Oct 1, 2026 · 32 min · 13 segments
The home of a local firefighter is infiltrated by an informant hoping to get more information on the Person of Interest. And a hike planned for Dark Canyon instead leads to the Lost Hills Station…
Dana GoodyearHostLisa LeporeGuestAllison JoinerGuest
[pensive music] In the spring of 2011, Rick's friend, Jay Engelschall, was arrested and charged with selling heroin.
Jay ended up having to serve more than a year in county jail, and one night, while he was in custody, he had some visitors.
They said I had a visit, and I'm like, "Really? It's a little late for a visit." And then I find out that it's two detectives, and they wanted to ask me questions.
They asked me about Rick and his fort, and I told them everything I knew.
And they asked me if I'd ever been up there at the fort, and I said yeah, you know, um, drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette or whatever because at that point, who knows, with DNA and everything else.
But, um, I wasn't gonna lie to them.
I, I wanted to tell them everything I could and hopefully be helpful.
And, uh, they asked me a few questions like, "How long's Rick been staying there? How often does he go up there?"
And what the cops asked me was, "Do you think he'd be a good suspect?" And I said, "I would look into it because he's violent with women, and you guys know that."
By this time, it was pretty much an open secret in Monte Nido that people thought Rick was involved in Mitrice's disappearance.
Everybody just sort of joked about it in a way.
You know, "Rick, you sure you don't know what happened to her?" And this and that, you know, something like that.
And, uh, then me and my friend started thinking about it a little bit more and was thinking, well, maybe he coulda had something to do with it, you know?
Homicide detectives had already looked into Rick in 2010 before Mitrice's remains were found, but they dismissed him as a person of interest when the ribcage at the fort turned out to be deer bones.
This in spite of Rick's known history of violence against women, and the proximity of his fort to the place in Dark Canyon where Mitrice's remains were ultimately found.
But now, some two years later, the detectives were taking another look at Rick.
This time they were focusing on the house where Rick would often crash, the house belonging to his firefighter friend, Mark Wallace, the Mark Wallace whose business card read Head Honcho/Motherfucker In Charge.
This would be the sheriff's department's best chance to confront Rick Forsberg about Mitrice.
[pensive music] In the spring of 2011, Rick's friend, Jay Engelschall, was arrested and charged with selling heroin.
Jay ended up having to serve more than a year in county jail, and one night, while he was in custody, he had some visitors.
They said I had a visit, and I'm like, "Really? It's a little late for a visit." And then I find out that it's two detectives, and they wanted to ask me questions.
They asked me about Rick and his fort, and I told them everything I knew.
And they asked me if I'd ever been up there at the fort, and I said yeah, you know, um, drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette or whatever because at that point, who knows, with DNA and everything else.
But, um, I wasn't gonna lie to them.
I, I wanted to tell them everything I could and hopefully be helpful.
And, uh, they asked me a few questions like, "How long's Rick been staying there? How often does he go up there?"
And what the cops asked me was, "Do you think he'd be a good suspect?" And I said, "I would look into it because he's violent with women, and you guys know that."
By this time, it was pretty much an open secret in Monte Nido that people thought Rick was involved in Mitrice's disappearance.
Everybody just sort of joked about it in a way.
You know, "Rick, you sure you don't know what happened to her?" And this and that, you know, something like that.
And, uh, then me and my friend started thinking about it a little bit more and was thinking, well, maybe he coulda had something to do with it, you know?
Homicide detectives had already looked into Rick in 2010 before Mitrice's remains were found, but they dismissed him as a person of interest when the ribcage at the fort turned out to be deer bones.
This in spite of Rick's known history of violence against women, and the proximity of his fort to the place in Dark Canyon where Mitrice's remains were ultimately found.
But now, some two years later, the detectives were taking another look at Rick.
This time they were focusing on the house where Rick would often crash, the house belonging to his firefighter friend, Mark Wallace, the Mark Wallace whose business card read Head Honcho/Motherfucker In Charge.
This would be the sheriff's department's best chance to confront Rick Forsberg about Mitrice.
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