“What’s up, guys?”
“I was coming to tell you we’re getting pushback from the judge on the warrant for the phones of Carver’s wife and sister-in-law,” McBride said.
“We’ve got Detective Charles on the way to retrieve them,” Sam said.
“We have to make a stronger case to the judge to get the warrants,” McBride replied. “Who wants to take that?”
“I’ll ask Gonzo to do it after I do the briefing,” Sam said.
“While you do the briefing, I’ll talk to Gonzo so Charles’s trip isn’t in vain.”
“Great, thanks, Jeannie.”
“Where do we stand on the Ahern case?” Farnsworth asked.
Malone brought him up to speed on what they’d learned from their brief interview with Asher Mayfield. He also added how they believed the entire thing stemmed from Luna refusing to engage with Brecken.
The chief was incredulous. “She was murdered because she wouldn’t give his son the time of day?”
“We believe that was the reason, but it’s part of a bigger issue,” Sam said, “which we’ll touch on in our briefing.”
The chief shook his head, aghast over the disturbing details of the case. “We see a lot of crazy crap around here, but this…”
“It’s crazier than most,” Sam said.
Sam glanced at Malone, who nodded to indicate he was ready to accompany her outside, where a much-larger-than-usual press corps awaited an update. They’d decided she would give the briefing since they were still ravenous for info about her nephew’s condition.
Reporters started shouting at her the minute she came through the door and didn’t stop until they realized she wasn’t going to say anything until they shut up. You’d think they’d have figured that out by now, but it was a lesson they had to relearn every day.
“I have a lot to share today, so I’d appreciate the chance to fully brief you before I answer questions. As you know, three local children were recently reported missing—Luna Ahern, age thirteen, Tomas Cambra, age eleven, and Ethan Hogan, also age eleven. As you know by now, Ethan Hogan is my nephew. He’s the son of my sister Tracy and her husband, Mike. Needless to say, our entire family is relieved and thankful for the safe return of both him and Tomas. We wish we had the same news about Luna.”
A ripple of gasps sounded.
“Thanks to the efforts of Captains Jake Malone and Michelle Ruiz, we were able to locate Luna in a storage unit on Florida Avenue.”
Another series of gasps went through the gathering.
“She was in critical condition when located and was transported to GW Trauma, where she passed away from her extensive injuries. Our hearts are with her parents, family and friends as they process this unfathomable loss. I use the word ‘unfathomable’ intentionally, as the motive behind this crime is the very definition of that word. We believe Luna was murdered because she rebuffed the advances of a fifteen-year-old boy.”
More sounds of disbelief as the reporters took frantic notes.
“But it goes deeper than the rebuff to an entire ‘manosphere’ built around male grievance toward the women who reject them. An entirely new vernacular has entered our lexicon during this investigation. We learned about incel culture. Incel stands for involuntary celibate, which speaks to men who are unable to achieve romantic success with women and, in turn, blame the women for their failures. They believe that eighty percent of women are interested in only twenty percent of men, and the other eighty percent of men are left out in the cold. This is part of a larger movement of disaffected men who share their grievances in online forums where they find like-minded individuals to validate their positions. Some of these people go so far as to act out against the women who’ve rejected them, as well as their romantic partners.
“We’ve arrested Asher Mayfield and his son, a juvenile we’re not naming at this time, for suspicion of kidnapping all three children. We expect further charges to be forthcoming. We believe Luna rejected Mayfield’s son. Driven by a long history of personal failures with women himself, the senior Mayfield decided to exact revenge on his son’s behalf. Father and son befriended Ethan and Tomas over a period of weeks and then kidnapped the boys and used their phones to lure Luna, who was friendly with Ethan and Tomas, to meet Mayfield and his son. The boys were able to escape from where they were being held. They received medical treatment at the hospital and are recovering at home with their families.”
“What injuries did they sustain?” a reporter asked.
“They were dehydrated and had cuts and abrasions from the zip ties that were used to restrain them. Ethan had bruised ribs as well.”
“How were they able to escape?”
“Ethan had an all-purpose pocketknife that they used. Because of how they were bound, however, it took many hours for the boys to get free. Asher Mayfield is an active leader in the manosphere scene and is president of a local organization called the Dead Chads, which is the name they give to men who are successful with women. Women who choose these men are referred to as Stacys.”
“Is this shit for real?” Darren Tabor from the Washington Star asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Sam said. “It’s all too real and has led to other murders.” She went through the list of well-documented incel-related murders that’d occurred around the country as well as some of the history behind the movement. “Mayfield and his son will initially be charged with three counts of kidnapping. We expect additional charges to be forthcoming after the medical examiner completes her work. I’ll take a few more questions.”
“Had you heard of incel culture or the mano… whatever it’s called… before this case?”
