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Jan Cilliers’ last conversation with his wife, Christy Giles, is an emotionally-charged memory. She was out for a stroll near their home in Marina del Rey, California, accompanied by their beloved cat, Loki, a Russian Blue known for his playful antics on the beach. As they watched the evening sky transform, she shared a video showcasing Loki’s delight in the sand, coupled with a heartfelt message: “I wish you were here.” These simple yet poignant moments now serve as a reminder of a life that once was.
That fateful evening, on November 12, 2021, Jan was in San Francisco visiting his father while Christy, a 24-year-old high fashion model, was preparing for a night out in Los Angeles with her friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales, a 26-year-old architect and interior designer. Jan was aware of Christy’s plans but unsure of her exact whereabouts as the night unfolded. After going to bed, Jan received several texts from her, which brought him comfort but also left him feeling a pang of longing.
The following morning, around 7 a.m., Jan attempted to reach out to Christy but received no response, leading him to believe she had a late night. However, as he checked their shared iPhone location feature, he felt a twinge of unease upon discovering her phone was at an unfamiliar address: an apartment on West Olympic Boulevard in West Los Angeles. With each passing hour without communication, Jan’s worry escalated into panic as he eventually found out that Christy’s phone had pinged at a hospital emergency room.
His fears were confirmed when he learned that Christy had been dropped off outside Southern California Hospital, unconscious and suffering from a drug overdose. Two masked men, claiming to be “good Samaritans,” had abandoned her at the facility. To Jan, the notion that Christy had overdosed was unfathomable. “Absolutely not… definitely not something that she would have done to herself ever,” he later shared, as he transitioned from a grieving husband to an intent investigator seeking the truth about his wife’s disturbing fate.
Jan’s quest for information began immediately, and he used Christy’s last known whereabouts as a starting point. He contacted Christy’s parents in Alabama, and the mystery deepened when he discovered that Hilda Marcela Cabrales had also been transported to a different hospital under similar circumstances. The two women had been seen leaving a social scene that evening, but the details of that night were beginning to unravel.
Desperate for answers, Jan took to social media to raise awareness. He shared Christy’s last known address, prompting numerous responses that led him to a man named David Pearce, who claimed to be a Hollywood producer. Evidence soon emerged that Pearce had interacted with the two women prior to their deaths. As Jan combed through Christy’s laptop, he found text exchanges revealing her and Hilda planned to leave the location they had been taken to, which never materialized.
With thorough investigation, Jan traced the pair’s movements and discovered they were last seen leaving a warehouse after attending a DJ event. Surveillance footage confirmed Jan’s worst fears, showing Pearce and his companions departing with the women in a vehicle linked to the location where their phones had been tracked. Tragically, it became evident that both women had been subjected to a toxic mix of drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, with Christy also testing positive for GHB, a substance commonly associated with date rape.
Ultimately, David Pearce faced serious legal repercussions, charged with two counts of first-degree felony murder related to the deaths of Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales, among several other sexual assault charges stemming from incidents involving other women. On February 4, 2025, Pearce was found guilty of first-degree murder, and jurors also convicted him on multiple counts of sexual assault, shedding light on a case that not only shook those who knew the victims but also raised significant concerns about safety and accountability within nightlife culture.
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