A Marietta woman whose death loved ones still believe is suspicious seven years later is now the focus of a podcast.

Jaleayah Davis, 20, was killed on Nov. 19, 2011 when her car struck a guardrail near mile marker 181 on Interstate 77 and she was ejected from the vehicle. Soon after, friends and family members started a “Justice for Jaleayah” Facebook page because they said there are still some things that don’t add up, which they say they still believe today. Police closed the case and the death was ruled accidental with alcohol playing a contributing role.

Enter Emily Nestor, 26, a Parkersburg High School graduate and current Charleston resident who never knew Jaleayah even though they were the same age. But she knew people who knew her.

“It’s a small community. Everybody knows everybody,” said Nestor, who opens her podcast, “Mile Marker 181,” by talking about the degrees of separation between people in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Currently there are seven episodes of the podcast, which is available on many streaming platforms like Spotify and iTunes. Nestor also has a Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram accounts for fellow true crime lovers to follow the discussion of the Jaleayah Davis case. The episodes aren’t posted regularly as Nestor works full time and has a family. She uses her social media to alert followers when a new episode is available.

The first episode of the podcast, which came out June 29, features Nestor talking to Jaleayah’s mother, Kim Davis. Younger sister, Taubbi, who now lives in Hawaii and was on the scene after her sister’s death, will be featured in later episodes. The podcast is an attempt by Nestor, the narrator, to piece together the information she has been given and get a glimpse into the person that Jaleayah Davis was. It contains some graphic and disturbing details.

“I was in Germany at the time she was killed. I was an au pair. But I followed the Justice for Jaleayah page on Facebook and I kept having dreams about it,” Nestor said.

Kim Davis said the page was created by a young woman who reached out to her and asked if she would be the administrator. The young woman was anonymous to Kim and has since stepped away from the page, allowing Kim to be the sole poster.

“I had no idea who she was, but I would also have no idea how to create something like that. So I’m glad she did,” said Kim. “I think if this case is reopened, it will be because of the Facebook page and now because of the podcast.”

Nestor, a true crime buff, had read a book about the Golden State Killer, “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” by Michelle McNamara. It gave her an idea to shed more light on the suspicious death in her own hometown.

“It was so good and I thought a book needed to be written about Jaleayah’s case, but I don’t have the patience to write. So I decided to do something in the format of ‘My Favorite Murder’ and ‘Serial,’ both podcasts that I listen to,” Nestor said.

Evidence from the investigation showed that Jaleayah was ejected from her vehicle after striking a guardrail on I-77. The impact of her vehicle striking the guardrail caused Jaleayah to be ejected from the passenger side front window.

She died of “multiple catastrophic injuries sustained as an unrestrained driver of a car that lost control and struck a guardrail on Interstate 77 at approximately the 181.4 milepost,” according to a report from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

Videos and forums online, as well as Facebook comments, speculate that some of the people Jaleayah was with that night might know more details about the case. They also feel that some facts might have been left out of the investigation. The hacker collective known as Anonymous even got involved, claiming that law enforcement was involved in a coverup and was protecting certain members of the community.

What followed Nestor’s decision to create a podcast was a meeting with Kim Davis and the beginning of a deep dive into the details of the case.

“She really took a leap of faith with me. She handed over everything she obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. I think she was excited to have someone interested in the case,” Nestor said.

Even though people haven’t forgotten about her daughter’s case, Kim said that she is happy to have someone who is in no way connected with the family or the details of the case looking at it through another pair of eyes.

“She sees things that people involved in the case, and myself, have overlooked,” said Davis, who admits she listens to it only when she is in the right frame of mind.

The podcast has definitely piqued the interest of true crime followers. “Mile Marker 181” currently has listeners on five continents.

Darbi Hebrank, 36, is one of those listening in Lenexa, Kansas. She said she wouldn’t call herself a true crime fanatic but she does enjoy a good mystery podcast, crime drama or suspense novel.

“I go to the True Crime Podcast Facebook group, which is more than 10,000 members deep, and sift through the posts in search of new podcast names that I’ve yet to unearth myself. I did just that last week and I saw that Emily had posted in the group about ‘Mile Marker 181,'” Hebrank said. “Her snippet of a description enticed me enough to download it. I gave the first episode a go and was hooked. Because there aren’t any real-time visuals when you’re listening to a podcast, so much of your impression revolves around what your ears are experiencing.”

Hebrank said she hasn’t fully concluded one way or another if Jaleayah’s death was accidental or a murder that is being covered up. But she says that podcasters like Nestor need to be empowered to do more.

“I am fascinated at all the holes that are existent…the ones that Emily is attempting to fill in, and will be trying to get others on the listener bandwagon. Jaleayah’s story needs to be shared, to raise awareness in hopes of preventing similar stories to unfold elsewhere, but to also hold authorities accountable for their own fault that they bear,” Hebrank said.

The release of the podcast has also prompted the rumor mill to begin churning again.

“I absolutely have my own theory about what happened but I am open to listening to what others have to say,” Nestor said. “It has shocked me how receptive people are to it. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything groundbreaking, but I feel a personal responsibility not to exploit anything about this case.”

Nestor walks a fine line when it comes to getting too close to fans of the podcast.

“Since I’ve become obsessed with true crime stuff I am more careful. I won’t friend people on my personal Facebook page,” she said.

The goal of the podcast, which will have as many episodes as necessary to tell the story, is to have the case reopened and looked at through a third party. Many people close to the family, and Nestor herself, believe that local law enforcement at the time didn’t do a thorough investigation.

A request for comment from current Wood County Sheriff Steve Stephens about whether or not the podcast would prompt another look at the case went unanswered Tuesday. The sheriff at the time of the investigation, Jeff Sandy, currently works for the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety in Charleston.

Stickers featuring the podcast’s name are for sale at various places in the area in the hopes of raising money to hire an outside expert.

“I am becoming consumed with it. Even when I sleep, I still have dreams about working on the podcast,” Nestor said. “I just hope something positive can come from it and that more people become interested in the case.”

How to find Mile Marker 181 podcast

• Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mile-marker-181

• iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mile-marker-181

• Google Play: https://player.fm/series/2396336

• Spotify: search for Mile Marker 181 on the app

• Buzzsprout: http://milemarker181.buzzsprout.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milemarker181/

Timeline

• November 2011: Jaleayah Davis is killed on Interstate 77 in Wood County near mile marker 181; Justice for Jaleayah Facebook page is created.

• November 2012: Ember Stafford, of Marietta, is arrested for falsifying information related to the Davis case.

• March 2013: Autopsy results released; death ruled accidental and case closed.

• April 2013: The group known as Anonymous takes an interest in the case, suggesting there was a coverup and that Davis’ death was not accidental.

• 2015: The case of Jaleayah Davis is featured on “Crime Watch Daily” TV show.

• May 2018: Emily Nestor, with help from Kim Davis, creates the Mile Marker 181 podcast.