The disappearance of Isabel Celis is one of the most-followed cases in Tucson history.
Isabel was 6 years old when she vanished from her parents' east-side home in April 2012.
The case captured the community's attention, which is why KOLD News 13 picked it as its first True Crime podcast.
You can find us on Apple, SoundCloud and Spotify.
Episode 1: Isabel Celis Disappears
On April 21, 2012, Sergio Celis discovered his daughter Isabel was missing from her bedroom. With no history of running away, the family calls it an abduction. KOLD's Bud Foster and Shaley Sanders take a closer look at the moments leading up to Isabel's disappearance and the first hours into the investigation.
Episode 2: Searching For Isabel
The extensive search for Isabel Celis continues, but what does the process entail? Bud and Shaley break down the steps, some of the tips called in to police and a 911 call that ended up being a hoax.We also talk about the surveillance video from this story:
Episode 3: Speculation of Suspects
Who is behind the disappearance of Isabel? Bud and Shaley go through the theories that circulated around the country, as the Celis family defends their innocence.
Episode 4: Break In The Case
It's the big break in the case investigators were looking for, but it is heartbreaking news to many. The real question is it enough to lead to an arrest? Bud and Shaley review the announcement from the Tucson Police Chief and the response from the Celis family.
You can watch the major announcement at https://www.kold.com/2018/09/15/man-indicted-deaths-isabel-celis-maribel-gonzales/
The chilling autopsy report can be viewed at https://prr.pcao.pima.gov:5236/documents/Isabel%20Celis%20Autopsy%20Report%20(00626273-2xCDD05).PDF
Episode 5: Suspect Arrested
How did investigators find the remains of Isabel Celis?
Bud and Shaley introduce you to Christopher Clements, who approached the FBI hoping for a deal but turned into a suspect.
You can watch the never-been-seen video of Clements's integration HERE and at https://www.kold.com/2021/12/17/only-kold-video-interrogation-accused-child-killer-christopher-clements/
Episode 6: Maribel Gonzales
Clements is connected to another murder investigation, 13-year-old Maribel Gonzales.
Bud and Shaley share how he became a suspect in that death and the evidence detectives say links him to the crime.
Episode 7: Could Maribel's Death Have Been Prevented?
Clements appeared in Isabel's murder investigation before Maribel disappeared. Does this mean her death could have been prevented?
Episode 8: New Evidence
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are still preparing for Clements' two murder trials, which are scheduled to begin July 28 and Sept. 8.
Court documents are revealing new evidence not previously revealed to the public.
Most interesting is a never-before-seen photograph of Clements, which you can view above. Clements admitted it was a picture of him looking in his rear-view mirror at a small child in the backseat of the car.
Some claim the child bears a striking resemblance to Celis while Clements' attorneys said it is a photo of his son. Read more about the image and how it could impact the case HERE.
The Hosts: Bud Foster & Shaley Sanders
All information for the podcast was pulled from court documents, reports from the Tucson Police Department and our own original reporting.
Bud Foster
Bud Foster has spent more than 40 years in the news industry in Arizona, having started in the studios of KAET at ASU in 1973. He quickly moved to NBC Channel 12 in Phoenix and at KOOL-TV, the Phoenix CBS affiliate. He came to Tucson in 1980 as an anchor for Channel 4. He moved to KOLD News 13 in 1994 as the anchor of the evening broadcasts.
He brings credibility, market experience and knowledge of the city to KOLD. He enjoys getting to meet new people every day and getting to wrestle with the issues of the city and surrounding communities.
Bud was inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame in October 2009. He was also honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2010, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. In 2020, Bud won his first Emmy.
For more about Bud, go to https://www.kold.com/authors/bud-foster/
Shaley Sanders
Shaley Sanders joined the KOLD News 13 team in June 2019 as an anchor and investigative reporter.
She anchors the Fox 11 shows 5:30 and 9 p.m.
Before making her way to Arizona, Shaley worked as an Anchor/Investigative Reporter at KOLD’s sister station, KCBD NewsChannel 11 in Lubbock, Texas.
For more about Shaley, go to https://www.kold.com/authors/shaley-sanders/
Credits:
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