Lori's

41:11

sentencing is scheduled for May 24th, 2021. And

41:16

when she has a chance to explain

41:18

herself, the court is left in awe.

41:21

I received the information and knew that the article

41:23

was gonna come out the next day. I

41:27

knew my time was up. I

41:30

hadn't decided what to do. Was

41:32

I gonna kill myself? Was

41:34

I going to tell Larry everything? And

41:37

just see what would happen. I

41:39

didn't know. I was

41:43

an emotional and physical wreck. I'm

41:47

not trying to be a martyr. I'm just telling

41:49

you where my mind was. I

41:53

know that Larry would still be alive if

41:56

it was not for me. Fixing.

42:00

a drink with Benadryl in it so

42:04

that I would be able to selfishly

42:07

and cowardly take my

42:09

life. There's

42:13

a sense of dissatisfaction

42:17

with not knowing, not having it go

42:19

to trial to

42:21

discover. I so wanted her

42:23

to have had some

42:27

reason that this could have happened

42:30

and honestly as I listened to

42:32

more and more of it, I

42:34

was sad, I was

42:37

angry, I was confused,

42:40

I felt betrayed. Lori

42:43

told the court that

42:46

she was responsible for

42:48

Larry's death, but she

42:50

still had not intended to kill him.

42:53

I realized that

42:56

the point of today is

42:59

for me to admit my guilt.

43:01

If I were to have had that

43:04

bottle in there, he would not accidentally

43:06

threaten me. That

43:09

is my fault. I

43:12

hate plural, blame, and

43:14

the responsibility for that. She

43:17

got to the end of her statement

43:19

and she makes a

43:21

statement that she

43:23

was suicidal and

43:25

that Larry had accidentally consumed

43:28

the juice that she had originally

43:30

intended for herself that day. How

43:36

can I have been so stupid? The

43:40

bombshell botched suicide claim

43:43

was absolutely wild. I

43:46

don't think anyone in the community

43:48

saw that coming. She told

43:50

the court that while she was asleep

43:52

in the boat, Larry had somehow come

43:55

upon this beverage that she brought with

43:57

her and drank it himself. It

44:01

was just kind of the shocking

44:04

finale to a story that has

44:06

had more twists and turns than

44:08

likely any other case I'll ever

44:11

cover. It

44:15

just is unsettling that

44:17

there's still so many unanswered

44:19

questions. Didn't he

44:21

taste something in the drink? Was

44:24

he really alive when he got there? Was

44:27

Laurie really going to commit suicide?

44:31

67-year-old Laurie Eisenberg's claims

44:33

failed to garner leniency

44:35

from the judge. Laurie

44:38

Eisenberg's sentence was 30 years

44:40

fixed, which means she'll actually serve

44:42

30 years before she'll be considered

44:45

for parole. I

44:48

really believe, accept, whatever

44:51

is given to me. Because

44:55

what I did and

44:57

what I took away from

44:59

so many people is

45:02

irreplaceable. Again, I want

45:04

to tell them everything,

45:07

but I guess it's like trying to rearrange

45:09

shares on the Titanic. So

45:12

I would just want

45:16

to again apologize to my

45:18

family. Judge

45:22

Wayman stated that the community has seen

45:24

good Laurie and bad Laurie, that the

45:26

angel and devil exist in the one

45:28

woman. Laurie

45:31

Eisenberg will likely die behind

45:33

bars, and I think a

45:35

lot of people in our community believe she

45:38

got exactly what she deserved. The

45:41

elaborate lengths that she went to,

45:44

not only to plan this murder, but then to

45:46

hide it afterward, it feels like

45:48

an appropriate sentence. So

45:50

many thought Laurie was an upstanding

45:53

citizen, a good person doing good

45:55

work. It really made

45:57

you stop and think, how well do I know my family?

46:00

neighbor. As

46:04

for the family and friends of

46:06

Larry Eisenberg, the sentence does little

46:08

to fill the hole left by

46:10

Larry's absence. I

46:13

think Larry Eisenberg will be remembered as a

46:16

hard, tough, funny, logger,

46:20

a good guy whose life went

46:22

way too early. Hope

46:27

Shriner became the oldest female inmate

46:29

in custody in Massachusetts. In 2014,

46:33

after consulting with Bob's family, the Department

46:35

of Corrections granted Hope's request for a

46:37

medical furlough due to her declining health.

46:47

Whether you're working out, walking, or

46:49

running errands, Audible can help you

46:51

keep your heart rate up month

46:53

after month with their pulse-pounding collection

46:55

of thrilling audiobooks that you can't

46:57

hear anywhere else. As an Audible

46:59

member, you can choose one title

47:01

a month to keep from their

47:03

entire catalog, which includes thousands of

47:05

titles. This month, check out the

47:07

Audible original, The Space Within. It's

47:09

a chilling eight-part story about

47:12

a psychiatrist, Dr. Maddie Weil, voiced

47:14

by Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain,

47:16

who is tasked with unlocking the

47:18

memories of a child who went

47:20

missing for seven hours. Maddie soon

47:22

discovers that there are more who

47:24

have faced similar experiences, and the

47:27

truth of what is happening to

47:29

them may impact the fate of

47:31

humankind. New members can try Audible

47:33

free for 30 days. Visit audible.com/thrill

47:35

or text thrill to 500 500.

47:37

That's audible.com/thrill or text thrill

47:41

to 500 500.