Where Every Trail Leads to the Truth
Located in Monroe, North Carolina, Crossroads Ranch is the home base of forensic criminologist Dr. Laura Pettler, a place where horses, investigation, and innovation intersect.
As the nation’s only True Crime Horse Farm, Crossroads Ranch blends equine science, forensic training, and agritourism into one experiential environment.
It serves as:
It was the official 2025 equestrian training center for Coroner Karla Deese’s Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit, the first coroner’s office-based mounted search, rescue, and recovery team in the world.
The headquarters of Laura Pettler & Associates (LPA) and the LPA International Forensics Institute (LPAIFI.com), internationally recognized forensic investigation, training, and equipment company.
The home of True Crime & Equines™, a series of immersive programs including Adult and Kids CSI Horse Camps, Pettler’s Mounted Forensic System training, and live True Crime Speaker events.
A trusted source for DNA-verified Horses, developed with transparency, integrity, and measurable standards. Each animal is trained, health-screened, and DNA-tested to ensure quality, temperament, and soundness for lifelong partnerships.
The creative and educational hub for Pettler’s media work, including Crimeworx Productions, where television, film, crime music, and podcast projects come to life.
Crossroads Ranch isn’t just a working farm it’s a living laboratory for truth-seeking. Here, Dr. Pettler unites forensic science, horsemanship, and storytelling to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of investigators, responders, and riders.
BGR Blue Haven’s Blue Dream Champion 2-3 Year Old Gelding
BGR Blue Haven’s Blue Dream Reserve Champion Showmanship
XR’s Aegon Earns Champion and Four Reserve Championships at the Southern Magnolia Classic
Dr. Pettler’s three-yea-old Gypsy Vanner Gelding, BGR Blue Haven’s Blue Dream CREK “Aegon” or “Egg” as she calls him, had an exceptional weekend at the 2026 Southern Magnolia Classic Championship Horse Show at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, earning a Championship, four Reserve Championships, a Top Five placement, and a sixth-place finish across both open and amateur competition.
At just three years old, Aegon competed successfully across a remarkably diverse group of classes from halter and conformation to showmanship, dressage suitability, and trail in hand. His results demonstrate not only his quality as a young Gypsy Vanner, but also the versatility, trainability, and temperament we have worked to develop in him from the beginning.
His final results were:
Champion: Open 2–3 Year Old Geldings
Reserve Champion: Solid Color
Reserve Champion: Amateur Showmanship
Reserve Champion: Open Dressage Suitability in Hand
Reserve Champion: Open Trail in Hand
Top Five: Amateur Geldings
Sixth Place: Amateur Trail in Hand
The Open 2–3 Year Old Geldings Championship was an especially meaningful accomplishment for Aegon as a young horse still developing physically and mentally.
But perhaps the most rewarding result of the weekend came in the performance classes.
Aegon earned Reserve Champion in Open Trail in Hand with his trainer, Rebecca Wilkerson Van Tassel, and then returned to the trail course with me in the Amateur division, where finished sixth with Dr. Pettler. For Dr. Pettler, that sixth-place ribbon mattered.
At their previous show, Aegon and Dr. Pettler were disqualified from trail for time. This time, they completed the course and placed.
Horse training rarely moves in a perfectly straight line. Progress isn't always measured by the color of the ribbon. Sometimes it is measured by walking back into an arena where things didn't go well before, doing the job better, and finishing what you started.
Aegon's results at Southern Magnolia also reflect the partnership behind him. Dr. Pettler raised and trained Aegon from the time he was seven months old, building the foundation that brought him to this point. In May, he entered professional training with Rebecca to continue his education and prepare for the next stage of his show career. Watching that foundation translate into success with both his professional trainer and me in the amateur classes is incredibly rewarding.
The Southern Magnolia Classic was more than a successful show for Aegon. It was evidence that the young horse Dr. Pettler’s been developing is becoming exactly what she hoped he would become: versatile, willing, competitive, and capable of stepping into very different classes and holding his own.
“My mission is clear. I fight for truth in murder cases because victims deserve justice and their families deserve answers. I fight for horses let down by humans to turn pain into purpose and failures into opportunities.”
More Than a Ranch — It’s a Mission #RiseAndSlay
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True Crime & Equines
Where forensic science meets horsemanship.
Crossroads Ranch is home to the original True Crime & Equines™ experiences, a series of immersive programs blending death investigation, behavioral forensics, and equine partnership. From Adult and Kids CSI Horse Camps to Mounted Search & Rescue training and live forensic events, participants learn how evidence, intuition, and empathy work together in both investigation and horsemanship.
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Available Horses
Partners built with integrity, transparency, and skill.
Every horse and dog at Crossroads Ranch is trained and cared for with measurable standards. Each listing includes full veterinary records, DNA verification, and behavioral evaluations, ensuring the buyer knows exactly who they’re partnering with. Developed in our Forensic Horsemanship program, our horses reflect quiet minds, sound bodies, and steady hearts.
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Education, Training & Outreach
Building stronger investigators, responders, and riders.
Crossroads Ranch serves as a national training and education hub for law enforcement, first responders, and the public. Home to Laura Pettler & Associates (LPA), the ranch offers hands-on learning in The Murder Room Method, Mounted Search, and animal-assisted forensic training, turning theory into practice on every acre.
