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Devil’s Island | Full Episode

January 25, 2023 / 42:59

This episode covers the disappearance and murder of Yvonne Baldelli, the investigation into her boyfriend Brian Brimminger, and the eventual discovery of her remains. Key discussions include Yvonne's life in Panama, her relationship with Brian, and the family's search for answers.

Yvonne Baldelli moved to Panama with Brian Brimminger after they began dating. Initially, she painted a happy picture of her life through emails, but her communications soon stopped, raising concerns among her family.

Brian Brimminger, a former Marine, returned to the U.S. shortly after Yvonne went missing, claiming she left for another man. However, evidence suggested foul play, including Brian's suspicious behavior and the lack of immigration records for Yvonne.

The investigation intensified when Yvonne's family discovered that Brian had been sending emails from her account, leading them to believe he was involved in her disappearance. The FBI became involved, and Brian was named a person of interest.

Eventually, Yvonne's remains were found, and Brian was arrested and charged with her murder. The episode concludes with the family's fight for justice and the emotional toll of the case on Yvonne's sister, Michelle.

TLDR

Yvonne Baldelli's disappearance leads to Brian Brimminger's arrest for her murder after evidence reveals his lies and foul play.

Episode

42:59
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real people real crimes real life drama [Music] Brian brimminger was a typical Marine
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[Music] [Applause] that kind of an All-American kind of persona he was assigned to a color guard in
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Washington DC [Music] there's pictures of him in the white house with President George W bush
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from the outside looking in it seemed like Brian brimminger had everything going for him
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in 2011 after having served seven years in the Marine Corps Brian brimminger leaves the Marines that he decides to go
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to Panama and his plan is to decompress take some time off my sister was deeply in love with the
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man the man Brian brimmager all she wanted was to be with him and love him they were so madly in love I
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think she was very proud of him because he was a marine she used to say things like I'm with a Marine
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Yvonne went down to Panama with Bryant to start a new life that's where Yvonne wanted to be
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I am Michelle Valenzuela and my sister is Yvonne baldelli she likes a karaoke she likes to dance
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did Yvonne like it here she loved it here just love it here places with cheap beers and happy hour
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it's beautiful she's got the water right in front of her house where are we right
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now okay we're on Isla carenero in Boca Del Toro this is the the house they were
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renting in Brian bermanger and Yvonne baldelli Yvonne told her family members that
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everything was good she painted a very happy picture through email she made it seem like everything was fine and well
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the reality of it was that her and birminger were fighting constantly after I'd heard stories of the fights I
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could understand why she would want to leave she fell off the radar screen she just
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went away one day her email stopped her Communications stopped everybody lost contact with her there's no immigration
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records it indicates that she left Panama there's no book for this there's no book for dummies on what to do when
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your sister has gone missing Karen Arrow from the outside appears to be a Tropical Paradise but it's a swampy Hill
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I call it Devil's Island because some Terrible Things took place on that island brand brimmager has done nothing
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zero to help with the search for Yvonne we are in Central America in some jungle in
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some swamp looking for Yvonne exactly the middle is really deep this is unbelievable
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what no one knew is that Brian breminger had a secret he was living a double life
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Brian brimminger moved to California hooked up with Christian workhoven and they got married Kristen worked at the
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White House and that's where she and Brian met and his life is going on like normal
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and her life will never be the same what did you do to her Brian we knew that there had been Foul Play we
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knew he was the last one to see her alive Brian's coming out with his golf clubs let's go guys and this is what I
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know okay you're rolling let's go my sister went down to Panama O'Brien Brian returned and my sister didn't Brian
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brimage was exceptionally arrogant but what he didn't account for was this family's fervor to find what happened to
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their daughter and their sister Brian Peter Van Sant with CBS News we'd like to ask a couple questions
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it's an easy thing to tell the truth he told a lot of lies that's what led to his demise
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Peter Van Sant tonight on 48 hours Devil's Island [Music] [Applause] 48 hours we'll be back in 90 seconds
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[Music] in the spring of 2012 Brian bremager was living the high life in Southern
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California just months removed from a decorated Marine Corps career breminger was happily married and living in the
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suburbs when I look at the pictures of Brian and Kristen I just see a couple in love and and
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super sincerely happy and just enjoying the day at the beach in La Jolla these joyful newlywed photos of Brian and
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Kristen breminger were a shock to Yvonne baldelli's family they expected her to be in the picture it wasn't their
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wedding day but they came in their wedding attire in a limousine and champagne flowing
