Never Forget Little Timmy | Part 8

How do you cope when someone close to you disappears without a trace? On this episode of the Murder Police Podcast, we unravel the story of Little Timmy Sterner, whose sudden disappearance has left a family in Nicholasville in turmoil and desperate for answers. Briana Johnson, Timmy's cousin and our guest, shares her heartfelt memories of growing up with Timmy, painting a picture of the deep bond they shared. Through Bree's eyes, we get a glimpse into a family where Timmy was more than just a cousin; he was a brother and a protector, known for his mischievous spirit and fierce loyalty.

As we venture further, we confront the tangled emotions that followed Timmy's disappearance. Bri opens up about the family's initial shock and their struggle to understand Timmy's association with the wrong crowd. Despite the pain, she emphasizes the unwavering love and pride Timmy had for his family. The narrative delves into the family's attempt to bring him back into the fold, only to be met with the chilling reality of his absence. As hints of foul play loom large, Bree describes the harsh impact of an unresolved loss that leaves their family in limbo, grappling with the unknown.

Throughout our discussion, we stress the critical need for the community to keep Timmy's story alive and the hope for justice that fuels his family's search for answers. Bree's candid account serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing our loved ones. We urge anyone with information to come forward, stressing the urgency for closure and healing. Join us as we stand in solidarity with Timmy's family, seeking answers and hoping to prevent another life from being lost to circumstance.

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Transcript

Murder Police Podcast

Speaker 1 0:00

But I think it was probably the day after that. We were like, okay, this is something's not right. So that's when my aunt started contacting like the police and people he was supposed to be around, and she went and searched, you know, down by the river for him. I just feel like it's just now starting to like set in really.

Speaker 2 0:26

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 0:35

We might not sound them.

Speaker 2 0:39

Warning the podcast you're about to listen to may contain graphic descriptions of violent assaults, murder and adult language. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome to the Murder Police Podcast. This is the eighth and final episode of Never Forget Little Timmy. As I've said since episode one, someone knows something. This family deserves answers and it's our hope that they get them soon. Thanks for listening. Please share with your friends. Welcome to the Murder Police Podcast. Today we have with us Bree, who is cousin of little Timmy Sterner. So, Bree, thank you for joining us.

Speaker 1 1:41

Thank you all for taking the time to interview our family.

Speaker 2 1:44

How are you doing today? We're good. How are you? We're great, David. How are you?

Speaker 3 1:49

Excited to learn more about who Timmy is. And again I got to say, now that we're on air too, you have two very beautiful young ladies for daughters. We got to meet them briefly as Bree came in and, like you said, I imagine they keep your hands full, but it's probably a good way of keeping your hands full too.

Speaker 1 2:04

Oh yeah, very busy, but we love it.

Speaker 3 2:06

Yeah, for sure. But again, again, we love the idea that you all trust us enough to share Timmy's story, to keep the awareness out and see if we can find out where he is and what happened.

Speaker 1 2:17

Yeah, we definitely want to keep it out there. I feel like it's kind of calmed down, or I wouldn't say calm down, but pretty quiet.

Speaker 3 2:26

There we go, and that happens, you know, I think there's still work being done.

Speaker 2 2:30

In the back scenes.

Speaker 3 2:31

there's work being done, but you know we've talked too that Nicholasville, where we're all from, is a fantastic little city, and it's fantastic because it's little and I think keeping it alive in this town is what's going to matter is to keep people talking about it and thinking about it and that's our hope.

Speaker 2 2:46

By doing the podcast is to number one most importantly find you all answers and bring justice to Timmy and whoever's done it. They got it coming, so we hope that justice is served to those people who are responsible for this. So let me begin with thanking you again for coming and tell us you're cousins with Timmy, tell us how it was growing up with him.

Close-Knit Family Bonds and Memories

Speaker 1 3:12

So I'm Timmy's first cousin. I was the first granddaughter, born March 1996. And Timmy came right after me. He was born in November of 96. So we were very close.

Speaker 2 3:26

You all grew up really close.

Speaker 1 3:27

Yeah, if I'm not mistaken, we were, you know, the first cousins before our siblings came along. So we mostly grew up like brother and sister. He was more like a brother to me than a cousin, oh, but he was so much fun, but he was always getting in trouble. We just have a very close-knit family, very loyal. Our mothers always stressed us that you know they're not always going to be here, so we were just going to have each other and we just always were doing everything together, playing outside, grew up together, holidays. They were always around. So when I had my little brother it was almost like he was just an addition.

Speaker 2 4:39

There were three of you all.

Speaker 1 4:41

Yeah and then my cousin Lexi came along and it was the four of us for years and years. So we're all very close. I don't know. I just felt like a big sister to him compared to a cousin.

Speaker 2 4:57

Do you all go to school together as well, growing up?

Speaker 1 5:02

I had an earlier birthday, so he was always a year behind me, yeah, um, but we always would go to our little granny's together and, like, if we had to do our shots, we usually went together. Yeah, my grandmother told me the story about where we had to get our school shots and I just kept telling her you know, I'm going to be brave, I'm going to be a big girl, I'm just going to do it. So I got up there and done it and Timmy hid the whole time under the doctor. He wasn't having no part of it, yeah. And so she said when I was done, I cried a little bit and he was like, yep, nope, not doing it. So then he took off running. So then they had to find him. He was hiding somewhere.

Speaker 2 5:38

And made it worse when they probably had to hold him down.

Speaker 1 5:46

Yeah, yeah, so that was I just love hearing the stories like that, just from like my grandmother's perspective and his mom tells his stories and she was telling me the other day about how I guess we rode the same bus together and there was this kid that was picking on me. Even though I was the older cousin, timmy was always tougher and he like pushed me down. And Timmy told his mom and she was like well, you didn't beat him up. And he was like she was like you got to protect your cousin.

Speaker 1 6:16

So the next day, he beat him up and he came home he was like Mom, I got that guy that was bothering Bree. He was so proud that he did it. He was yeah, he's like I know what you told me to.

Speaker 3 6:27

I protected her.

Speaker 1 6:27

Good for him. Yeah, we always looked out for each other.

Speaker 2 6:29

You know and that's what we've heard by several people that we've interviewed that if Timmy was in your corner, he was there. Yes, yes. You didn't have to worry about nobody bothering you.

Speaker 1 6:40

No, he is probably the most loyal person that I've ever known.

Speaker 3 6:45

Yeah, that's what we keep hearing over and over again. Was there anything when he went to school? Speaking of school, was there anything that he was attracted to over other things in school?

Speaker 1 6:55

Sports or anything like that. Yeah, him and my brother both played football together. They were on the same football team, and then me and my cousin Lexi cheered on the same team for them. So, like I said, we done everything together, but he loved his sports. Was really good at football. Academically I wouldn't say that was his favorite, but he definitely loved like the gym and working out the busy stuff.

Speaker 1 7:22

Yeah, yeah, he was all about like, the strength, like even when he went to prison he, he stayed on that, like, he worked out every day. He said that's how he really kept, like, kept himself busy in there.

Speaker 3 7:33

Yeah, he needed something to distract him probably, yeah, from that much time especially, so good for him on that too, and not as far as school. I don't think any of us honestly loved it I don't think there's a love for it.

Speaker 2 7:44

Is there? Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1 7:46

I loved it. I was always the nerdy cousin.

Speaker 3 7:49

Well, I always tell Wendy she was the one offering to clean the erasers and chalkboard. I have no doubt that she was sharpening pencils for the teacher and brought an apple every day.

Speaker 2 7:58

Yeah, I was probably quite nerdy, like Ralphie on Christmas Story, how he's bringing her the big fruit basket.

Speaker 3 8:04

I was probably the brown noser, I'm sure.

Speaker 1 8:05

Yeah, I was still like that, as a parent, I'm like here girls, take your sugar-free donut, that's right, Donuts coffee whatever it takes yeah.

Speaker 3 8:16

So you played football, you cheerleaded on the same team too.

Speaker 1 8:20

What school was that when it was going? It just jasmine county. Uh um youth, um broncos is the team that we were on um elementary doesn't they don't offer or I don't they might now, but when we were in elementary they didn't offer, like football teams um. So we we always done for jasmine county. That's what we played for good deal.

Speaker 2 8:41

But I think times have changed too from then. Now there's leagues for elementary in every school system really. So yeah, I think that's probably changed, but I'm sure that was a nice way for you all to hang out and still spend cousin time together, uh-huh yeah. And be on the same teams especially.

Speaker 1 8:57

Yeah, Him and my brother are always practicing and they get mad at each other and then try to tackle each other. But you couldn't tackle either one of them on the field without the other one throwing a fit and trying to protect the other one? Yeah too good.

Speaker 3 9:10

What was his sense of humor like?

Speaker 1 9:12

Oh, he was so funny.

Speaker 3 9:13

Yeah.

Speaker 1 9:15

Like he. Just he would come up with the craziest things just off the top of his head and you would think he was just being so serious. But no, he was just joking. Some people got in, some people didn't. Um, just that type of sense of humor, yeah.

