[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: If you dig the twisted, admire the outlandish, and are enamored by the unusual, you're in the right place. True crime, the supernatural, the unexplained. Now you're speaking our language. If you agree, join us as we dive into the darker side. You know, because it's more fun over here. Welcome to Total Conundrum Warning. Some listeners may find the following content disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: Some stories, they don't just land in your ears. They settle in your chest. They stay with you. They leave a mark.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: This is one of those stories. Today, we're talking about Sarah Good, a young woman from Long island who is smart, kind, full of life, and a devoted mom to a beautiful little girl.
[00:01:20] Speaker A: At just 21 years old, Sarah's life was brutally cut short. And what happened to her sent shockwaves through her family, her friends, and an entire community.
[00:01:31] Speaker B: But this isn't just a crime story. This is a story about who Sarah was. About love, loss, and the people who refused to stop searching for answers.
[00:01:42] Speaker A: Before we get into it, we want to thank you for being here, for. For listening. If you've been with us for a while, or even if this is your very first episode. Welcome to the Conundrum crew.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: Yeah, seriously. Thank you. And while you're here, don't forget to follow, like, and subscribe wherever you're listening. If you're on Spotify or Apple, a quick rating and review really helps get these stories into more ears. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that little notification bell so you never miss an episode. Have a case you want us to cover, or maybe you got a creepy hometown story? Head over to totalconundrum.com and send it our way. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and X. We always love hearing from our crew. And don't worry, no haunted dolls required. Just bring your curiosity and your love for the weird, the truth, and the unexplained.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: Yeah, please don't send us any haunted dolls. I've already got enough emotional baggage. I don't need one that whispers at 3am and move its own.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Send it to me. I'll name it Carl. We'll hang out, play video games, maybe haunt the neighbors a little. Carl's not cursed. He's just misunderstood.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Ah, great. Carl, the roommate I never asked for who doesn't pay rent, stares at me from the corner and probably leaves ectoplasm in the fridge.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Well, before we dive in, we want to give a shout out to a couple of podcasts we think you're gonna love.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: This week we're doing a trailer trade with our friends over at Weird Mythic Podcast and Twisted Karma Podcasts. Give them a listen, hit that follow button and tell them that we sent you.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: We'll be back after these messages.
[00:03:30] Speaker C: Hello, my friends, my name is Naomi and I am the host of Weird Mythic Podcast. It is a podcast all about that strange and unusual things that are not easy to explain explained in this world. Talk a lot about Cryptids, everything from the Bunyip all the way to Bigfoot, Pukwudgies, Thunderbirds, you name it, I'll cover it. Go ahead and listen to Weird Mythic Podcast anywhere you get your podcast fix. I hope you tune in soon.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: And back to the show, shall we?
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Dive in.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: All right, let's take it back to the beginning, to the girl who lit up every room she walked into.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: Lets remember Sarah Good. Not just for what was taken from her, but for everything she was.
[00:04:17] Speaker A: Before we talk about what happened to Sarah Good, we want to talk about who she was. Because Sarah wasn't just a headline. She wasn't just a victim in a true crime story. She was real.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Sarah was born in 1993, the youngest of nine siblings. Yeah, nine. She grew up in Medford, New York, a suburban town on. On Long Island. It's one of those places where families are close, neighbors wave from across the lawn, and people tend to stick around. And Sarah, she was loved from the start.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: Her family described her as vibrant, playful, and always smiling. The kind of kid who'd light up a room and maybe get away with a little mischief because she was just that sweet. But she also had a big heart. As she got older, that light never dimmed. If anything, it only got brighter. She was funny, full of energy, always joking, always making people laugh.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: And she had ambition. Sarah became a certified medical technician, which says a lot about her personality. She wanted to help people. She was always the one to check in on you, to lend a hand, to be there when it mattered.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: But nothing mattered more to her than being a mom. At just 17 years old, Sarah had her daughter, Jocelyn. And from that moment on, her world shifted. She didn't just rise to the occasion, she embraced it.