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photographer Jack English had no idea of the Intrigue Behind These happy images that Brian had proposed to Kristen just
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days after Yvonne disappeared in Panama she looked very happy very in love as if
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she found her prince charming Prince Charming a man who had just left Yvonne baldelli in Panama two weeks
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earlier how could this happen we traveled to the remote islands of the Caribbean coast of Panama to find out
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up ahead is the island of carinaro where Yvonne and Brian who the locals called brim came to live in September 2011.
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it's a place where they could chase their dream [Music] why did they decide to go to Panama she
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liked the fact that they could live on the beach you know you know it was pretty pretty reasonably priced down
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there Yvonne's sister Michelle Valenzuela says Brian wanted to become a singer performing in bars and clubs
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with her beloved dog Georgia May in hand Yvonne brought two sewing machines in hopes of starting a clothing business
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stepmother Lillian fost she was going to make bathing suits and sell them to tourists I knew she was excited and she
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she didn't have any reservations it sounded like she had a real plan for the future
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she did and she thought that she found her Paradise her perfect place Michelle recalls how her younger sister
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Yvonne recently divorced was smitten with Brian when they first started dating in 2009 in Southern California
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and think she was physically attracted to him that was a big part of it and while Yvonne seemed to be falling in
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love with Brian big sister Michelle wasn't so sure as far as emotionally from my Sister Yvonne would
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put 100 into you and she would expect that back and I didn't get that impression that she was receiving that
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that concerned me she deserved that after Yvonne was laid off from her management job with Procter and Gamble
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and Brian ended his career in the Marines the two decided to make a fresh start and reinvent themselves in Panama
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settling in this house they quickly fell in with the local expats did you think they were in love
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apparently it seems so Joan and Stephen Crabtree own the cosmic crab a funky Resort and Waterfront Bar where Brian
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would sing for his supper he played here at the cosmic crab um a couple of nights a week and they
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were frequent visitors here they were very nice people Penny Tom owner of another Waterfront Bar also let Brian
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play for food and free booze lots of booze they used to drink a lot so they were always happy what's a lot
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a lot and Jim Merton says Brian's drinking may have gotten in the way of his singing
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he played a guitar good but when he started to sing that's when it went away what was it like
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um like a hound dog on a porch she looked very happy in the pictures and she was really enjoying herself
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there and I knew it would be a place that she would like for Yvonne's Father Jim Faust the constant stream of Joyful
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phone calls and emails describing the couple's Panama Adventures was reassuring Yvonne's emails were stories
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of exactly what her life was like down there and I could picture it and I could close my eyes and it was like I was
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there I couldn't imagine the whole thing emails like this one she says hi sis Brian already working at local
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restaurants and bars we love it we wake up and go running then swim in the ocean
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every morning and so Yvonne's family thought all was well in paradise and that Brian might be
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the one for Yvonne I believed that they were going to get married that's what I thought was going to happen when they
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got down there but then right around Thanksgiving 2011 three months after they arrived in
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Panama the happy emails and calls from Yvonne started to drop off for Michelle a sisterly Instinct started
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to kick in that's what set me off was the fact that they were coming less frequent the emails from her and then
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they stopped completely two weeks passed then on December 14th Michelle finally got a text but it wasn't from Yvonne
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there was a number I didn't recognize and a text message on there said this is Brian May I make arrangements to pick up
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my truck Michelle was shocked Brian was back in the U.S I sat up called that number
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for only thing on my office where's my sister he says didn't you get my email I said I
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haven't received any emails from anybody it's been a few weeks I said I'll call you back so I went to my computer
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Michelle discovered an email she had overlooked it was from Brian who had never written before
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the one from him stated I'm sure you've heard by now that Bonnie and I are no longer together I called him right back
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so I asked him like what happened and he said they had got in a fight because she had found out that he had a
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child from somebody else that's somebody else Kristen werkhoven the two had a baby girl in 2010. since
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Yvonne was unable to have a child because of a medical condition the discovery must have been
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earth-shattering Brian then said Yvonne just up and left I said you should leave