Speaker 2 9:33

Um, he just always made me laugh, yeah so we know that timmy went away for a while. Did you get to keep in contact with him during those years? I, I did not.

Speaker 1 9:44

Last time I seen Timmy was on March 27th of 2017. It was actually the day I found out I was pregnant with my youngest. Him and my oldest were very close so the first time he got out of jail he came and lived with me and I had my oldest daughter and she was like one, one and a half. They were very close. We call her Ken and Bug, and he was always like that's my little bug, that's my dog. So they were really close. And then, when I found out I was having my second daughter, I was so nervous and he was there when I took the test and it came back positive and I was stressing out. I was in college and he was like Bree I don't know why you're worrying. You're already the best mom that I've ever known. You're going to do fine, so I'm. That was really helpful.

Speaker 3 10:46

Especially to hear something like that when you're stressed.

Speaker 1 10:48

Yeah, it made me feel a lot better.

Speaker 3 10:50

Especially somebody like a brother, like that.

Searching for Answers and Closure

Speaker 1 10:52

Yeah yeah, timmy always wanted kids and it didn't happen, but he loved ours like his own, so that meant a lot to me, thank you.

Speaker 2 11:10

When he said that, so you all didn't exchange letters or anything when he went no, um, I was honestly kind of angry at him when he left.

Speaker 1 11:22

Um, I think he started hanging out with some people that weren't the best influence and he ended up stealing from me before he left. So I felt like after that I was just kind of angry and didn't keep in contact. But my granny would be like Timmy says hi and he loves you. And he asked about Kenna. Every time he's on the phone and when they went to pick him up they were like that's the first thing you want to do. We see pictures of my oldest daughter, because he hadn't seen her since she was one. So he was like I can't believe how big she's gotten, I can't wait how big she's gotten. I can't wait to see her. Um, so we were really excited to see him.

Speaker 2 12:12

My family tell you I'm horrible for holding grudges I think sometimes all of us are yeah, so too, yeah you know we don't think about what happens in the future. It's always like now, yeah I think all of us do that. Yeah, I think all of us do that well, I think all of us do that well, and I think also, maybe, given that you all were so close, and then if he had stolen from you, there's probably that sense of betrayal like why me, I'm the one right you were so close to and he was living with me at the time and I felt like I was, you know, kind of taking care of him and helping him get back on his feet.

Speaker 1 12:43

So I think he just kind of fell back in with the wrong crowd and it did. It felt like betrayal. Like out of everyone. I'm helping you.

Speaker 2 12:51

And I'm the one that you're still from. Yeah.

Speaker 3 12:53

Yeah, and some disappointment, because I'm hearing on your voice a lot that you know that we all want the best for the people we're closest to and when people start running down a road and you can't pull them off of it, that's disappointing, that hurts, because you kind of see the problems but they don't yeah. And I don't know, but maybe that even was part of why he had to go away for as long as he did. Was that group of people perhaps?

Speaker 1 13:17

Yeah.

Speaker 3 13:18

Or the lifestyle they were living and that he was taking part in.

Speaker 1 13:27

I was going through our messages this morning and I read a message where he was like you know, I'm so proud of you and I'm so glad that you didn't turn out like a lot of us in this family and you just keep doing your best because and I love you and he just said I'm proud of you. So he was always on me about, like, is bruce still in school? What is she doing? Like he always asked about me, but we never got the chance to talk. I think I talked to him on the phone once when I was at my grandmother's and he called her when I was down there and we talked for a little bit, um, but we were definitely excited to see him. So but we didn't get to see him at all yeah.

Speaker 2 14:01

so so you all found out he was getting out and I guess you're probably thinking maybe we'll reconnect and kind of pick up and catch up over the last seven years. He's bound to be making better choices now.

Speaker 1 14:14

Introduce him to your second daughter. Yeah, because he hadn't got to meet her yet and I think we were planning like a cookout at Granny's and but nothing was set in stone yet. I'm trying to remember when I found out, I think I had just gotten off work and they were like you know, we haven't heard from Timmy. Has he talked to you? And I was like no, I sent him a message on Facebook because he had added me on Facebook and I sent him a message and he hadn't responded. But I think it was probably the day after that. We were like okay, this is something's not right. So that's when my aunt started contacting like the police and people he was supposed to be around and she went and searched, you know, know, down by the river for him. I just feel like it's just now starting to like set it really that we might not find him.

Speaker 3 15:24

Yeah, I guess you got to a point where, um, maybe hope dissipated a little bit.

Speaker 1 15:31

Yeah um, I didn't have a whole lot to say at first because I was like, oh you know, he just got out. Maybe he's just out living life, or but it's not as close as timmy is with his family and as loyal as he is, it's not like him not to especially with his mom, not to reach out to her at least once a day.

Speaker 3 15:55

Um, so we knew something wasn't right when we hadn't heard from that's what we're gathering to is that it doesn't sound like he would just rip and run and take off. Yeah, and it comes down to how close your family is. Yeah, a lot of people say that, but a lot of people's families aren't as close as yours are either.

Speaker 3 16:19

Yeah, and you know the state police would look at that as a possibility, but it doesn't sound like they're. Even from what I've heard from other family members that they're even entertaining that, it's looking more and more like foul play of some kind.

Speaker 3 16:35

And you know we have an address. We have a group of people that we call last known location, last known association. You know they're together and that's always where you start. I think that's where the frustration is. For anybody that gets around, this is answers yeah, they're somewhere, because there's no logic to it other than that.

Speaker 1 16:59

Right.

Speaker 3 16:59

That somebody quote unquote disappears from a specific place in a small time period and other people are there. That's more than suspicious. Yeah, I'm just sorry that. You know, we meet people all the time and I've met people all the time that they get to a certain point where hope dissipates or they get a feeling that maybe this isn't a great outcome. And I think that's what we're hearing from the family.

Speaker 1 17:26

Yeah, yeah. I think we all had hope for a long time that maybe, you know, he just got out, got around the wrong people again and maybe done something he wasn't proud of. So maybe he was just, you know, hiding out for a little bit. But, like you said, now we know something's definitely happened and there's people that know what happened, but with it being a small town and everyone knows everyone, I mean there's rumors going around but nothing that we can prove.

Speaker 3 18:02

And again, we don't do. I'll probably explain we don't do the rumors on this show because they can hurt an investigation, they can misidentify people, because the rumors are literally all over the place and to the point where I'm more and more convinced from just the stuff I've heard. And I know the listeners are probably like we should hear it too, but we just don't do that here. But some of it, I think, is probably clearly manufactured and we've spoke to some people like why would you make stuff like that up? But then again, people do that to get attention, you know, and but what it does is it drives you all nuts when that stuff?

Speaker 3 18:40

Because we've interviewed more than one person in the family where people will say those things and it's like, if it's not true, why would you even repeat it? And if it is true, why aren't you talking to the state police? I mean, that's the bitter part about this whole thing.

Speaker 1 18:51

I think my aunt everything that she's heard. She has tried to have it investigated but, like you said, like one day it's something and the next day it's something different. It's something and the next day it's something different. And I think until we get answers or find Timmy it's, it's driving my aunt and my grandmother crazy.

Speaker 3 19:11

I can't. Imagine.

Speaker 1 19:12

Like she's just. I mean, it's driving us all crazy, but as a mother I can only imagine not having the answers, and Timmy was her oldest Um so that's you said.

Speaker 3 19:28

Exactly what I think when I get around these and I used to investigate these is that I was around it, but I there's a part of my heart that can't go there with my child or my stepson, I did. There's a part of me that I don't want to yeah, that's why I respect so many people that are surviving this, that are somehow they're making the next breath work and, which makes it more important, why people need to come forward and stop that pain.

Speaker 3 19:53

Yeah, I mean because it's daily Talking to his dad with Tim, big Tim.

Seeking Answers and Closure

Speaker 2 19:58

It's daily, obviously, yeah, and I think that's our hope with this Bree is for your old family to find some kind of answers. I mean, I know, david, you don't investigate anymore, but we're hoping that this gets out there to enough people and, like we've said, as small as Nicholasville is that it'll get in somebody's ear and make them feel like I know what happened and I got to tell, because I can't imagine knowing something and that eating me up that someone's done something and I'm holding that a secret. So all it takes is pissing one person off and they'll end up telling on you eventually anyway. But I think just you know, I do agree, and this is only my opinion that there is some kind of foul play and I mean I don't know, maybe it could have been an accident. But even if it was an accident that happened there maybe an accidental overdose where is he right? What have you done with?

Speaker 1 20:52

him right. There we go and that's. That's something else you know we were considering, um, but timmy being a recovering addict and just getting out of jail and maybe being around people that he should have been and maybe he done something and it was too much, or the wrong stuff.

Speaker 2 21:07

Right, right.

Speaker 1 21:08

Didn't call someone. Yes. Or take them to the hospital. I think something maybe. Well, I think something like that happened and people got scared.

Speaker 3 21:22

Which again makes it ridiculous on their part, because there's a limited opportunity to come forward with information before you're truly part of it and you can't separate yourself from it. So if somebody knew that that was the case, they've got to come forward.

Speaker 2 21:37

Yeah, and you tell that night it's not going to look as bad as five months later You're saying well, here's really what happened Exactly.

Speaker 3 21:43

You're not a hero, but at the same time, you're doing the right thing Right and we can make this right People can make that right.

Speaker 1 21:51

I feel like in us as family. You know we know Timmy wasn't a saint, we know he had his issues, but we still loved him. And if something like that were to happen, I don't think you know you can't blame anyone else. He was grown, he made his own decisions. But we just want to know.

Speaker 2 22:09

Yeah, just tell that's. Our hope is that you all get answers, whether they're one way or the other.

Speaker 1 22:34

You know and I know from us talking to his grandmother and his dad. We've yet at this point haven't talked to his mother, but they just want answers, so they can, you know, have closure to it if that's the case. Yeah, um, and I know, for big timmy, little timmy was his only child. So right, um, my aunt, she's got other children, but they, uh, she just lost um a 20. So now, timmy, yeah. I can't start reading.

Speaker 3 22:56

Well, the other thing, too, is that people who listen and watch are going to learn who Timmy is. I mean down to the detail.

Speaker 3 23:04

And that's the other thing we love doing is that, like you said, things get quiet as time goes on. Even as human beings we become statistics. We're a count on a missing person count every year. You know what I'm saying and I know that sounds rough and people have opinions, but I think it's important for the people out there listening to know who Timmy is. They're putting together like we're putting together. They came from a really tight, bonded family. He was loyal. He had faults.

Speaker 3 23:36

We all have faults but he was capable of love. It sounds like he had done a lot of stuff, done a lot of soul-searching in this stint that he'd come out with, and if somebody robbed him of that, they need to pay for that, I agree. And if they've held information back to help the family heal, they probably ought to pay for that too. I mean if you could ask people in the community for help or ask them to take action. What would that sound like? What would you do?

Speaker 1 24:05

Just keep searching. You know, keep it there in your mind. You might hear something, might see something, and even though it might not seem big or significant, it could be a turning point. Just remember to be kind and just treat others how you want to be treated. And just treat others how you want to be treated. And, I guess, just keep looking.

Speaker 1 24:37

I don't want it to, you know, just become stagnant um like I know it was getting some, some attention, but I feel like, as time goes on, people tend to forget about the person and, like you said, it becomes more like a statistic. But Timmy was a part of our family and we just want answers and we just ask everyone to just try not to forget. Don't let them become a number.

Speaker 3 25:13

Let's keep his name alive and who he is and push to get that and push to get those answers.

Speaker 2 25:21

We sure hope that somebody comes forward, whether it's on their own accord or through listening to this and maybe having some guilt for it. You know our hearts certainly go out to you all and we've, like David said, we've learned a lot about who Timmy is through doing this and just honestly how much pain your whole family's going through. So we are hopeful that we can help you all find answers.

Speaker 1 25:49

Yeah, this is amazing. I mean, thank you all for doing this well thank you for coming to do it.

Speaker 2 25:55

I know it's not easy to talk about and it's. You know it's one of those things where you it's different watching it on the tv it is.

Speaker 1 26:03

It's very different because you always think like, wow, I feel for that family like I couldn't imagine.

Speaker 2 26:08

But then when you're when you're something, when your feet are in those shoes, it's different.

Speaker 3 26:13

Yes, and I think that's what me and Wendy's put together. You are wonderful people going through the worst nightmare that people could go through and you don't have that coming, and Timmy didn't have that coming for sure. So hopefully the awareness helps, yeah, and again letting people know who Timmy is.

Speaker 2 26:31

Well, thank you again so much, bree, for coming and sharing your perspective of who you're in Timmy's relationship and what you're hoping that someone, like you said, will come forward and just keep his memory alive. Yeah, so, thank you so very much. Thank you, guys.

Speaker 3 26:50

Thank you. The Murder Police Podcast is hosted by Wendy and David Lyons and was created to honor the lives of crime victims, so their names are never forgotten. It is produced, recorded and edited by David Lyons. Found on your favorite Apple or Android podcast platform, as well as at MurderPolicePodcastcom, where you will find show notes, transcripts, information about our presenters and a link to the official Murder Police Podcast merch store where you can purchase a huge variety of Murder Police Podcast swag. We are also on Facebook, instagram and YouTube, which is closed caption for those that are hearing impaired. Just search for the Murder Police Podcast and you will find us. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe for more and give us five stars and a written review. On Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your podcasts. Make sure you set your player to automatically download new episodes so you get the new ones as soon as they drop, and please tell your friends.

Speaker 1 27:52

Lock it down.

Speaker 3 27:52

Judy.