What began as a fun night out turned into a true-crime horror story when Northern California college student Leilani Beauchamp vanished after attending a Halloween party.
In a preview for the Sunday, Oct. 19 episode of Snapped, airing at 6/5c p.m. on Oxygen, Leilani’s mom, Violet Giovanni, recalled how she’d cautioned her beloved 19-year-old daughter before the tragedy.
“I said, ‘Just be very careful out there,’” Violet said in the sneak peek. “She messaged back, and that was the last message I got from her.”
What happened to Leilani Beauchamp?
Tragically, the nightmare was just beginning as the missing teen’s inner circle would soon discover. One member of that group was Sarah Rose, who attended the same party. She lost touch with Leilani when she left the holiday gathering in the wee hours of Oct. 30, 2021.
“In the morning, I’m texting all her friends,” Sarah Rose recalled in the clip. “Everyone’s like, ‘I haven’t heard from her since last night.’”
Upon receiving a missing person report about Leilani, authorities checked off possible reasons to explain why she hadn’t responded to phone calls and texts.
“Maybe she got hurt,” said Fairfield Police Officer Christopher Grimm. “Or something medical happened, or she might have been arrested.”
The case then took a sharp turn when Leilani’s loved ones told police that her boyfriend Juan Parra-Peralta might be to blame.
As it turned out, he and Leilani shared a complex history, as The Reporter staff writer Richard Bammer recounted in the episode teaser. “The relationship,” he said, “was described as ‘on again, off again.’”
The uncertain nature of the duo’s relationship added to the mystery surrounding unsettling disappearance. When police interviewed Leilani’s sometime boyfriend, questions deepened.
“When you’re interviewing somebody,” said Fairfield Police Department Homicide Detective Bryan Hamilton, “you’re looking for clues as to whether or not they may be telling you the truth.”
As detectives worked the case, an unexpected confession took the case in a shocking direction that revealed a killer and a horrifying coverup.
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Police learned of a diabolical plan to get rid of evidence. “They thought that if they got some pliers,” said Fairfield Police Detective Dennis Chapman, “they could return to the body and remove her teeth.”
Leilani’s shattered mother recounted that her daughter had come in contact, she said, with “a dangerous person.”
Shocked officials took stock of what could have led up to what happened to Leilani Beauchamp. “Jealousy, rage, betrayal,” said Grimm. “I think all those factors probably came into effect.”
Learn more about the disturbing case when Snapped airs Sunday, Oct. 19 at 6/5c on Oxygen.
