Episode 3: New Life

The Heidi Allen Case: Central New York's Most Enduring Mystery

(Ryan Zalduondo / WRVO)

Gary Thibodeau was convicted of kidnapping Heidi Allen in 1995, and his appeals ran out in 1999. Things appeared bleak for all parties involved as time moved forward into the 2000’s. But new light was shed on the case in 2013 when a woman came forward to say she had information about who may have kidnapped Allen in 1994.

[You can catch up on last weeks episode, if you missed it. We cover the trials of Richard and Gary Thibodeau.]

The new accusations, combined with new evidence, led to evidentiary hearings taking place with the purpose of determining whether Gary Thibodeau should receive a new trial.

With this, many more people became involved as the legal proceedings moved forward. This included the Oswego County District Attorney Greg Oakes and Federal Public Defender Lisa Peebles, who began working against each other in the courtroom.

"I joined the office in 2001 and really during the time I was an assistant DA, I didn’t really have any involvement with the Gary Thibodeau or Heidi Allen case." Oakes said. "From a legal perspective, there were a couple of occasions where information came about regarding potential locations they believed Heidi may have been located but unfortunately we were never able to find her at those spots."

The evidence in this case continued to build up, and there was a growing public sentiment that things were different than once thought.

Next week on "The Heidi Allen Case: Central New York's Most Enduring Mystery," we wrap up the series with Gary's final chances for an appeal in the case. Listen online, on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.