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a note no has she tried to call you since now do you know where she's at no and I said
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I haven't heard from her Brian and he said well I'm sure she's fine but Michelle had her doubts about that story
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and ten days later when Brian called and still wanted to pick up his truck Michelle said she had another plan
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I said when you come to pick up the truck I'll be here that's no problem and I think it's a good idea that you go
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with me to the police department since you're the last one to see her and we can fill out a missing person's
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report because now we're already the mid-December and I haven't heard anything from her and that's not right
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something's wrong in December of 2011 Michelle Valenzuela was still worried about her missing
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sister so she went back to her computer where she found another overlooked message this one from Yvonne hi sis just
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an update Brian and I are no longer together I should have trusted my instincts that he is a lying cheating
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ass I'm headed to Costa Rica with a man I met when we first got to Bocas what you think when you read this email I
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just wasn't sure there's some things in there that didn't feel right to me her head was spinning could Avon really
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have run off with another man after learning that Brian had a love child all you've all never wanted to do was be a
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mother that's all she ever wanted to do was be a mother to find out that Brian had a child and you know she said
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everything she had to go the other ends of the world to be with his man and he didn't tell her about that I'm
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questioning what her mental state is right now she's heartbroken in Upstate New York Jim and Lillian
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Faust also felt the turn of events was just so out of character for their daughter for her life to change so
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abruptly and she's like oh well I'm going with this guy and to Costa Rica Costa Rica that made absolutely
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positively no sense to me also making no sense three weeks had passed since Yvonne had emailed from
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Panama but then out of the blue she sent a new email it was strange miss you and everyone at
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home starting to get a little homesick I'm working on plans to get home as early as the second week of January I've
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been living with Cliffhangers for a while love you sis Yvonne while strange the email was also reassuring for her
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family who was happy to learn Yvonne would soon return to California so I stopped worrying I figured okay she
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knows that in January we're having a family get-together she's going to be there
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do you feel she's safe at this at this point I was still worried but I was satisfied with it for the moment on the
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same day that email arrived so too did Brian brimminger knocking on the front door of Michelle's La home to pick up
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his truck what did you see on his face what was his demeanor like I was just in a hurry
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he he's calm it's very brief all business yes get his stuff get his truck and leave
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after Brian got his pickup truck Yvonne's emails stopped 16 long days passed until on January 6 2012 Michelle
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wrote her sister the subject worried I just want to make sure you weren't kidnapped or someone pretending to be
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you haha there's my paranoid Suspicious Mind or maybe too many 48 hours did you ever hear back from your sister
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again no that's the last email Michelle was still hopeful that she would appear at that family reunion but
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Yvonne never showed up well at that point when we met up with my dad and I told him we haven't heard
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from her he said oh no something's wrong something's wrong and that's my dad she
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did not leave Panama that's just my feeling by now Michelle was convinced her sister
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never ran off to Costa Rica with another man so her Instinct was to learn where Yvonne's emails were really coming from
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so I went to my cousin and asked them to please check it out because like I said
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I haven't had I haven't got a clue the cousin a technology whiz said tracking Yvonne's emails would be easy all he
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needed was their IP addresses so he searched the emails Yvonne had supposedly sent from Panama and Costa
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Rica as well as that email Brian had sent from near Dana Point California the cousin made a startling discovery the
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ones from Panama came from Panama and then the one that was supposed to be with her being in Costa Rica came from
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the United States where in the United States one of them looked like they were coming from Dana Point that email
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Michelle says originated from where Brian was now living near Dana Point California it was the evidence Michelle
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had been looking for we were sharing the same IP address so Yvonne's email is coming from Brian's computer yes
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the family's worst fear had come true it appeared Brian had hacked into Yvonne's
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email account and was impersonating her but why that's when I knew that he did something to her
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and it's not in the same person it's murder now it's murder I thought my sister's dead and I'm never going to see
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her again but Michelle had no time to mourn she took that new evidence down to the FBI
