MURDERED: Patrick Shunn & Monique Patenaude

The gist

Patrick Shunn and Monique Patenaude, a beloved couple living on a hobby farm in Oso, Washington, disappear on April 11, 2016, after running errands. Their neighbor John Reed had been engaged in a years-long dispute with them over trespassing and property damage following a devastating landslide. Detective Dave Fontenot's rapid investigation combines cell phone data, security footage, and physical evidence to solve the double murder and track the fugitive brothers across state lines and into Mexico.

Key takeaways

• The 100-day timeline: From April 12 when the couple was reported missing to July when John Reed was arrested in Mexico, detective work progressed methodically with arrests on day 35 (Tony) and capture of John on day 100.

• Cell phone data revealed the murders happened separately: Monique's phone showed she arrived home at 11:04 AM on April 11; Patrick's at 3:07 PM. Both phones then traveled up a logging road at 3:26 AM on April 12 before stopping transmission at 8:32 AM—proving they died hours apart, which demolished John's self-defense claim.

• The trail camera and missing SD card: Patrick and Monique had installed a camera to catch John trespassing. The SD card was full and stopped recording before the murders, but John took the camera anyway—not realizing the evidence wasn't there. He also took Patrick's computer thinking footage might auto-upload to it.

• The wrong cat bowl was a crucial detail: Patrick and Monique's relatives noticed the incorrect cat bowl was out when police searched their home. John had stopped mid-murder-cover-up to feed the victims' hungry cat with the wrong bowl—a telling detail that seemed insignificant until Tony's confession confirmed it.

• Tony Reed's confession detailed the murders: Tony agreed to surrender in exchange for removing death penalty consideration. He revealed John killed both victims at the gate, they drove the bodies to the Oso Landslide Road (site of a 2015 disaster that killed 43 people), buried them under an uprooted tree, and pushed both cars off a cliff.

• Forensic corroboration: Patrick's blood was found in his Land Rover and on his jacket discovered in the woods; Monique's wallet and both victims' phones were recovered from a spring where Tony said he tossed them; shell casings and items matching the shopping list fallen from Monique's car proved she never made it home.

• John Reed's failed self-defense claim: Despite claiming both victims attacked him with guns, phone and health app data proved Monique and Patrick arrived hours apart. John took the stand but was "destroyed on cross examination" and convicted of aggravated first degree murder for Patrick and second degree murder for Monique.

• The family members' justice: While conviction brought some closure, Vi (Monique's foster sister) got a rooster tattoo honoring Monique's beloved animals, and Patrick's niece Erin got "the truth never dies" tattooed on her collarbone—Detective Fontenot's mantra that sustained them through the investigation.

Notable quotes

"The details matter, and the truth never dies." — Detective Dave Fontenot's investigative philosophy

"If something was to happen to me over this, he would not be able to run with himself." — Tony Reed, explaining why John suggested he surrender

"As soon as I looked away, she came running at me and she tried to punch me in the face." — John Reed's testimony claiming self-defense (contradicted by evidence showing victims arrived separately)

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full episode if you appreciate meticulous forensic detective work, the satisfaction of watching circumstantial evidence build into an airtight case, or cases involving unusual motives—this neighbor dispute escalating to murder offers genuine mystery about why someone snaps.