It's Crime Time

On the night of October 3, 2002, Gwen Amber Rose Araujo, a transgender teen from California attended a party at a home rented by Jose and Paul Merel. Michael Magidson, Jason Nabors, Jason Cazares, Emmanuel Merel, and Nicole Brown were all present at the party. Upon learning that Gwen was biologically born a male, the men became irate that they had engaged in sexual acts with her previously. This led to a brutal attack on Gwen which ultimately caused her death. Gwen's case paved the way for important legislation being passed in California which aims to eradicate the use of the gay/trans panic defense in court cases. Sources The San Francisco Standard (2022) Wikipedia Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (2003) SF Gate (2003) SF Gate (2005) SF Gate (2005)

Just before 7 AM on August 9, 2003, the Kleberg County Sheriff's office in Texas received a 9-1-1 from a man saying he had been shot. When police arrived at the scene of the man's home, they realized the victim was one of their own, Albert Benitez, a former police officer and border patrol officer who now spent his time training young police officers. He had been shot six times and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Reynolds had been kidnapped and taken away in Al's stolen car by the perpetrator. As details of the case came to light and another crime almost took Al's life once again, it began to become clear who really wanted to Al Benitez dead. Sources Murder Calls- Season 1 Episode 5- Death at the Door (info and audio source) Justia-ELIZABETH REYNOLDS v. THE STATE OF TEXAS--Appeal from 105th District Court of Kleberg County Snapped- Season 6 Episode 5-Elizabeth Reynolds

15-month-old Evelyn Boswell was reported missing by her maternal grandfather, Tommy Boswell, Sr. in February of 2020. He stated he had not seen Evelyn since November of 2019. An Amber alert was issued on February 19, 2020. Other accounts say she had been missing since December 10-11 of 2019 which is the last time her babysitter had seen her. Her mother, 18-year-old, Megan Boswell had made a series of contradictory statements to police and the media regarding the whereabouts of her daughter. Megan was later arrested for false reporting, and while in custody, police located the remains of missing Evelyn Boswell on the Boswell property on March 6, 2020. The investigation was far from over as detectives had to sift through the tangled web of lies spun by Megan to determine what really happened to little Evelyn. Sources: USA Today (2020) WVLTV 8 (2020) Knox News (2022) Tennessee Lookout (2022) Oxygen (2022) People (2022) WJHL 11 (2022) WJHL 11 (2022) Audio WATE 6 On Your Side (YouTube) | Press Conference: Sullivan Co. Sheriff, TBI hold media briefing re. Evelyn Boswell case March 6, 2020.

On the morning of May 26, 1990, 40-year-old Marlene Warren was preparing breakfast for her son and his friends when she heard the door bell ring. Upon answering the door, she was greeted by a person dressed in a clown costume holding two foil balloons and a basket of carnations for her. When she reached for the gifts, the clown shot Marlene in the face and fled in their white Chrysler LeBaron. For 27 years, Marlene's case remained unsolved, despite having obvious suspects. With the advancements in DNA technology, Marlene's killer finally faced justice in 2017. Sources CBS News (2023) CBS News (2023) Chilling Crimes (2021) WPTV (2017) The US Sun (2023) Killer Queens Podcast

During 1989, three unrelated African American baby boys went missing under mysterious circumstances from New York. Andre Bryant, a one month old baby boy disappeared from Brooklyn, and his mother, Monique Rivera was found murdered the next day. He has never been located. Christopher Dansby, a 2-year-old baby boy went missing from a park located near the Martin Luther King, Jr. apartment complex in May 1989. Three months after Christopher went missing, 18-month-old Shane Walker went missing from this same park under eerily similar circumstances. Sources International Missing Persons Wiki The Charley Project Uncovered Unsolved Mysteries Wiki Uncovered Unsolved Mysteries Wiki Uncovered

In 2016, John Coltharp and his best friend founded a doomsday cult loosely based on the teachings of the FLDS. It is important to note that the FLDS had no idea about this cult nor did it condone their behavior. In September of 2017, John's estranged wife, Micha Coltharp went to the Utah police department to report that John had taken their children and she could not locate him nor contact him. Thinking this would be a routine domestic dispute that could easily be resolved, police started to investigate but what they discovered was far worse than they initially imagined as the children along with John Coltharp, his parents Catherine and Keith Coltharp, and his second-in-command in the cult, Samuel Shaffer had packed up and left to create a commune in the deserts of Lund, Utah. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

Drama is a normal part of the teenage years, but sometimes, this drama is taken too far. On July 5, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese snuck out of her Morgantown, West Virginia home to go joyriding with her two "best friends", Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf, but these two girls had other plans for how the night would unfold. After six long months of searching for Skylar ever since she snuck out in July, her remains were located in a wooded area in Greene County, Pennsylvania after Rachel Shoaf had a breakdown and confessed to the gruesome crime her and Shelia had committed. Sources Tuko (2022) Sportskeeda (2023) Unilad (2022) Ranker (2021) All That's Interesting (2023) Dateline NBC: Season 22 Episode 25: Something Wicked (2014) Audio WBOY 12 News-One of Skylar Neese's killers denied parole (May 9, 2023) Blue Light Diaries-Betrayed: The Tragic Fate of Skylar Neese --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On February 23, 2022 dispatchers in Green Bay Wisconsin received a 911 call at 3:28 AM from a woman and her boyfriend who had just discovered her 24-year-old son, Shad Thyrion's severed head in a bucket at the bottom of their basement stairs. The woman was awakened by noises of her front door slamming and what she thought was a running car in her driveway. Upon waking, she noticed the basement light on and went to investigate. This is when she made the gruesome discovery. The last person known to have contact with Shad was 24-year-old, Taylor Schabusiness (Coronado). Sources CourtTV (2023) AP News (2023) New York Post (2023) News Week (2023) Document Cloud- Taylor Denise Schabusiness Criminal Complaint (2022) Law&Crime Network: 'Is This Blood?' Bodycam shows Arrest of Taylor Schabusiness After Lover's Murder-Video (2023) Audio Law&Crime Network-'Fake Head or Something?': Mother Dials 911 After Finding Son's Severed Head- Video (2023) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

