Up and Vanished

Update: Airline Security Breach

September 16, 2024 6m S4E1 Explicit
Alaska Airlines we need your help.  Episode 15 coming this Thursday 9/19 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Full Transcript

You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Okay, not even sure how to start this.
This is not an official episode. And to be completely candid, I really want the internet to help here.
I've been investigating Florence and Joseph's case for almost two years now. Going to Nome, Alaska completely incognito to not stand out,

knowing that at some point it would eventually impact things.

20 days ago, I had booked a trip to Nome, Alaska,

a long series of complicated flights to get there.

But the last flight, no matter what,

is from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome.

The only way to get there is by flight. Commercially, Alaska Airlines.
On August 27th, I booked these flights out of impulse, frustrated, tossing in my bed, trying to solve this shit and keep asking questions. But I did not advertise this anywhere.
My own friends, my fiance, a single person I work with.

No one knew I booked these flights. A week before, I changed my mind and decided to hold off.

And I canceled all of our flights. But I literally forgot to accidentally cancel one of them.

It became one of those weird, happy accidents.

Let me highlight this again.

No one knew I booked these flights.

All of a sudden, starting midweek,

I began to get random texts

from people in Gnome that I talked to,

saying, hey, are you in Gnome?

Okay, maybe a coincidence.

But damn, it's a weird one. But I'm sitting with my co-producer Mike right now, in the East Coast, and even he didn't know he had a flight booked.
Then the text just kept coming. I got that annoying little bug in my brain that sometimes I can't get out unless I just chased it down.
On Saturday, the 7th, when I would have landed in Nome, had I taken my flight, I noticed that people seemed to sincerely believe that I was coming to Nome or was in Nome. And as the Big Lebowski would say, new shit has come to light.
Something's going on and it's not cool. When all this was going down, I was talking to somebody from Nome, who I've never talked to before, and so I asked him point blank.
Have you heard anywhere on social media or anything that I am in Nome? Yeah, I did. Within minutes, I have several Snapchats, claiming I'm coming to Nome or already in Nome.
I'm not too sure like whose snapchat it was on. Two hours ago, Dane Lindsay is in town, lol.
But I'm over 4,000 miles away. I never checked into the flight.
I know, you wouldn't be able to see my initials or something on the app. 23 hours ago, that's when I started hearing rumors about you.
Somebody seemed to know beforehand. The reason why I'm asking is that I was never there.
What? 23 hours ago. What's going on? So I kept poking.
I was told that you were coming in on a flight two days ago. Did he come in on last night's flight? Because that's the rumor.
No, he's listed for tonight. Now 48 hours.
This is confidential information that no one should know about. Okay, do you see why I'm concerned? I want to know how somebody found that out.
That's weird. Call my attorney.
The only way they could have known it was by access to the manifest. Someone saw the flight records.
And there's no way that someone could get that outside of going through Alaska Airlines. A safety concern for me now.
Very much so. The leak of that information is a serious issue, especially post 9-11.
Someone's private flight information? That's crazy, dude. Don't risk our safety with that shit.
Dude, that could put us in severe danger. We don't know if we're waiting with a gun outside.
We don't fucking know. Do we call the known police? It could trigger criminal penalties.
This is Payne Lindsey, working for Joseph Valderas' family. How can we not' family.
Meanwhile, I posted a picture on Instagram, pretending as if I wasn't known. I'm worried somebody with access to flight logs and passenger info has potentially illegally accessed that.
Okay, give me one more, as hell. There were people related to your investigation

on the flight. The irony of it all, there were people that I've aired on this podcast.
It's a security issue, given what you do. It's a security issue for anybody traveling.
Honestly, that makes me scared. I've disguised some voices because I care about them.
Someone knowing I was there as early as September 3rd. But then I kept going back even further.
As in two fucking weeks ago. What the fuck brought it up? Did you see that Peyton's here? Someone was worried.
He was like, big guy, he's been here. He was sitting at the OT.
I knew that for weeks already. My heart is pounding.
He's known for weeks. Because he told me.

Your flight manifest information is not something that can be casually treated.

I don't care who knew.

It doesn't even matter if it was them or not.

Somebody's tracking me and trying to stop me from coming there or something.

This is not a fucking drill.

Alaska Airlines, I love you.

This seems like a security breach. If you, I love you.
This seems like a security breach.

If you're listening and you care, please help.

Alaska Airlines, how on earth can I feel safe coming here again?

This is ongoing.

I'll still see you Thursday.