The Groene Family Massacre and the Survival of Shasta Groene

Who were the Groenes?

Brenda Kay Groene was born on March 3rd, 1965 in Coeur d’Alene (cor-da-lane), Idaho. Her mother, Darlene Torres, raised four girls, with Brenda being the oldest. Coeur d’Alene is the largest city in north Idaho. In the 1990’s Coeur d’Alene’s population began to grow due to a big increase in tourism. The city is surrounded by beautiful lakes and is home to several resorts and golf courses. Their average crime rate was below average for the state of Idaho and was thought to be a safe place to raise a family. 

Brenda was a role model for her three younger sisters. One of them, Brandy, said that Brenda was always there to save her and keep her calm. She was a girl who always put in the extra work to look her best. Brenda brightened things up when she was around and was a great sister and daughter. Her mother said that she was great to raise, “stubborn, but great”.

In 1986, Brenda married blues musician Steven Groene, and the couple ended up having five children, Vance, Jesse, Slade, Dylan, and then finally, a girl named Shasta. In 2001, the couple divorced and the children split up, with the oldest, Vance and Jesse, choosing to live with their father. The three youngest kids stayed with Brenda, living at a home known as Wolf Lodge, where Brenda and her sister’s had grown up. The house sat on a property just off interstate 90 and was a bit old-fashioned. There was no dishwasher, washer, or dryer, and Brenda cooked on a propane stove. Despite the lack of amenities, Brenda and her kids loved the house and the property, which was about nine miles outside of Coeur d’Alene. They had neighbors, but none were very close. The children spent a lot of time playing outside, where they had a pool and there was a lake nearby.

Wolf Lodge was known by friends, neighbors, and family as a home with an open door policy. People would drop by for drinks, cooking out, or just to hang out. Brenda had so many memories at the house and was happy to raise her children there.

Slade Vincent was born on March 29th, 1992, was a typical teenage boy. He was starting to become interested in girls and didn’t want to be with his family all of the time. He wanted to hang out with his friends as much as he could. Despite heading into his teenage years, Slade was still very much a happy-go-lucky kid who, like his father, loved music. 

Dylan James, the youngest boy of the family, was born on July 16th, 1995. He was a bit shy, but once he got close to you, he would open up and was a very sweet little boy. Brenda referred to him as her little teddy bear because he loved snuggling up to her.

Shasta Rae was the last of the Groene children, but was extra special because she was the first and only girl! Everyone in the family was excited to finally shop for dresses and bows. Shasta was a tough girl and could be a bit of a tomboy. Though she knew how to take care of herself and handle her older brothers, she also loved being treated like a princess. Shasta also loved being her mom’s little helper around the house. She was the smallest in the Groene family, but could walk into a room and be the center of attention with her bright smile.

Not long after divorcing Steve, Brenda started a relationship with an old friend named Mark McKenzie. Mark, who was described by a friend as reminding him of Yosemite Sam, grew up around Wolf Lodge and was just a good guy. He treated Brenda well and treated all of her kids as if they were his own. After four years of dating, Mark finally moved in with Brenda and the kids. It seemed like Brenda had finally found the right guy for her. Mark loved Brenda and he loved her kids, and the Wolf Lodge was a happy home. Unfortunately, that all changed in the spring of 2005.

The Day of the Murders

On Monday, May 16th, 2005, Bob Hollingsworth walked across his property towards the Groene’s home. Slade had called him a few days prior and asked him if he had any extra money. Bob told him that if he could mow some grass for him, he’d pay him for it. Slade agreed and did the yard work for him, so Bob was heading over to the house to pay him. When Bob arrived, he found the Groene’s back door open. He yelled from a ways back through the open door, but no one responded. As he approached the door and the entryway, he saw that the floor and walls were covered in blood. Bob immediately called 911. They said that they’d send a deputy over to check things out. Bob told them they’d better send more than one.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Wolf Lodge within minutes of Bob’s phone call. They could hear the family dog barking, but everything else was complete silence, which was very strange for the home. They entered through the already-open back door and immediately saw that there was blood everywhere. Walking further into the home, the deputies saw three bodies lying on the floor. They were all clearly deceased. The deputies immediately secured the residence and called for detectives.   The first detective to arrive on scene later said that when he received the call, he thought it was a joke. A triple murder in Coeur d’Alene was unheard of. When he arrived at Wolf Lodge, he quickly saw that the situation was anything but a joke. The three bodies were clearly victims of an extremely violent assault.

