I’m sharing a very real and tragic story that happened to an old friend of mine about a month ago. Since the investigation and court proceedings are still ongoing, I will be using alternate names to protect the privacy of the victims involved. The reason I know so many intimate details about the event is because my co-worker’s fiancé was one of the detectives who was assigned to the case. Small world, huh?
For a brief backstory, I met the victim through a mutual friend, who I will call Mia. Mia and I became friends in college because we took several classes together. We don’t share many common interests, but we have years worth of history, jokes, and common experiences, which have kept us connected over the past several years since we graduated. Mia was heavily into fetish art, which was one interest we did not bond over (no pun intended). If you’re unfamiliar with fetish art, it’s where somebody dresses up in BDSM clothing for photoshoots, performances, and/or conventions. From what I know, Mia was not into BDSM play, but rather the artistic expression and aesthetic. I don’t understand the appeal, but I don’t judge her for it. To each their own.
Back in college, Mia invited me to a university party where I first met the victim, who I will call Bianca. When I met Bianca, she was a stunning girl in her early 20s with an effervescent personality that only added to her glow. Bianca had this energy about her that immediately put everyone at ease, no matter the situation. I don’t want to lean into stereotypes, but the prettiest girl in the room isn’t typically the kindest or most welcoming, yet Bianca was all three. I learned that evening Bianca was also a member of the fetish art community, which is how she and Mia became friends. I ran into Bianca at a few more parties before we graduated, but we lost touch post-graduation.
Mia and Bianca had remained good friends after college due to their involvement in the fetish art community, but Bianca had become very distant and reclusive over these past seven months since she started dating her new boyfriend, who I will call Griffin. Griffin was terribly possessive, controlling, and emotionally and physically abusive. He would use BDSM as an excuse to abuse Bianca, but because Bianca wasn’t allowed to communicate openly with her friends and family, no one knew how dangerous her situation had become.
Flash forward to the present; I received a text from Mia on a Sunday asking if I remembered Bianca from college, which I confirmed. Mia then let me know that Bianca had been reported missing. Bianca and Griffin were supposed to attend an event together on Friday but never showed up. Some of the event attendants tried to contact Bianca, but no one could reach her. Shortly thereafter, Bianca’s phone’s location had been mysteriously turned off. People called and got a hold of Griffin afterward, and he said he had no idea where Bianca was and that he had been waiting for her to come home so the couple could head to the event together. Griffin’s response was a major red flag since he always knew Bianca’s location due to how controlling he was. Griffin would spy on and abuse her if she lied or tried to see her family without permission. He never allowed Bianca to go anywhere without him, so how would he suddenly not know where she was?
Bianca’s family was contacted very early Saturday morning and informed that Bianca had been missing since the night prior and suspected something terrible had happened. Since her family had to wait 48 hours from the time of her disappearance before filing a missing person’s report, the police did not start investigating until Sunday; that is when Mia texted me the news. The detectives immediately went to Griffin’s apartment, but he refused to grant the police entry without a search warrant. For whatever reason, Griffin was under the impression that the detectives wouldn’t be granted a warrant, which is pretty ridiculous considering he was the only suspect. Because Griffin assumed his interaction with the police was over, he didn’t attempt to flee.
Contrary to his assumption, the detectives easily got a warrant, returned to the apartment, and found Griffin naked in the kitchen, wearing yellow rubber gloves and laying down a black tarp on the floor. Surrounding him were several tools, such as a bone saw, Lysol wipes, goggles, industrial tape, and vacuum seal plastic bags. Also in the kitchen, the detectives found a blood-soaked duffel bag that smelled like, and I quote, “the most vile and pungent mix of feces, decaying fish, sulfur, and sweat.” The detectives immediately arrested Griffin for attempting to conceal the murder of another person, which later became a charge of first-degree murder.
As I’m sure you have guessed, Bianca’s body was inside the bag alongside a bloodied ballistic knife, which Griffin purchased illegally. Bianca’s head was decapitated, and her body was covered in various cuts, with shattered ribs and a broken trachea. If you’re wondering why Griffin kept a dead body in his apartment for three days, I’ll let you connect those disgusting dots on your own… Apparently, Bianca and Griffin had been engaging in BDSM play, and Griffin indulged in his deepest and darkest fantasies. Sadly, Bianca was on the receiving end of his evil.
After Griffin’s arrest, all of Bianca’s friends and family discovered that Griffin was a registered sex offender and had already been incarcerated 8 times for sexual assault, drug and weapon charges, and aggravated assault in the span of 9 years. I look forward to knowing Griffin will spend the rest of his life behind bars when he gets convicted of his senseless and lustful acts.
Bianca was a beautiful and pure-hearted person whose murder could’ve been prevented if her friends and family noticed all of the red flags and acted to rescue her from her situation. I will close my story with a simple call to action. First, please pay attention to the behavior of your loved ones. Sometimes people can’t vocalize their desperate need for help, but there may be behavioral clues instead. Secondly, please always remember to do a simple Google search or background check of your future partners before going in too deep to back out. If Bianca had simply looked up Griffin’s name and history, she might have avoided such a gruesome and untimely death.
I’m thankful that Bianca’s beautiful light shined in my life, even though the duration was brief. I hope her family finds the peace and justice that they deserve. Rest in peace, Bianca.