Murder by nature

The Triple Murder in Caldwell

• Jazmin Hernandez • Season 1 • Episode 16

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Nadja Medley, 44, lived for her teenage daughter Payton and only wanted the best for her child. Nadja was doing everything she could to make ends meet and provide for her daughter after her husband, Todd Medley, died of a heart attack on Aug. 30, 2014. Nadja Medley and her former husband had worked together in a pet store in Ogden before he died. Nadja was a massage therapist and also into healing things. She sold kombucha teas; on the side to promote a more healthy lifestyle. One day in 2015, Nadja's life would change forever when Gerald Michael Bullinger, a striking man, walked in for a massage. He had a presence, a great personality, and he was someone Nadja was attracted to instantly.

 

Gerald seemed to have his life together. He was working as a private pilot for clients and flying all around the country for work. Gerald claimed to be a divorcée of 10 years and a Mormon from Montana. The attraction between the two was undeniable, and not only did the chemistry grow between them, but so did the relationship. As time marched on, Gerald went out of his way to take Nadja and her daughter to dinner, on hikes, and any other events they could share together and make new memories. Payten became so close with mike that she had even started calling him dad. During one of their hiking trips, Gerald taught Payton how to shoot, and they would play around on ground leg wrestling. 


Nadja had told friends that no matter how close they were during these outings, it was never the same in bed. Even though they lived very close to each other, they never slept over in each other’s houses. At one point, Nadja asked Gerald for help with her mortgage. He ignored her the first two times, and the third time she asked, he said that their relationship was moving too fast and that he could not do it anymore. Nadja had also told friends that she once checked his paycheck, which was 10 thousand dollars a month. The argument over money later led to a brief separation, and two weeks later, Nadja shared Mike’s texts to friends, telling her that separating was not the best for him and that he could not stay apart from her any longer.


Due to work, Gerald was frequently out of town, but when he was home, the founding was unmatched. After almost two years. Gerald and Nadja decided it was time to move in together. Gerald had recently moved from Utah to a house at 216 S in Caldwell on May 3, 2017. Gerald wanted to make their life permanent, and she was on board for the open fields, horses, dogs, rabbits, and much more.



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Intro

“Welcome to Murder By Nature, where we discuss True Crime, Mystery disappearances, and unsolved cases!. I’m Jazmin Hernandez, your host!


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References:


Who was the three women

Nadja Medley, 44, lived for her teenage daughter Payton and only wanted the best for her child. Nadja was doing everything she could to make ends meet and provide for her daughter after her husband, Todd Medley, died of a heart attack on Aug. 30, 2014. Nadja Medley and her former husband had worked together in a pet store in Ogden before he died. Nadja was a massage therapist and also into healing things. She sold kombucha teas; on the side to promote a more healthy lifestyle. One day in 2015, Nadja's life would change forever when Gerald Michael Bullinger, a striking man, walked in for a massage. He had a presence, a great personality, and he was someone Nadja was attracted to instantly.

 

Gerald seemed to have his life together. He was working as a private pilot for clients and flying all around the country for work. Gerald claimed to be a divorcée of 10 years and a Mormon from Montana. The attraction between the two was undeniable, and not only did the chemistry grow between them, but so did the relationship. As time marched on, Gerald went out of his way to take Nadja and her daughter to dinner, on hikes, and any other events they could share together and make new memories. Payten became so close with mike that she had even started calling him dad. During one of their hiking trips, Gerald taught Payton how to shoot, and they would play around on ground leg wrestling. 


Nadja had told friends that no matter how close they were during these outings, it was never the same in bed. Even though they lived very close to each other, they never slept over in each other’s houses. At one point, Nadja asked Gerald for help with her mortgage. He ignored her the first two times, and the third time she asked, he said that their relationship was moving too fast and that he could not do it anymore. Nadja had also told friends that she once checked his paycheck, which was 10 thousand dollars a month. The argument over money later led to a brief separation, and two weeks later, Nadja shared Mike’s texts to friends, telling her that separating was not the best for him and that he could not stay apart from her any longer.


Due to work, Gerald was frequently out of town, but when he was home, the founding was unmatched. After almost two years. Gerald and Nadja decided it was time to move in together. Gerald had recently moved from Utah to a house at 216 S. Kcid Road in Caldwell on May 3, 2017. Gerald wanted to make their life permanent, and she was on board for the open fields, horses, dogs, rabbits, and much more.


Who was Cheryl?

Cheryl Baker was born On September 6th, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan, to Harold LeRoy and Doris Marguerite Baker. Both her parents were teachers, so it was no surprise that Cheryl would follow in their footsteps. Cheryl had two brothers; Byron, Lyle, and a sister, Joy. When Cheryl got older, she rode on a Michigan statewide bicycle tour with her father and made it a family tradition. Some of Cheryl’s experiences growing up included swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas, swimming with turtles in Florida, rafting the Grand Canyon, summer trips to India, and a cruise to Alaska. Cheryl was a lifeguard as a teenager; based on her experiences, she loved the water. After graduating college in 1984, Cheryl started working for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. During those years of teaching, Cheryl returned to college to get her Master’s degree in Education. She had been working for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind when she met a contract pilot, Mike Bullinger, on a plane headed for Alaska. His charming ways got her attention, and they later married in Park City, with this being Cheryl’s first marriage.


Cheryl was very eclectic, with hobbies like meditation and crochet. On the other hand, Mike liked riding his motorcycle, shooting and collecting guns, and flying planes. Even though they had their differences, they both loved the outdoors and camping. She retired in 2016 to teach art at Greenwood Charter School in Huntsville, which is close to Ogden, Utah. 


In March of 2014, the couple purchased a farmhouse near Caldwell, Idaho under Cheryl’s name. Gerald had told his wife he was moving up early to fix up the farmhouse while she packed the Ogden house, Cheryl Baker had bought her Ogden home before meeting and marrying Gerald Bullinger, and the two borrowed money on that property to pay for the Idaho farmhouse. The couple was making a move because Gerald got a pilot job flying out of Boise, 25 miles away. While Cheryl Baker was packing, Gerald helped move the Medleys, their belongings, and pets into the Idaho home. Neither Nadja nor Payton knew that he was married. It is theorized that Cheryl Baker may have gone up early to surprise her husband on the day she was killed.


The murder 

On the weekend of June 9, 2017, Nadja was supposed to make the trip back to Utah to pick up her horses, but she never showed up. Not only did she not make it, but she wasn’t accepting or returning calls. On June 11th, her friend calls the police and notifies them she isn’t answering her calls. She kept calling the police, hounding them to do something. Finally, on June 19th, they looked at the Caldwell property. Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donohue said when a deputy arrived on location, “He could smell a foul odor from the shed. And then a large number of flies in the area. He then opens the door, can see through the door that there’s a blue tarp over something, and makes an entry.” When the deputy moves in a little closer, according to the sheriff, he realizes they had multiple dead bodies. As more investigators arrived on the scene, they found the bodies of three people and three dogs; all had been murdered. Initially, investigators said it was hard to determine the sex or race of the victims or even how they died. As the investigation continued, Sheriff Donahue and his team determined that each victim and all three dogs had been shot execution-style to the head. As investigators continued to search the property, they had dental records pulled for the three bodies at home. The coroner was able to identify Cheryl Baker, Nadja Medley, and Payton Medley. 

The investigation


No one knows what happened next except Gerold, and he’s missing. Based on the estimation by the coroner, we believe that the murder occurred on either June 8 or 9. Deputy U.S. Marshal Travis Humkey immediately got involved with the case, and they know Gerald Bullinger stayed in Idaho for at least 24 hours. “The next morning on June 10, he goes to breakfast in Nampa, Idaho, the next town over; it wasn’t long after that breakfast that he made his way back to Utah. Gerald went to Utah, picked up his wife’s car that was being serviced at a car dealership, and ditched his truck. He stopped by his house, talked to the neighbors, asking if they had seen Cheryl, and then drove 5 hours to Bridger-Teton National Forest on June 11. 


The investigation quickly spread across multiple states, including Idaho, where the bodies were found; Wyoming, where Bullinger’s car was found; and Utah, where Bullinger lived before moving to Idaho. His wife, Ford Focus, was found abandoned in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in a remote campground near Moran, Wyoming, on July 12, 2017. A week later, Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported sighting of Bullinger but found no sign of him.


Investigators initially searched the Bridger-Teton National Forest area extensively when his car was found in 2017, using police dogs, helicopters, and infrared technology. Last year, search and rescue and cadaver dogs went looking into the forest for any sign of Bullinger’s remains; nothing was found. 


From what investigators can gather, Gerald and Cheryl were married for five years before he met and also began dating Nadja. He apparently pulled off the double life because the home he shared with Cheryl was eight miles away from Nadja’s. The Idaho Statesman spoke to Bullinger’s first wife, Jacqui Garcia, and others who knew him. Their reporting indicates that Gerald has a long history of lying, manipulating, infidelity, and violence. Garcia told the publication that she feared he would kill her at one point.  


Investigators have considered the possibility that Bullinger is dead.



As all of this doesn't seen like it might be enough, there is so much more to Mike Bullinger, a dimpled young man, when Jacqui Garcia’s beauty caught his eyes in 1970. They were both freshmen at Brigham Young University, Idaho. 


Bullinger was a fellow Latter Day Saints member and served his mission in Manila in 1976. He married Jacqui at the Salt Lake City LDS temple in 1978. Their 10-year marriage was not a happy one. Mike was described as selfish, dishonest, violent, and sociopathic. Jacqui sought help from the LDS church in Billings, Montana, because Mike had been hitting her during arguments. She honestly did her best in her situation by seeking couples counseling, therapy, and help from Mike’s family, but it seemed like no one could believe that Mike would be so violent. One of their two children later told Jacqui that his dad had abused him on at least one occasion. Mike cheated, lied, abused, and manipulated through his 1st marriage. After his marriage to Jacqui ended in 1988, he married his 2nd wife. His second marriage was to the woman he had an affair with while married to Jacqui, and according to Jacqui, his 2nd marriage was an abusive repeat of theirs. To no one’s surprise, that second marriage ended as well, and he later married his 3rd wife, Cheryl Baker. Mike was a serial cheater, and Cheryl was the mistress he had while married to his second wife.

Conclusion 

Since the murders, hundreds of tips have come in regarding Bullinger’s possible whereabouts. In the last year, several more came through Crime Stoppers, and after the case was featured on “In pursuit with John Walsh,” If Bullinger is dead, police believe he is outside of the search area, which spanned several miles of the Pacific Creek drainage in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Bridger-Teton National Forest has more than 3.4 million acres of public land. The area has lots of wolves, coyotes, and grizzly bears. Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue hoped the start of hunting season would bring some clues. The heavily infiltrated area has never turned anything up, though.


He is described as 6’1, 40 pounds, grey hair, and brown eyes. So if seen, please contact the Canyon Country Sheriff’s Department at 1–208–454–7531


My Thoughts

Outro

That brings us to the end of this episode!  As always, thanks for listening to Murder By Nature. If you enjoy our show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any streaming platform you are currently on, and be sure to come back Saturday for our new episode. Until then, I am your host, Jazmin Hernandez, don’t forget to stay safe! Don’t get murdered or murder people, you lovely humans!






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