13-year-old Slade was laying on the floor, with his arms taped and zip tied behind his back and duct tape covering his mouth. His head, which was badly deformed, was laying at the feet of his mother. 40-year-old Brenda was bound the same way as her son, with similar injuries to her head. 37-year-old Mark, also bound like Brenda and Slade, was laying with his feet by Brenda’s head. The detectives on scene couldn’t believe what they’d walked into.

The first responding deputy was familiar with the Groene family and recognized that the bodies belonged to Brenda, Mark, and Slade. Where were the other two Groenes? Detectives searched the house, but 9-year-old Dylan and 8-year-old Shasta were nowhere to be found. In their search of the house, detectives were surprised to find what they described as a small arsenal. There was a collection of guns that belonged to Brenda and Mark, and it didn’t appear that any were missing. Detectives knew that guns were one of the most common things stolen in a robbery, so it was strange that none had been taken. It seemed that they weren’t dealing with a robbery. With three violent murder victims and two missing children, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department were in over their heads. They quickly contacted the Idaho State Police and the FBI.

Shasta and Dylan

Darlene, Brenda’s mother, turned on the news that day to find a breaking news alert that three people had been murdered at Wolf Lodge. She was in disbelief. One of her daughter’s, Brandy, did her best to keep Darlene calm until they had more information. Finally, they were able to get a hold of the police who confirmed that the bodies found at Wolf Lodge belonged to Brenda, Mark, and Slade. Brenda’s family was stunned and absolutely devastated, but they didn’t have time to grieve. Dylan and Shasta were missing and could still be alive. 

Investigators checked with Steve, the kids’ father, but they weren’t with him. They checked with friends, neighbors, and anyone who might know the family, but no one had seen the two youngest Groene children. Search groups were immediately dispatched to cover the area surrounding Wolf Lodge, hoping that the kids might’ve ran off during the attack and hid. They searched the nearby bodies of water, along with the wooded areas and fields with horses and dogs, but they didn’t find any signs of Dylan or Shasta.

While the ground searches continued, the murder scene at the Groene house was being carefully examined. Based on the body temperature of the victims, the coroner determined that they’d been dead for less than 24 hours. Their cause of death was bludgeoning and blunt force trauma to the head. 

There was one fingerprint found on the front door, which was collected. It also didn’t appear that the door was forced open. Was the murderer someone that the family knew or someone that they felt comfortable opening the door for?

With the property being right off the interstate, there was a good chance that if the children had been abducted, they would be difficult to track down. They quickly issued an Amber Alert for Shasta and Dylan. Darlene, Brenda’s mother, couldn’t believe that she was seeing signs on the interstate saying that her grandchildren were missing.

On the second day of the search, detectives attempted to put together a timeline of the day that led up to the murders. They found out that there’d been a party that night at Wolf Lodge. Friends knew that the family always had a door open and loved visitors, so on the night of May 15th, a few friends turned into a barbecue in the yard with several guests. Investigators spoke to neighbors and friends of the Groenes to find out who was at the house. Some partygoers reported that there had been a verbal altercation between Mark and one of his friends.

Bob Letner was a friend of both Mark and Brenda. In fact, he’d known the family for quite some time. He and Mark went hunting and fishing together often. On the night of the party, friends said that Bob and Mark were arguing about money. One of Brenda’s older children said that Bob owed Mark and Brenda money. With this information and a possible motive, detectives dug further into Bob’s past and found that he had a criminal history and that his fingerprints were on file. When they compared his prints to the one found on the Groene’s door handle, it was a match. However, Bob was often at the Groene’s house, so it wasn’t odd for his fingerprints to be in their home. 

Investigators tried to locate Bob, but according to his probation officer, Bob left town the day after the murders. He’d told his PO that he was going to visit family. This only added to the suspicion around him. On May 18th, law enforcement put the word out publicly that they were looking for Robert Letner to question regarding the Groene murders. They even labeled him as a person of interest.