In November of 2016, the Guy parents had announced they sold their home in Knoxville, Tennessee to retire and move to Joel Sr.'s late mother's home in Surgoinsville, TN. They were holding their last family dinner at their home on Thanksgiving where the entire family would be attending before they all looked forward to having Christmas dinner in Joel and Lisa's new home. Their son, Joel Guy, Jr. had attended this dinner. He had been financially reliant on his parents, never having a job but living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 600 miles from his parents' home for the past decade. When he found out he was to be financially cut-off by his parents after their retirement, rage ensued and the most gruesome crime scene was left in his parents' home that the officers on the case had ever seen. Sources Medium (2021) The Crime Wire (2023) Criminal (2021) Knoxville News Sentinel (2023) All That's Interesting (2022) Audio: YouTube- Law and Crime Network (2020): Joel Guy Jr Trial- Proffer of Victims' Family Members-Family Members Testify, 911 Call is Played --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On August 15, 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington set out alone to walk to the Trinity Christian Reformed Church for vacation bible school which was only 3/4 of a mile from her home in the suburb of Broomall in Pennsylvania when she was kidnapped. 2 months later, her body was found in Ridley Creek State Park 2 1/2 miles from where she was last seen. She had been the victim of a homicide with her cause of death being blunt force injuries to her head. Her murderer eluded police for almost 50 years, until 2023 when he was finally caught. Sources: Websleuths (2023) Newsweek (2023) The Philadelphia Inquirer (2023) Philly Magazine (2023) 11 Alive (2023) Books Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kindapping, Murder, and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia by Joanne Falcone Sullivan and Mike Mathis (2022) Audio 11Alive- Marietta man accused in 1975 Pennsylvania child murder| Police news conference (YouTube, 2023) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On June 22, 1979, English teacher, Susan Reinert and her two children, 11-year-old Karen and 10-year-old Michael set out to brave a hailstorm to take a trip for the weekend to Allentown, Pennsylvania where she would be holding a presentation for a group she was a member of. Her battered and naked body was found three days later in the trunk of her orange hatchback in a parking lot in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which was 90 miles from her home. William Bradfield and Jay C. Smith, fellow employees of Susan were suspects due to a tangled web of stories created by Bradfield to his circle of friends. Bradfield had been a lover of Susan's and Jay C. Smith was the principal of the school they all worked at, who somehow got roped into the murder story by Bradfield. The trials set out to untangle the chaotic web created by Bradfield and find the real murder (s) and locate the children, but the bodies of Susan's children, Karen and Michael have never been found. Sources --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

19-year-old Miranda Barbour was a troubled girl who had a dark past including abuse as a toddler, drug abuse, and satanic cult involvement who seemingly had turned her life around when she moved to North Carolina with her uncle in 2012. She gave birth to a baby girl, got a job, and even began taking college courses, until she met 21-year-old Elytte Barbour. He and Miranda left their lives in North Carolina and moved to Sunbury, Pennsylvania where they made ends meet with the money Miranda earned on Craigslist for providing companionship to lonely men. On November 1, 2013, 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara replied to Miranda Barbour's Craigslist ad claiming she would provide 'companionship' to men for a fee. What he didn't know was that Miranda and her husband, Elytte had been planning to murder someone they met on Craiglist, as they thought the murder would "bring them closer together." With claims she had murdered 21 others, and did so because they were "bad people who didn't deserve to be here, anymore," she has been deemed the "Craiglist Killer" and "Dexter Killer" but none of these claims have been verified aside from the murder of Troy LaFerrara. Sources: Pennlive (2014) Murderpedia Ranker (2021) NY Post The Daily Item (2018) The Cinemaholic (2023) The Daily Item (2018) Audio YouTube- DailyItemVideo- Miranda Barbour records message for her mother --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On July 13, 2023, 25-year-old Carlethia Nicole Russell, or simply, Carlee Russell was driving on Interstate 459 when she stopped her red Mercedes Benz along the highway to phone 9-1-1 to report a toddler walking along the highway with only a white t-shirt and diaper on. She placed the call around 9:34 P.M. and this was the last she was seen or heard from for the next 49 hours. A huge search for her went underway involving the use of police helicopters, drones, and volunteers from all over. A vigil was also held for those who wanted to gather and pray for her safe return. Residents of Birmingham feared that someone was using their child as "bait" to lure victims to be kidnapped, and they wanted the kidnappers caught as soon as possible. On Saturday night, July 15th, Carlee returned home to her parents' yard, and soon, the details of her kidnapping unraveled, and it isn't what anyone expected. For those who invested their time and energy into Carlee's case, this was a crushing blow and the ultimate blindside. Sources E-Online (2023) People (2023) TMZ (2023) WDSU (2023) NPR (2023) WVTM (2023) NPR (2023) Audio NBC News- Alabama police announce charges in Carlee Russell kidnapping hoax (2023) ABC 33/40- Carlee Russell 911 call-released from Hoover PD (2023) 11Alive- Police read full statement from Carlee Russell's attorney regarding her disappearance (2023) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

In November of 2020, 31-year-old Nicole "Niki" Perry and her fiance, Randall Fulghum were living in a small, crowded, garage on the 300 block of West Harlan Avenue in San Antonio, Texas that had been turned into a makeshift home for transients owned by "Gizmo" and his girlfriend, Vanessa Vargas. This location was a known drug house and had been the site of several drug busts in the past. Niki had been known to be "mouthy" and could be rude at times, and during this particular time period, she had been struggling to cope with the recent death of her father when an argument ensued between her and her fiance in front of 26-year-old known Texas Mexican gang member, Rafael Castillo. What Castillo did to "quell" Niki's "disrespect" is monstrous and will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Sources: Medium (2022) The Sun (2020) KSAT (2022) Audio KSAT 12- The Gruesome Murder of Nicole Perry: South Texas Crime Stories KSAT 12- 'I saw it all': More eyewitness testimony in trial of man accused of brutal murder --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On October 24, 2021, 15-year-old Jordan Lee called 9-1-1 to report that he and his two brothers had been abandoned in an apartment in Green Crest, Harris County, Texas by their mother and her boyfriend, being left to fend for themselves and live with the decomposing body of their brother for almost a year. While the boys' mother and her boyfriend were enjoying life on social media, the boys were living a nightmare that no one knew about. Sources The Daily Beast (2021) ABC7 Chicago (2021) Fox23 (2021) Fox23 ABC7 (2021) ABC7 (2021) Click2Houston (2022) ABC30 (2022) ABC13 (2021) hsinvisiblechildren.org (2021) NY Post (2021) Audio ABC News (2021)- New 'house of horrors' details where boy was found dead- YouTube KHOU 11 News (2021)- 'Absolute fear' |Horrific, heartbreaking new details in case where kids were found living alone with dead sibling-YouTube --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

