Shivangi Sinha
Charles Wilding was last seen alive in 2020, but it was initially believed that he had simply left his home to spend time with friends. In October 2021, when investigators received a tip suggesting that Wilding might no longer be alive, they reopened their inquiry into his disappearance. He was officially reported missing, yet very few leads emerged regarding his whereabouts. The weeks that followed led to a much broader investigation, during which detectives uncovered a web of schemes and deception. Netflix’s ‘Worst Neighbor Ever: The Executor’ details the twists and turns of the case that ultimately left many people baffled.
Charles Wilding’s Exact Date and Nature of Passing Have Not Been Known
Charles Wilding was the only son of June Wilding. He came from a well-to-do family, but he was known for being reclusive and introverted. While he was always pleasant to speak with, he did not actively seek out company and largely kept to himself. Charles spent most of his life living with his mother in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. After his mother’s passing in 2017, he became even more of a homebody and had very few friends or family members around him. He is believed to have last been seen alive in September 2020, though he was not officially reported missing until December 2020. His remains have never been found, but investigators consider Charles to be deceased.
Charles Wilding’s Alleged Perpetrators Were Formerly Accused of Defrauding Another Man
In December 2020, Charles Wilding’s neighbor contacted the police, reporting that he had not seen him for nearly 3 months. Officers went to the house, where they encountered Caroline “Carrie” Herrling and another individual she introduced as her assistant. She told the officers that she held power of attorney over the estate and claimed that Wilding had moved to Carpinteria, California, to live with some friends. Although she could not provide his phone number or address, she allowed officers to search the property. Nothing suspicious was found, and Adult Protective Services also conducted its own inquiry and later closed it.
Everything appeared normal until October 2021, when LAPD Detective Mark O’Donnell received an anonymous tip. The person who had contacted the detective claimed that Wilding was likely dead and that his identity was being used for financial gain. Detective O’Donnell traced the welfare check conducted in December 2020 and began following up on Herrling’s account. When he called her, she provided a phone number and an address where she said Wilding could be reached. The detective pursued the lead, but when he arrived at the property, a different man answered the gate.
O’Donnell was unable to locate the elderly man anywhere, which deepened his suspicions about Herrling’s story and prompted him to investigate further. During his inquiry, he uncovered a criminal complaint accusing Herrling of defrauding a man named Robert Tacson. The complaint alleged that Tacson’s house had been sold for approximately $1.5 million without his consent, and investigators traced $950,000 from the sale to a joint bank account controlled by Herrling and a man named Jason Kroth.
Charles Wilding’s Demise Revealed a Big Plan for Wire Fraud
In January 2023, federal investigators executed a search warrant at Carrie Herrling’s recently purchased home in West Hills. They also searched her former apartment in Beverly Glen. During the searches, authorities recovered items including forged documents, Social Security cards, birth certificates, and other suspicious records. At the West Hills property, which Herrling was operating as a sober living house, investigators found 16 firearms, several of them allegedly “ghost guns” lacking serial numbers. They also recovered fake DEA and FBI badges along with a significant quantity of drugs. Herrling and Jason Kroth were subsequently arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving approximately $3.9 million, while Kroth faced an additional charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Both were brought to the police station and questioned separately. According to their statements as featured in the episode, Kroth said that he and Herrling had been dating in 2020 and that she allegedly mapped out affluent neighborhoods to identify properties that appeared neglected. Kroth admitted that he entered Wilding’s house during the summer of 2020 but left shortly afterward. When he returned in September 2020, he claimed that Wilding had already died and that his remains were lying on the floor. Kroth stated that he then contacted Herrling, who allegedly devised a plan to create an extensive web of false documentation, including a forged document granting her power of attorney over Wilding’s estate.
Herrling admitted that when officers conducted the welfare check in December 2020, Wilding’s remains were still inside the house. She stated that she later transported the remains to her Beverly Glen apartment, where she and Kroth allegedly placed them in a plastic container filled with a chemical solution in an attempt to dissolve them. When that plan reportedly failed, Herrling said they allegedly dismembered the remains, sealed them in vacuum bags, and disposed of them in the San Francisco Bay. According to her account, she then returned by taking a sailboat for part of the journey before flying back on a private plane.
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Carrie Herrling and Jason Kroth are Serving Their Sentence Today
Since Charles Wilding’s remains were never recovered and no evidence was found directly linking his alleged death to either Carrie Herrling or Jason Kroth, neither of them was ever charged with murder. In October 2023, Jason Kroth pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him and was sentenced to 200 months in prison, or roughly 16 years and 8 months. He is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI I) in Victorville, California, and is scheduled for release in May 2039. In March 2024, Herrling pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. She was also ordered to pay $3,887,051 in restitution. Herrling is being held at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, with a projected release date of March 2039.