It didn’t take long before Bob turned himself in to detectives. He was interviewed extensively and was able to give answers to all of their questions. Bob told investigators that there was no altercation during the party, but that he did owe Brenda and Mark money. In an effort to keep his house from being foreclosed on, he borrowed $1,000 from his friends. He said that he learned that his aunt had passed away, so he was headed to California. When he learned that his friends had been murdered, he’d still been in Coeur d’Alene and, like everyone else, was shocked. He’d started drinking and hadn’t stopped. He ignored phone calls and was just grieving the death of his friends. When he finally learned that investigators were searching for him, Bob immediately turned himself in to police. Based on his story and further investigation into his story, detectives were able to clear Bob Letner as a suspect and continue moving forward in the investigation.

Continued looks at the crime scene seemed to indicate that, because of how violent the attacks were, it was a crime of passion. Who would’ve been so angry at this family to do something like this? They began looking at family members, and the first on their list was Steven Groene, the children’s biological father and Brenda’s first husband. Steven was a musician and spent a lot of his life in bars and at parties. He had a motorcycle and known associations with gang members. The reason for the couple splitting up was reportedly that Brenda had grown tired of that lifestyle and was ready to focus on being a mom. After their divorce, the kids and custody arrangements had often been a subject of arguments between the two. Detectives wondered if he could’ve been so angry that he did this, OR if someone involved in a gang had done this out of retaliation.

Three days following the murders, on May 19th, they brought Steven in for questioning. He was insistent that they not spend their time with him, that they put all of their efforts towards finding Shasta and Dylan. Detectives explained to him that they were exhausting all of their resources to find the two children, but that in order to clear him, they had to investigate him.

Steve and his two oldest children, Vance and Jesse, were having issues with housing, so they’d been living with Brenda’s mother, Darlene and helping her take care of her house. On the night of the murders, Steve said that he was at the house, in his room, and on his computer. They also gave Steve a polygraph test, which he failed, making him their prime suspect. Since they had no actual evidence to hold him on, Steven was allowed to leave.

On the same day, the medical examiner determined that the weapon used in the murders was a large framing hammer. A blood analysis had been performed at the scene and it determined that essentially all of the blood around the house, by the back door, and in the grass belonged to 13-year-old Slade. No blood was found belonging to Dylan or Shasta. This was a good sign for detectives; the kids might still be alive.

The day following his failed polygraph test, Steve called for a press conference. He begged on camera for his two youngest children to be returned, saying that “they had nothing to do with any of this.” Questions were immediately raised about what Steve said. “Any of this”…what was the “this” that his children weren’t a part of? Was it a message to the children’s abductor?

Despite Steve’s questionable past and odd comment during the press conference, it was pretty easy to confirm that he was home during the murders. Darlene confirmed that Steve was at the house and computer records confirmed that he was using the computer that evening. Though investigators thought they might’ve been on the right track, they ultimately had to rule him out.

Denny’s

Thousands of tips were coming into investigators from people who thought they’d seen Shasta and Dylan. The town of Coeur d’Alene held candlelight vigils and made sure that the kids’ names and faces were in the news and in peoples’ minds. Searches continued, with over 400 acres of land and water around the Groene’s house, but they found nothing. Volunteers were going door to door and handing out flyers. They answered phones at a local call center that had been set up. The small community seemed to feel as if Shasta and Dylan were their children and they were determined to do everything they could to find them. 

For forty days, they searched everywhere. Detectives followed tip after tip, chasing down leads, and questioning everyone that had any connection to the family or any possibility of hurting them. Unfortunately, they continued coming up empty-handed. They didn’t know where Shasta and Dylan were or who brutally murdered Brenda, Mark, and Slade.

On July 2nd, about a month and a half after the murders, a call came into the 911 center in Coeur d’Alene. The manager of a local Denny’s said that they had a man in the diner with a young girl who looked just like Shasta Groene. Later, a waitress at the Denny’s told police what had happened. 

About four hours after her shift started, Amber Deahn noticed that a man and a young girl were sitting in her section. She found it a bit odd given that it was about 1:45AM, but she walked over to greet the two and take their orders. Amber said that it immediately felt off. She noticed that the young girl was dirty, her hair and her clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed in a while.

Amber said that she was immediately suspicious that the girl was Shasta Groene. She had to keep calm and get help. She went to the back to tell her manager, who agreed that the child looked a lot like Shasta. The manager called 911 and Amber went back out to her tables, hoping that they’d stay long enough for officers to arrive. Amber asked the little girl if she wanted a milkshake and began suggesting flavors. The girl finally decided on vanilla. Amber gave her crayons and a coloring book, noting that the little girl made sure to get the man’s approval before she started coloring.

