Unsolved Mysteries – The Ghost in Apartment 14

The episode opens with a woman named Jodi Foster (not the actress) talking about moving into Walnut Garden’s Apartment 14 and having weird dreams about a girl with a weird couple. She later discovered that the girl in the dream lived in her apartment and went missing, leading her to believe that she wants to be found.

Jodi moved into the Chico, California apartment with her daughter Hannah in 2000. At first, it seemed like the ideal place to live, but pretty soon, things seemed to get eerie. The apartment had a bizarre smell and things overall were not peaceful.

Things got weirder when one day Hannah’s shoes moved from their usual spot to the bed. This happened for several days and then other things, such as the salt and pepper shakers would also move.

At this point, Jodi began having dreams of a young woman walking and getting into a car with a couple, who later began doing things to her. Hannah also began seeing and talking to a girl that only she was able to see. Jodi had her draw pictures of said girl, while Hannah recalls thinking this girl was an actual friend.

A few nights later, Jodi and Hannah came home to see the phone off the hook and a noose on one of Hannah’s toys. Jodi called the police, but they didn’t seem to take things seriously.

In February 2000, Jodi woke up one night to the TV on, the stove on and Hannah’s Ernie doll talking. She took the batteries out of the doll, but it kept talking and singing. Several other unusual things kept happening, so Jodi went to tell the manager, who came to check things out with her dog. The unusual activity kept occurring, scaring everyone.

Later on, Jodi talked to a neighbor, who warned her that people who moved into her apartment did not stay there long. He also told her that there was a girl who lived there who went missing.

The girl in question went missing on January 31st, 1976 and her name was Marie Elizabeth Spannhake, aka Marliz. She was five foot five, a hudnred pounds and had long brown hair. On the day she went missing, she had gone to a flea market with her boyfriend. The two had a disagreement, which led to her leaving. She had not been seen since.

Marliz’s sister Martha remembers her sister disappearing. She had moved to California from Ohio the year before with her boyfriend John, despite the disapproval of her family. Once she was there, she realized she was not happy and planned on coming home.

MarLiz’s case went cold in 1977.

Jodi recalls having even more vivid, intense dreams about Marliz, this time seeing the house she was at and the couple who had taken her in the car. At this point, Jodi had enough and decided to move.

Jodi initially thought it was all over, until she began dating a guy who came across a book called Perfect Victim. It turns out the book was about the disappearance of Marliz. The two of them began doing more research and discover this is probably who Hannah saw….since Hannah would call the girl she was seeing My Liz.

Marliz’s disappearance was connected to a couple in the Red Bluff area. Chief of Police Al Shamblin recalls responding to a call at the Church of Nazareth in 1984, where a woman named Janice confessed to her husband Cameron being involved in Marliz’s disappearance. Since she was also involved, he was able to help get her immunity if she cooperated. She admitted that they kidnapped Marliz, tortured her and killed her. They also buried her in a shallow grave.

Janice and Cameron were also involved in the kidnapping and torture of Colleen Stan in 1977. Colleen had been hitchhiking when the couple picked her up and tortured her in the same way as Marliz. They also did other disturbing acts to her and held her hostage for years. Janice finally decides to leave Cameron and tells Colleen. The two of them leave together and go to Janice’s parent’s house. Colleen is able to get home.  However, she cannot go to the cops because she fared for her safety. It isn’t until Janice confessed that Colleen came forward with her own story. She knew very little about Marliz, save for a picture she had seen.

Sadly, due to lack of evidence, there is no case. Janice continued to cooperate with the police and even tried to help find the burial site. Unfortunately, she was unable to do this, so Cameron could not be charged.

He denied any involvement in Marliz’s case, but they were able to charge him for the crimes against Colleen. She gives her testimony and he gets 104 years in prison.

Marliz’s case is still open. Martha is still waiting for answers.

Jodi went a year without having dreams, but they began returning, this time with the couple and the number 35.76, the letter A and the number 17.  She called the police and explained her dream, which led to her meeting a detective in a coffee shop. Once there, she told him what she saw in the dream, which led to the police once again talking to Janice. She agreed to help them. It wasn’t until 2021 that Jodi found out her visions were actually helpful to the case. However, the body has yet to be found and it is still considered to be an active case.

Cameron was granted parole and will possibly be held in a mental health hospital. He is awaiting release pending a review of his ‘sexually violent predator’ classification.

Janice is living under an assumed name.

Martha is still awaiting answers on Marliz’s case.