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: She was young, yeah, but she was all in. She worked hard. She balanced school and jobs. And her family said she never once complained because Jocelyn was her everything. If you look at photos from that time, you see a young mom absolutely beaming, holding her daughter like she's the most precious thing in the world. Because to Sarah, she was.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: She was the kind of mom who Packed snacks with little notes. The kind who worked long shifts but still made time for bedtime stories and hugs. She had help. Her parents, her siblings, they all came together to support Sarah and Jocelyn. It was one of those it takes a village situations. And Sarah had her village.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: She also had her best friend, Nicole Lucas. They were more like sisters than friends. The kind of bond that's built on years of shared sleepovers, heartbreaks, and inside jokes that make no sense to anyone else. Nicole later said they were unbreakable. And you could see it, the way they supported each other, leaned on each other, especially as they both navigated young motherhood.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Sarah wasn't just a mom or a daughter. She was a friend, a neighbor, a goofball with a soft spot for animals, and someone who made people feel seen. She had dreams, big ones. She wanted to go further in the medical field. She talked about getting her own place, traveling with Jocelyn, building a life full of joy.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: That's the Sarah Goode we want you to know. Not the crime, not the headlines, just Sarah.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: And that's why her disappearance shook people around her to their core. Because this just wasn't a missing person. This was Sarah. And something wasn't right.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: Medford, New York, if you're not from Long island, you've probably never heard of it. It's not flashy, it's not touristy. It's just quiet, ordinary. And for a lot of families, that's the whole appeal.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: It's the kind of place where life moves at a steady rhythm. Kids ride bikes down tree lined streets, parents sit out on front porches. In the summer, there are parks where weekend soccer games play out. Little diners where waitresses know your name and neighbors who nod and wave like clockwork.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Sarah Good lived just off a horse block road in a modest neighborhood with split level houses and American flags fluttering from mailboxes. She grew up there, went to school there. She knew the back roads, the gas stations, the tucked away trails where she and her friends used to hang out as teens.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: There's a spot called Bicycle Path park where families bring their kids to play. Just a short drive from Sarah's house. There's a high school not too far away, a corner deli and woods that stretch out between the streets. Peaceful, quiet woods that no one ever thought to think twice about until they had to. Because Medford was the kind of place where things like this didn't happen. Where news traveled fast, but it was usually about bake sales or PTA drama. Not about a missing person's report. Not blood on the hood of a car, not whispered fears in the grocery store aisles.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: And when Sarah Good disappeared, it changed everything. The safety net people thought they had. The illusion that this kind of thing doesn't happen here. It unraveled.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: The community that had felt tight knit and safe was suddenly on edge. And the woods Sarah once walked past on her way to school, they were now crime scenes.
[00:09:25] Speaker B: In places like Medford. Everybody knows everyone. And when someone goes missing, everyone feels it. Especially when that someone is Sarah Good.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: Friday, June 6, 2014 started out like any other day. It was warm, summer was settling in and Sarah had a rare night ahead of her. A night just for herself.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: She didn't go out much, being a single mom. Most nights were spent at home with Jocelyn. But that Friday she made plans to go to a small get together. Nothing big, just a low key hangout with a few people she knew.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: Before heading out, Sarah dropped off Jocelyn with family like she always did when she needed help. Jocelyn was safe, surrounded by people who loved her. And Sarah, she was just excited to get out for a little bit.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: But one moment from that evening has stuck with her family ever since. Before she left the house, Sarah asked her brother in law, the same one who used to paint her tiny nails when she was little, if he could do it again. She begged him.
[00:10:31] Speaker A: It was sweet, it was playful and it was so Sarah. She sat there with her hand outstretched, insisting he give her a fresh coat of polish, just like he did when she was a kid. They laughed about it and he gave in. And then they painted her nails right there in the living room. It was such a small moment, but now her family holds on to it like it's everything because it was the last moment.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Later that night, Sarah went out with Jason Flores, her best friend, Nicole's brother, and his friend Brandon Allen. They ended up at a small house gathering in the Medford area. Just a few people, some drinks, music and conversation.
[00:11:12] Speaker A: Another guy there that night was Dante Taylor. He was a friend of Brandon's, not someone Sarah was very close with. He, he had been around in the neighborhood, hung out in similar circles, but he really wasn't part of Sarah's life.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: They stayed for a while, talked, took a few pictures together. Nothing seemed out of place. Then sometime around 1am, Sarah said she was heading home. She got into her car, her BMW, which she worked hard for, and drove off into the night.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: At 1:17am, Jason Flores texted her, did you get home safe? And the reply came almost instantly. Just one word. Yes.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: But later, investigators would come to believe Sarah never Sent that text. They think someone else had her phone, someone trying to buy time.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: The next day, she didn't show up for a family birthday party. She didn't call, she didn't post. And for the people that knew her best, especially Nicole, it was clear something was very, very wrong.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: By Saturday morning, June 7, 2014, the feeling in Sarah Good's house was off. She hadn't come home. Her bed was untouched. Her phone was silent.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: She was supposed to go to a family birthday party that day. Sarah never missed family stuff, especially if Jocelyn was involved. But she didn't show, she didn't call, and she didn't answer texts at first.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: Maybe you could chalk it up to a late night. Maybe she crashed at a friend's house. But that wasn't Sarah. For those who knew her best, the gut feeling was starting to creep in fast.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: One of the first people to panic was her best friend, Nicole Lucas. She started blowing up Sarah's phone. Text after text, call after call. And as the hours passed, that panic turned into full blown dread.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: Sarah's parents started making calls too. Family, friends, anyone who might have seen her. And then it hit. No one had heard from her, not since the night before.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: By the end of the day, Sarah's family had contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. And what started as worry exploded into action.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: By Sunday, it wasn't just the family searching, it was the entire community. Local police joined forces with volunteers, friends, neighbors and even strangers. People combed through fields, woods, side streets. Flyers with Sarah's face were posted everywhere.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Social media lit up. Nicole and Sarah's family began organizing search parties, pushing out posts, updating everyone by the hour. No one was sitting still because this.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Wasn'T just some missing person story in the background of the news. This was Sarah and Medford. It was shaken. People who hadn't locked their doors in years were suddenly installing cameras, clutching their kids tighter. There was this growing unease, a feeling that something terrible had happened.
[00:14:12] Speaker A: And deep down, everyone was hoping for a miracle. But bracing for the worst.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: By June 9, the search for Sarah had reached a critical point. It had been two full days since anyone had seen or heard from her.
[00:14:27] Speaker A: Flyers covered storefront windows. Her face was all over the news. Volunteers are still combing the streets, the woods, abandoned lots, anywhere she might be. And then they found her car.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Sarah's BMW, the one she left in that night, was discovered abandoned near a wooded area in Medford. It wasn't parked, it was just left there, like someone had walked away in a hurry. But it was what Was on the car. That changed everything.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: On the hood was a bloody handprint. It sent chills through investigators and everyone that had been holding out hope.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: After that, search efforts zeroed in on the area near the car. The woods were dense, thick with brush, uneven ground and tall, tangled trees. It wasn't somewhere you'd wander into by accident.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: And on June 12, 2014, just a few hundred feet from where her car was found, Sarah's body was discovered.
[00:15:27] Speaker B: She had been brutally stabbed more than 40 times. Her body was hidden under branches and debris, deliberately concealed. It was clear this wasn't random. This wasn't a mistake. Someone had tried to erase her, but they couldn't.
[00:15:44] Speaker A: Because in that moment when Sarah was found, the town stopped.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: News of her discovery spread quickly, and with it came grief, rage, and disbelief. The community that hoped and prayed for a miracle now found itself in mourning.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: A vigil was held in her honor. Hundreds gathered. Family, friends, people who didn't even know her, but felt like they did. There were candles, flowers, tears, prayers. Her name echoed through the crowd.
[00:16:14] Speaker B: And at the heart of all of it, Nicole Lucas. Heartbroken, she spoke to reporters, to the community, to anyone who had listened. Her best friend was gone. And someone had done this.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Nicole's words were raw. She called Sarah a sister, a light, and begged for justice. She promised they wouldn't stop until they found out who did this and why.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: The questions were now louder than ever. Who would do this to Sarah? Good. Why would they try so hard to hide it? And had they been walking among them all along? With Sarah's body discovered, the case officially became a homicide investigation. Detectives immediately began retracing her final known steps, Starting with the people she'd been with that night before she disappeared.
[00:17:01] Speaker A: They started with Jason Flores and Brandon Allen, the two friends Sarah had gone out with that night. And it was through these interviews that a new name came into focus. Dante Taylor, a 19 year old from mastic, Long island. Not a close friend of Sarah's, barely an acquaintance, but he had been there that night.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: Taylor had shown up to the gathering with Brandon. He and Sarah were seen chatting, taking a few selfies together. Nothing that raised red flags in the moment, but something in the timeline didn't add up.
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Investigators asked Taylor to come in for questioning, and he did. Willingly. He was calm, cooperative. Claimed he didn't know what happened to Sarah and he hadn't seen her after she left.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: They asked for a DNA sample. Taylor didn't flinch. He provided a buckle swab, a simple, painless cheek swab. And for a moment, detectives Wondered if he really didn't know anything.
[00:17:58] Speaker A: But then came the results. DNA recovered from Sarah's body, including semen and skin cells from under her fingernails, matched Dante Taylor.
[00:18:08] Speaker B: And suddenly, everything changed.
[00:18:10] Speaker A: This wasn't just a guy she had talked to at a party. This is a man whose DNA was now directly tied to her rape and murder. And not just that. Sarah had fought back. Her fingernails had scraped skin from her attacker. That attacker was Dante Taylor.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Police began re examining every part of Taylor's story, and the cracks became clearer.
[00:18:33] Speaker A: They pulled surveillance footage from the business cameras along the route where Sarah would have driven home. Dante's timeline, it didn't hold up. His alibi started to crumble under the weight of the real evidence.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: He told police he had been dropped off at a friend's house after the party. But footage showed him walking in a completely different direction. And cell phone data later revealed that his phone had been pinged in the area where Sarah's car was found around the same time she vanished.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: The physical evidence was damning the inconsistencies in his story even worse. But there was one more piece of the puzzle that would push this case over the edge. And it was hiding in Dante Taylor's past.
[00:19:15] Speaker B: As detectives built their case against Dante Taylor, they started digging into his background. And what they found was chilling, because this wasn't his first time.
[00:19:26] Speaker A: In 2011, just three years before Sarah's murder, Dante Taylor had been living in Florida and was facing serious charges. He had been arrested for a violent attempted rape and assault.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: According to court documents, Taylor had broken into a woman's home in the middle of the night. She didn't know him well. They had crossed paths a few times, but there was no relationship.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: He attacked her, punched her repeatedly, beat her so badly she was barely recognizable. Then he raped her. She fought him off, and she survived.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: And she did everything right. She went to the hospital, reported the assault, gave a statement, cooperated with police. Taylor was arrested and charged, but before he could stand trial, he fled.
[00:20:13] Speaker A: He left Florida and went back to New York, blending back into his old stomping grounds in Mastic and Medford. No warrant ever reached New York law enforcement in time to stop him. So he just kept living his life free, untouched.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: And that's what makes it so hard to swallow. Because when Sarah Good was murdered in 2014, Dante Taylor shouldn't have been on the streets.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: That Florida survivor, after everything she endured, wasn't done. When Sarah's case went to trial, she testified in court. She stood in front of the jury in the Same room as the man who attacked her and told her story. And she didn't waver.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: Her bravery mattered because the parallels between the two cases were undeniable. A young woman attacked with overwhelming violence and attempted rape. A man who left behind physical trauma, and a survivor.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: Prosecutors used this testimony to show the jury that Sarah's murder wasn't just some tragic one time explosion of rage. It was part of a pattern. A predator's pattern.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: Dante Taylor had a history of violence against women. He had a history of trying to get away with it. But this time he left behind too much. Too much blood, too many lies, too many victims.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: With that history, the DNA and the digital evidence, the case was building fast. And it was heading straight to trial.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: In April of 2016, nearly two years after Sarah Good's murder, Dante Taylor stood trial in a Long island courtroom. He faced charges of first degree murder and attempted rape.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: It had taken months for prosecutors to gather everything. DNA evidence, digital forensics, expert analysis, witness interviews, and survivor testimony. They were ready. And so was Sarah's family.