A kind and beautiful, Hannah Clarke, met former New Zealand Rugby player, Rowan Baxter, in 2008 when she was just 19-years-old and he, 30-years old. The pair fell in love and were married in 2012, and then came the arrival of their three beautiful children, Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey Baxter. Their relationship; however, was not a normal, loving relationship as Rowan had severe issues with verbally, mentally, emotionally, and even on a few occasions, physically abusing Hannah and the children. Rowan had to have control of every aspect of Hannah's life, and eventually, she became exhausted by this and decided to leave with the children, moving back into her parents' home but fearing Rowan was going to eventually end up killing her. She had even asked her mom how to obtain a will and told her friends "I know in my heart he's going to kill me." On February 19, 2020, Rowan enacted a devastating plan to end the lives of Hannah, his three children, and himself on a suburban street in Queensland, Australia. Sources: 7 News (2022) News.com.au (2022) Daily Mail (2022) Daily Mail (2022) The Guardian (2022) Abigail Boyd Queensland Courts (Coroners Court of Queensland Findings of Inquest) Newstalks Hannah Clarke's Brother Speaks about her murder (ABC News Video) Audio Mother fights for her life after man, 3 children die in deliberate car fire in Brisbane- ABC News Australia --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On July 5, 1995, a citizen of Wayne City, Illinois called to report a mid 1980s, green Oldsmobile had been submerged nose-deep in a local pond. Police went to investigate and discovered a bloody scene. Blood had been smeared on one of the car's tail lights and filled the floor pans. A piece of wooden furring was holding the accelerator pedal and bloody hand prints were found inside the trunk along with .32 caliber shell casings. Meanwhile, 38-year-old Sue and her 13-year-old daughter Melinda Marshel had been missing, with their family highly worried as they had not shown up to the family's annual July 4th celebration. While Sue had pending Cocaine possession charges and was working with the police to catch a drug dealer, her family did not believe this was the cause for her disappearance. Sue had five ex-husbands, and police began interviewing them when her most recent ex-husband, Niels Nielsen was swiftly identified as being a person of interest due to his lies, odd demeanor, and previous convictions. On July 6th, fishermen found a floating duffel bag containing the charred remains of Sue and Melinda in a pond just one mile from where Sue's submerged car had been located. The search for further evidence to connect Niels to their murders and concealment was on. Sources Case Text The Midwest Crime Files Oxygen (2023) Oxygen: Homicide for the Holidays Season 5 Episode 2 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On July 3, 2012, a group of students vacationing on Portsmouth Beach in Southsea, England discovered something wrapped in a pink shower curtain and trash bags on the rocks of the beach. It was determined that the item in question was the dismembered torso of 30-year-old David Guy. Three days later, David's pelvis and legs were also located on the beach. On July 8, 2012, a confused, disheveled, and dirty 47-year-old David Hilder appeared at a police station claiming he thinks he had killed someone. After all, David Hilder had been in a rocky, violent friendship with David Guy. This case was solved in an unexpected way with the aid of a few small cat hairs found on the shower curtain that contained Guy's torso. Sources Portsmouth (The News) (2023) Fargo North HS BBC (2013) Jim Fisher True Crime (2022) BBC (2013) BBC (2013) Nurofen Audio Daily Motion- The News Portsmouth (2023) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

In 2000, Jin Chen and his wife, Hai Yan Li moved to a suburb in Albany, New York known as Guilderland from Houjo, Fujian province off the southeastern coast of mainland China. In New York, Jin was given a job at his relatives' restaurant, The King's Wok. The Chens decided to start a family in 2004, with the birth of their first son, Anthony, and then a second son, Edward (Eddy) in 2007. On Thursday, October 5, 2014, Jin did not show up for work and had not called to say he was not coming in. When coworkers and relatives went to check on Jin and his family, they discovered all four family members had been murdered. Language barriers and fears from community members have made this case difficult to investigate, and almost 700 leads have lead investigators to the Chinese mafia and human trafficking rings, but the case remains unsolved. Two other cases have been thought to be related to the murders of the Chen family, the case involving the murder of three Chinese family members in 2011 in D'Iberville, Mississippi and a case in 2014 involving the murder of four Chinese family members in Harris County, Texas. The D'Iberville case has yet to be solved, but the case in Texas has since been solved and is said to be unrelated. Sources Nola (2015) A&E (2022) CBS 6 Albany (2019) CBS News (2022) ABC 13 News (2022) Tuscaloosa News (2019) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

Junko Furuta, a 17-year-old student living in Misato, Saitama Prefecture, Japan was beautiful, popular, and a great student who her friends endearingly called 'Jun-Chan'. Junko did not smoke, drink, or participate in any "bad teenage behavior" which is why she was often called a good girl. Her beauty and kindness unfortunately caught the eye of the school bully, 18-year-old Hiroshi Miyano. When Hiroshi asked Junko on a date, she politely declined, and did not realize this would ultimately lead to her final 44 days of life involving the most horrendous, inhumane torture. Hiroshi and his friend, Nobuharu Minato devised a plan to kidnap Junko as she was biking home from work. They captured her, and four friends (Hiroshi Miyano, Nobuharu Minato, Jo Ogura, and Yasushi Watanabe)  held her hostage for 44 days at Minato's parents' vacation home before finally being murdered. The suffering Junko endured at the hands of these four boys and others was so cruel that it's hard to fathom how four teenage boys, let alone any monster, could dream up and enact such a plan. Sources Medium (2021) How Stuff Works (2023) The Cinemaholic (2023) Tokyo Reporter (2018) Film Daily (2020) Film Daily (2022) All That's Interesting (2022) The Scare Chamber Wikipedia Audio Junko Furuta on the news (in the memory of junko furuta)- Youtube --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On April 16, 1996, 48-year-old James Patterson Smith reported to his local police station in Manchester, England to report that he had "accidentally" killed his girlfriend during an argument when she drowned in the bathtub. When police reported to his home, they discovered his 17-year-old girlfriend's naked, dead body lying in a bedroom and her blood all throughout his home. It was clear this was no accident. Kelly Anne had met James when she was only 14-years-old and began a relationship with him, then 45-years old, unaware of his horrifically abusive past. The pathologist tasked with examining and autopsying her body concluded that she had over 150 separate wounds showing a month's worth of severe torture in the last weeks of her life. James had starved Kelly, denied her water, and tied her to furniture and a radiator by her hair or neck ligatures, even gouging out her eyes 5 days to 3 weeks before her death. This is one of the worst, most notorious torture murders in British history. Sources Murderpedia All That's Interesting (2022) Manchester Evening News (2015) Ranker (2022) Daily Mail (2023) Mirror (2020) Wikipedia National Domestic Violence Hotline US: 800-799-7233 (Available in English and Spanish, as well as 200+ languages through interpretations) England: 0808 2000 247 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

