Murders, Missing, Misconduct: A True Crime Podcast for the Natural State

June of 2015 history was made all across America when the 4-5 decision made by the Supreme Court ruled that states' ban on marriages of same sex couples are unconstitutional. This decision capped off a rapid change amongst the public's opinion about gay marriage over the past decade. This ruling would set off a stream of same sex couples marrying throughout the United States, including Arkansas, which happened to be one of the last of the 13 states where gay marriage was not accepted until this decision until this ban was lifted.  Starting in June of that year, happy couples, whether traditional or same sex, lined up to say "I DO until DEATH do we PART.  However in October of that same year, one man took it upon himself to decide as to when death should do he and his wife part as well as his own daughter.  This is the Story of Maryanne and Laura Reid. 

Not long now! 

It was a typical day for the employees at the non-profit Care & Share program located in NW Arkansas on 10/3/17. Volunteers consisting of mostly elderly retired individuals began to arrive to start out their day of caring for those less fortunate in the surrounding areas. Co-workers of Ms. Susan Hazard noticed her absence and had received a voicemail from her stating that she would not be in that day as she was home sick.  Since this was so out of character for her they began to call and check on her.  When Susan answered her phone it was apparent that she had just been through one of the roughest nights of her entire life and this would be worse than the typical 24 hour stomach bug. Susan had just endured 18 hours of a brutal assault by a 31 year old man that would change her life forever. 

According to The National Domestic Violence Hotline, on average it will take a victim SEVEN TIMES to leave an abusive relationship before staying away for good.  This wasn't the case for a single mother from Conway, Arkansas. It took her only one attempt to escape from the torment of her own prison that at one time was thought to be a budding relationship. Instead, the relationship withered away to a death sentence of a crime for which she did not commit.  If you are a victim or know a victim of domestic abuse and need help, reach out to The National Domestic Violence Hotline by dialing 1-800-799-SAFE or 1-844-237-2331 www.thecenteronline.org  You don't have to sit in silence and suffer, you are not alone and NEVER be too afraid to reach out. There are people out there who are willing to help. 

It was a cold Sunday morning on January 15, 2012, bound to turn into a beautiful day with highs headed In to the mid 60's. Fifteen year old Colton Harvey is awakened by his parents around 7-8 am. He isn't the most pleasant teenager to be around as most adolescent boys aren't usually the perkiest early morning risers, especially when you're still grounded because your Dad found your stash of chewing tobacco in the pocket of your jacket just 2 days prior.  For all the bright, cheerful and bubbly personality that Candace was, there was the same amount of dark, sad and something lingering over Colton that just simply could not be described. Colton was Candace's polar opposite. Though he never really acted out in school, caused the local neighbors any trouble or ever really even been known as a troublesome kid, he did seem to act out towards his parents a lot at home and of course, in turn this would land him in some sort of a punishment. This would be the case on January 13, 2012. Colton was grounded until further notice once the chewing tobacco was discovered in his jacket pocket. Little did Colton's parents know it would be Candace, their 16 year old daughter that would end up paying the price for Colton's actions that day. 

The year is 2005, in late August, its Hurricane season for those that enjoy the salty life. Here in Arkansas, a young man packs his belongings & loads up his car in preparation to travel the 200 + miles that will take him South to Louisiana. He is an electrician & wherever his skills are needed, he is willing to travel in order to provide for his daughter and her mother.  As his Mother, Pam watches her son load his car with his personal items, she is of course hoping for safe travels and a quick return. She certainly never imagined that in just 6 short days she would be burying her son. 

It was Fall, October 11, 1993. Julie Heath left her home in Malvern, Arkansas to make the 42 minute drive to Hot Springs, AR, which was about 22 miles. Her route would take her NW on US Highway 270, a trip to which Julie was no stranger. However, as fate would have it, when Julie said goodbye to her family that evening as she was leaving, this would be the last time they would ever talk to or see her alive again.  

A South Carolina man on the run for a double murder takes a wrong turn in Ft. Smith, Arkansas landing him a reserved seat in the iconic "Old Sparky".  

The son of a popular nightclub owner was murdered in his own home after a domestic dispute turns deadly. The suspect, also known as his wife, claims self defense despite of the fact there was no records supporting her defense. This case will leave you scratching your head and make you realize just how easy it can be to get away with a cold blooded murder.   

Lisa Rene, only 16 years old and a native of the Virgin Islands relocated to Arlington, Texas to live with her older sister, Pearl. She had future goals of becoming a physician and was working harder on her studies to further her education in order to reach her goal. On the night of September 24, 1994, Lisa was staying home so she could study for her upcoming finals. She was a straight A student and had no intentions of jeopardizing her plans to reach her goal as future physician. Lisa's 2 brothers, whom of which also lived in the same apartment with Lisa and their older sister, went out that night to a concert in nearby Houston, Tx. Pearl was also away from home that night. This quiet time provided Lisa with the perfect opportunity to get some good studying in for those finals. Around 8 pm she heard a banging on the door followed by a man's voice stating he was the "FBI, Open the door", no way was she going to fall for that trick. Quickly called her Aunt Pear to notify her of the situation. Her Aunt advised her that she need to immediately call 911! Lisa did just that. On that 911 call that Lisa made you can hear her begging the dispatcher for help and stating that they were trying to bust down the door. Then the operator heard the sound of shattering glass, a man asking Lisa who was she on the f=phone with, followed by some muffled sounds then the scream coming from Lisa followed by the most uncomfortable silence.  

Just around midnight in the small community of Perryville, AR, a man approaches the Deputy Sheriff standing outside the sheriff's office as he was speaking with other officers. He announces that he needs to speak to the deputy about something. Stepping away from the others the Deputy asks the man, whom of which is well known around the small town, what's going on. The man nervously mumbles that he really needs to speak to someone, repeating this line several different times, the Deputy and the Man enter the Sheriff's office. This is where a 5 year case will be busted wide open. This is the discussion amongst fellow members of the Perryville community that knew the suspect, Stephen Talley. We will discuss with Talley's neighbors and employees of a local business where Talley frequented and get a better idea of his personality and what could have lead him to this heinous crime. This is one of those cases that we will actually return to in the future and go more in depth once records can be released and we are allowed to do so. So far, this is the most that can be mentioned at this time.   We will apologize in advance for the sound quality in this episode as it is probably worse in this one more so than any others as we did this out of town and were just not quiet prepared as we should have been. 

An Oklahoma man sets out on a murdering spree in Arkansas and takes police in 2 states on a high speed chase finally ending with a conviction and a super sized surprise at the end. 

On a hot and sticky summer night in June 2014 an unlikely pair of best buddies would make plans to get together, throw back a few beers, listen to some tunes and "smoke a lil' smoke". Being a loyal friend to Abel, Tony never found it odd that one of his best friends was a whopping 65 years old while he was still a young 22. Age is just a number right, after all, Abel seemed to be young at heart, loved to "party" and he was always up for a good time. It really never bothered Tony much that he was in fact, Abel's only source of transportation and in a lot of ways Abel was very dependent on Tony. Tony new the meaning of a true friendship. This was a role that he took very seriously. When he said he was your friend, he meant it. For Tony's friendly devotion, he was repaid with a bullet to his head and a shrug of the shoulders by the hands of the man of which he was such a loyal friend. 

With her only daughter away for the week enjoying her spring break, Lori has the house all to herself.  The silence can sometimes be louder than the noise after having just lived the past year and a half with a man that had kept pent up aggression hidden from you and one day decides to lash out. For Lori, that silence would probably sound more like the raging storm had already passed.  Lori's phone rings, breaking the silence and her thoughts, it's her mother, Judy calling to check in with her. After some small talk they say their goodbyes. After Lori tells her Mom that she loves her, their conversation ends. These would be the last words Judy would hear her daughter say. 

February 2, 1990 was a cold and rainy night in the rural area of Greenbrier, Arkansas. Pamela Faye Felkins, a 32 year old wife and mother was finishing up her shift at Crossroads Video Store, where she was employed. She was scheduled to be off at 9 o'clock that evening. With her work day almost over, two customers made their final purchase and exit the store. On the couples' way out they are met by a weathered looking man. Since her husband had not made it to the store yet to pick her up after work as planned, she allowed the customer to enter and make his video selection. As the customer browses through the movies, Pam sip on her warm cup of coffee and lights her a cigarette...little did she know, it would be her last. 

WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND VIOLENCE. LISTENER DECRETION IS ADVISED!  The final chapter in little Isaiah's life. He was the little boy, even though hungry himself, passed out sandwiches to those less fortunate. Though Isaiah's death was a sick and sadistic way in which one could ever imagine a 6 year old to suffer, in the end there is a small ray of light that brings some siblings together while giving each other the strength, comfort and understanding they require just in order to main a normal day to day routine. This episode will also give you an eyewitness detailed account of the events that took place in the days, hours and during Isaiah's death and also in to the days thereafter. We will also discuss portions of the witnesses that testified at the trial as well as the verdict and the shocking ruling when the man responsible for killing Isaiah filed an appeal for his Death Penalty Conviction. 

We would like to first apologize for the terrible sound quality in this episode as we did not have the most favorable recording conditions. Also, it took us super long to get this episode out (way longer than expected and this was due to some technical difficulties.) We are in the midst of getting these technical bugs worked out but this will take some time and I just ask everyone to be patient with us. Until then we will bring you the show with the equipment we have ready available in hand and make it work and use it to the best of our abilities. With that being said Episode 2 of Isaiah Torres' case will introduce listeners to the first group of children and will describe the pure hell and torture that they had to endure for about 1-3 years while living with Mauricio. You will hear all the DHS reports (or the ones that were made public) and the recommendations that the AR Department of Human Services felt was right for these children. There were so many chances these children, like so many even now, are crying out from the inside that doesn't have a voice because they are so fearful of what awaits them at home if they tell an authority figure. 

This is the first episode of a 3 part series. We will introduce Mauricio Torres, Isaiah's father who is ultimately responsible for his untimely cruel and heinous death of this six year old child. Although Cathy Torres, no doubt played a part in the torture and sadistic acts that Isaiah was forced to endure, there is no denying that Mauricio was the ring leader in this very own torture chamber that this child called home. We absolutely could not tell little Isaiah's story without first telling the background of Mauricio Torres, Isaiah's beginning and end of his life. This is our firs episode and we ask that you all be patient with us as we have a few technical bugs to work out. We will eventually get the hang of this!! 

A case of chronic child abuse that lead to the murder of 6 year old, Isaiah Torres.