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where she met with special agent Andrew Masters Michelle Valenzuela she was a Spitfire
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when they brought that to us we knew that there's absolutely Foul Play involved the FBI FB immediately launched
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an investigation into Yvonne's disappearance with Masters taking charge Yvonne's family then contacted the state
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department I called the embassy and the embassy tells us there is no record of her ever leaving Panama and no record of
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her ever entering Costa Rica Yvonne's family couldn't wait any longer they traveled to Panama to find answers
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the FBI made a move as well targeting Brian brimminger as a person of interest Brian didn't realize what exactly the
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FBI is capable of foreign with the FBI investigation underway in the states Yvonne's family met up with legendary
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investigator Don winter in Panama City why is it when something goes bad with an American citizen in Panama you get
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the phone call I've already put away or helped to put away three serial killers so when bad things happen they know that
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to come to me when when they don't know what else to do winner is an ex-us intelligence officer with an uncanny
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ability to solve murders Jim and Lillian tell Don the story of their daughter's disappearance and Brian's claim that
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she's run off with another man I think the chances that she's running around in Costa Rica somewhere with some other
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dude are damn near zero here's a deal this is what happened this is what we think is going on it's not the first
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time winner of CBS News consultant has worked on a case with 48 hours all right we're gonna go take a look at this uh
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yellow trimaran the Intrepid investigator helped solve the murder of American sailor Don North as 48 Hours
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reported in 2011. just on a personal side in all of this can you believe you and I are doing this again no absolutely
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not I tell you what uh it's it's it's it's amazing winter is convinced Brian breminger is
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involved his strategy put pressure on the Panamanian government to act because when Don winter speaks
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the people listen yeah Winner's game plan also called for Jim and Michelle to give blood for DNA tests should any
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remains be found and when Yvonne's family travels hundreds of miles from Panama City to
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the tropical island where she disappeared the Panamanian police are persuaded to
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hold a press conference to plead for information the family has been experienced a living nightmare for quite
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a few months and we continue to appeal to anyone who knows absolutely anything about iman's disappearance to come
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forward Panamanian police announced for the first time that Yvonne is the victim
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of Foul Play and named Brian brimminger as the suspect this news conference reverberated around
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the world police say within weeks of her disappearance brimager returned to the U.S got engaged and married another
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woman tonight the FBI is calling him a person of interest riding the momentum of the press
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conference they printed Flyers fanned out to neighborhoods and the village searching for their own Clues
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it's a Bittersweet search for ivonne's niece Lauren Byer in a place that is no longer a paradox
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there's nothing that's why we're here but the family's Quest is starting to get results Witnesses who knew the
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couple come out of the woodwork describing Brian's verbal and physical abuse to me he was a scary person he was
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not the kind of person I wanted to be around local bar owner Jeff Salzman saw it firsthand on Yvonne's face
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as I recall it was black eyes and and Blackness around the face and bruises was she self-conscious about it she was
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trying to hide it and and not speak of it it was very painful to learn that he had hit her that she had bruises that
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she had black eyes those things were very difficult to learn the realization that Yvonne may have been murdered is
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setting in where could Yvonne's body have been dumped we'll just feed in front of that house you've got thousands
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of square miles of water well if you just go not 20 yards from the shoreline this impenetrable swamp
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try to find something in there but that's exactly what Yvonne's family investigators
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and volunteers set out to do entering what could be Yvonne's swampy graveyard describe this area that has to be
00:23:05
searched just how difficult a place is it okay it's jungle it's tropical so you have every kind of bug and Critter that
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you can think of spiders and snakes and you know it's not a place to go slogging
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around through okay struggling through the mug the spiders and the rancid water the smallest Discovery raises hope a
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purse a medicine bottle a mysterious sinkhole kept asking myself I want to find Yvonne
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but do I want to find Yvonne I mean I want to know where she is but do I want to see her in these swampy areas
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then they find a passport you know we find a U.S passport uh the front page here
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none of it is Yvonne's but back in the United States the FBI confronted Brian brimmager we went and knocked on his
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door he answered and invited us in said that he was expecting us FBI special agent Andrew Masters
