Overview of Five Years Later — E1: A Different Kind of Star (Republish)
This episode (republished) revisits the 2018 disappearance of 25‑year‑old aspiring actress and model Adaya Shabani, who vanished from Hollywood on February 23. Told primarily by Neil Strauss (host of To Live and Die in L.A.), the episode pieces together family interviews, friends’ accounts, private investigation work, digital clues, and an early eyewitness tip that shifts the case from a mysterious missing‑person to a likely abduction. The episode frames Adaya as a young woman chasing a Hollywood dream and highlights gaps in the police response, troubling control of her digital records by an ex, and unexplained clues (most notably a last text asking about “red candles”).
Key people
- Adaya (Adea/Adaya) Shabani — 25‑year‑old aspiring actress/model from Macedonia, living in Hollywood.
- Neil Strauss — episode narrator and host (To Live and Die in L.A.), driving the investigation in the episode.
- Nora — Adaya’s mother, who flew in from Macedonia and stayed in Adaya’s apartment.
- Jaden Brandt — private investigator hired by the Shabani family.
- Emma and Angel — Adaya’s friends and coworkers; Emma was the last known person to try to reach her that day.
- “Ivan” — anonymized ex‑boyfriend who holds Adaya’s phone bill, lease information, and (allegedly) hacked iCloud/text backups.
- Anonymous eyewitness/tipster — caller who later reports seeing Adaya put into the bed of a pickup truck in front of her building (provides truck description and plate).
Core timeline & facts presented
- Last confirmed sighting: February 23, 2018 — Adaya seen near Rise and Grind coffee shop on Hollywood Boulevard (around Wilcox).
- Phone activity: Last mobile data/transmission at ~12:50 p.m. on Feb 23 (sourced from the ex’s screenshots).
- Computer activity: Chrome/browser activity on Adaya’s laptop shows it was on at 1:08 a.m. the night she disappeared — over 12 hours after the phone went offline.
- Apartment: Front door was found unlocked (unusual for Adaya); no signs of struggle reported inside.
- Final text: Her last recorded message (to a classmate, Christiane) 48 minutes before the phone went dark asked: “Baby, do you know where I can buy candles? Red ones.” The meaning/importance of this is unknown.
- Ex’s control of data: “Ivan” had the phone bill in his name and provided screenshots and partial iCloud content to police, but did not share full records with the private investigator — raising questions about access and motives.
- Eyewitness tip: A caller later told Angel (and the informal tip line) that they saw Adaya being put into a pickup truck in front of her apartment and driven south toward Hollywood Boulevard; caller provided truck description and plate number. This tip suggests abduction and shifted the investigation.
- Early police reaction: Friends and family describe frustration, saying the LAPD initially downplayed active search efforts and discouraged family/friends from coming to the station; friends felt media attention correlated with police activity.
Major themes & takeaways
- A young immigrant pursuing a Hollywood dream vanished under strange circumstances; the narrative emphasizes the human side — family grief and the “zest for life” Adaya expressed in diaries and social posts.
- Digital mysteries complicate the timeline: phone vs. laptop activity, an unexplained last text about red candles, and third‑party control of her digital records.
- Distrust of official response: friends and private investigators perceive the police as slow or more focused on building a case than immediate search for a missing woman.
- Suspicion around people closest to her: the ex‑boyfriend’s possession of bills, lease ties, and selective sharing of data raises red flags for the investigative team.
- A raw eyewitness tip (truck/plate) became a pivotal new lead that reframed the case toward an abduction scenario.
Notable quotes and human details
- Personal mantras in Adaya’s room: “I am born to be a star,” and “Zest for life.”
- From friends/family: the repeated disbelief and hope that she might still be alive; frustration about the initial lack of police engagement.
- Host’s risk statement: Neil Strauss says he was warned that releasing the podcast could endanger him and his family — and he interprets threats as a sign he’s close to the truth.
Chapters mentioned in the episode
- Chapter 1 — The Call: introduces the disappearance and Neil Strauss’s entry into the story.
- Chapter 2 — Zest for Life: focuses on Adaya’s background, family, and the start of the on‑the‑ground investigation.
How you can help / contact info (as read in episode)
The episode requests listeners with information to reach out. The transcript gives:
- Phone: 213‑204‑2073
- Website / email reference: live, die, L.A. at tenderfoot.tv and live, die, L.A. dot com (listen and bonus content there)
(If you have actionable information, follow the show’s official site or Tenderfoot TV channels for the most accurate contact methods.)
Production notes & credits
- Series: To Live and Die in L.A. (produced by Tenderfoot TV, Neil Strauss; Cadence 13 mentioned).
- Executive producers: Neil Strauss, Donald Albright, Payne Lindsay.
- Producers: Alex Vespestad, Mike Rooney.
- Music: Makeup and Vanity Set; theme song “Love and War” by Fleury.
- Design: Trevor Eiler.
- Episode is a republish (aired on the fifth anniversary of Adaya’s disappearance in the episode’s framing).
Final summary
This episode is an investigative retelling of Adaya Shabani’s disappearance that mixes family interviews, digital forensic clues, private‑investigator work, and an anonymous eyewitness tip. It highlights the emotional human story of an immigrant pursuing stardom, puzzling digital evidence (phone vs. laptop activity and an odd final text about “red candles”), early police inaction perceived by friends, and the potential importance of a tip describing a pickup truck abduction. The episode aims to keep Adaya’s story in public view and solicits listener tips while documenting the frustrations of those closest to her.