December 1,2011, one of those days that make teeth chatter. Raw, damp, dismal, austin was ending his shift . Deerpark, washington, half an hour north of spokane. His text message chirped. Yeah, its from logan. His younger sister at school. I remember she said, im cold come pick me up. But, where was their mother . Wasnt she supposed to be there . Austin looked around to collect his siblings as the cold gray afternoon darkened. I could not go to my moms house, because she was not answering the phone, and i did not have a key. So i took her to dads phone. The kids called the cell, not afraid, more like irritated. Polilease come home. It had happened by then, of course, as the children bedded down at this their fatherses house, they never guessed it. Would not understand for days that everything about life is different now. But nothing made any sense the at all. Unbelief. It was unbelief. A friend named summer stark put the words to it. So impossible that she of all people. It was hard to wrap your mind around that it had occurred. But apparently it was possible. Shannon starbach, mother of five, dead, dead in a way that made skin crawl. She had been so many things. Mother. Artist, woman on the brink of something new. Shannon was funny. She was vivacious, she liked to joke around and have a good time. But classy, always very, very classy. Her two older sons, austin and blake remember how she stood out even if it embarrassed them at time ps. She embroidered our names and numbers on all the Baseball Team and hats. We are the only team with the name and number on the back of our hats, you know. Shannon tried to stitch her deep mormon faith in their lives. How was she with the kid . I would not hesitate saying she was a good mother. He was a boy from alaska when he laid eyes on her 20 years early. Cold and hot worlds colliding. I told her i lived in alaska and she thought she was lucky shed not see me again. But she did. They married in months and settled in to alaska where lay worked on the pipeline. Started a family right away. And there were issues. Arent their always . Clay, was not as interested in church. Not the way she was. She wanted you to be there. Yeah, i could not, i couldnt meet her there. It is a big issue and im not sitting here saying i was right and it had to be my way and she was wrong. Thats not an issue at all. We were different. They divorced in 2000, hot and cold, they lasted ten years that time. Yes that time. Full of hope and good will, they tried again in 2006 they remarri remarried. Moved to washington state, set up a house in deerpark. And from there, clay commuted up to his job in alaska, which meant he to be gone, weeks at a time, so when he came home the kids and i were about playing catch, playing frisbee and basketball. Having fun. Yeah. So, it was not uncommon, i know shannon said it several times, made reference to me of being a disney land dad. In her eyes that, that probably was true because she was making dinners and taking care of the kids and trying to maintain the house. Though it was up and down, good and bad. Shannon and i never fully recovered. It was 2010 when they filed for divorce the second time. They decided to live apart but close to each other. The two oldest lived with him and the three youngest stayed with mom. And they saw their dad a lot. Especial until the months of 2011, he was home on injury, his income reduced and able to share parenting like swapping days for taking the kids to and from school. I would go over and pick up the kids and take them to school and sometimes she picked them up and took them back. It just worked on out. Or at least it did until dismal afternoon, the day shannon failed to show up after school. Mind you, they were not worried said clay, they all knew shannon started dating again. Maybe she went out and lost track of time. A mix up. So, my thoughts were not that anything serious happened to her. It was you thought she was with a guy. I thought she was with a guy. I thought it just probably went late, they are having a good dinner. But the next day, one of the kids texted grand had mgrandma,. Had she heard from their mother . She had not, and she said that was alarming. I text shannon, and i never got anything back. And i called and i, her phone box was full and i knew something was wrong. She felt the panic rise in her throat. Called shannons sister, amy and brother stephen. She said it was very unlikely that shannon would not return her calls. Because they spoke every day. They talked every single day. Every day, 9 00. And they knew everything going on in each others lives so mom continued to try to contact shannon, tried talking to the kids. Finding out what was going on. Klay called the cops. Asked them to check shannons house. It was december 2nd in the evening. You know, its find her. Sheriffs deputies went oifr a went over and had a good look around outside and left. But the family insisted something was wrong, had to be. And shannons friend summer said shed never not pick up the kids at school and then ignore their calls. I knew that she doted on her kids. She loved them. It was saturday morning, before shannons mother got through to the sheriffs ovrs and a deputy met shannons landlord, got him to open up the house. Two tep did is went inside and right away, radioed for back up. They had found shannon. She was dead. Her body on her bed. And displayed in such a way the detectives knew her killer had more than just murder on his mind. Coming up. I just backed up and i screamed no. No, it cant, it cant be true. The crime scene would raise more questions than an answer and so would a tip from someone close to shannon. He said look at her phone, and her computer, it will tell you what you need to know. When dateline continues. 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Flashing lights, squad cars, violated the peaceful neighborhood in deerpark, washington. Something big going down at shannon starbachs house. Theres a bunch of crime scene tape and a bunch of detectives outside our house. When her son drove up the street where his mother lived he stopped cold. The awful news was beginning to spread beyond the now crowded street. When shannons friend summer starks, all she could think of was the kids. Do they know . Do they know what happened . Where are they . And i thought oh, know, they just lost their mother, they just lost their mom. And thousands of miles away in florida, shannons bother Stephen Heard it from the local sheriff and phoned his younger sister. So i called amy and told amy, you need to meet me at moms and she could tell something was wrong. Andshe started crying immediately. So, i hightailed it to moms. We walked in together and he broke the news. Looked at mom and told the her she was gone. I just backed up and i screamed no, no it cant, it cant be true. But she was. She was gone. The detention tech actidid did not tell any of the ugly tails that shannon had been left naked on the bed and posed pornographically with a sex toy and before she took her last breath, the detective knew, she was suffering. She was tortured and beat badly. Why her when she was just starting over in life. After she had and clay called it quits the second time, she went back to school to become a dental assistant. She presented herself in a modest, family sort of kind of way. They looked up to her as a cross between a den mother and older sister. She is the epitome of what you expect to see in a dental assistant. I told her about her big beautiful teeth and smile, and laugh. I love it. Very approachable. And busy as she was, said her School Friends she seemed to have time for well, anyone who needed her. She was very strong. To be able to do that. Because that is a very hard program and especially with children. Yeah, with a family to tend to, and she was top of the class. What she did do . Graduate with honors or something . Yes, she did. An excellent student with prospects of of her own. Her ex, clay, said he was happy about that. We were looking forward to her achieving her independence. The whole family was. Including you . Absolutely. But here was the strange thing. It seemed to her friends that shannon was in some sort of crisis before her death. She was up beat one minute and distraut the next. She is not public. She didnt want her business known everywhere. Good god, theres not many of people like that now days. We would come in and see her crying in her truck. Was it her exhusband or kids . Or maybe a new man. There were one or two new men that is. And there were a couple of times i asked if she was dating or she showed me a picture of this one guy. You know, her friend that they would chat. Met them online said shannon. Summer starks was the one who encouraged her to get out there. Get dating again. I tried to set her had up, but didnt workout. But she, i said why dont you go date. Just go out . Nothing serious though. Not yet. Maybe she was finally having some fun. I thought it would have been great if she could have focused on a little portion of herself. And yeah. People, she deserved that. Of course she did. And her love life would not have been anybody elses business. If it had not been for what happened. But now, detectives went dig engine to hidden places. People she saw in private. Things she did did. She might not want the world to know. If there were secrets, and oh, there were. They were about to be exposed. Coming up. One of those secrets was right here. On the dead womans cell phone. There was a text message to shannon asking her to pose in a specific way. The pose . It was one investigators had seen before at the crime scene. Im appalled that she was found that way. You know. Awful. And its embarrassing for her. And im embarrassed for her. It makes me mad. When dateline continues. Crafting our authentic fragrances begins with ingredients from the earth. To create fragrances infused with natural essential oils. Air wick scented oils. Connect to nature. They have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the services of the post office plus ups only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4 week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com save and never go to the post office again if theres such a thing as a fate worse then death. Someone seemed to make sure that shannon met one. Shannon starbach was there posed on her bed and in a way to bring disrespect to her. And though shannon starbach was well beyond being embarrassed, her friends and family were not. She had so much going for her for it to all end like that and the way it ended. Just, she did not deserve is that at all. It was an ugly thing. Yeah, and she did not deserve it whatsoever. Im appalled that she was found that way, you know. Its awful and its embarrassing 54 her and im like embarrassed for her. Makes me mad. Who could be so cruel . Well, of course, its the homicide detectives job to figure that out. Could mean many things. Could mean somebody close to her that was upset and angry with her or it could mean somebody