Welcome to The True Crime Pod, where we explore real cases with respect and sensitivity. Before we begin today's episode, I must warn our listeners that this story contains descriptions of violence and domestic homicide that some may find disturbing.

In the early hours of a Friday morning in Fort Worth, Texas, an anonymous phone call would lead police to a scene that seemed pulled from a horror movie. What they discovered was a brutal crime that would shake the local community - a crime that began with a disturbing Snapchat photo and ended with claims of witchcraft and exorcism.

Teresita Sayson was fifty-eight years old, living what appeared to be a normal life in Fort Worth with her twenty-three-year-old son, Alexander Taylor Valdez. But something would go terribly wrong in their family home.

At around one-thirty in the morning, Fort Worth Police received an anonymous call. The caller had received a chilling photo through Snapchat - an image of a woman covered in what appeared to be blood. This digital breadcrumb would lead authorities to the Sayson residence.

When police arrived at the scene, they encountered something that would shock even veteran officers. There, on the property, was Alexander Valdez, covered in blood and clutching a Bible. But what he said next would send chills down their spines. He told officers he 'was doing witchcraft to kill my mom' and that she was dead inside.

The horror didn't end there. Inside the master bedroom, officers found the body of Teresita Sayson. She had suffered severe trauma to her face and upper body. In the same room lay a deceased dog. As Valdez walked out to sit on the front porch, he simply stated it was 'an exorcism.'

The investigation would reveal that Sayson had been struck multiple times with an object. Police discovered a jewelry box at the scene, covered with blood and hair consistent with the victim's. This ordinary household item had apparently become a weapon in an unthinkable crime.

When taken to police headquarters, Valdez's apparent openness about the crime came to an abrupt end. He stopped talking and requested an attorney. He was subsequently charged with murder, with bond set at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

This case raises disturbing questions about mental health, family violence, and the role of social media in modern crime. The Snapchat photo - sent out into the digital void - became the crucial piece that brought this crime to light.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at one-eight-hundred-seven-nine-nine-seven-two-three-three. They are available twenty-four hours a day.

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