Dateline: Unchecked Evil - Who was Reagan Tokes and what happened to her? Disturbing details of 2017 murder, revealed

Dateline Season 27, Episode 41: Evil Unchecked | Image via: Peacock Productions
Dateline Season 27, Episode 41: Evil Unchecked | Image via: Peacock Productions

True crime enthusiasts are familiar with some cases that never seem to fade away, and Dateline Season 27, Episode 41, titled “Unchecked Evil,” is one of those. In the 2019 episode, you'll be introduced to 21-year-old college senior Reagan Tokes, who was murdered after completing a late shift at a restaurant in Columbus.

The case is particularly disturbing because it is so much more than the crime itself; it is the failures that surround it. The episode shows how Reagan got trapped by a repeat criminal offender who was reportedly not being supervised well and had a history of violence. Dateline: Unchecked Evil does not dwell on who did the deed, but rather asks the more unsettling question: could the tragedy have been avoided?


The night Reagan Tokes disappeared

On February 8, 2017, 21-year-old Reagan Tokes completed a shift at a restaurant downtown and was leaving for the car, thinking it was a normal night's drive home. Later, prosecutors said that she was kidnapped at gunpoint by Brian Golsby, a recently released convict with a long record of violent crime.

Reagan was compelled to drive around the city as Golsby tried to use her bank cards to pull out money from the ATM, investigators stated. Surveillance video and financial statements revealed that the robbery quickly turned into an attack that went well beyond. Reagan's body was discovered at Scioto Grove Metro Park, so the case turned into a homicide. She had been s*xually assaulted and shot, according to authorities, who also said that the murder was an attempt to remove a witness.

The devastating shock received by Reagan's family is featured in Dateline: Unchecked Evil. She was texting her friends and family on the eve of her disappearance, and was also speaking with her family about her plans to graduate and pursue a career in psychology.


The disturbing system failures behind the case

The case made headlines because of the brutal nature of the murder. Brian Golsby was later sentenced to life in prison without a chance for parole. He had an ankle bracelet that tracked his movements with a GPS, but investigators and Reagan's family said that it did not function in an efficient way.

It was that revelation that brought the general public into the open with their wrath against the supervision system itself. Many blamed Reagan's death for being a catastrophe that could have been avoided if not for unheeded warning signs or parole failures, rather than random violence. A reaction to the backlash, the Reagan Tokes Act in Ohio was passed to change the sentencing process for some of the most violent felons, and to further the discussion of offender monitoring and parole supervision.


Why Dateline: Unchecked Evil still hits so hard

Dateline: Unchecked Evil is disturbing even years later because it reveals the personal violence and the systemic shortcomings. Instead of going down the twist, the episode reveals the number of opportunities that could have been utilized to prevent Reagan Tokes' death. Andrea Canning continues to focus on Reagan's life, ambition, and future, making the loss even more tragic. The most disturbing thing that comes to mind is the realization that this could have been avoided the whole time.


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Edited by Debashri Roy