[00:22:09] Speaker B: Sarah's parents, her siblings, her extended family, and of course, Nicole Lucas. They were there every day, sitting just feet away from the man accused of taking Sarah from them.
[00:22:21] Speaker A: They weren't alone. The courtroom was packed. And in one of the most powerful moments of the trial, the survivor from Florida took the stand.
[00:22:31] Speaker B: She recounted the night in 2011 when Taylor broke into her home. How he beat her, how she fought him off, how she lived in fear ever since. And how she traveled hundreds of miles to make sure this jury heard her truth.
[00:22:46] Speaker A: Her testimony was raw, honest, painful. She looked him in the eye and refused to be silent.
[00:22:54] Speaker B: Then came the forensic evidence. Crime scene analysis walked the jury through the physical links. Sarah's DNA under Taylor's fingernails, his semen recovered from her body, his skin cells.
[00:23:07] Speaker A: On her car, cell tower records, surveillance footage, inconsistencies in Taylor's story, the bloody handprint on her car. It all pointed in the same direction.
[00:23:19] Speaker B: The defense tried to argue that the interaction had been consensual. But the sheer brutality of Sarah's injuries, over 40 stab wounds told a different story. And the jury saw it for exactly what it was.
[00:23:33] Speaker A: On July 8, 2016, after deliberating for just a few hours, Dante Taylor was found guilty on all counts. First degree murder, attempted rape.
[00:23:44] Speaker B: When the verdict was read, Sarah's family wept. Nicole cried. There were no cheers, no smiles, just release.
Just the weight of what they had carried for the two years finally beginning to lift.
[00:23:58] Speaker A: The judge sentenced Taylor to life in prison without the possibility of parole, he would never walk free again.
[00:24:06] Speaker B: And Judge Collins made sure the weight of the sentence was clear. He looked Taylor in the eyes and said, your punishment will be the maximum, the only appropriate punishment for the evil man that did this. You may make chalk marks on your cell block and your walls in the cage in which you will live, but it will have no significance.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: There was no redemption arc, no excuses. But it wasn't closure. Because how do you close the door on someone like Sarah Good. But it was justice. And for the people who loved her, it was something to hold on to. After the trial and after the verdict, Dante Taylor was transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility, A maximum security prison tucked away in upstate New York.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: He was 21 years old when he was sentenced to life without parole. And for a time, it seemed like that was it, that Serta's family could finally begin to heal, knowing he'd never walk free again.
[00:25:05] Speaker A: But that sense of justice didn't last long.
[00:25:09] Speaker B: On October 1, 2017, just over a year after his sentencing, reports emerged that Taylor had been beaten by correctional officers inside the prison. He suffered severe facial injuries, multiple fractures. Details were scarce. The Department of Corrections didn't release much publicly, but what was clear was something had happened behind those walls.
[00:25:35] Speaker A: Three days later, on October 4th, corrections officers found Dante Taylor dead in his cell. He had used a bed sheet to hang himself. The official ruling, suicide.
[00:25:47] Speaker B: He was just 23 years old. And with that, his story ended. No appeals, no long sentence, no chance to sit in a cell and face the weight of what he had done.
[00:25:58] Speaker A: For Sarah's family, it was complicated. There was grief, but not for him. There was frustration, even anger, because to them, he escaped accountability. He didn't have to live every day with what he had done. He didn't have to rot in that cell for the rest of his life.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: But for others, it was kind of a closure. Dark, messy, unfinished, but closure nonetheless.
[00:26:23] Speaker A: Sarah's best friend, Nicole Lucas, later said while she felt cheated by his death, she also knew he'd never hurt anyone else again. And for her, for Sarah's daughter, and for everyone who loved her, maybe that was enough.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Still, questions remain about what happened inside the prison, about whether Taylor was pushed to suicide or if somebody else had a hand in what happened. But those answers, we may never know.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: What we do know is this Sarah Good is gone, taken by someone who never should have had the chance. But her story didn't end in those woods. It lived on in the courtroom, in the voices of her loved ones, and in the fight for justice that never stopped.
[00:27:07] Speaker B: In the months following Dante Taylor's death, his name returned to the headlines this time not because of what he did to Sarah Good, but because of what his family claimed was done to him.
[00:27:19] Speaker A: We'll be back after these messages.
[00:27:22] Speaker C: Are you ready for a little good karma with a twisted edge? This is Twisted Karma. We're best friends. Tara and Mara, a pair of caffeine fueled moms, dive headfirst into the darkest corners of true crime, the paranormal and urban legends. I'm Tara and I do the deep dives bringing you the facts, the research and the haunting details. While my ride or dive Mara brings the razzle dazzle with sharp wit, unfiltered commentary and just the right amount of sass to keep things twisted. We honor the victims, roast the criminals, and shine a light on stories that need to be told. From spine chilling hauntings to jaw dropping true crime cases. No stone goes unturned, no ghost gets left behind, and no criminal escapes a well deserved verbal smackdown down. So grab your sage, your snacks and your sense of justice because karma, she's a little twisted.
Twisted Karma with Tara and Mara honoring the victims, calling out the darkness, and finding the humor even when the story hits its darkest point. New episodes every week wherever you listen.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: To podcasts and back to the show.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Taylor's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the New York State Department of Corrections. The lawsuit alleged that her son had been beaten by correctional officers and that the prison had failed to provide adequate medical care and mental health intervention. Following that assault.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: According to the complaint, the state had a duty to protect Taylor even as a convicted murderer. They claimed he had been targeted, brutalized and left alone with obvious signs of mental distress, ultimately leading to his suicide.
[00:29:09] Speaker A: The lawsuit stirred up immediate controversy for Sarah's family and many in the public. It felt like a slap in the face. The man who had brutally raped and murdered their daughter was now being painted as a victim and the state was being asked to pay for his suffering.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: People took sides. Some said no one, no matter their crime, deserves to be beaten in custody. That once someone is in state care, the system is responsible for their safety and basic human rights.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Others, especially those who knew and loved Sarah, struggled to sympathize. They asked where was his concern for human rights when he took Sarah into the woods and left her to die? To them, the idea that he was the victim now was hard to stomach.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: It also raised bigger questions. What does justice look like behind prison walls? Where do we draw lines between punishment and protection? And how do we make space for these debates while still honoring the pain of the victims left behind.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: As of now, the case remains tangled in legal bureaucracy. Like many wrongful death suits filed against the Department of Corrections, it's a long process. There have been motions, responses, but no final ruling.
[00:30:26] Speaker B: For Sarah's family, the lawsuit was just another reminder that justice, real, complete justice, isn't always clean. It doesn't always end in a courtroom. Sometimes it lingers in the headlines. Sometimes it never comes at all.
[00:30:43] Speaker A: But while Dante Taylor's story ended in a prison cell, Sarah's legacy was only just beginning. After all the pain, the heartbreak, the trial, there's one part of the story that continues.
[00:30:55] Speaker B: Jocelyn, Sarah's daughter Today, Jocelyn is being raised by Sarah's family, surrounded by love, stability and memories of her mother who adored her. She's growing up with the stories, with photos, with people who make sure she knows just how much her mother loved her every single day.
[00:31:14] Speaker A: Sarah's absence is enormous, but so is the effort to keep her spirit alive. Her best friend, Nicole Lucas, continues to speak publicly about Sarah, sharing her story at events, interviews and memorials. She's become a voice for women who no longer have one.
[00:31:32] Speaker B: Nicole said that telling Sarah's story is her way of fighting back, fighting for justice, fighting for change, fighting for every woman who has been silenced by violence and the community.
[00:31:45] Speaker A: They haven't forgotten Sarah either. Over the years, they've organized vigils, memorials, scholarships and tributes in her honor. There's a scholarship set up in her name to help other young women pursue careers in the medical field, just like Sarah had planned to do.
[00:32:02] Speaker B: And that's the thing about Sarah Good. She wasn't just taken. She was loved. She was bright. She was going somewhere.
[00:32:10] Speaker A: She was a daughter, a sister, a loyal friend, and most of all, a mother. She worked hard, laughed loudly, and gave everything she had to the people she loved.
[00:32:21] Speaker B: So today we remember her for not how she died, but for who she was and for the people still standing in her name.
[00:32:29] Speaker A: We carry her memory forward. We say her name. We tell her story. Because Sarah Good matters. Then, now, and always.
