Down the Path

In this episode, we introduce the Down the Path Podcast.  Visit www.downthepathpodcast.com for more info. 

In Episode 01, Down the Path host Will Rice provides an overview of the days leading up to and following Ronald Scheepstra's disappearance on April 11, 2009.  A few people important to the story are introduced, including Kim Calkins (who at the time managed the Hotel Tierra Maya, where Ron was staying in Xcalak, Mexico); Michael Graham, an American expat who assisted in the search for Ron in the day's after he disappeared; and Cindy Scheepstra, Ron's wife.  The mystery begins immediately, as those close to the disappearance struggle to understand how a man can vanish completely, without a trace.  Learn more about Down the Path at www.downthepathpodcast.com. The theme song for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock. Learn more about Alex's work at www.alexflock.com. Additional music: Thread of Clouds by Blue Dot Sessions; and Cast in Wicker by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive, under CC BY 4.0. 

In this episode, host Will Rice take a deeper look at the events immediately before, during and after the day of Ron Scheepstra's disappearance: April 11, 2009.  This hour-by-hour assessment of that day raises as many questions as it answers. When was Ron last seen? How long after he went missing did the search begin? At what point did his fishing companions realize there was a problem?  Will Rice looks into these questions and more in Episode 02 of Down the Path.  Learn more about Down the Path at www.downthepathpodcast.com. The theme song for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock. Learn more about Alex's work at www.alexflock.com. Additional music: Thread of Clouds by Blue Dot Sessions; and Cast in Wicker by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive, under CC BY 4.0. 

Host Will Rice takes a deeper look into some of the possible scenarios that might explain Ron Scheepstra's disappearance. Most people agree there are only four, and after looking at them in more detail it would appear that two of those possibilities are highly unlikely.  Follow along as Rice examines the scenarios.  For more info, including maps, photos and links to further reading, visit www.downthepathpodcast.com.  To read Rice's long form article on the story, visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/exclusives/down-the-path.  Thanks to Alex Flock of Vancouver, BC, for our theme music. Learn more about Flock's work at www.alexflock.com.   

In Episode 04, host Will Rice looks into the third of the four possible scenarios that might explain Ronald Scheepstra's disappearance.  Could Ron have come across some bad guys while fishing at La Aguada that day? Drug traffickers? Poachers? People involved in the black market for human organs?  Listen in as Will talks with Jeff Dunsavage of the Missing Americans Project, as well as Cindy Scheepstra and Michael Graham.  The Down the Path theme was written and performed by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Additional music for this episode includes the tracks "Um Pepino," "Picnic March," "Trailrunner" and "Just the Feeling in the Room" by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue.  Visit www.downthepathpodcast.com for more information, including maps and photos related to Ron's case.     

In Episode 05, Will explores the last of the four scenarios that might explain Ron Scheepstra's disappearance: the theory that Scheepstra engineered his own disappearance.  Additionally, Will looks into travel conditions in Mexico during the time of Ron's disappearance, including press accounts and State Department travel advisories.  For more info, including maps of Xcalak, Mexico, and photos of Ron and his companions, visit www.downthepathpodcast.com. Music: Um Pepino, Thread of Clouds, Just the Feeling in the Room, and Trailrunner, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com.  

In the final episode of Season One, Host Will Rice brings the investigation to a close...for now.  In this episode, Will talks with an individual who met Ron's companions in Xcalak, as well as a private investigator hired to look into their return to Xcalak in 2010. Come, follow us Down the Path.  For more info, including maps of Xcalak, Mexico, and photos of Ron and his companions, visit www.downthepathpodcast.com. Music: Um Pepino, Thread of Clouds, Just the Feeling in the Room, and Trailrunner, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com.

Join host Will Rice as he explores the tragic murders of Dr. Gary Swank and his fishing guide, Mario Graniel, on the flat of Ambergris Caye, Belize in June 2019.

On June 23, 2019, police in San Pedro, Belize, found the bodies of American Dr. Gary Swank and his fishing guide, Mario Graniel, on the flats of Ambergris Caye.  The men had been murdered in an apparent "drive-by" shooting.  One year later, there have still been no suspects charged in this case. Down the Path host Will Rice wants to know why. Music: The Spills, Vela-Vela, and Unfolding Plot, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com.

In Episode Two, Will Rice talks with people who knew Dr. Gary Swank and Mario Graniel in an effort to learn more about who they were.  Additionally, we hear from Jim Klug of Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures; Klug provides an industry perspective on the murders and their aftermath.  As the investigation intensifies, authorities zero in on a suspect.  Music: The Spills, Trailrunner, and Unfolding Plot, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com.

In episode three, Will Rice talks with Wil Flack of Tres Pescados Fly Shop and Guide Service in San Pedro, and recounts the early days of the manhunt for the killer, or killers, of Gary Swank and Mario Graniel. Music: White Filament, Trailrunner, and Unfolding Plot, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Two of Down the Path is sponsored by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In Episode Four, Part One, host Will Rice looks into new developments in the case as revealed by the police report obtained in February 2020.  Music: Unfolding Plot, performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Two of Down the Path is sponsored by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In Episode Four, Part Two, host Will Rice attempts contacts the US State Department and the FBI as additional details in the plot to murder fly-fishing guide Mario Graniel emerge. Music: Unfolding Plot and Trailrunner performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Two of Down the Path is sponsored by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In the final episode of Season Two, host Will Rice brings the story to the present with an in depth look at the San Pedro Police's latest report on the double homicide of Gary Swank and Mario Graniel. Theme music and the song "Hope" were written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Additional Music: Unfolding Plot, Trailrunner and White Filament performed by Blue Dot Sessions, www.sessions.blue. Season Two of Down the Path is sponsored by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

I have a story that I've been thinking about and working on for almost 20 years now. I first heard about the disappearance of Stanley Bain in 2005, while fishing South Andros Island in the Bahamas. From the moment I heard about Stanley Bain and what happened in 1995 I was transfixed. And in a way, I've been transfixed ever since. This is a story about that disappearance…

This is the story of Stanley Bain and his crew – who disappeared sometime on – or after - August 5th, 1995 from South Andros Island in the Bahamas. The crew and three boats set off together on a fishing trip for Lobster, to feed guests of the Cargill Creek fly fishing lodge for the upcoming season. According to most people I've interviewed, the outing was supposed to last two weeks – the mission was to harvest 1000 lobsters. The men… the boats… were never seen again. Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In Episode Two, Will Rice explores the timeline that spans when the fishing expedition departed to when they were first reported missing as well as the scenarios discussed very early on. Was it some type of accident at sea – perhaps mechanical – weather related, or a combination of both? Was Stanley Bain robbed, killed, and his boat hijacked by pirates while lobstering – perhaps somewhere near the island of Cuba? Or... was it something else? Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In episode three, Will Rice reviews previously published articles about Stanley Bain and fishing Andros Island. He also interviews legendary photographer, angler, and world traveler Brian O'Keefe who recalls his time fishing with Stanley Bain.. Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In Episode Four, host Will Rice begins by digging into what feels on the surface like the most probable of the scenarios – did the boats and crew have a mechanical issue that turned fatal or were they victims of a bad storm out at sea – or a combination of the two? He also shares research about the storm systems that were documented before during and after the disappearance of Stanley Bain. Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In Episode Five, in 2022 host Will Rice was able to interview the two people who were hired by Stanley Bain to manage the Cargill Creek and Grassy Cay Lodge for the 1995/1996 fishing Season. Just one of their responsibilities – was managing and maintaining all of the boats. Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.

In the final episode of Season Three, host Will Rice brings the story to the present by taking a look at the remaining scenarios – and also shares a new permutation of the story uncovered in 2014 after a return trip to Andros Island. Music: Theme music for Down the Path was written and recorded by Alex Flock: www.alexflock.com. Season Three of Down the Path is being supported by The Flyfish Journal. Visit www.theflyfishjournal.com/downthepath for a special offer available to Down the Path listeners.