else. The investigation began the day that shannons body was found and as luck would have it, among those just beyond the Yellow Police tape that night was a man that police surely would have looked up sooner or later. Didnt have to, shannons exhusband clay was clearly looking for them. What was going on, he wanted to know . His exwife was missing, was she okay . He was asking to talk to the lead detective, he wanted some answers. First responders at the scene would not tell him anything about what was found inside the house. Not even that shannon was dead. And an exhusband after all is no longer next of kin. So clay went down to the sheriffs station where he met the detective. I said well come in, we need to have a chat. And his response was, well your jacket said major crimes, what is going on . Nobody will tell me anything. The detective broke the news. Shannon was gone. Waited for clay to collect himself and then i start by asking him simple things. Give me a little bit of her history. On medication any enemies . And what i ask everybody in that situation is what do you think happened . He asked me do you know anybody that wants to harm her . Do you know who she was seeing . Do you know, you know, were you over there . When did you see her last . Do you have any idea of these things . Clay recalled telling the detective he knew his wife was dating again. In fact, he was pretty sure, he said that shannon had a profile on a website that caters on mormon singles. I said, well, last i knew there was a lds planet website. And i dont know, i dont have any idea who she is seeing, you would need to look or talk to somebody else. And they would talk to plenty of others. That was just day one of the investigation. And as a logical step, the exwould have to be checked out throughly. But right then, he had no more for clay. I said we will talk later, take care of your kid. Clay seemed eager to help. He said is, look at her phone and her computer, it will tell you what you need to know. Of course, no detective worth his salt needed to be told that. Her cell phone was in the bedroom, could not miss it said the detective. The phone was sitting on a table next to her bed. Just a couple of feet away from had he had her body. Like she had been using it or something. Correct. I wanted to look at the cell phone right away, it would tell us who she may have been in contact with last. There was a text message from clay, from thursday morning telling shannon, he car trouble. Asking her to take the kids to school. Then later some exchanges about who would pick them up. Not terribly interesting stuff. Except that was not all they found on shannons phone. And the what else that was there was very interesting. She had communications with at least two other men. It appeared that she was planning on meeting with one or two of them. Now, that got the detectives attention. And then, it fairly jumped at them, a particular text a request, a very specific, very explicit one. There was a text message that was to shannon asking her to pose a specific way. The hair rose on rickets neck. That was almost exactly the way the killer posed shannons body. A coincidence . The detective had to think it was anything but. Coming up they were normal Text Messages. Then there were, they moved in to more sexually suggestive Text Messages. Investigators took a hard rook at two men shannon seemed to have contact with the day of her murder. One guy posted a picture of himself. But, did we found that he actually stolen it from another personses website. A doctor who lived in north korea city. Who was this mystery man and what was he hiding . When dateline continues. H. Thats no good. So kate downloaded the goodrx app. Now she can compare prescription prices, to find the best discounts. She even beats her insurance price. Good for you kate, good for you. Goodrx, stop paying too much for your prescriptions. Download the free app today. Original crown molding, walk in closets. We do have a ratt problem. Round and round with love well find a way, just give it time. At least geico makes bundling our home and Car Insurance easy. It does help us save. Round and round with love well find a way, just give it time. 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Ask your doctor about oncedaily trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3. Trelegy, 1,2,3 woman save at trelegy. Com. Hello, heres what is happening. The u. S. Postal service is warning states that it may not be able to deliver ballots on time. Mailboxes and mail sorting equipment were removed and in some cases destroyed. Meanwhile, the National Association of letter carries backed biden after trump has not now, back be to dateline. Strange, the small things that can offer comfort, however cold in the midst of horror. Once, long before her death, shannon told her mother how she wanted her funeral to be. Morbid talk back then and now a blessing in the midst of so much grief. So mom was able to give shannon what she wanted for a funeral, if that was something you really want. Her old classmates went to the funeral and brought along the candy they used to share cramming for tests. I felt silly because i brought kandi. Nothing could sweet enthe bitterness. Nothing. The children were allowed to see her and i remember one of them saying, he was looking at her and he said, it doesnt look like mom. And i dont think he even recognized her. Thats how badly she had been beaten. It made her family furious that somebody did that to her. So in the days