Summary of S10 E4: The Red Cab

Overview of Someone Knows Something — The Jacqueline Furlan Smith Case, Episode 4: The Red Cab

This episode, hosted by David Ridgen, continues the investigation into Jacqueline (Jackie) Furlan Smith’s disappearance (Aug 17, 2021). Ridgen and CBC obtain the archived Costa Rican investigative file, interview neighbors, search coordinators and OIJ (judicial police) investigators, and highlight inconsistencies in witness accounts and police work — especially around a reported red taxi sighting, physical injuries observed on Jackie’s partner Sebastian, and limited forensic follow-up. The episode emphasizes procedural gaps, unclear evidence handling, and the difficulty of getting clear answers when key investigators are unavailable.

Timeline & key evidence

• Aug 17, 2021 — Jackie disappears from her home.
• ~5 days after disappearance — OIJ performed a superficial search of Jackie and Sebastian’s house without dogs; nothing found in house.
• ~3 weeks after disappearance — OIJ conducted a more extensive search with cadaver dogs trained for human blood/remains; dogs allegedly did not alert inside house or in backyard. Investigators state they did no digging on the property.
• Sept 6, 2021 — A dog named Bakko allegedly alerted to human blood odor on the back seat of Jackie’s Nissan; a piece of the seat was removed and tested, returning a “weak positive” for blood. No indication the blood was identified or that this triggered further action.
• 2022 — Case investigation is said to have ended; the file was archived at criminal court.
• Dec 16, 2024 — OIJ investigator Ulysses Guevara (author of much of the file) was detained by colleagues on allegations of extortion, which removes the possibility of interviewing him for clarification.

Major inconsistencies and unresolved issues

• Surveillance camera access: OIJ removed Jackie’s phone but could not unlock it. Because the camera required the phone password, investigators were unable to access surveillance footage. The phone was stored since 2022; later the prosecutor said a cybercrime unit would attempt to access it with newer tools.
• Digging/search activity: Police reports claim no digging was done on Sebastian’s property. Sebastian and some locals report significant digging and burning on the lot. Open (a volunteer search group) says they worked nearby but did not dig Sebastian’s backyard and that Sebastian wouldn’t permit them to dig there.
• Injuries to Sebastian: Multiple witnesses observed a large gash on Sebastian’s shin and scratches on arms/hands after Jackie’s disappearance. Accounts of how he got them vary widely (slid on rocks, snorkeling, dog bite, motorcycle fall). Sebastian told different versions at different times. He also told some people Jackie punched him in the face; that punch is inconsistently recorded in police files.
• Red taxi sighting: Neighbour Oro (and her husband Carlos) say they saw a red taxi with a single person in the back seat near 8–8:30pm the night Jackie disappeared and believed it was Jackie looking upset. Other neighbors’ cameras and guards do not corroborate seeing Jackie that night. Ridgen’s on-site test at night suggested it would be difficult for a passing driver to see a rear-seat passenger clearly from the spot described.
• Forensics follow-up: The “weak positive” blood test on the car seat was not further explained in the file — no identification of source and no documented downstream action.

Witnesses of note

• Sebastian — Jackie’s partner; multiple inconsistent statements about timing of events, whether he was punched, and causes of his injuries.
• Oro and Carlos (neighbors) — Oro reports seeing a red taxi with someone in the back seat (she believes it was Jackie) the night she disappeared; they checked travel timing against passports to confirm the night.
• Kevin (neighbor) — Reviewed his motion-activated camera recordings to midnight and saw no sign of Jackie; he did not save the footage.
• Victor (private guard) — Did not see Jackie the night of disappearance; saw Sebastian on a scooter around 1 a.m. (timing uncertain).
• Open search group coordinator (Oldomar Silas) — Describes volunteer searches nearby; did not dig Sebastian’s yard.
• OIJ investigator Luis Fernando Vidal — Confirms dog alerts (or lack thereof), car inspection, inability to access camera, and that they did not dig the property because dogs didn’t alert.

Investigative failures and obstacles highlighted

• Difficulty accessing critical digital evidence: phone/camera inaccessible for years until CBC inquiry prompted a (late) cybercrime attempt.
• Unclear, inconsistent documentation: witness statements and physical injuries described in interviews are not always reflected in the official file.
• Missing follow-up on potentially important forensic result (blood “weak positive” on car seat).
• Lack of timely police engagement with neighbors and failure to preserve (or later produce) private surveillance footage.
• Key investigator (Guevara) arrested on unrelated allegations, preventing follow-up interviews and raising questions about internal conduct.

Host’s on-the-ground checks and experiments

• Ridgen visited the roadspot where Oro said she saw the red cab and attempted to see into passing cars at night; he concluded visibility would likely be limited to a vague silhouette, making a confident ID from that vantage point unlikely.
• The production reached out to a red cab company; company representatives said they do not keep records that would help verify the taxi sighting.
• Interviews with neighbors and search volunteers attempted to triangulate who saw what and when; results were mixed and often contradictory.

Main takeaways

• The investigative file delivered to Jackie’s parents contains valuable material but also notable gaps and omissions; it is incomplete for answering core questions.
• Several pieces of potentially important evidence (phone/camera, blood on car seat, neighborhood surveillance) were not effectively accessed or fully followed up by authorities.
• Witness accounts conflict about central facts (e.g., Sebastian’s injuries; whether Jackie left in a taxi), leaving an uncertain timeline of Jackie’s final hours.
• Transparency and procedural issues — including difficulty obtaining files, delayed cyber forensics, and a detained investigator — have hampered confidence in the official investigation.

Recommended next steps (practical actions suggested by the episode)

• Use modern cyber-forensic methods to unlock Jackie’s phone and retrieve surveillance footage.
• Re-examine the blood evidence from the car seat with contemporary testing and try to identify source (DNA if possible).
• Re-interview primary witnesses (Sebastian, neighbors, volunteers) to reconcile timelines and versions, documenting inconsistencies.
• Search for additional private security footage in nearby homes/businesses and ask neighbors to preserve any recordings.
• Obtain records (if any exist) from taxi companies; canvass drivers who worked that night and check other camera sources along possible routes.
• Investigate the conduct and possible influence of detained officers (like Guevara) on the investigation; review chain-of-custody and reporting practices.

Notable quotes

• “A bit of daylight.” — on finally receiving the investigative file after months of requests.
• “Open can’t clear anyone of anything.” — reminder volunteers are not law enforcement and their searches do not equate to police clearance.

Production credits and where to listen

Hosted/written/produced by David Ridgen; produced by Maria Jose Burgos; sound design by Evan Kelly. The series is available on CBC Podcasts and the CBC True Crime YouTube channel (early/ad-free episodes via CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts).