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The newest episode from the 13th season of See No Evil titled The Girl in the Silver Truck dives into the heartbreaking story of Laura Pietscher, a 28-year-old whose life was cruelly cut short.
Her body was discovered behind a dumpster on North 15th Street in Tampa, Florida which is shockingly hidden beneath a wooden board and wrapped in a plastic bag. Laura Pietscher was no ordinary woman because she went through life with a major physical disability and she was born without a left forearm and had just two fingers and a thumb on that hand.
Despite these challenges, she carried an indomitable spirit that left an imprint on those she met. The episode reveals how crucial CCTV footage was in piecing together the final moments of her life which led detectives on a chase to catch Laura Pietscher's killer. See No Evil: The Girl in the Silver Truck aired on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, on Investigation Discovery.
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5 of the most harrowing details of Laura Pietscher's murder
1. Discovery of the Body
Laura Pietscher's body was found in a grim setting that rattled the local community. On October 19, 2018, the employees at a Latin food market in east Tampa were shocked to discover a woman’s body concealed beneath a wooden board and covered with a plastic bag which was lying just behind their dumpster. The scene suggested a desperate attempt to hide the crime because her body was not immediately visible to passersby.
The physical condition of the body and how it was hidden indicated a deliberate effort to avoid detection. The Tampa Police were called to the scene and the area quickly became a focal point for forensic teams and detectives aiming to uncover any evidence that could lead them to the perpetrator.
2. Cause of death and forensic evidence
The autopsy revealed that Laura Pietscher was strangled with a ligature which is a finding that pointed to a personal and intense confrontation. The method of murder often indicates a major physical struggle and a perpetrator who has a strong personal animosity towards the victim.
Forensic teams were able to recover DNA from under Laura's fingernails and from the ligature used to strangle her which played a major role in the investigation. These findings were central to narrowing down suspects and ultimately led to a major breakthrough in the case.
3. The arrest of Gary Tyrone Danielle
Gary Tyrone Danielle was arrested months after the murder in March 2019. Danielle was a 50-year-old with a history of robbery and drug offenses and was not immediately linked to the crime until forensic evidence tied him to the murder scene. He was found driving Laura Pietscher's truck which had been missing since her disappearance.
Further investigation linked Danielle to the crime scene through surveillance footage from a nearby Circle K store where he was last seen driving the stolen truck. The convergence of DNA evidence tagged along with the recovery of the victim's vehicle and surveillance footage were very crucial in piecing together Danielle's involvement in the crime.
4. The reduced sentence and plea deal
In a turn of events that left the victim's family and community members dismayed Gary Tyrone Danielle was not tried for first-degree murder but instead struck a plea deal for second-degree murder that led to a 30-year sentence. The decision was reached after lengthy legal discussions that weighed the potential risks of a trial and the evidence at hand.
The plea deal spared the family the ordeal of a trial but also meant Danielle could potentially be released from prison after serving less than the lifespan of his victim which would depend on his behavior and parole decisions and it sparked debates on the adequacy of the justice served in this case.
5. Discovery of personal items
One of the most harrowing details of Laura Pietscher's case involved the discovery of her personal belongings. Investigators found her purse, clothing, mail and wallet discarded in the very dumpster near where her body was hidden which indicated a clear intent by the perpetrator to strip her of her identity and dispose of her life's traces in a callous manner.
Among the items recovered were reminders of her daily life including a journal where she expressed her thoughts and dreams that showed a pure sense of normalcy in her days before the brutal disruption by her murder.
You can watch the story of Laura Pietscher on See No Evil: The Girl in the Silver Truck on the Investigation Discovery network.