In the 1960s, Sylvia Likens lived in southern Boone County, Indiana with her family which consisted of her father, Lester Likens, mother Betty Likens, fraternal twins, Danny and Diana, and another set of fraternal twins, Bennie and Jenny. Sylvia was the middle child between the two sets of twins. The Likens family were very poor and Sylvia's father worked many odd jobs, even traveling with the carnival to sell food from a concession stand, but it is said that the children were happy and taken care of. In June of 1965, Sylvia's mother, Betty was arrested for shoplifting, leaving Lester to come up with a way to support his children while she was away. Lester found his two daughters, Sylvia and Jenny at a home near theirs known as the Baniszewski home. Lester decided he would "board" his daughters at Gertrude Baniszewski's home, paying her $20 a week to take care of them while he went with the carnival to bring in some money. Gertrude had 7+ children of her own, and the Baniszewskis were also very poor with the home being filthy, in disarray, and lacking adequate food and sleeping arrangements but Lester had not known this when he left his daughters. Bennie and Danny were sent to live with their grandparents, and Dianna had been 19, married, and living on her own. What would happen during the months of June 1965 to October 1965 consist of unspeakable horrors which Sylvia and Jenny endured. Sylvia being punished far worse, enduring unimaginable torture by not only the Baniszewskis but other neighborhood children. Some say it is due to Gertrude and her oldest daughter, Paula's jealousy of Sylvia coupled with Gertrude not receiving on time payment from the Likens but nothing that Sylvia ever could have done would make her deserving of this torture, and ultimately, horrific death. Since then, the Likens family has been plagued by a series of tragedies, and this case is one that will never be forgotten in Indiana. Sources Indy Star (2013) The Weekly View (2015) NBC San Diego (2015) True Crime Edition (2021) Medium (2019) All Thats Interesting (2023) Sylvia's Child Advocacy Center Criminal (2020) Audio of Gertrude Baniszewski at parole board- Youtube- Thomas Henning --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

Only a few weeks ago, on April 26, 2023, police located a 10 gallon Chlorine bucket on the front lawn of a Louisiana home. Inside this bucket was the body of little 6-year-old Bella Fontanelle, who was murdered, stuffed into a bucket, and left on the front lawn of her mother's home by her father's girlfriend. This story is still very much in development at this time. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

Brenda and Dennis Freeman were peaceful, quiet Jehovah's Witnesses who had planned to raise their three sons to be just the same. They wanted their boys to grow up in their faith and be good citizens..but who doesn't want their kids to be good people? This changed when two of their sons, Bryan Freeman and David Freeman chose to denounce their faith and become involved with Neo-Nazism after discovering it and being intrigued by it at a rehabilitation facility they were sent to at ages 12 and 13 due to drug and alcohol use. The boys were not shy about their beliefs, dressing in camo pants, doc marten combat boots, shaving their heads, and even displaying their beliefs across their heads and necks by the way of tattoos expressing their hatred. It was known that the boys caused trouble at school and at home, but not known by many just how bad Brenda and Dennis struggled to help their sons. Eventually, on February 26, 1995, the two boys at ages 16 and 17, along with their 18-year-old cousin, Nelson Birdwell III committed the ultimate act of violence toward Brenda, Dennis, and Brian and David's 11-year-old brother, Erik by bludgeoning all three of them to death and fleeing to Michigan where they were ultimately caught. Sources The Roanoke Times (1995) Sun Signs Oxygen (2022) Grunge (2022) The Morning Call (2015) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itscrimetime/support

On October 9, 2022, two brothers, Billy and Mark Chastain along with two of their friends, Alex Stevens and Mike Sparks left Billy's home on bicycles at 8:00 P.M. The men were later reported missing by Billy's wife and Alex's mother a few hours later when they had not been seen or heard from. Mark's phone pinged at a salvage yard owned by Joe Kennedy off Highway 75. Evidence of a violent crime was located at an adjacent property from this salvage yard. On October 14, the four men's bodies were located in the Deep Fork River with multiple gunshot wounds and severed in half. Joe Kennedy became a person of interest, and then the prime suspect due to the evidence against him found at his salvage yard, in his vehicle, on his shoes, and in the field nearby. He awaits trial currently on four counts of first degree murder. Sources ABC 7 KJRH NY Post CBS News The Guardian CNN NY Times CBS News Obituaries Mark Anthony Chastain Billy Jack Chastain Smith Mikel Tyrel Sparks Alexray Jeffery Stevens

On December 24, 2008, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo dressed as Santa Claus carrying weapons and a Christmas package, walked up to the home of Joseph and Alicia Ortega where they were having a Christmas Eve party for 25-30 family members. Bruce was determined to massacre all party guests due to his anger from his recent divorce from Joseph and Alicia's daughter, Sylvia Ortega Pardo. After shooting some of the party guests, Bruce used a homemade flamethrower he carried in the package to ignite the home, charring the bodies of his victims. The aftermath of this massacre has not been forgotten by the Ortegas and their family, as it left 13 children orphaned and others without one parent. Sources Murderpedia Los Angeles Times Audio: CBS News: Santa Shooting Spree 911 Tapes

