Overview of Trouble Ahead (Sword and Scale)
This episode tells the true-crime story of Angela Nicole Bradbury—last seen in April 2021—and the discovery of a human skull on the Greenbelt River Trail in Mitchell County, Iowa. The episode follows the discovery, the multi‑jurisdictional investigation (Cerro Gordo County and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation), the identification of the remains, the evidence that led to a suspect, his confession, and the eventual plea and sentencing.
Timeline — key events
- April 6, 2021: Angela Bradbury (29) released from the Cerro Gordo County jail; last confirmed time she was seen alive. Surveillance later shows her getting into a car in the jail parking lot.
- July 12, 2021: A young girl biking the Greenbelt River Trail in Mitchell County finds a human skull mounted on a stick in the brush.
- Feb 2022 (intake dated Feb 2, 2022 in episode): Angela is reported missing; DNA/dental comparisons later match the skull to Angela.
- Aug 19, 2022: Investigators execute a warrant and interview Nathan James Gilmore (22) at his Osage, Iowa home.
- Oct 16, 2023: Gilmore sentenced to 50 years in prison (minimum 35 years to serve) and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution.
Victim and suspect
- Victim: Angela Nicole Bradbury, 29. Described via family photos and last-seen accounts; released from jail April 6, 2021.
- Suspect: Nathan James Gilmore, 22 (at time investigators identified him via license plate). Lived in Osage, Iowa. No significant prior violent criminal history noted in the episode.
Discovery and physical evidence
- The skull was found mounted on a stick just off the Greenbelt River Trail; the discovery alarmed a young bicyclist and set the case in motion.
- The skull was processed and eventually matched to Angela via DNA and dental records.
- Jail surveillance footage showed Angela leave the facility and get into a small car whose license plate was later traced to Nathan Gilmore.
- Forensics/GPS evidence: Gilmore’s phone/GPS placed him near the Greenbelt Trail on the evening of April 6, 2021 (the last time Angela was seen) and again on the day the skull was found. Investigators recovered GPS coordinates that matched the remains’ location.
- Additional indicators: a whiteboard in Gilmore’s home with imagery (goat head in pentagram), the numbers “04-06” (interpreted as April 6), and coordinates; Snapchat messages to an ex‑girlfriend’s new boyfriend that referenced the recovery (“You’ll be looking like the body they found outside Mitchell, boy”) and disturbingly expressed sexual arousal related to neck‑wound dying sounds.
Investigation, confession, and motive
- Investigators obtained the license-plate lead and surveillance footage, interviewed Angela’s last confirmed contacts, and executed a search warrant at Gilmore’s home.
- During a recorded interview, Gilmore's initial denials shifted to admission: “I met someone. I stabbed her in the neck, and then I went back to work. I never even knew her name until she was reported missing.” He described stabbing her on the secluded trail, leaving, returning later, and mounting her skull on a stick.
- Investigators characterized the numbers/whiteboard entries as coded confessions and used GPS and digital communications to strengthen the case.
Legal outcome
- Gilmore accepted a plea deal reducing the charge to second-degree murder (prosecution could not prove premeditation beyond reasonable doubt).
- Sentencing on Oct 16, 2023: 50 years in prison, with at least 35 years to be served before parole eligibility; ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to Angela’s family.
- During sentencing, Angela’s father condemned the act as done “to feed your own sadistic appetite” and noted that Gilmore’s face was the last she saw.
Notable quotes & moments
- Suspect’s admission (emotionless, blunt): “I met someone. I stabbed her in the neck, and then I went back to work... It was easy. Not the worst thing I ever done.”
- Victim’s father at sentencing: “You did not stab my daughter in an act of self or even rage but to feed your own sadistic appetite. I will forever live with the fact that your face was the last face she saw.”
- Haunting image that propelled the case publicly: a skull mounted on a stick found by a child on a public trail.
Takeaways / significance
- The case underscores how digital evidence (surveillance footage, license-plate registries, GPS data, social-media messages) can link suspects to victims and crime scenes even when physical remains are minimal or degraded.
- It highlights investigative persistence across jurisdictions—how a seemingly anonymous skull became identified and led to arrest through family reporting, forensic comparison, and piecing together digital breadcrumbs.
- The episode is also a reminder of how violent crimes can surface in mundane public places (a bike trail) and of the impact on families seeking answers and closure.
If you want a shorter timeline or an extract of the exact evidence chain used at trial (surveillance → license plate → DMV → GPS → confession → messages), I can condense the investigation steps into a single-page flow.