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questioned Brian brimminger for more than four hours while he babysat his young daughter
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to to special agent Andrew Masters along with special agent Gabriel Ramirez approaching apartment m in an attempt to
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have a consensual monitored interview with Brian grimatur we weren't sure if he was going to break down and confess
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to having a part in her Disappearance in murder or if he was going to become angry if he was going to kick us out
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Brian stuck to his story Yvonne left him for another man I come back home and there was a note that said and I quote
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going to Costa Rica with a man I've been talking to um f-u-m but when confronted with Michelle's
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email evidence Brian began to stumble Brian I was kind of laid out there man the IP addresses are not coming back
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from coast okay they're coming back from here okay so if she's not hanging out around
00:25:26
here then somebody sent those emails right out of those things all get sent you know anybody that would have her
00:25:33
email account vendor her account no yeah then something caught Master's eye as soon as I walk in I see a white Sony
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Vaio which is a computer a laptop computer exactly and we knew that Yvonne owned a white Sony vial laptop that she
00:25:51
had taken with her to Panama what are you thinking I'm thinking we may very well have Yvonne's computer right here
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Masters hunch was spot on it was Yvonne's computer but why was it in Brian's condo and would it help unravel
00:26:06
the mystery of Yvonne's disappearance take the journey with ivonne's family as they searched the jungles of Panama now
00:26:19
at 48hours.com even though he was under the FBI's microscope Brian bremager remained a
00:26:38
free man living with his family on the outskirts of San Diego Kristen worked for a defense contractor
00:26:45
while Brian unemployed spent much of his time golfing recognize that man yes I do
00:26:52
that's Brian in the summer of 2012 we showed Yvonne's sister Michelle video of Brian's New Life
00:27:01
what goes through your mind when you see him well honestly it's not surprising now that I
00:27:09
know what he's capable of he thinks he got away with murder so what you have here
00:27:16
is a person killed my sister and can walk away scot-free let's go guys just a few months after that FBI
00:27:29
interview we came face to face with the suspected killer Brian Peter Van Sant with CBS News we'd like
00:27:38
to ask a couple questions would you please talk to us did you murder Yvonne baldelli
00:27:47
you can speak to us you can answer that question Ryan why won't you speak with us
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did you have anything to do with her disappearance well Brian heads off to enjoy another Carefree day on the greens
00:28:02
the FBI was turning his life upside down interviewing everyone he knew including
00:28:09
his wife Kristen what had Brian told her about why he was living in Panama he told Kristen that he is going down to
00:28:17
Panama to decompress from after leaving the Marine Corps and that he was going with some Marine Corps friends did
00:28:22
Christian urge Brian to leave Yvonne no Kristen didn't even know he wanted to existed so he lied to Kristen absolutely
00:28:30
apparently all those lies didn't matter to Kristen according to her Brian is the
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greatest thing to ever happen to anybody but that's something she didn't want to
00:28:42
share with us when 48 Hours knocked on her door hi Kristin Kristen I'm Ryan with CBS News
00:28:58
so anyway we can talk [Music] meanwhile as special agent Masters took several investigative trips to Panama a
00:29:10
different portrait of Brian breminger emerged we talked to many people that would socialize with them at bars and we
00:29:18
learned about all the domestic violence uh that uh that he brought upon her uh the choking the the dragging uh the
00:29:25
berating after speaking with friends and neighbors of Yvonne and Brian special agent Masters became certain the couple
00:29:34
had a violent fight on November 26 2011. after Yvonne learned that Brian had fathered a child with Kristen argument
00:29:45
probably escalated and at some point Brian decided he was done with her and he was going to kill her crucial
00:29:51
evidence was also discovered on Yvonne's laptop the very computer Master saw when
00:29:57
he first questioned Brian about two weeks before her murder Yvonne took this disturbing selfie that photo shows a
00:30:07
massive black eye on her left eye and swelling in her left cheek in a way from the grave Yvonne helped you in this
00:30:15
investigation Yvonne helped us tell the story yes absolutely and there was more chilling
00:30:22
evidence we found the Yahoo searches in which he searches how to remove blood from a mattress when did he do that he
00:30:30
did that about 10 30 in the morning the night after Yvonne was murdered Stewarts discovered even more evidence
00:30:38
in Costa Rica where Brian is seen with drawing cash for me Vaughan's account we were able to obtain those ATM photos so
00:30:46
we have Brian using the Yvonne's debit card to extract money from her account and master says there is no doubt that
00:30:54
Brian used Yvonne's laptop to send those emails to her family so we went looking for Brian breminger
00:31:02
again to get answers hey Brian I need to talk to you how do you explain the fact that Yvonne's email that said
00:31:11
she was in Costa Rica that she sent to people was actually sent by you from here in California
00:31:18
can you answer that you knew she was dead when you sent that email didn't you Brianna we really want you to talk to us
00:31:27
answer some questions he's never said a word never said a word to us he will not answer any questions
00:31:42
and what about Yvonne's dog Georgia May which had not been seen since she disappeared Don winner has a theory he
00:31:51
knew that she loved that dog and that if the dog was running around he knew that
00:31:56
anything she said about her taken off with some guy to Costa Rica everybody would immediately know it was crap so he
00:32:01
had to get rid of the dog too in his investigation Don winner unwittingly found a key piece of
00:32:08
evidence on Brian's Facebook page where he had sold this machete after Yvonne disappear imager made a comment about
00:32:17
that knife he's like yeah that used to be mine I brought it down with me when I came down from the states and the
00:32:22
chilling part is he made a comment that said I've only used it to chop up one stripper that's just chilling
00:32:29
special agent Andrew Masters needs to get his hands on the machete to see if it was used in Yvonne's murder
00:32:38
incredibly he was able to track down the person who bought it from Brian in Panama this is the machete that's Brian
00:32:46
bought in the United States and took down with him to Panama can you pick it up for me sure
00:32:52
