‘Bakersfield 3’ moms seek for justice in case that haunts California

[ad_1] Be part of Fox Information for entry to this content material

Plus particular entry to pick articles and different premium content material together with your account - freed from cost.

By coming into your electronic mail and pushing proceed, you're agreeing to Fox Information' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy , which incorporates our Notice of Financial Incentive . Please enter a sound electronic mail handle.

Having trouble? Click here. Within the blistering summer time warmth, Cheryl Holsonbake discovered herself driving two hours from her residence to California’s rural Kern County, the place she would search along with her "naked fingers" any land that appeared like a shallow grave.

The matriarch was joined by two different moms in the hunt for solutions for his or her kids.

"We took shovels and appeared for my son there," Holsonbake recalled to Fox Information Digital. "I'd assume if I may simply search with my very own fingers and discover him, I may deliver him residence. I may deliver him again to his household. That’s what we'd do on weekends."

HARRIS FAULKNER HOSTS 'AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: MISSING PERSONS' ON FOX

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/investigationdiscovery_micahholsenbake_mothercheryl.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/investigationdiscovery_micahholsenbake_mothercheryl.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/investigationdiscovery_micahholsenbake_mothercheryl.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/investigationdiscovery_micahholsenbake_mothercheryl.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Cheryl Holsonbake is seen right here along with her son Micah Holsonbake. (Investigation Discovery)

"Folks have despatched us info after they wouldn’t communicate to detectives," she shared. "They’ve despatched us what they assume are clues. We’ve opened our telephones earlier than and had photos of human stays. ‘Does this appear to be it may be a part of your son?’ Who lives that life? However we stick collectively."

Holsonbake is without doubt one of the moms of the "Bakersfield 3." It represents three circumstances that had been entangled with one another. The hunt for solutions is being explored in a brand new Investigation Discovery [ID] true crime docuseries premiering Sunday, "The Bakersfield 3: A Story of Homicide and Motherhood." Fox Information Digital contacted the Kern County Sheriff’s Workplace for remark.

The moms of the "Bakersfield 3" spoke out in a brand new docuseries premiering on Mom's Day in hopes that it'll encourage anybody with results in come ahead. (Investigation Discovery)

"One in all my son’s favourite exhibits as a child was ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and exhibits the place they might search for lacking individuals – he beloved them," mentioned Holsonbake. "So long as individuals hearken to the story, we’re going to inform it. And it brings info to our detective."

In accordance with Marie Claire, Micah Holsonbake's service was minimize quick in spring 2003 by surgical procedure to take away a big benign progress in his throat. (Investigation Discovery)

The story of tragedy began in March 2018 when Holsonbake’s 34-year-old son, Micah Holsonbake, went lacking. He vanished the identical month as Jane Parrent’s then-20-year-old daughter, Baylee Despot, whom he knew. Then, in April 2018, Diane "Di" Byrne’s 38-year-old son, James Kulstad, was shot to loss of life in his automobile. He shared a social circle with Micah and Baylee.

Holsonbake mentioned it was Byrne, who died in 2024 after a battle with ovarian cancer , who realized that the circumstances could also be linked.

The "Bakersfield 3" moms. Cheryl Holsonbake (heart), Jane Parrent (left) and Diane "Di" Byrne (proper). (Investigation Discovery)

"She known as me out of the blue and mentioned, ‘I heard your son is lacking. My son was murdered. They knew one another,’" Holsonbake recalled. "I had no thought."

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

James Kulstad, an avid surfer, was killed in a drive-by capturing. (Investigation Discovery)

About two to a few weeks later, Baylee went lacking. Holsonbake realized that her son knew her. Her husband, who had noticed lacking posters for Baylee, texted the quantity listed. It was her mom.

It's believed that Baylee Despot knew Micah Holsonbake. (Investigation Discovery)

"He instructed Jane, ‘You don’t know me, however I feel our son and daughter knew one another," mentioned Holsonbake. "Then we banded collectively."

Parrent nonetheless vividly remembers the final time she noticed Baylee.

Jane Parrent mentioned that her daughter, Baylee Despot, was struggling along with her psychological well being earlier than she disappeared in 2018. (Investigation Discovery)

"I gave her a fast hug in entrance of Matthew Queen’s home [the man she was living with]," she tearfully instructed Fox Information Digital. "I simply want that hug was tighter. However in hindsight, you by no means know what’s going to occur. However that final day, I noticed her, touched her, smelled her, heard her voice."

The kids had been all going by way of private struggles throughout these last months. James, as soon as obsessive about browsing, grew to become hooked on medication after being hit by a automobile in 2007 and prescribed opioids, Marie Claire reported.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/720/405/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1440/810/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime_docuseries.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> In accordance with James Kulstad's mom, he had frolicked with Micah Holsonbake. (Investigation Discovery)

In accordance with the outlet, Micah, who enlisted within the Navy after 9/11 and later grew to become a stockbroker, additionally grew to become hooked on medication after surgical procedure. Baylee was recognized with bipolar dysfunction and survived an overdose. She additionally endured home violence in a earlier relationship.

SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

After surgical procedure, Micah Holsonbake grew to become hooked on prescribed drugs. (Investigation Discovery)

Holsonbake nonetheless grapples with guilt during the last time she heard from Micah.

"He known as me and requested for cash," she mentioned. "I didn’t have it. He obtained indignant with me. He raised his voice at me.

Marie Claire reported that ANDE was an organization that provided automated DNA testing in lower than two hours. (Investigation Discovery)

"I hung up on him, and I by no means talked to him once more. I’ve replayed that second one million instances. . . . The final time I noticed him was about two weeks earlier than that. He was teasing me and joking. I attempt to deal with that as a result of he was extra himself. . . . However I don’t cling up on individuals anymore. Watch out hanging up in your children."

Diane "Di" Byrne (proper), James Kulstad's mom, was the primary to marvel if the circumstances had been by some means linked. (Investigation Discovery)

In accordance with the docuseries, the ladies grew to become pissed off by the lack of awareness they acquired from the police. The investigators argued that, like with any case, they withheld key particulars from the general public to forestall any potential proof tampering or alerting potential suspects.

The moms took issues into their very own fingers. Each time they acquired a tip on social media or by way of a telephone name, they went looking out. Parrent put up lacking posters each day, even after they had been taken down and poles had been greased. If she drove by a strange-looking black plastic bag, she puzzled: May human stays be inside?

Micah Holsonbake's father noticed the lacking flyer for Baylee Despot. He went on to textual content the quantity that was listed. (Investigation Discovery)

"I’m not a really spiritual particular person, however I've gotten nearer to God, and I haven’t walked this path alone," mentioned Parrent. "However it’s simply so painful to alleviate this on daily basis. And also you get so pissed off. You inform regulation enforcement, ‘We obtained a tip to go look right here.’ Nicely, we are able to’t go search there on a tip, as a result of that prices time and cash. OK, we’ll go do it ourselves. And we’ve been instructed to go to so many locations. I’ve at all times mentioned, ’I've nowhere to look and in all places to look.'"

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

James Kulstad's 2018 homicide stays unsolved. (Investigation Discovery)

In 2018, a girl’s leg was found in a Kern County lake , about 25 miles southwest of Bakersfield, Marie Claire reported. Parrent was sure it was Baylee’s. It belonged to 64-year-old Santa Ana resident Shirley Mae Cassel.

A month later, a severed arm was present in a bag, weighed down with rocks. In accordance with the outlet, Holsonbake learn an article about ANDE, an organization that provides DNA testing in lower than two hours.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/investigationdiscovery_james_bakersfield3_truecrime.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Like Micah Holsonbake, James Kulstad struggled with dependancy. (Investigation Discovery)

The outlet famous that whereas bone fragments had been despatched to Sacramento for DNA by way of the State Division of Justice, outcomes may have taken a yr or extra. However simply earlier than Christmas in 2018, Holsonbake realized by way of ANDE that the arm belonged to her son.

In 2019, Baylee Despot (left, seen right here along with her mom) was charged in absentia in Micah Holsonbake's homicide. (Investigation Discovery)

In 2020, Queen and Baylee had been charged with Micah’s kidnapping, torture and homicide, Marie Claire reported. In accordance with the outlet, investigators believed that Queen and Baylee introduced Micah to Matthew Vandecasteele’s storage in 2018 to query him a couple of firearm. Micah was accused of stealing the gun from Queen.

The Bakersfield Californian reported that a number of individuals interviewed by police who knew Micah mentioned he had grown more and more paranoid of Queen main as much as his disappearance. Others claimed Micah owed money owed to numerous individuals for medication.

The outlet famous that police had interviewed Vandacasteele whereas he was serving time on separate convictions. He claimed Queen requested him to make use of his storage to extract info from Micah. Queen and Baylee had been alleged to have positioned zip ties on Micah’s arms, and Baylee retrieved a knife from contained in the residence. Afterward, Baylee appeared shaken.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/investigationdiscovery_bayleedespot_missingposter_reward.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/investigationdiscovery_bayleedespot_missingposter_reward.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/investigationdiscovery_bayleedespot_missingposter_reward.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/investigationdiscovery_bayleedespot_missingposter_reward.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> In accordance with the documentary, Jane Parrent's lacking posters for her daughter Baylee Despot had been being mysteriously eliminated. (Investigation Discovery)

The outlet additionally famous that police found Vandecasteele had looked for the way to dissolve a physique on-line, days after Micah was suspected of being killed.

Parrent instructed reporters that Baylee wasn’t able to doing something that horrific except "her life was in peril, or she was threatened." She argued that her daughter needs to be discovered to get solutions.

Prosecutors alleged that Micah had been dismembered, and that his stays had been scattered all through Kern County. His cranium, discovered inside a bag, was retrieved in 2021.

Baylee Despot's mom mentioned she beforehand handled home violence. (Investigation Discovery)

Some thought that the information would break the moms aside. It didn’t. They continued to lean on one another.

Baylee Despot remains to be lacking. (Investigation Discovery)

"I've performed issues I might by no means thought I'd do earlier than," mentioned Parrent. "This has made me a unique particular person. I hope I’m a greater particular person. I do know to not be afraid to talk up and name individuals out on what’s flawed and damaged. . . . I’m stronger now, however generally you don’t need to be robust. You simply need to crash into the waves and have or not it's over. However you possibly can’t surrender hope."

In 2022, Queen was convicted of second-degree homicide in Micah’s loss of life. KGET reported that he had been sentenced to 30 years to life in jail, plus 56 years.

The remainder of Micah’s stays have by no means been discovered. James’ killing stays unsolved and isn't believed by authorities to be instantly linked to Micah or Baylee, Marie Claire reported. Baylee remains to be lacking.

MISSING WOMAN FOUND AFTER MORE THAN 60 YEARS, SHERIFF REVEALS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

The moms of the "Bakersfield 3" are urging anybody who might have any info to return ahead. (Investigation Discovery)

Immediately, the surviving "Bakersfield 3" mothers are urging anybody with info to return ahead.

"We want individuals to assume to themselves, ‘May this tip assist a mother discover her daughter, discover a shallow grave?’ ‘Would I would like somebody to do that for me?’" mentioned Holsonbake. "Simply come to us. We’ll sit and hearken to you, as a result of I’ll at all times be looking out. We’ll take it from there."