[00:32:39] Speaker B: In the years after Sarah Goode's case came to a close, her story continued to reach hearts across the country thanks in part to a deeply moving episode of DATELINE titled Finding Sarah Good.
[00:32:53] Speaker A: It Wasn't just a crime recap. DATELINE approached the episode with the same compassion and depth we've come to expect from their long form storytelling. They spent time with Sarah's family, her best friend Nicole Lucas, and the detectives who worked the case and and what came through wasn't just the horror of what happened, but the love, the life behind the loss.
[00:33:15] Speaker B: Nicole's interviews were especially powerful. She didn't just speak as a friend. She spoke as someone living with heartache, someone who refused to let the world forget Sarah's face, her laugh, her dreams. Nicole called her a sister, and you could feel it with every word.
[00:33:33] Speaker A: Sarah's mother and siblings also opened up in the episode, sharing childhood memories, stories of her strength as a young mom and the devastation they've carried since her death. You could see the grief, but you could also see the resilience.
[00:33:47] Speaker B: The detectives, too, spoke candidly about the moment they found Sarah, the anger and the heartbreak they felt, and how determined they were to bring her killer to justice. They weren't just solving a case. They were mourning a life taken far too soon.
[00:34:03] Speaker A: Dateline's episode aired as part of their Secrets Uncovered series, and it reached a massive audience for many people across the country. This was their first time that they'd ever heard Sarah's name, and it left a mark. Suddenly, people everywhere were asking the same question. How could this happen to someone like Sarah?
[00:34:22] Speaker B: The episode didn't just tell a story. It sparked conversations about violence against women, about justice, and about how easy it is to forget the human being behind the headline. But Dateline didn't let us forget, and neither should we.
[00:34:38] Speaker A: If you haven't seen Finding Sarah Good, we absolutely recommend it. It's haunting, yes, but it's also incredibly human. And it reminds us that Sarah's story is one that still matters, because Sarah Good should still be here. There's a moment in the Dateline episode that stuck with us. Nicole Lucas, Sarah's best friend, her. Her chosen sister, said something simple and heartbreaking.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: She said, I just want people to remember her. Not for what happened to her, but for who she was, for how deeply she loved, for how much she mattered.
[00:35:14] Speaker A: And that's what we tried to do here today. We told you Sarah's story. Not just the crime, but her laughter, her warmth, her dreams, and the way she touched the people lucky enough to know her.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: Because we live in a world where stories like Sarah's happens far too often. But remembering her, saying her name, refusing to let her fade into another statistic, that's how we fight back.
[00:35:39] Speaker A: So let this episode be more than a moment of sadness. Let it be a call to action, to cherish the people you love, to check on your friends, to speak up even when it's hard, and to believe people when they say something's wrong.
[00:35:54] Speaker B: If someone you know is experiencing violence, harassment or fear. Believe them, help them find support. And if you're listening and you need help, please contact the National Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. And please, you're not alone.
[00:36:21] Speaker A: We'll never stop telling stories like Sarah's because the world needs to remember her. And so does Jocelyn and Nicole and everyone who still misses her voice every day.
[00:36:33] Speaker B: Thank you for listening, for honoring Sarah's memory with us, and for being part of the Conundrum Crew, a community that doesn't shy away from the truth but holds space for it.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: We'll be back next week with another story, but tonight, hold your people close and remember Sarah Good. Before we wrap up, we want to give a very special shout out to one of our amazing listeners, Summer Rain.
[00:36:57] Speaker B: Summer, thank you so much for recommending this episode and bringing Sarah's story to our attention. This one hit deep and we're honored to have shared it.
[00:37:06] Speaker A: It means the world to us when listeners like you help guide us towards stories that matter. So from the bottom of our haunted little hearts, thank you, Summer Rain.
[00:37:16] Speaker B: You're officially a part of the Conundrum Crew lore now. Carl the Haunted Doll approves.
[00:37:23] Speaker A: Of course he does. Carl's been lurking in the corner all episode, judging me with those tiny porcelain eyes. At this point, I'm just hoping he starts chipping in on some groceries. But on that note, Keep on Creeping on.
[00:37:38] Speaker B: We love you Byee.
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