Amber remembered that the man was very short with her and didn’t initiate any conversation. She went to the back and took her time making the milkshake, making an adult size rather than a kid’s size, hoping to stall. When officers arrived, Amber spoke with them outside, out of sight of the man and the girl. She told them where they were sitting and what she’d seen. The officers told her to head back inside and give the man his check. When Amber walked back inside, the man and the girl were walking to the bathroom and he told Amber that they needed the check. Amber quickly brought it over and recalled that the man was moving fast, like he wanted to get out of there quickly. By that time, officers were inside and walking towards the man. 

They asked him if they could speak with him for a minute, then escorted him out of the restaurant, while the little girl remained sitting in the booth. An officer asked Amber to stay with the girl. Amber said that she kneeled down beside the little girl in the booth and asked her name. The little girl replied, “Shasta Groene”. Amber immediately grabbed her and held her. Finally, one of the missing children had been found after being held captive for 47 days. But where was Dylan?

Joseph Duncan

Shasta was taken to the local hospital, while the man with her was taken into police custody. Detectives found a red Jeep Cherokee rental in the Denny’s parking lot that had been reported stolen. They quickly determined that the man who’d taken Shasta was 40 year old Joseph Duncan. His driver’s license had a Fargo, North Dakota address and, BIG SURPRISE, he had a history of criminal behavior. 

Joseph Edward Duncan III was born on February 25th, 1963 in Tacoma, Washington. He was raised in a home with a very strict, very religious mother, and was often disciplined. His first crime was reported when he was just 15, when he raped a nine year old boy at gunpoint. Just a year later, he was caught driving a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced to the Dyslin’s Boys’ ranch in Tacoma in hopes of rehabilitation. However, he admitted to the therapist that he’d sexually assaulted between six and thirteen boys. In 1980, Duncan stole several guns from a neighbor, then kidnapped a 14-year-old boy and sexually assaulted him at gunpoint. He was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

After serving 14 years, Duncan was released on parole in 1994 and lived throughout the state of Washington. In 1997, Duncan was arrested in Kansas for violating his parole and was instructed to finish the remainder of his 20 year sentence in Washington state.  He was released in 2000, with time off for good behavior. Duncan moved to Fargo, North Dakota where he seemed to be a picture-perfect ex-con. He began studying computer science. Despite him appearing to stay out of trouble, whenever there was a missing person or unsolved sex crime, police questioned him. Duncan didn’t like that and eventually decided, if they were going to continue to treat him like a criminal, he might as well act like one. 

In the summer of 2004, Duncan approached a group of young boys at a park in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. He ended up molesting two of the boys. He was finally convicted in 2005, when a judge set his bail at $15,000. A friend of Duncan’s helped him post bail and Duncan skipped town. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest with the charge of “unlawful flight to avoid execution”. Less than a month after Duncan was bailed out of jail, Brenda, Slade, and Mark were dead, and Shasta and Dylan were missing.

So WTF Happened?

Duncan was taken to the police station to be questioned. Investigators wanted to know if Dylan was nearby. Duncan immediately invoked his right to speak to an attorney and didn’t answer any further questions. Though they didn’t want to, detectives had to talk to Shasta as soon as possible to hopefully figure out where her brother was.

When Shasta arrived at Kootenai Hospital, she was quickly assessed by doctors and hospital staff. Remarkably, she didn’t have any significant physical injuries, but the things that she’d seen and been subjected to over the past 47 days would last longer than any broken bone would have. Her grandmother and father arrived at the hospital as soon as they were notified that Shasta was there. 8 year old Shasta remembered waking up and being so happy to see her dad there with her. 

Detectives, as gently as possible, asked Shasta where her brother was. She told them that he was in heaven. They asked her again and she said, “There may be some evidence down in the Lolo Forest, because that’s where we were.” The Lolo National Forest is in northwest Montana in the town of St. Regis. This area is about 100 miles east of the Groene home and is thick with brush and trees. It would be easy to disappear within the forest. Shasta proceeded to tell detectives what happened on the night of the murders and everything that followed.

On the night of the murders, Shasta remembered being woken up by her crying mother in the room she shared with Dylan. The two kids were confused and Shasta asked her mom if it was time to go to school. Brenda replied that there was someone in the house and that they didn’t want the family to be there. The kids followed Brenda into the living room where Slade and Mark were laying on the floor, both bound with duct tape and zip ties. There was a man standing with a shotgun. He was dressed in all black with a mask and night vision goggles on. He told Brenda and the kids to get on the floor.

Shasta said that she laid face down and the man tied her wrists together behind her back. That’s when she knew something was really wrong. The man instructed everyone to keep their heads down on the ground. Shasta heard movement, then quiet, then more footsteps. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up. The man put his finger up to his mouth, indicating for her to stay quiet. He picked her up and carried her outside, laying her on the ground next to Dylan. They were alone outside for a bit, and both just kept telling each other that they were scared. There was a loud thump inside the house, and Shasta heard Mark shout in pain. 

Suddenly, she saw her 13-year-old brother, Slade running out of the house, covered in blood. He’d broken through the bindings around his ankles, but his wrists were still taped behind him. The man came out of the house after Slade, then hit him over and over with a hammer, until he fell to the ground. 

The man cut the zip ties off Dylan and Shasta and walked them across the yard toward a red Jeep. Shasta said that she and Slade stared at each other until he slumped over. She thought that her brother died right then. Detectives later said that, based on blood patterns and evidence, they believed Slade eventually tried to get through the door back into the house after Duncan and his siblings left. He then appeared to have made his way over to his mother, where he laid down and eventually died.

As the man drove Shasta and Dylan away from their home, Shasta drifted to sleep. When she woke up, she asked the man where they were. He told her that they were in the Lolo Forest in Montana and that nobody could see or hear them. He told them his name was Joe, but then told them that they couldn’t call him that, that they had to call him ‘dad’ or ‘daddy’ or ‘jet’. He said that Jazzy Jet was the name that his prison husband gave him…

Duncan took out his shotgun and shot into a nearby tree. He told Dylan and Shasta that if they didn’t do what he said or if they tried to run, that’s what would happen to them. Duncan made them think that the rest of their family was still alive and that they’d go home soon if they just did what he said. Within the first hour of arriving at the campsite, Duncan forced the children to start reciting the Lord’s Prayer. While they were doing that, he began to molest both of them. Shasta said that he’d go back and forth between saying that he was there because God told him to be and that he was the devil. She fell asleep that night holding her brother’s hand.

The next day, while Duncan was still asleep, Shasta said that she and Dylan talked about how scared they were and despite her being the youngest, she promised Dylan that they’d get out alive. Days passed, then weeks. The physical torture and sexual abuse continued to get worse, while Duncan filmed whatever he was doing to them. He would occasionally drive into town to get food or supplies, but he’d chain Dylan and Shasta up so they couldn’t run. Shasta said that she knew if they ran, they’d probably end up dying in the woods anyways.

Duncan had the kids play a game where he told them that if either of them could catch the squirrel that kept coming into their campsite, they could both go home. One day, Dylan caught the squirrel. Duncan let the kids start packing up, letting them believe they were going home. Shasta said that she gave her brother a hug and was standing beside him, holding his hand, when she heard a loud bang and felt her brother’s hand slip from hers. She looked down and saw Dylan on the ground, trying to hold his organs inside of his abdomen. He’d been shot. Shasta couldn’t move. Duncan then walked over to Dylan and fired a second and final shot into Dylan’s head, killing him. 

Duncan forced Shasta to help him put Dylan’s body and belongings onto a tarp. He then poured gasoline over the body and lit a match, watching the body burn. Shasta still felt paralyzed. She had failed her brother, she thought, she’d promised she’d get them both out alive.

Duncan then turned his attention to Shasta. He asked her how she wanted to die. He gave her two options, he would either shoot her or strangle her. Shasta recalled that she felt like a voice inside of her head was guiding her, telling her what to say. If she said for him to strangle her, she’d have time to try to talk him out of it. He made her lie down on the ground and put a rope around her neck, squeezing. Shasta said that everything started turning white as he strangled her, until she said out loud, “Please don’t Jet.” Duncan loosened his grip and started crying. He told Shasta that he wasn’t sure why, but he could tell that when she said that, she really cared about him.

It was at this point that. Shasta formed a plan in her head. She’d gained Duncan’s trust and was going to do whatever she had to do to survive. She began acting like she enjoyed being there with him. Every time he brought up her going home, Shasta told him no, that she wanted to stay with him. It caught him off guard, so she continued doing it. He began to grow attached to her. Whenever Shasta saw that Duncan was upset, she’d tell him that she was his friend and that he could talk to her.

One day he told her that he was in trouble, and that he knew he was going to go away for a long time, so he’d gone out to find young children. He’d found a few that were either too old or lived in a place where it would’ve been difficult to carry out his plan. He said that he had given up and was going home when he drove past the Groene home. He saw Shasta and Dylan outside playing in the pool. Duncan told Shasta that after that, he’d stalked their house for several days and made a plan to take her and Dylan.

Duncan asked Shasta if she would be his daughter forever and stay with him. He wanted to take her to meet his family, he said, then they’d get their own place and live a normal life. Shasta agreed, but under one condition. Duncan’s mother lived in Washington state and to get to her home, they’d have to drive past Coeur d’Alene. Shasta asked if they could go through her hometown so she could show him where she grew up, which school she went to, and where her best friend lived. She told Duncan that she wanted him to know what her life was like. Duncan, who was so excited that Shasta was opening up, agreed. The pair traveled back to Coeur d’Alene, where they first stopped at a convenience store. They could be seen walking through the aisles on surveillance camera footage, Shasta seeming to stare at every adult who was near, hoping they’d recognize her. A few hours later, the two went to Denny’s where Shasta was recognized and rescued.

Duncan

Evidence was collected from the Jeep Duncan was driving, including bloodstained clothing, a laptop, and a GPS unit. The blood belonged to both Dylan and Shasta. Shasta, remarkably, was able to help direct detectives to the campsite in the Lolo forest, where they found charred remains that were confirmed to belong to Dylan. 

The GPS unit in the Jeep revealed some upsetting information. It showed him traveling from North Dakota to Coeur d’Alene. Along the route, he pinned a total of 33 spots, which were determined to be potential targets; children who lived in isolated areas. It was obvious that he had a plan to kidnap a child.

Shasta told detectives that Duncan had revealed other secrets to her, that he was responsible for crimes in other states that he was never caught for. Investigators contacted law enforcement in areas where Duncan had lived or traveled, asking if Duncan’s quadruple murder and kidnapping sounded like any unsolved cases they had. Unfortunately, it did.

Anthony, Sammie Jo, and Carmen

On April 4th, 1997, 10-year-old Anthony ‘Tony’ Martinez and his brother were playing outside with friends in Beaumont, California. A man wearing a hat approached them and showed them a photo of a cat. The man said he’d lost his cat and told the boys that he’d give each of them a dollar if they helped him look for the cat. The four boys went into the nearby alley with the man, who gave each of them a dollar bill. Tony’s brother then saw the man pull a knife out, grab Tony, and throw him in the backseat of his car, before speeding off.

Authorities immediately began searching for the missing 10 year old and the older white male who’d abducted him. 15 days later, about 60 miles away from Tony’s home, a ranger patrolling Berdoo canyon noticed a high level of vulture activity. When he went to inspect the area, he found remains buried in the rocky hillside. The remains were confirmed to belong to Tony. His wrists and ankles had been bound with duct tape and he had obviously been sexually assaulted. Forensics found a thumbprint on the duct tape, but it was not enough to do a 1 to 1 comparison in the database. Tony’s case went cold as detectives searched for 8 years for his killer. 

The police in Riverside County sent the sketch that they had of Tony’s abductor to Coeur d’Alene. SURPRISE. It was basically a portrait of Duncan. They needed physical evidence so officers went into the holding area where Duncan was waiting for his lawyer. While they were taking his fingerprints, Duncan said, “I bet you’re here about Martinez.” As they continued getting his fingerprints, Duncan kept running his mouth about Tony, then about two girls he’d murdered in Seattle in 1996.

On July 6th, 1996, 11-year-old SammieJo White and her half-sister, 9-year-old Carmen Cubias disappeared after they left the motel that they were staying at with their mother on Aurora Avenue North in Seattle. They left just before 11PM to go get cigarettes for their older brother nearby. They were never seen again. Almost two years later, on February 10th, 1998, the remains of the two girls were found in an abandoned barn. Because of the state of decomposition, they were unable to determine much from the remains, including cause of death. Their case slowly grew cold, until Shasta Groene was rescued in 2005. Both Riverside County and King County turned over their case files to the FBI.

On July 16th, 2005, what would’ve been Dylan’s 10th birthday, more than 700 people attended his funeral in the same church that his mother and older brother’s funeral took place a few weeks prior. Several people spoke about memories of Dylan. The principal of his elementary school shared how much Dylan loved monster trucks and Hot Wheels. Classmates and teachers often called him DJ or Dilly Bar. They spoke of how he loved video games and riding with his dad on his motorcycle. Dylan’s two remaining brothers, Vance, 20, and Jesse, 18, attended the service. The pastor spoke of the miracle that Shasta had been rescued. He also publicly called for stricter laws against sex offenders, something that was echoed by Steve Groene and everyone else who attended the , and funeral

The Trial

In October of 2006, Duncan pleaded guilty to the murders of Brenda, Mark, and Slade in the state court. He was sentenced to three life sentences for kidnapping the three oldest victims. The prosecution decided to hold sentencing on the murders until the federal trial was completed. Because Duncan had abducted Dylan and Shasta and taken them over state lines into Montana, the kidnapping charges were federal and the prosecution wanted to pursue a federal death penalty sentence. If they couldn’t get the death sentence in federal court, there was still a chance they could get it for the murders in state court. Ultimately, they wanted the best chance of making sure that Duncan would never see the light of day again.

In December of 2007, Duncan pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death, sexual exploitation of a child resulting in death, and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death, as well as kidnapping, sexual abuse of a minor, and several other charges regarding firearms and a stolen vehicle. He was also charged with the murder of 10-year-old Anthony Martinez. 

Duncan filed a motion to have the evidence that was taken from the stolen Jeep he was driving suppressed and not allowed to be presented at the hearing. This evidence included a laptop and computer storage device, which held videos and photos of him sexually assaulting and torturing Shasta and Dylan.

In April of 2008, 12 jurors were chosen to decide whether Duncan would spend life in prison or the death penalty. Duncan asked to represent himself, which created the possibility that he would be questioning Shasta on the stand. He was ruled mentally competent and allowed to represent himself. 

The hearing began and Steve Groene took the stand to tell the jury about his children. He also confirmed that the handwriting on letters found in the stolen Jeep belonged to Dylan and Shasta. The letters were written when Duncan falsely promised to bring the children home, from the kids to their father, telling him they were coming home soon. They were never delivered to him.

One of the first officers on the scene at Denny’s when Shasta was rescued narrated as the court played audio from a video recorded while Shasta was sitting in the car with her. On the recording, Shasta explained to the officer why Duncan was bringing her home. She said, “He was going to change his mind because he said I taught him how to love.” Shasta also said, “He’s killed way a lot more people that you don’t even know about. He killed Dylan…if you look in the back of it, there’s a gun in there.”

A taped interview was played for the jury of police interviewing Shasta in the hospital shortly after she was rescued. She described how they lived in woods and how Duncan sexually abused them both. Shasta recounted how Duncan “accidentally” shot her brother in the stomach, then in the3 head. A doctor took the stand and said that based on the description of Dylan’s initial injury, she believed it was possible he could’ve survived the first gunshot.

The court then played a series of horrific videos of Duncan torturing and abusing Dylan. Some jurors cried, while others had to look away due to the extremely upsetting and graphic images. Duncan covered his face as the video played.

In August of 2008, the jury determined that Duncan was eligible for the death penalty. The judge agreed and Joseph Duncan was sentenced to the death penalty for the murder of Dylan Groene. He was later extradited to California, where he pleaded guilty and received a life sentence for the murder of 10-year-old Anthony Martinez. Duncan also confessed to murdering sisters Sammie Jo White and Carmen Cubias, though he was not prosecuted for these crimes.

In March of 2021, 58-year-old Joseph Duncan died while on death row from terminal brain cancer. When Shasta learned of her abductor’s death, she said, “For so long I have been struggling with hate towards that man. Today, I woke up feeling like my soul was finally free…I hope other people affected by Joseph Duncan were able to wake up feeling the same way.”

When Shasta returned to Coeur d’Alene, she lived with her father. While she was happy to be home and be with him, she struggled to understand and process what she’d been through. She went down a path of abusing drugs and alcohol, and had run-ins with police. Ultimately, Shasta was able to find the strength to turn her life around. She now lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and their FIVE sons! She works as a supervising housekeeper at a hotel and does everything she can to share her story in hopes of supporting other victims. 

“You’re not your past. Everyday is a new chapter…It’s okay to struggle in your life, but it’s the resiliency that matters.”