Unsolved Murder In Arizona

This scene, like, replays in my mind so many times. Like, I literally remember this just, like, perfectly. So I'm sitting outside. On the night of September 7th, 2016, my mother, Denia Farmer, was followed, shot, and killed Almost 3 years later, we have no suspects, no leads, and no answers. My name is Taylor Farmer, and this is my story. So I was born in 1991, and I— yeah, I don't know. I mean, she raised me by herself for a while. And then she met my— he's— I call him my dad because he's been in my life since I was 2.

Okay.

Um, and they met and then they got married when I was 8, and then he adopted me. So he's my stepdad, but like I said, I call him my dad. Um, they had a pretty gnarly divorce when I was 14. Um, she had a little bit of a problem with drugs and alcohol So that was like a huge thing. So the divorce was really, really nasty. And then, I mean, after that, like, she was a stay-at-home mom when they were married. So when she got divorced, it was kind of like starting from nothing. And I just remember, like, I admired her so much just for her strength because it was like, you know, she had been married and with this man for forever, and then this huge thing happens and her kids are taken away from her and she really just kind of like rose above it. Like she got clean, she was sober, she got a job, she was doing really well and everything was good. And then we— my parents did not get along at all. They literally fought like cats and dogs day and night all the time. There was restraining orders and jail and all just so much craziness and not something that any kid would function normally in. So I, my sisters were super young. They're 10 months apart.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, I know. Oopsies.

Yeah.

But yeah, so they're, they're 10 months apart. And they were, I can't remember how old they were. They were super young when all this was going down. But I mean, I kind of knew what was going on. So we lived in Chandler, Arizona, and then just up and moved to Phoenix. So I knew nobody and like my parents are going through a divorce. And I'm like going going to a new school in 8th grade and I'm just like, what the hell is happening? So then, I mean, from there, kind of like fast forward, like, like I said, they fought a lot. And then when I was 21, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And again, kind of one of those things where I was just like, holy shit, like, I really admire you. Like, she took this thing and She just, it had its moments where obviously like it gets you down and it seemed like it kind of just like crushed her soul, but she was always just so happy and just so like, she'd walk into a room and, you know, it was, she would just stop everybody. Like she was so just charismatic and just such a cool woman. And then, She quit her job and then she moved in with my dad, which was like, I thought was always super weird. Mm-hmm. And I was like, you guys like don't get along at all. And he's taken like 4 restraining orders out on you and you're moving in with him? Like, okay. So then I was like, like I said, I was 21, so I was like on my own. I was like, I had my own place. I was like working. I was like, No one can tell me anything. Like, I am, I am woman, hear me roar. Right.

Totally.

And so I get a phone call and it's my mom and she's like freaking out and she's like, I need to move in with you, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, oh, Jesus Christ. And I'm like, okay. So I let her move in with me and it was just, I mean, we had a heated relationship. Like we would fight, we would yell, we would say really nasty things to each other. But I mean, at the end of the day, like she was my mom, like I would do anything for her. So I ended up giving her my place and she, I mean, she couldn't pay for it. She, I was paying for the rent for quite a while and I don't know, it just put this like really crazy strain between us and it sucked. I was like, you know, I'm watching my hero like deteriorate right before my eyes and I just, there's nothing that I can do about it. And so I think she was just kind of struggling with the cancer and that because I mean, cancer runs in our family, so. She was, I think she was scared. I mean, as anybody would be, you know? And she was smoking cigarettes, which she wasn't supposed to do. And that kind of just like made everything worse. And I think, I mean, I think she might've been using again. I don't know 100%. I mean, but you can always tell, like I just, I used to like walk in on her and watch her like do stuff. And she would promise me she'd never do it again. And then I'd like find it in her purse and Yeah. So it's just like dealing with that my entire life was always just kind of like one of those things where it's like, "Mom, you promised me you wouldn't do it again." And then she would do it again. And so then she was in remission from breast cancer. So then everything was good. She moved out and she was living with my aunt and we kind of really weren't talking around this time because I mean, it was just like I had a lot of shit going on and I just couldn't deal. Like, and, you know, you have those moments where you like look back and you're like, wow, I was really selfish. But at the time, like, it was just all I knew how to do. Like, it was one of those things where it's like, if I want to be happy and if I want to have like somewhat of a normal life, then I have to kind of cut pieces out. And she unfortunately was one of those pieces for a little bit. And it's not because I didn't love her or I didn't want to be around her. It was just like, I'm trying to figure my life out. I'm in my early 20s and I'm trying to figure all this stuff out, figure life out. Yeah, and you're like the child taking care of the parent, and that wasn't— it wasn't easy. And like, you know, my sisters weren't talking to her, and they had their falling outs and all this stuff. And I just like, I just felt bad because it was like, what do you do, you know? And it's— I don't know. So we, we stopped talking for a little bit. We would talk here and there, and then when I was I had just turned 25, so this was the summer of 2016. And she calls me and she's like, hey, like, I really need to talk to you. Can you meet me for lunch? And I'm like, yeah, of course. Like, whatever. And it's actually really crazy because she knew about Kiefer before I, like, told anybody about Kiefer.

Yeah.

Because she was like, so are you, like, seeing anybody? And I was like, well, I'm, like, kind of talking to this guy, but We've been friends for a really long time and like, I just, you know, I don't know. It's like, it's really messy and it's like complicated and whatever. And she's like, oh, is it that boy with all the tattoos? What's his name? Kiefer. And I was like, excuse me, are you like stalking me? Like, what is happening?

Funny.

But I was like, yeah. And she's like, oh, I would really like to meet him. I'm like, Mom, relax. Like, it's not that serious. But it was really funny. I was like, no, he's like my best friend. Like, we, it's, I was like, it's complicated. And then, yeah, I don't know. So she knew about it before I even really knew that it was gonna be where it's at right now. But yeah, so that happened. I went to lunch with her and then she tells me that she has stage 4 bone cancer and that the doctors are telling her that she's not gonna make it until the end of the year. So I'm like, holy shit. Like, what do you mean you're not gonna make it until the end of the year? Like, is there anything we can do? Like, what's going on? Like, you know, I'm like, "We need to be aggressive. What's happening?" And she's like, "You know what? It is what it is. They're doing the best that they can and I'm going on my doctor's appointments and this, that, and the other thing." So I'm like, "Okay." And she's like, "I just wanted you to know because I don't know if I'm going to make it to Thanksgiving. I don't know. I just want you to be prepared that I might not be here." And I'm just like, Okay, so we read that.

That's a lot to take in.

Yeah, I'm like, okay, well, that's, you know, I'm like, well, shit, like, how do I tell this to my sisters? How do I tell this to my family? Like, because I was kind of like, I was always like, I'm like Switzerland between like my mom and my sisters. So, you know, it was like, she would be like, you know, tell your sisters I love them, tell them I miss them and everything. So I'm like thinking like, okay, how am I supposed to tell my sisters that mom might not make it until the end of the year? And they've— we've had months of not speaking to each other. How do we fix this? How do we make it right before it's too late?

Right. How do we get all that time back?

Yeah, how do we like get all this back when we've lost so much time? And my sister, you know, is about to graduate and It's just there's so much life happening and she might not make it to see that. So then September 7th comes and my sister calls me. My middle sister, her name is Mikayla. She called me to tell me that she got accepted to U of A and that she was really excited. And I still hadn't told her that I— the conversation I had with my mom. I told her that I met with her and that I had lunch with her and it went really well. And she was like, 'Do you, um, do you want to tell Mom or do you want me to?' And I said, 'Well, I think it would mean a lot coming from you, but I understand if it's like too much to talk to her,' because she would like— you would not talk to her for like a while, and then like she would just like bombard you. Like, she would— like, you'd give her an inch and she would take a mile. And I don't know if that's because it was like the cancer, or if she was using again, or what it was, but it was just like, I mean, it was like you'd get 50 text messages, you'd get 50 phone calls if you didn't answer one time. Like, it was like a lot. So I was like, I get it if you don't, you know, want to talk to her, but like, I'll call her later. So I wake up, I took a nap and I woke up at like 7:00 and I felt really weird when I woke up and I was just like, oh, this is a gross feeling. Like, I just, I don't really like this. So whatever. So I go out with some of my friends and it's probably like, I want to say maybe like 1:30, maybe. I don't even know what time it was. But my dad texts me and he's like, hey, where are you? I need to talk to you. And I'm like, I'm at a bar with my friends. Like, what's up? And he's like, no, I need to see you. I'm like, Dad, get real. Like, I'm out right now.

Come on, not meeting up.

Yeah, I'm not meeting up with you. Like, I've been drinking. Like, no. So I'm like, he's like, "No, it's really important." I'm like, "Well, I'm actually like right down the street from your house, so if you want to come meet me, I'll just meet you outside." So I literally like, this scene like replays in my mind so many times. Like I literally remember this just like perfectly. So I'm sitting outside, I see my dad's car pull in and I see a car pull in behind him and I don't think anything of it. I'm like, "Okay, whatever." We're in like a pretty populated area, so there's people just coming to the bar. And my dad gets out and these two guys get out and they're walking up towards me and I'm like, did I do something that I just don't remember? Am I in trouble for something? What's going on? And I'm like, are my sisters okay? What's happening? And the closer they get and I'm like, this is about my mom. This is 100% about my mom. And I'm sitting down and my dad walks up and he like comes and kind of like just stares at me and I'm like, what's going on? And he was like, this is Detective, I don't remember their name. And they're like, Taylor Farmer? And I'm like, yeah. And they're like, we're sorry to inform you, but your mother's been murdered. And I literally just like stood up and I just was, I just screamed. And I was like, what? What? And I just, I don't even, I didn't even know. Like, I just cried. Like, I just stood there and I just sobbed outside of this bar. And I'm like, what happened? Like, what do you mean someone murdered her? Like, what does that even mean? And just like saying it, when I said it, I was like, what am I saying? Like, what is happening right now? And they were like, you know, she was driving on the 51 and someone shot her. They didn't really have much information. They didn't really tell me much. They just gave me their card and that was it. And so I'm sitting outside and I'm just like in shock, really. I mean, that's all I can really label it as. And I'm thinking like, how am I supposed to tell my sisters? Like, I was trying to prepare myself to tell them that she wouldn't make it until the end of the year, and now I have to tell them that somebody took her life. And I just—

we—

I got all my stuff, and Kiefer was actually working across the street, and he had just gotten off work, and he's walking across the street, and I'm— I go inside to grab my purse, and I'm walking out, and he's like, "What's wrong?" And all I could say was, "Someone killed my mom." and he was like, "Wait, what?" And so I go home or I go to my dad's house and I just, I couldn't even, I couldn't even bring myself to tell my sisters. Like, I just sat on the couch and cried. Like, I just, I couldn't, I could, how could I? Yeah, my dad ended up telling them and I just, we just cried. And then I went home and I had detectives calling me and I just like, I couldn't handle it. So I just, I kind of just blanked, blacked it all out. And then I woke up the next morning and I looked at Kiefer and I was like, did last night happen? And he just like, he just like stared at me. I mean, what do you say? Like, you know? So I look at my phone and they, someone had sent me an article and the picture of the article was my mom's car. Smashed into the side of the freeway. And I just cried. And I think in that moment it was kind of like, okay, this actually, like, this is real. Like, what, what happened? What is going on? Like, what could she have done that someone would shoot her in her head on the freeway? Like, it just, none of it made sense to me. So there was a detective that had called me and asked me to come identify the body and I was just like, listen, she's got a ton of tattoos. I can tell you what every single tattoo she has is. I can't, I can't go see her body. Like, I can't. And so basically from there, I mean, it was like I hit the ground running. I started a GoFundMe to raise money for her funeral. I started planning the funeral. And I just, I mean, I kind of, I didn't really have much time to like sit down and like grieve because I was just going.

Yeah, you were almost like taking that the role of not like you were her partner, but basically, I mean, you like took on everything. Like you were the one who had to like be there for your sisters and be there for everybody else and you know, put on this like strong front and organize. And I, I just can't even like comprehend what that would be like.

It was intense. I, I talk about this with my sisters a lot. I'm like, I wish I just would have just kind of chilled out, but I was so just like, this has to get done. This is what we have to do. And I was next of kin. So everything, everything was— I was the sole point of contact. I've had, you know, the coroner calling me and the detectives calling me and the news calling me and all this stuff. And I'm just like, there were so many things coming at me at one time. I just, I didn't know what to do. And on top of that, I'm like, I don't know what's going on. I don't know what happened to her. We don't know who did this. We don't know what's going on. We don't know if you know, she owed somebody something and that's why it happened and they're going to come after us. We didn't know. And it's scary because it's like, was this a random thing or did these people actually know her? We don't know. And still to this day, we don't know. And so, I mean, we had the funeral 10 days later and I can't exactly remember the exact point in time, but we went and we met with the detective and we talked with him and He really just kind of like, it really seemed like he just didn't care. And, you know, I mean, you watch, you watch the movies and everything happens so quickly, which obviously is not real, but I've seen real crime shows like The First 48 and like how crucial those first 2 days are. And it really just didn't seem like he gave a shit. And I was like, you know, I've got people sending me license plate numbers. I had a girl write me and say that her friend was on the freeway and hit my mom's car. And I'm like, are you talking to these people? And I know you can't really tell me anything, but like, give me some kind of reassurance that you're like actually doing this, you know? And it kind of just was like, yeah, well, we don't really know what happened. We don't really have any leads. And I'm like, okay, well, what about this? What about this? And he's just like, yeah, are you going to let me do my job? And I'm like, okay, well, yeah, obviously I am. But like, tell me, give me something. Oh my gosh. I know it was just ridiculous. And then he goes, he called me a couple of days later and he was like, 'Hey, you know, we tried to get into your mom's phone, but it's on—' She had like one of those gridlocks, like from the Androids or whatever. Uh-huh. And they're like, 'Well, we can't get into it because of that.' And I'm like, 'Wait, you mean to tell me that you are a detective and you can't get into her phone?' Like, I know—

like, there's not a hacker? Like, there's—

that doesn't make any sense. Or you can just contact the phone provider and just say, hey, uh, we need her records. Like, what? Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, I'm like, that would be so frustrating as, um, someone so close to you. And this isn't just like a— it's just such a different way to pass on than like your typical— I mean, at least like if she, you know, would have passed away from her cancer. Like, okay, you, you prepared for it. She passed away, you knew. But this was like sudden and you had no answers whatsoever and nobody's helping you. And especially for somebody who listens to like true crime and crime podcasts and, and shows and you're just like, what in the actual fuck? Like, I—

yeah, I'm like, what are you doing?

It's a little bit better. Yeah. Like, oh my gosh. Like, I can only imagine. Like, I feel like that's just a whole nother level of anxiety and emotions that you've probably never even experienced before. Yeah.

And I'm just like, and you're just lost because it's like this person is that you've looked up to and loved your entire life is gone and no one seems to give a shit except for you and your family about what happened. So, he calls me about the phone and then he's like, "By the way, we have her purse if you guys want to come pick it up." And I'm like, "You guys don't need that for evidence?" And he's like, "No, like, we pretty much have all of our evidence that we need." And he goes, "Oh, and also the guy whose car it was," like, because my mom was— I don't really know, I think she was, like, renting it from this guy so she would, like, give him, like, monthly payments for it. Okay. And he goes, yeah, the guy wants his car back. And I said, what? And he's like, yeah, the guy whose car it is, he wants it back. And I said, for what reason? And he's like, well, we don't really know. And I'm like, okay, well, did you tell him no? Like, I don't understand why you're bringing me this type of information. Yeah.

Like, can you handle this? Yeah.

Like, I'm so at this point, like, I'm so angry with what's happening because I also had, like, news reporters, like, showing up to my house. Which no idea how the fuck they got my address, but there they were. And I asked my family, I said, "Please don't let— I don't want anyone to speak on the news because I don't know what's going on." And it was solely out of fear. I mean, sometimes I wish I would have said, I would have gone on the news and said something and maybe someone would have come forward. I don't know. But But in the moment, I was like, we don't know what's going on. There's people showing up to my dad's house. You know, we— there's guys walking around in the back alley behind my dad's house. There's guys pulling into the front and like walking around. Like, we don't know what the hell is going on. So like, please just everyone be safe. You know, don't do anything stupid. So that's all going on. He tells us to come pick this purse up. And part of me wishes that I would have just left it because the condition that the purse was in when I took it out of the bag that it came in, like, I— no one should ever have to see that. Like, the fact that they even gave that back to us was just so gross. Like, I'm like, do you— are you— do you not see that this is covered? In like blood and glass, and you're giving this back to her children as like the last piece of thing that was with her when she died. Like, how does that— like, and he's like, what? When he— when we picked it up, he's like, well, you know, they don't really clean off anything, so— but they said it wasn't in bad condition. I had blood on my hands when I took it out, and I'm like How do you not see that that's not something that you should give back to the family?

Right. Like, yeah, I feel like they almost have to probably cut off all emotion when dealing with these types of things because— for sure, you know what I mean? Like, which though in turn sucks for everybody that they're dealing with because it's like there's no emotion whatsoever. Like, obviously you could have looked at this and been like, probably like this is gonna evoke some emotion. We don't want to, we don't wanna do that. You know, like we'll just keep this. But instead it's like just no emotion whatsoever. Yeah. Not in bad condition.

And you're like, what the hell? I'm like, not in bad condition. Are you okay? Right.

Like what is it? What condition is this then? Yeah. Yeah.

I'm like, what else? What does that mean to you then? Because that's terrible. To me, like terrible.

Did you go with your sisters to pick it up?

Yeah. And we didn't open it. It came in— they bring it out in this like big brown bag. And we, we all agreed like, we'll open it when we get home. And it's, you know, it's sitting on the dining room table. And I, I opened the bag and it was a black purse, so you couldn't really see it at first. Mm-hmm. And so I pulled it out and just on the bottom of the seam, there's just— it's glass everywhere. And on the side of it, there was just blood all over it. And I sat it down and I just— I mean, I started crying and I look at my hands and there's blood just all over my hands, like coated on my hands. And I'm just like, why would you give this back? And I get it, I mean, it's not a part of evidence and it was one of her possessions but the inside of it was just trash. They like ripped apart all her stuff and, you know, I don't, I don't know. I mean, it was just, it was in that moment that I was like, she's really gone. Like, she's really gone. Someone really did this to her. And I don't know.

So in the last 3 years, like, I mean, you've had so much happen in your life and some that is so beautiful, like the birth of your baby and your relationship, which it sounds like you guys have enough, like, have such a great partnership. And so there's some really beautiful things that have happened, but also all of this hurt and pain that you're dealing with and how How can you, because I'm sure this just kind of like jolted you to like, okay, now you're an adult, not that you weren't before, like you were on your own. You were already taking care of her at one point. I mean, but this is a whole new level. This is a whole new deep and dark. And like, how did you get through it with all of the things that were going on at the same time?

I mean, I didn't for a while. Like, I found out I was pregnant the year anniversary, actually, like a week after the one-year anniversary of her death. And I mean, up until then, I was a mess. Like, I was drinking a lot. I was going out a lot. And a lot of people took that as like, oh, well, she's good. She's— everything's fine. But it's like I wasn't. I mean, the end of the night, I was like sobbing. I was fighting. I was just— it was a mess. And I found out that I was pregnant and I was like, this is what I needed. And it wasn't like I was like, this is what I need to be a better person or anything like that. But it was almost like my mom telling me that, like, here you go. Everything's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Like, focus on this for a while. Stop focusing on me. And I talked to mediums, I talked to psychics, I talked to anybody that would, you know, give me some kind of like peace of mind. And I actually— the medium that I talked to, she called me. We had like a phone conversation. This woman, she didn't know my name, she didn't know who I was. All I told her was my mom's name. That was it. And she told me that my mom knew that I was pregnant. And I have a tattoo for my mom on the left side of my neck. And she said, she was like, your mom knows about your tattoo. And I was like, what tattoo? I have like 100 of them. And she was like, the one on your neck. And there's no way that she would have known that, you know? So I was like, that's pretty cool. And, you know, she says that she sends me hummingbirds and all this stuff. And she said that she'll, she'll be very present in my son's life. And it's been cool, you know, it's, it's the little things. Like, he sees a picture of her and he'll start smiling. Oh, so it's like, I know it, it kills me, but I'm like, I try to be strong because I know that's what she would want. And I mean, that's how she was. And, you know, she, she lost her mom as well, and she handled that pretty gracefully. And I just I knew that I had two younger sisters that are looking up to me and I needed to be the best example that I could. And I needed to be the woman to them that my mom maybe couldn't have been. And we have such a strong relationship and I talk to them every day, which never happened before. And it's a blessing and it's I'm— it still breaks my heart. It still is. It's hard. It's, you know, I still go to text her. I still go to send her pictures. I still go to call her. And there's that, like, you know, reality that sets in every time. And I'm like, wait, I can't talk to her.

Oh, yeah. I, I feel like it would definitely be the little things, you know, just like that, like a simple phone call or a simple like, I want to grab coffee quick with my mom or something that you just, you know, or like a recipe and you're like, wait, how did— wait, yes, the recipe.

There's just so many little things that I didn't think would be such a big deal that I'm like, I still deal with.

So as far as the investigation goes, it's still like her murder is unsolved. Do they have any type of like, is this an ongoing thing or has it kind of just settled and you are trying to like just move on from it? Or this is like a fight that you're going to like keep going, you want it solved? Like, what are, what are your thoughts and feelings on it right now?

Um, I mean, right now I'm really frustrated with the whole situation because there's a new detective on the case and You know, it's not like I don't think that they're doing their jobs. It's just like, I just want communication. I just want to know that you got my email. I just want to know that you got this bit of information that I sent to you. I just want to sit down and talk to you about it. So there's a silent witness reward that's at $21,000 right now. And that happened shortly after the, the murder. So that we were hoping that somebody would come forward but nobody has so I'm hoping that we can try to get something together maybe on the 3-year anniversary just kind of like circulate it back in the news because it was national news and it reached a lot of people and I'm hoping that maybe, you know, a friend of whoever did it or a girlfriend of whoever did it or boyfriend or whoever maybe had a falling out with these people, had some type of discrepancy and they are just at a point in their life where they're like, "You know what? I remember that and I'll do something about it. I'll say something." So I'm trying to work it into getting it back circulated. The detective wants to release the 911 call from the incident, which I fought tooth and nail to never have it come out just for the safety of my sisters. But we've all kind of been in agreement that, you know what, it's time. It's time to get it out there. It's time to start talking about this again. It's time to kind of get the wheels in motion just to put it back out there. I'm not asking for— I mean, I would love for justice to be served to these people, whoever did it. I would love to look at them in the face and be like, what the fuck is wrong with you? Who does this? And part of me is like really angry where I'm like, but also like, I think I'm like so big and bad and I'm like, yeah, I'll fight you, like whatever. But I'm not like— I mean, there's, like I said, there's so many silver linings that have come from this and it's, it's so unfortunate. But I think that her passing was her— like, she— I feel like she gave me Kiefer. Like, I feel like she she made us closer so that I can have Cooper and I can just like live this life because it's always something I've always wanted. And, and I think, I hope that wherever she is, that she's proud of me and she sees how hard I'm working to like, you know, be a good mom and be as good as she was.

Well, I definitely believe that those who pass are so close to us, closer than we think. And so, I mean, I just, I have a feeling that she sees you, God sees you all the time and is so proud of you. And I mean, just looking at the life that you have built for yourself and you've just been so strong and so independent for so long, even way before this event that I'm sure that she's just like, hell yes, like this is the woman, you know, that she has grown into. And it's just, it's, I just admire everything. I mean, even talking, you talking about your childhood and growing up and becoming an adult and just, you're like, I got this. Like, I'm taking care of myself. I'll take care of you. Like, I'm taking care of everything. And you're just like this powerhouse woman. And it's just, it's very admirable. Welcome to The Red Door, rebranded, transfigured, same mantra here to give you a voice, sharing real stories, raw, unfiltered, no bullshit. I'm your host, Kristjana Hillberg.