it's very heavy it's weighted and it would inflict a lot of damage investigators had the machete they had
00:33:02
the email and they had caught Brian in multiple lives soon someone would stumble upon the most
00:33:10
important evidence of all Don winter shares some of the details of his investigation now at 48hours.com
00:33:26
[Music] we seek answers Justice and help summer 2013. nearly two years have passed since
00:33:43
Yvonne baldelli's disappearance you feel like you're reading a book a terrible mystery or murder mystery and there's no
00:33:50
end to it on June 26 2013 the final chapter of this mystery began to unfold a former
00:34:00
Marine who family members say murdered his girlfriend before FBI special agent Andrew Masters slapped the cuffs on
00:34:08
Brian breminger what did you say to him you're under arrest I said turn around put your hands behind
00:34:15
your back he needed the answer for his crime how did you learn that Brian had been
00:34:19
arrested truth be told I received a text from my dad said they got the SOB I sat down and a sense of relief because
00:34:28
now they believed us Brian bremature was charged with 13 felonies relating to the
00:34:35
cover-up of Yvonne's death but not murder assistant U.S attorneys Shane Harrigan and Mark Conover were lead
00:34:43
prosecutors at that point without having found the body we didn't have quite enough to bring the murder charge
00:34:52
but that would soon change human remains have been found on a Panamanian Island a
00:34:58
local worker clearing some brush on the island where Brian and Yvonne lived Came
00:35:03
Upon This duffel bag and when he unbuckled the clasp he found Yvonne's skeletonized Remains by the time she was
00:35:11
found two years later she it was only bones a DNA test confirmed it was Yvonne her remains were found just a few
00:35:21
hundred yards from where the family had spent days searching I wanted to tell Michelle personally when I first heard
00:35:29
the possibility that they found Yvonne my first reaction was for me it's good news because I just feel good we can
00:35:34
nail this bastard while the family's prayers had been answered and autopsy confirmed the hellish fact that Yvonne
00:35:43
had been dismembered this is the actual device that was used to dismember Yvonne the most likely
00:35:51
cause of death was being stabbed in the back at least twice despite overwhelming evidence and proof
00:36:04
that premature had repeatedly lied his wife Kristen continued to stand by him Kristen may I ask do you still believe
00:36:13
in your husband's innocence can you just tell us that don't touch the camera then for Yvonne's family another cruel
00:36:25
tragedy struck in the spring of 2014. Michelle who had dedicated her life to finding Justice for her sister now faced
00:36:35
another deadly enemy she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer I'm still alive to fight
00:36:43
for my life and I'm still alive to fight for my sister this was Michelle in June of 2014.
00:36:52
and this was her just three months later today are going I'm going to be giving a dip position
00:37:04
we can buy cancer and given just weeks to live you saw me swear Michelle a crucial
00:37:12
witness agreed to tell her story while she still could Brian breminger would sit directly
00:37:20
across from her didn't I try to ignore him smooth best I can and who was Brian brimmager the defender
00:37:30
you see him in the courtroom here today yes I do would you please point to him and describe where he is seated for the
00:37:37
record he's sitting at the end tacky outfit then Michelle passed out after the exhausting testimony
00:37:48
it was a courageous Act of love for her sister this might be the last thing I get to do
00:37:55
for her over and over and over again because it'll be on camera forever days later
00:38:04
she died [Music] it took years of diplomatic and legal wrangling but in early 2015 the
00:38:17
government of Panama finally agreed to let Brian be tried for murder on American soil we came to the conclusion
00:38:24
that the only way that Brian brimager would face Justice for his murderous Act is if he was charged and convicted here
00:38:31
in the United States Brian pleaded not guilty the case was heading for trial in 2016 when investigators made another
00:38:40
dramatic discovery Yvonne's blood and DNA were found under the machete's handle so these three
00:38:51
screws were undone the handle opens up and inside they find blood right they remove these three and just pulled it
00:38:58
out here and conducted the testing on the blade and the interior portion of the handle and found blood whose blood
00:39:05
yvonnece Yvonne baldellas Yvonne baldelli this now is a slam dunk you know that this is the tool used to
00:39:13
dismember her it was that that made Brian finally realize he was not going to get out of the he was not going to
00:39:18
lie his way out it's over it's done he had cleaned the blade but he hadn't cleaned underneath the handle and it was
00:39:25
that additional evidence that I believe eventually LED Mr brimager to plead guilty
00:39:31
within a week brimager pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while the other charges were dropped and later at his
00:39:40
sentencing finally admitted after nearly five years of lies to killing Yvonne baldelli and I think if you look up on
00:39:49
the dictionary evil and you see Brian's picture in there he's the ultimate carnate of evil in my mind in open court
00:39:56
brimager apologized to Yvonne's family but his words rang Hollow Brian brimager is a con artist he had our daughter Khan
00:40:07
he had his new wife Khan he had her family conned he was able to live a double life sometimes a triple life and
00:40:14
people buy what he says but his actions show that he's not the person he says that he is
00:40:22
Brian was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison [Music] with the case over Yvonne's remains were
00:40:37
returned to her family foreign and laid to rest at sea [Music] to get her remains back and be able to
00:40:54
give her a dignified resting place I can sleep better at night knowing that she's
00:41:00
not rotting in some jungle or deep in the ocean somewhere knowing that she loved the ocean knowing that we were
00:41:06
able to put her in a place that she loved we brought her home and I know that that was thanks to a lot of work of
00:41:14
a lot of unsung heroes I know in a way two people were honored this day Yvonne and her beloved sister
00:41:30
Michelle who battled a marine to the end and won she's definitely a hero she never gave
00:41:38
up to her dying day she gave all she had [Music] Kristen and Brian brimmiger are still
00:41:49
married she continues to support and visit him in federal prison brimminger's prison term ends in
00:41:56
February 2037. [Music] help us solve this crime it was a Savage murder a stunning model she was quite the
00:42:16
trophy married to a multi-millionaire this is where the assailing got her from behind knocked her to the ground they
00:42:27
slid her throat eight years no arrest and there are no fingerprints no nothing at all there are Clues the sketch who is
00:42:37
this is this the guy that murdered my sister the letter I know that was a shock cut out in little bitty individual
00:42:44
different letters I mean why are you talking to me I want to find out who murdered my sister
00:42:53
cbsn CBS News always on