On the night of February 8th/early morning hours of February 9th, 2018, 24-year-old David Scott Elmquist died in a fire that was started in his apartment after the Bakken crude oil covering his body caught fire, and he suffered burns to over 90% of his body, soot-filled airways, and blindness. To investigators, this was a simple open and closed case of suicide, but to David's family and many others, he may have been the victim of foul play as well as evidence planting. There are many strange reasons concerning this case as to why there's no way David could have killed himself, according to his family.  From the mysterious untouched patches of skin on his wrists when the rest of his flesh was burned to the missing lighter, unlocked door, and planted knives at the scene, this case is so hard not to think about.  Please check out Sherrilyn Dale and Gavin Fish's documentaries of this case on YouTube, as well as Gavin Fish and Scott Elmquist's websites.  Sherilynn Dale's videos on David:  https://youtu.be/3UiQ6NnXS9c https://youtu.be/RY_fpZH5Ykw https://youtu.be/RekbUz_-L00 Gavin Fish's videos on David: https://youtu.be/bziZEz73W8U https://youtu.be/IxMgMuyFj3w https://youtu.be/IxMgMuyFj3w Gavin's website:  https://gavinfish.com/cases/david-elmquist/ Scott's website:  https://www.truthfordavid.com/ Please sign the petition:  www.change.org/truthfordavid

In June 2004, 22-year-old Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. met 18-year-old Amber Kyzer. They were married a month after meeting, and over the course of their relationship, had five children: Merah, Elias, Nahtahn, Gabriel, and Abigail. Their marriage was rocky, as Amber was forced to be subservient to her husband due to his religious beliefs. They struggled to care for all of the children while keeping a clean home, and Tim developed some rather aggressive discipline habits where he would force the children to workout until absolute exhaustion if he felt they had done wrong. DSS became involved, but had failed to see the whole picture of what was going on, as they deemed the only problem to be with the cleanliness of the home. Amber and Tim eventually got divorced, and Tim had custody of the children. It seemed as though he was struggling to care for all of them and the home, as Amber had in the past, as well. One day, Nahtahn was accused by Tim of damaging an electrical outlet, causing him to have to endure exhausting physical punishment (running laps around the family home for hours) until he couldn't breathe. Tim went to check on Nahtahn later that night, claiming he had passed away in his sleep. Instead of getting help for Nahtahn, Tim then did the unthinkable. Was all of this because he did not want Amber to have the children, or was it all only because he was just truly mentally ill as he claims? Sources News19 (2021) PostandCourier (2021) USA Today (2019) Greenville Online (2019) News 19 (2019) WYFF4 (2014) Audio: Timothy Jones, Sr. Testimony Law&Crime Network

On April 16, 2022, 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal, a Hungarian-born wife and mother of two sons living in Forest Hills, New York was approached in her home between 12:30 and 12:40 A.M. by 44-year-old Mexico City native, David Bonola and viciously stabbed 55+ times, stuffed into one of her son's hockey duffel bags, and dragged 0.4 miles to the Jackie Robinson highway. Allegedly, David and Orsolya had an on-again-off-again affair, and Orsolya broke things off for good, angering David to the point of finally taking her life. Sources: People NY Post Law and Crime NY Post NY Daily News Patch Audio: Orsolya Gaal murder case NYPD update

In May of 2021, a police officer's (Bruno Portillo) wife (Reyna Gonzalez-Amador) set out to go on a shopping trip in Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico with an elderly man (Andres Mendoza) who had become a friend of the family. He was also somewhat of a charity case for the couple and their children, as he seemed dirty, poor, and down on his luck. They often invited him to their home for meals, and so he was not so lonely. Since he seemed as though he meant them no harm, Reyna wanted his help shopping for supplies for her cell phone business on May 14, 2021. When she had not returned that night, Bruno knew exactly where to turn his attention, Andres. Bruno reported his wife missing, but with barely any help from police at first due to their lack of funding, etc., he took it upon himself to obtain the police street surveillance footage of the street where Andres lived. Reyna was seen entering Andres house, but never exiting with him to go shopping. This is when Bruno knew he had to take officers there to do a search for his wife. After Reyna had been missing for four days, a search was finally able to be conducted, and what Bruno found was horrifying. What was found after this discovery was also never expected and launched and investigation into one of Mexico's most prolific serial killers whose reign of terror has lasted decades. Sources: Infobae (2022, March) NewsWeek (2022, March) AP News (2021, June) The Sun News (2021, June) The Washington Post (2021, June) Atlanta Journal Constitution (2021, June)

Cynthia "Cindy" Louise Vanderbeek and her husband, Stephen Alfred Vanderbeek were travelling vendors that travelled to boat shows during the 1990s, selling boat cleaning supplies and other items. Cindy gave up her whole life to be with a man she thought was absolutely perfect. In March of 1995, Cindy was to attend the christening of her newborn nephew as she was the godmother, but when she doesn't show up, and Stephen shows up on her family's doorstep alone, they begin to worry. Stephen tells them a story about how she was offered a quick job in Wisconsin and she would be late arriving to Maryland. He then changes his story, saying she will meet him in Florida, withdraws all of their savings from the bank, asks Cindy's mother, Camille, for the money she had been saving for them, and makes his way back home. Her family struggles to report her missing as no department will take her case when finally, the police department in Montgomery county, Maryland takes it on. Detective Robert Nichols doesn't give up or lose hope and investigates this case for ten years before finally solving the mystery of what happened to Cindy Vanderbeek. OG Release Date: 06/14/2021 Sources: The Washington Post (2005, June) Soundings (2005, September) Doe Network (2005, June 21). Tapatalk (2006, June 19.) Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 1 Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 2. Media in this episode: NPR News (2008, January 28).

The Texas Killing Fields is an area that borders the Calder Oil Field in League City Texas. The Calder Oil Field is a 25-acre patch of land that is situated a mile from Interstate 45. This location, as well as the surrounding areas have been dubbed "The Texas Killing Fields" or "The Highway to Hell" due to a string of 30+ cases involving female murder victims' bodies being found in these locations from the span of 1971 to the early 2000s. Several other disappearances in the area have been thought to be linked to these cases, as well. Many of the cases still remain unsolved, despite suspects and confessions while few have been solved and deemed to be unrelated. Many of the victims were in the age range of 12-25 years old and had similar physical features which makes many people believe the killings to be the work of a serial killer or multiple serial killers during that time period. The Killing Fields have been often described as the perfect place to kill someone and get away with it, as it is difficult to be heard if yelling in the area and there is really no where to hide when running. OG Release Date: 01/18/2021 Sources: Texas Killing Fields Wiki Websleuths Forum Unsolved Mysteries Rhonda Johnson & Sharon Shaw I-45 Victims Chron Patch Ranker Texas Equusearch Galv News Audrey Cook-Cold Case #86-216 Chron Charley Project Shelley Sikes Suzanne Rene Richerson: Charley Project Lynette Bibbs Chron Laura Smither article Tot Tran Harriman- Charley Project Remembering Jessica Cain, 20 years after her disappearance Terressa Vanegas Reddit Donna Prudhomme-Cold Case #91-2200 Houston Matters article

On this episode, I feature 3 cases chosen by my past coworkers who are also listeners of my podcast! Two cases are local to us, one is local to my friend at the time she lived in Kentucky, and the final case is one I have been wanting to get out there for a long time. Case #1 On October 31, 2019, 35-year-old Benjamin Lee Figard of New Paris phoned 9-1-1 to report that he had shot and killed his 40-year-old wife, Amanda Jane Figard, and his 12-year-old step-daughter, Laina Rae Haney and placed their bodies in the basement. Case #2 On the night of January 8, 2015, 21-year-old Stephanie Waters went to meet 15-year-old Ryan Hardwick and 16-year-old Deauntay Dontaz Moye in place of her boyfriend, Benjamin Holsinger to sell them some Marijuana. When she arrived with her dog, Duke, the two teens shot her and her dog, placed her in the back of the vehicle, and drove around the Altoona area while smoking the Marijuana. Case #3 29-year-old Tromain Jerome Mackall from southern Maryland moved to Owensboro, Kentucky to be with his girlfriend, Johnathan Dewitt aka Simone Dahlia in February 2016. After attending a party on July 24, 2016 and leaving at 1:30 A.M. on the morning of July 25, he went missing. A body was found floating in a truck toolbox on August 2nd in Spring Fork Creek near Owensboro Road in Falls of Rough, Kentucky about 30 miles from the party Tromain had attended. The body was identified as Tromain's using dental records on August 23rd. The cause of death was determined to be homicide from multi-modal asphyxiation. 5 people were charged in connection to the kidnapping and murder of Tromain Mackall. Case #4 Revell Reuben Jeeter, a 59-year-old man from Maryland moved to the quiet village of Harrisonville, Pennsylvania on 12 acres of land he had purchased to enjoy his retirement with his best friend, his dog, Bubba. On July 21, 2003, after obtaining meat from a butcher shop in McConnellsburg with his dog, he was to attend a crab feed with his friends and family but did not show up, and has not been seen since. He is still missing 17 years later. Anyone with information is asked to call the PSP at (717) 485-3131. Sources: Hancock Clarion Altoona Mirror Leagle.com **there are 3 more sources listed on instagram**

This case had relatively widespread social media coverage by those believing it was a sad suicide story, but the truth has come out. On September 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM, dispatchers were called to a home at 2442 Route 143 Kempton, Albany Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania by Lisa Snyder. A mother who says her son, Conner Seth Snyder, age 8, committed suicide by hanging himself with a dog lead from the rafter of their basement after telling her he wanted to build a fort with the new dog lead she had purchased. She claimed he was severely bullied in school and kept saying he wanted to die, but did not want to go alone, so, there hanging with him was his little 4-year-old sister, Brinley Louise Snyder, on the same dog lead. First responders responded to the 9-1-1 call about 11 minutes later, to find that Lisa claimed she had only briefly tried to get Brinley down from the lead but became sweaty due to her anxiety. The children passed away 3 days later on September 26, 2019. A large police investigation ensued, as this case was shady from the beginning, and on December 2, 2019, Lisa Snyder was finally arrested. She remains in prison while awaiting sentencing to see if she will receive the death penalty. There was no evidence suggesting Conner had ever been bullied. OG Release Date: 08/17/2020 Sources: Crime Online (2019, December 3) Washington Post (2019, December 3) Mcall (2019, December 2) People (2019, December 2) Mcall (2019, December 2) Penn Live (2020, June 30) Audio: CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia

On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania. OG Release Date: 08/03/2020 Sources: True Crime Society (2019, October 23) Jacksonville (2019, August 14) Meadville Tribune (2019, October 8) Your Erie (2020, February 17) Heavy (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ True Crime Society Go Erie (2019, October 7) Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08usf_3ghJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgx1b7Vip8Q

On December 14, 1995, 17-year-old Krystal Beslanowitch set off on foot to go to a convenience store in Salt Lake City, Utah at 8:45 PM, but never returned to the motel her and her boyfriend, Chris were living in. Chris walked to the convenience store to search for Krystal, but the employees say they never saw her there. Two days later, the nude, battered body of a teenage female was found on the bank of the Provo River. She had been beaten to death with granite rocks. Her boyfriend phoned the police after seeing drawings of the Jane Doe's tattoos on the news to tell them he believes the body was that of his girlfriend, Tracy Beslanowitch. It was later determined that Krystal had been using the identity of her step-sister, Tracy, and that the Jane Doe was in fact Krystal. 18 years later, the murder was solved using new technology known as the M-Vac when police were able to take DNA from the rocks at the crime scene used to kill Krystal. OG Release Date: 07/20/2020 Sources: Laikan Savage (2020, February 1) Forensic Tales (2020, February 9) Salt Lake Tribune (2016, September 30) FOX 13 (2019, September 19) TV Crime Sky (2019, April 20) Audio: M-Vac Systems (2016, December 18)

On April 27, 2003, 27 members of a 50 member church congregation at the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine gathered for a meeting to discuss the purchase of a new furnace for the church. While at the meeting, 16 members drank coffee from one of two urns holding coffee for the congregation. These 16 members ended up being treated for severe vomiting at two hospitals, one member, named Walter Reid Morrill passed away at the age of 78 due to this illness. Upon investigation, police determined one of the urns holding coffee had been poisoned with extreme levels of arsenic. To this day, the case is closed due to police believing they knew who had done it, but the town is divided in whether the case should reopen and find the accomplices or remain closed and let bygones be bygones. OG Release Date: 07/01/2020 Sources: ELCA (2006, April 21) WGME (2018, April 27) Murderpedia LA Times (2008, June 15) NY Times (2003, May 1) ABC News (2006, January 7)

On April 3, 2010 in Manchester, England, 12-year-old, Tia Rigg's uncle, John Maden phoned her mother, Lynne, to ask if Tia could come over to babysit his young daughter. Lynne agreed, and Tia went to John's home, hoping to catch some of the football game that day, as her favorite team, Manchester United, was playing but she had no idea what awaited her at her uncle's home. John drugged Tia before raping her, committing a variety of sexual acts on her, and then stabbing and strangling her to death. Social services had many chances to take Tia from the care of her mother, Lynne, as Lynne had a history of drug abuse, suicide attempts, and domestic violence, however, they failed little Tia. OG Release Date: 06/15/2020 Sources: True Crime England (2020, February 4) Daily Mail UK (2011, May 13) Express (2010, April 5) The Guardian (2010, October 4) Daily Mail UK (2011, May 13) Audio: Daily Motion DCI David Warren

On the night of June 14, 2015 in Missouri, police entered the Blanchard residence after receiving a call to do a welfare check on a disabled girl named Gypsy Rose and her mother, Claudette "Dee Dee" Blanchard. They found the body of Dee Dee lying face down, stabbed to death. Gypsy was nowhere to be found. Everyone thought this girl would never be able to survive without her mother's care, as she suffered from muscular dystrophy, leukemia, sleep apnea, a chromosomal disorder, and was confined to a wheelchair.......or was she? Police discovered Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend at the time, Nicholas GodeJohn at his home and begun to realize Gypsy wasn't a victim of Nick, but a victim of her mother. Gypsy had been a victim of Dee Dee's Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome her entire life and believed Nick was her way to escape the clutches of her mother. With his help, she exacted revenge. OG Release Date: 06/08/2020 Sources: All That's Interesting (2018, April 9) Biography (2019, April 4). Grunge (2020, March 25) People (2019, July 15). Meaww (2020, April 7) Marie Claire (2019, March 21) Videos for information: Dr. Phil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJfCpqGRww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOQcOQ4Mk_I Audio: ABC2020: Gypsy's Truth and Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mDCbVy3Xp8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysUtZexaZTI

This episode features two cases that occurred 78 years apart, yet are eerily similar and both remain unsolved. First, the tale of the Hinterkaifeck murders which occurred on March 31, 1922. Five members of the Gruber family along with their maid, Maria Baumgartner, were brutally slain with a Mattock. Before this, strange happenings began occurring on the Hinterkaifeck farm even as far back as six months before the murders. Investigators believe the murderer may have been living in the family's home up until the murders and then shortly after. These murders remain unsolved 98 years later. On December 31, 2000, all four members of the Miyazawa family were murdered in their home. The youngest at just six years old was strangled and the remaining members brutally stabbed. There were strange events leading up to the murders, a plethora of obvious DNA and evidence, and the murderer even remained in the home for hours after the murders. yet these murders still remain unsolved 20 years later. OG Release Date: 05/25/2020 Sources: The Scare Chamber Mental Floss (2017, August 31) All That's Interesting (2017, November 13) Defrosting Cold Cases (2014, May 1) Unresolved (n.d.)

On November 3, 1998, Maddie Clifton went outside to play and encountered a 14 year old neighbor boy, Joshua Phillips. The two began hitting a baseball back and forth when he suddenly hit the ball and struck her in the eye. Claiming he was fearing he would be in trouble with his parents, especially his abusive father, as he was not to have friends over when they weren't home and he had hurt Maddie, he took her into his house, strangled her for 15 minutes with a phone cord, but when this did not quiet her crying, he struck her in the head with a baseball bat and stabbed her with a pocket knife, then stuffing her body under his waterbed. He re-entered his room later to find that Maddie had not died, so he stabbed her again, this time in the throat, returning her body back to it's hiding spot, where a week later, his mother made the gruesome discovery. OG Release Date: 05/18/2020 Sources: Sutori (NA). AP News (2018, November 10). Crime In My Pocket (2018, November 30). AUDIO: Josh's Apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwj5R6_omoE Josh's Mom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68oZoYn8y9U News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1N3oAj758w

On the night of January 6, 2007, couple, Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were saying goodbye to one another as they left a friend's apartment when they were approached by a few individuals planning to steal Channon's vehicle. The carjacking then turned fatal when Christopher was tortured, raped, and shot, his body then left to burn near the railroad tracks. Channon was kept in the home of the ringleader, LeMaricus, where she was brutally raped and tortured, bleach poured down her throat and on her body to dispose of evidence, and then ultimately wrapped in trash bags and stuffed into a trash can with a broken neck, left to slowly suffocate. OG Release Date: 05/09/2020 Sources: WBIR Knox News (2017, January 6). WBIR (2017, January 5). WVLT (2019, August 13). AUDIO/VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqS6OFuUXe8

On June 11, 2001 police entered the mobile home of Barbie and Ken Atkinson after Ken showed a neighbor that they had been keeping their 8 year old daughter, Lauren Kavanaugh, in a 4x9 closet for 5 years. When police saw Lauren, she was severely malnourished, only weighing 25.6 pounds, the size of a toddler, with matted, lice-filled hair and obvious signs of severe abuse. It was a shock that she even survived, but she lives with the constant trauma of the abuse, and her case is one of the most severe of child-abuse ever seen. OG Release Date: 04/25/2020 The Dallas Morning News The Dallas Morning News The Sun U.K. (2017, January 26). CBS News (2002, December 13). Dallas News (2019, February 28). Audio/Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x80u-8yI2GE&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h-C3ph1wWc#action=share https://youtu.be/9x7we8rPxhI

On June 23, 1965, police were called to do a welfare check on an elderly couple Fred and Edwina Rogers in their Texas home, and when police arrived to view the home, they found a chilling discovery. Edwina and Fred had been dismembered and placed onto the shelves in the icebox after being beaten. Edwina had been beaten and shot execution style while Fred was beaten with a claw hammer, his eyes gouged out and genitals mutilated. Evidence has pointed to their reclusive son who was 43 years old and living with them, as the murderer but he had fled and was never found. OG Release Date: 04/11/2020 Sources: Medium (2019, May 6). Reddit (2019). Mental Floss (2019, November 4). Video: KHOU 11: Missing Pieces: The Icebox Murders.

Samuel Little is a serial killer who traveled the United States, beating and strangling an upwards of 93 women between the years 1970-2005. He is known for his 700 hour long confession that included colored chalk drawings of his victims and vivid descriptions that most would find difficult to remember. He has been matched to 50 cases, convicted of 8 of the murders, and an additional 40 remain pending. He went unnoticed for so long due to his choice of victims, often African American females who were involved in sex work and drugs. Their deaths were often ruled overdoses, accidental, or by natural causes, with some being ruled as homicides but no one could ever find the killer until he was picked up for a warrant on charges involving narcotics in a Kentucky homeless shelter. His DNA was collected and matched to three murders, and he finally made a confession to a Texas Ranger when linked to a fourth murder in Texas. He is not often heard of when it comes to discussing famous serial killers, which is baffling, as his victim count far exceeds Dahmer's, Bundy's, and any of the widely talked about serial killers. You can find his other confessions as well as pictures on the FBI source included below. OG Release Date: 03/28/2020 Sources: The-Line_Up (2020, January 27). FBI. gov (2019, October 6). Biography.com (2019, December 5). Videos retrieved on FBI. Gov: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/samuel-little-most-prolific-serial-killer-in-us-history-100619

OG Release Date: 03/16/ 2020 On May 30, 2014, three twelve year old girls, Morgan Geyser, Anissa Weier, and Payton Leutner, decided to have a sleepover for Morgan's birthday. The next morning, Anissa and Morgan tricked Payton into going with them to David's park to bird watch and play hide-and-seek where the two girls attacked their friend, Payton, stabbing her 19 times. They believed if they didn't kill her, Slenderman would kill their families, and if they did kill her, they could live with Slenderman in his mansion where they would move up in rank. Mental illness coupled with the ages of the girls made for a vicious attack that they blamed on their belief in Slenderman. OG Release Date: 03/16/ 2020 Sources: Oprah Mag (2019, October 25). Tech Crunch (2014, June 30). USA Today (2017, January 24). Fox 6 (2014, June 4). Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier Police Interviews Video Bicyclist's 911 call

On February 4, 2010, Joseph and Summer McStay, as well as their two toddler sons, Joseph, Jr. and Gianni vanished from their home. Nine days after they went missing, it was reported to police, as people realized that they had not simply went on vacation. Joseph's vehicle was found left at the United States Mexico border, and the scene in their home looked as if they were taken in the middle of a normal day as popcorn had been spilled on the couch, and a carton of raw eggs had been left on the counter. The family's remains were finally found in a shallow grave in the desert on November 13, 2013 by a passing motorcyclist. It was determined that the family had died from blunt force trauma. Joseph's friend and business partner, Charles "Chase" Ray Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 when his DNA had been found in the family's vehicle. He had bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer and buried them in the desert, all for financial gain as he had a gambling addiction. Chase Merritt was sentenced to death finally 10 years after the crime in January 2020. OG Release Date: 02/29/2020 Note: I'm not sure what was wrong with my microphone, but throughout the episode it would get crackly and I tried my best to re-record and edit the segments. :( Sorry!! Sources : Crime Museum (2017). San Diego Union Tribune (2019, May 28). AP & Reuters. (2015, January 25). Daily Mail UK (2014, January 4). Videos: Law & Crime: Chase Merritt Sentencing Law & Crime: McStay Family Murder-Sentencing-Victim Impact Statements Continue,

On October 1,1993, 12 year old Polly Klaas and two friends were excited to have a sleepover at Polly's home where they would eat ice cream, try on Halloween Costumes, and play board games. The sleepover did not go as planned when at 10:30 PM, Polly went to get supplies for the party and came face to face with a bearded man standing in her doorway. He tied up the other two girls and took Polly away into the night. Her body was found 9 weeks after her kidnapping when the man who had been arrested in suspicion for her kidnapping confessed and told police where to find her. Her case was the first to ever be shared on the internet in 1993 and helped pave the way for Megan's Law, Amber Alerts, and California's Three Strikes Law. OG Release Date: 02/29/2020 Sources: CBS News Video PollyKlaas.org (NA). Press Democrat (2013, September 29) Deseret News (1994, May 15). LA Times (1994, May 12).

On October 24, 2019, the step-daughter of heavyweight UFC fighter, Walt Harris was reported missing. Aniah Haley Blanchard's body was found 5 weeks after being reported missing and 3 men are being charged in her kidnapping and murder. The story is recent, so the men have not received official sentences as of right now. OG Release Date: -2/08/2020 Sources: AL (2019, November 15). AL (2019, November 27). USA Today (2019, November 14). USA Today (2019, December 4). Globe intel (2019, October 31) NBC News (2019, November 2)

Conrad Henri Roy III committed suicide on July 12, 2014 by carbon monoxide poisoning after parking his truck at a Kmart parking lot and placing a gas powered water pump in the back, turning it on, and rolling up his windows. His girlfriend, Michelle Carter had been assisting him in researching the best method to do it, encouraging him to just do it already, and told him to re-enter his truck when he became scared. This episode delves into the troubled minds of both parties involved, and this is a perfect example of how fragile life really is. OG Release Date: 02/01/2020 Sources: Gossip Gist (2019, August 1). Breggin (NA). Gossip Gist (2019, August 1). People (2020, January 23). Video links: ABC 20/20 Court Trial Conrad's Video Journal

Madalyn Murray O' Hair was a controversial "celebrity" throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. She was the founder of the American Atheists Organization, responsible for getting mandatory prayer removed from schools, and deemed "The Most Hated Woman in America". On August 27, 1995, her and her granddaughter, Robin Murray, and son, Jon Garth Murray suddenly vanished, a note found on their office stating: "The Murray O' Hair family has been called out of town on an emergency basis. We do not know how long we will be gone at the time of writing this memo.” Many thought the family had fled the country, since they were severely hated, but some knew better and feared foul play. The police in Texas sensed no foul play and refused to take on the case, but a reporter, John MacCormick did not give up and soon, everything was brought to the surface. OG Release Date: 01/25/2020 Sources: Medium ( 2020? January 13). The Full Wiki. (NA). All That's Interesting (2018, October 31). Real Life Villains Fandom (NA). Phil Donahue Debate [Video] (1970)