The Murder of Christopher Daigle
For this case, I watched an episode of Gone. It’s season 1 episode 1, titled ‘Field of Broken Dreams.’
A 17-year-old star baseball player goes missing, and it takes several years for the case to be solved.
Background
Christopher ‘Chris’ Daigle was just 17 years old when he went missing in the small town of Missouri City, Texas.
He was described as popular, funny and always wanted to make people laugh. He was also athletic, and was a star baseball player at his high school. However, after an incident involving throwing a bottle and hitting his coach, Chris was kicked off the team.
Chris Daigle
The Disappearance
On November 7, 2002, Chris’ grandma Wanda, whom he had lived with since he was 3, dropped him off at school. Wanda noticed that Chris wasn't acting like his usual self, and asked him if everything was okay. Chris assured her that he was fine. That was the last time she saw her grandson.
Later that evening, Chris didn’t return home for dinner. Chris’ family weren’t too concerned. He would often spend nights with friends, and return home in the morning.
By the next morning, Chris hadn’t come home. The phone calls to Chris’ phone hadn’t going through either. Chris’ family contacted all of his friends, including his good friend Brittany.
Brittany said Chris had gone to her house after school. She said he was then picked up by his friend Richard ‘Ricky’ Mendoza. Brittany said that Chris had a duffel bag with him, he threw it into Ricky’s truck, and they took off.
Ricky told Chris’ family that they had gone to the mall. They had seen some girls that Chris wanted to speak to. However, Ricky said he left when his mom called to tell him to go home. Ricky said the last place he had seen Chris was at the mall.
The Investigation
About 15 hours into Chris’ disappearance, his family learned that he hadn’t arrived at school. Many people believed he was so distraught over the baseball incident, that he had just run away or even committed suicide.
Chris’ family didn’t believe that. They contacted the Missouri City police on November 9. The police filed a police report, but said that Chris had probably just ran away, and would be back.
Chris’ family searched ponds and creeks, and put up missing persons posters. The police also put up flyers, obtained Chris’ dental records, and talked to the family, and friends at school.
During the investigation, rumors spread that Chris had moved to Missouri or Oklahoma with some friends. There were also rumors that Chris had met someone online or had issues with groups of some not so great people.
All the leads were dead ends, and soon, Chris’ family believed that someone had killed him.
Theories
Chris’ parents had separated when Chris was very young. Chris’ father had been in and out of prison for drugs. He always made promises to Chris that they’d see each other when he was out, but he never went through with it.
A few weeks before Chris disappeared, his father was released from a Texas state prison. His family thought that maybe Chris could have tried to help his dad settle a drug debt, and was killed by someone he owed money to. However, Chris’ dad had moved to another town in Texas, and it didn’t appear that they had any contact.
Another theory was that Chris was killed by the leader of a local gang. The gang was known to hangout by the high school. One of Chris’ friends said that Chris had said something to the leader. Chris was known for speaking his mind, and it was a good theory. This too was a dead end, and Chris’ case went cold.
Searching For Chris
Chris’ disappearance took a toll on Wanda and Tracy, Chris’ mom. They vowed to keep searching until they found out what happened to Chris.
About a year after Chris disappeared, Tracy said she didn’t believe in psychics, but she was willing to get any information she could. The psychic told her that Chris had been with three guys, and that they had traveled down a long dirt road. She said there was an altercation, and Chris was shot in the head.
The psychic even drew a map of the area that she claimed Chris was located. It was a field near a fence, tree and some water.
Chris’ family went to search the area, and even found some bones. They contacted the police, and for the first time in years, they had some hope. However, the bones were animal bones, and it was another dead end.
Tracy’s Search for the Truth
In the fall of 2007, Tracy opened up her home to teenagers who were struggling. This is where she met a boy named Josh Fretz. Josh stayed with Tracy for about a week, until one day when he saw a picture of Chris. He suddenly took off, and later his mom said something had happened to Josh when he was 13. (More on that soon).
Tracy decided to get a job at a local bar, and hoped that she could befriend some locals, hoping to get information.
Tracy would often ask the customers if they knew or had known Chris. One young woman said she did, and that she had some information about his case. Tracy gave her the phone number of the detectives working the case.
The young woman told the police that Ricky Mendoza had confessed to her that he killed Chris. She even brought the police to the field that he claimed he left Chris’ body. It was a field in Fort Bend County, but the search didn’t lead to anything, and the case went cold again.
A Jealous and Disturbed Individual
In the summer of 2010, a new detective named Andrew Robb, was assigned to the cold cases.
Det. Robb wanted to take another look at the field in Fort Bend County. They had several cadaver dogs assist in the search, but again nothing was found.
The police tracked down a man, who was now in his 20’s, named Josh Fretz. He had been living and working in Houston, and he knew why the police had come to talk to him.
Josh said that he had been with Chris, Ricky Mendoza, and another teenager named David Garcia, on November 7, 2002. Josh said Ricky was jealous of Chris, and had seen him kissing his girlfriend at school.
Ricky asked the other three boys if they wanted to go out to a field to pick mushrooms. However, Ricky had been plotting his revenge. Armed with a shot gun, Ricky drove them out to Fort Bend.
They went into a field, and walked into a pasture. Chris was down on the ground looking for mushrooms, when Ricky shot him in the back of the head. Josh described to the police that he saw Chris’ eyes roll into the back of his head, and wasn't moving. Detective Robb said he knew that Josh was telling the truth, based on his descriptions.
The police tracked down the other friend David. He told the same story that Josh did. David gave them directions to where Ricky had made them take Chris’ body. It was 1,500 feet from where the young woman had taken them years earlier.
This time, they found Chris’s bones, not all the bones, but enough to match his DNA. The police assumed that animals had scattered the rest of the bones throughout the years.
The Conviction
In August 2011, the police told Chris’ family that Ricky Mendoza was being arrested. The other boys hadn’t come forward because Ricky had threatened to kill them if they told anyone.
In February 2013, Ricky stood trial. He walked into the court room with a smile on his face, and winked and blew kisses at Chris’ family.
After a two week trial, Ricky was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and will be eligible for parole in 2037. He was also ordered to pay with a $10,000 fine.
Josh Fretz and David Garcia were never charged.
Wanda passed away shortly after the trial, and Chris’ family ended up finding some more bones in the field in Fort Bend County.
Richard ‘Ricky’ Mendoza
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m honestly mind blown about the psychic’s information. She was almost correct in everything she told Chris’ family. It’s not very common for psychics to be right or for them not to con grieving families.
Ricky Mendoza deserves a lot longer than 5o years in prison. I believe he’s a jealous and evil person. However, Chris’ family never gave up, and they discovered the truth. They were able to put Chris to rest, and get the justice that they deserve.