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most heartbreaking
  • 85
    Most shocking
  • 85
    Best overall
  • 80
    Most emotional

Episode Highlights

  • The All-American Marine
    Brian Brimminger, a decorated Marine, seemed to have it all until everything changed.
    “From the outside looking in, it seemed like Brian had everything going for him.”
    @ 00m 29s
    January 25, 2023
  • The Disappearance
    Yvonne Baldelli goes missing, leaving her family desperate for answers.
    “There's no book for dummies on what to do when your sister has gone missing.”
    @ 02m 22s
    January 25, 2023
  • A Double Life
    Brian Brimminger was living a secret life, hiding his past from everyone.
    “What no one knew is that Brian had a secret; he was living a double life.”
    @ 03m 01s
    January 25, 2023
  • The Arrest of Brian Bremiger
    In June 2013, Brian Bremiger was arrested for the cover-up of Yvonne's death. "They got the SOB!"
    “They got the SOB!”
    @ 34m 22s
    January 25, 2023
  • Discovery of Yvonne's Remains
    Yvonne's skeletonized remains were found two years after her disappearance. A DNA test confirmed her identity.
    “I just feel good we can nail this bastard.”
    @ 35m 33s
    January 25, 2023
  • Brian's Guilty Plea
    Brian Bremiger pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after overwhelming evidence was presented against him.
    “This is a slam dunk.”
    @ 39m 10s
    January 25, 2023

Episode Quotes

  • What did you do to her, Brian?
    Devil’s Island | Full Episode
  • I thought my sister's dead and I'm never going to see her again.
    Devil’s Island | Full Episode
  • He thinks he got away with murder.
    Devil’s Island | Full Episode
  • I can sleep better at night knowing that she's not rotting in some jungle.
    Devil’s Island | Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Missing Person02:10
  • Foul Play03:30
  • Heartbreak13:24
  • Yvonne's Disappearance33:43
  • Brian's Arrest34:08
  • Michelle's Testimony37:12
  • Evidence Discovery38:40
  • Yvonne's Resting Place41:06

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown