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. Sources: Snyder, David. (2005, June 21). Montgomery Detective Solves 1995 Disappearance. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/06/21/montgomery-detective-solves-1995-disappearance/23acabe6-fcdf-4048-8b7c-bd226c147762/ Soundings Editors. (2005, September 26). Husband charged in Vanderbeek murder. https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/husband-charged-in-vanderbeek-murder Belisle, Richard. (2005, June 21). Man charged with murder in strangling death of wife. Doe Network media. http://www.doenetwork.org/media/news81.html Porchlight International for the Missing and Unidentified. (2006, June 19.) Vanderbeek Sentenced for Killing Wife. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/usedtobedoe/vanderbeek-sentenced-for-killing-wife-t1926.html Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 1. https://anatomyofmurder.com/sail-away-part-one/ Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 2. https://anatomyofmurder.com/sail-away-part-2/ Media in this episode: NPR News. (2008, January 28). FBI Unravels the Stories Skulls Tell. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/18481926

It's Crime Time

Episode 31: The Disappearance and Murder of Cynthia ”Cindy” Vanderbeek

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.  Sources:  Texas Killing Fields Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Killing_Fields_(location)#:~:text=The%20Texas%20Killing%20Fields%20is,of%20girls%20or%20young%20women. Websleuths forum: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/cases-from-1970-1979.153591/ Unsolved Mysteries: Rhonda Johnson & Sharon Shaw: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Rhonda_Johnson_and_Sharon_Shaw I-45 Victims: https://psu-sk.tripod.com/frames/i45-victims.html Lise Olsen Grey Matter News Chron: https://www.chron.com/local/gray-matters/article/In-1974-two-Dickinson-girls-went-missing-Why-12305187.php Michelle Garvey Article: https://patch.com/connecticut/newlondon/missing-teen-from-new-london-identified-as-murder-victim-in-texas 12 Shocking Murder Cases in the Texas Killing Fields: https://www.ranker.com/list/texas-killing-fields-cases/jacob-shelton Texas Equusearch: https://texasequusearch.org/about/ Found Remains Prompt Lawsuit Over Killing Fields Murder: https://www.galvnews.com/news/free/article_5b9c69d3-0415-5d4e-9264-15a2990880c1.html Audrey Cook-Cold Case #86-216 https://www.leaguecity.com/3279/Audrey-Cook---Cold-Case-86-216 Kidnapper convicted in Texas City teen's 1986 disappearance denied parole again: https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Shelley-Sikes-disappearance-Zwarst-parole-denied-12249397.php Shelley Kathleen Sikes: https://charleyproject.org/case/shelley-kathleen-sikes Suzanne Rene Richerson: https://charleyproject.org/case/suzanne-rene-richerson Lynette Bibbs https://sites.google.com/site/illinisweetie85/lynettebibbs Man convicted in Texas City girl's 1996 slaying: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Man-convicted-in-1996-slaying-of-girl-3514233.php Laura Smither article: https://abc13.com/21-years-ago-today-laura-smithers-disappearance/1272189/ Tot Tran Harriman: https://charleyproject.org/case/tot-tran-harriman Remembering Jessica Cain, 20 years after her disappearance: https://abc13.com/remembering-jessica-cain-vanished-20-years-ago/2314855/ Terressa Vanegas Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/eb3t1t/on_halloween_of_2006_16_year_old_girl_terressa/ Donna Prudhomme-Cold Case #91-2200: https://www.leaguecity.com/3280/Donna-Prudhomme---Cold-Case-91-2200 Houston Matters article: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2017/10/18/243184/investigators-think-they-know-who-killed-eleven-girls-around-galveston-in-the-1970s-2/

Episode 30: The Texas Killing Fields

On this episode, I feature 3 cases chosen by my dear friends/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 Katie Pickens Jocelyn Brumaugh Jocelyn Brumbaugh Jocelyn Brumbaugh Jocelyn Brumbaugh Leagle.com  **there are 3 more sources listed on instagram**

Episode 29: Listener Requests

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. Sources: Egan, Leigh. (2019, December 3). Full affidavit of mother accused of hanging her children in basement, having sex with family dog. https://www.crimeonline.com/2019/12/03/read-full-affidavit-of-mother-accused-of-hanging-her-children-in-basement-having-sex-with-family-dog/ Chiu, Allyson. (2019, December 3). A mother said her children, 8 and 4, hanged themselves. She’s now been charged with their murders. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/03/lisa-rachelle-snyder-murder-conner-brinley-hanging/ Schroeder, Laurie & Lehman, Pamela. (2019, December 2) Conner and Brinley Snyder: Happy children who were not bullied, DA says after mom charged in their deaths. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-hanging-who-were-conner-brinley-20191202-ztyyw7pm6zhltmv7yitlkn2upi-story.html Harris, Chris. (2019, December 2). Pa. Mom Accused of Hanging Kids, Staging Murder-Suicide Allegedly Fabricated That Son Was Bullied. https://people.com/crime/pennsylvania-mom-accused-hanging-kids-fabricated-son-bullied/ Schroeder, Laurie, & Lehman, Pamela, & Gamiz, Manuel. (2019, December 2). 'It hits us in the heart’: Pennsylvania mom charged with murder, accused of hanging her children. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-child-deaths-arrest-20191202-n3awtpbfgjaqtoh3lk4pyqlcjy-story.html The Associated Press. Penn Live (2020, June 30) Mom accused of killing kids found hanging in Pa. home says she can’t afford lawyer. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/06/mom-accused-of-killing-kids-found-hanging-in-pa-home-says-she-cant-afford-lawyer.html Audio: CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch: https://soundcloud.com/user-815495581/berks-county-children-911-call Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btWRIY4hKfg 

Episode 28: The Murders of Conner and Brinley Snyder

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. Sources: Nikki. (2019, October 23). "I didn't kill my family," Jack Elijah Turner wrote on Facebook after probably killing his family. Retrieved from: https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Scanlan, Dan. (2019, August 14). Double Homicide suspect seen in St. Johns county is Caught in West Virginia. Retrieved from: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190814/double-homicide-suspect-seen-in-st-johns-county-is-caught-in-west-virginia Gushard, Keith. (2019, October 8). FULL STORY: Turner charged with killing stepmother, half-brother. Retrieved from: https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/full-story-turner-charged-with-killing-stepmother-half-brother/article_9b7d5d18-e960-11e9-aa8d-bf695b692ddf.html Your Erie. (2020, February 17). Commonwealth seeks death penalty in Crawford county double homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.yourerie.com/news/breaking-news/notice-of-aggravating-circumstances-filed-against-jack-turner-in-double-homicide-case-notice-tells-turner-commonwealth-seeks-death-penalty-if-found-guilty/ Heavy. (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ Crowley, Mike. (2019, November 2). FULL STORY: Turner headed to trial on double homicide, other charges. https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Hahn, Tim. (2019, October 7). Crawford Man Charged in Double Homicide. https://www.goerie.com/news/20191007/crawford-man-charged-in-double-homicide Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08usf_3ghJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgx1b7Vip8Q

Episode 27: Jack Elijah Turner and the Murders of Shannon and Darrin Whitman

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.  Sources: Savage, Laiken. (2020, February 1). Krystal Beslanowitch. Retrieved from: https://laikansavage.wordpress.com/2020/02/01/solved-sundayss-krystal-beslanowitch/ Fretwell, Courtney J. (2020, February 9). The Murder of Krystal Beslanowitch. Retrieved from: https://forensictales.com/the-murder-of-krystal-beslanowitch/ Miller, Jessica. (2016, September 30). Utah jury sentences man to life without parole for killing teen in 1995. Retrieved from: https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4416500&itype=CMSID. Salt Lake Tribune.  Kennedy, Gene. (2019, September 19). DNA match leads to arrest in cold case homicide from 1995. Retrieved from: https://fox13now.com/2013/09/19/arrest-made-in-cold-case-homicide-from-1995/ Fox 13 Salt Lake City.  Curry-Reyes, Traciy. (2019, April 20). Krystal Beslanowitch, Joseph Michael Simpson: Watch ‘Murder Decoded Murder On The Rocks’, Profiling Utah Cold Case. Retrieved from: https://tvcrimesky.com/2019/04/20/krystal-beslanowitch-joseph-simpson-murder-decoded-murder-on-the-rocks-of-teen-investigation-discovery-teen-tracry-beslanowitch/1535 Audio: M-Vac Systems. (2016, December 18). M-Vac System Case Study-Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch Cold Case Homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGXJFBHcMzE 

Episode 26: The Solved Cold Case of Krystal Beslanowitch

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.  sources: Imhoff, Frank. (2006, April 21). Case Closed on Lutheran Church arsenic poisoning in Maine. Retrieved from: https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7127 WGME. (2018, April 27). Special Report: New Sweden Arsenic poisonings. Retrieved from: https://wgme.com/news/local/special-report-new-sweden-arsenic-poisonings Murderpedia. Daniel Bondeson. Retrieved from: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bondeson-daniel.htm Sharp, David. (2008, June 15). In Maine, pains linger for arsenic poisoning survivors. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-15-adna-arsenic15-story.html Zernike, Kate. (2003, May 1). Arsenic Poisoning at Church Mystifies a Maine Town. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/01/us/arsenic-poisoning-at-church-mystifies-a-maine-town.html Robinson, Bryan. (2006, January 7). Church Poisoning May Never Be Solved. Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96750&page=1 

Episode 25: The Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church Poisoning

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.  Sources: True Crime England. (2020, February 4). The Murder of Tia Rigg. Retrieved from: https://truecrimeengland.wordpress.com/2020/02/04/the-murder-of-tia-rigg/ Daily Mail Reporter. (2011, May 13). Murdered girls' addict mother to sue council for not taking her into care. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386614/Tia-Rigg-12-raped-murdered-uncle-Child-Protection-Register-born.html Riches, Chris. (2010, April 5). Mother's horror as she finds daughter, 12,stabbed and strangled. Retrieved from: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/167227/Mother-s-horror-as-she-finds-daughter-12-stabbed-and-strangled Press Association. (2010, October 4). Tia Rigg tortured and murdered by uncle obsessed with child porn. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/oct/04/tia-rigg-murdered-by-uncle Tozer, James. (2011, May 13). 'I've finished killing her now': Uncle, 38, murdered niece, 12, while acting out a fantasy from his collection of violent porn. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1317626/John-Maden-raped-murdered-niece-Tia-Rigg-acting-internet-porn-fantasy.html Audio: Daily Motion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xioost DCI David Warren: https://youtu.be/rM1WG-37gj0

Episode 24: The Murder of Tia Rigg

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.  Sources: Serena, Katie. (2018, April 9). The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the 'Sick' Child Who Killed her Mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Retrieved from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard Kettler, Sara. (2019, April 4). The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her Mother. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/news/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder. Biography.com. Meisfjord, Tom. (2020, March 25). The Tragic Childhood of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Retrieved from: https://www.grunge.com/196643/the-tragic-childhood-of-gypsy-rose-blanchard/. Grunge.com Sokmensuer, Harriet. (2019, July 15). Gypsy Rose Blanchard , Who Conspired to Kill Abusive Mom, Is Pictured with Fiance for 1st Time. Retrieved from: https://people.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-pictured-fiance-first-time/ Paul, Pritha. (2020, April 7). Gypsy Rose Blanchard Taking Things Slow with Fiance Ken After briefly calling off their engagement. Retrieved from: https://meaww.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard-reunites-with-fiance-ken-after-split-stepmother-says-they-artaking-things-slow Jones, Alexis. (2019, March 21). Who is Rod Blanchard, Father to Gypsy Rose Blanchard of Hulu's The Act" Retrieved from: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a26887470/who-is-rod-blanchard-gypsy-rose-blanchard/ 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=JpfE3o8IriQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mDCbVy3Xp8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysUtZexaZTI

Episode 23: Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard

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. Sources: The Scare Chamber. The Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders. Retrieved from: https://www.thescarechamber.com/the-unsolved-hinterkaifeck-murders/ Vatomsky, Sonya. (2017, August 31). The Chilling Story of the Hinterkaifeck Killings, Germany’s Most Famous Unsolved Crime. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502044/chilling-story-hinterkaifeck-killings-germanys-most-famous-unsolved-crime Serena, Katie. (2017, November 13). The Gruesome Tale of the Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders. Retrieved from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/hinterkaifeck-murders De Sturler, Alice. (2014, May 1). Case of the Month: Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from: https://defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/ Unresolved. The Setagaya Murders. Retrieved from: https://unresolved.me/the-setagaya-murders 

Episode 22: The Unsolved Hinterkaifeck and Setagaya Murders

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. Sources: Mills, Gary. (NA). The Murder of Maddie Clifton-Timeline. Retrieved from: https://www.sutori.com/story/the-murder-of-maddie-clifton--8rtVFLKHAxZAhZnVsdWXY3Yh Sutori. Kelley, Eileen. (2018, November 10). Lives Go On After Disappearance , death of Maddie Clifton, 8. Retrieved from: https://apnews.com/9b731b15a7b04f2399e5c5d8ef55c2c2 AP News. CrimeInMyPocket. (2018, November 30). Joshua Phillips. Retrieved from: https://crimeinmypocket.com/2018/11/30/joshua-phillips/ 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

Episode 21: The Disappearance and Death of Madelyn Rae Clifton

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. Sources: AUDIO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqS6OFuUXe8 http://www.wbir.com/video/news/local/gary-christian-remembers-his-lost-little-girl/51-2471894?jwsource=cl Satterfield, Jamie. (2017, January 6). Time no cure for pain in torture slayings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Retrieved from: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/01/06/time-no-cure-pain-torture-slayings-channon-christian-and-christopher-newsom/96196018/ Donila, Mike. (2017, January 5). 10 years later: Remembering Christian-Newsom. Retrieved from: https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/10-years-later-remembering-christian-newsom/381967577 Gregg, Maggie. (2019, August 13). Timeline of the Channon Christian-Christian Newsom Murders. Retrieved from: https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Timeline-of-the-Channon-Christian-Christopher-Newsom-murders--513420461.html 

Episode 20: The Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom

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. Farwell, Scott. Interactives: The Girl in the Closet. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from: http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_October/lauren/#.XqO17vaSlPZ Farwell, Scott. 'My life hasn't ever been normal' The story of the girl in the closet-in brief. Retrieved from: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018/12/20/my-life-hasn-t-ever-been-normal-the-story-of-girl-in-the-closet-lauren-kavanaugh-in-brief/ Lockett, John. (2017, January 26). Horrifying ordeal of girl raped, tortured, ... Retrieved from: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2709088/horror-ordeal-of-girl-raped-tortured-live-in-filthy-cupboard-for-five-years-from-age-of-three/ Vries, Lloyd. (2002, December 13). Closet Girl's Stepdad Gets Maximum. Retrieved from: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/closet-girls-stepdad-gets-maximum/ Emily, Jennifer. (2019, February 28). 'Girl in the Closet' Lauren Kavanaugh Indicted after Admitting she sexually assaulted a teenage girl. Retrieved from: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/03/01/girl-in-the-closet-lauren-kavanaugh-indicted-after-admitting-she-sexually-assaulted-a-teenage-girl/ 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

Episode 19: Lauren Kavanaugh (The Girl in the Closet)

On June 23, 1965, police were called to do a welfare check on 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. Sources: Leigh, Cat. (2019, May 6). The Icebox Murders. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/true-crime-by-cat-leigh/the-icebox-murders-907f8c565e5e True Crime and Coffee Reddit User. (2019). The Icebox Murders: The Unsolved Murder and Dismemberment of Fred and Edwina Rogers. Retrieved from: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMurders/comments/cgxmiz/the_icebox_murders_the_unsolved_murder_and/ Rossen, Jake. (2019, November 4). Cold Case: Revisiting Houston’s Infamous Ice Box Murders. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/602369/ice-box-murders-houston Video: KHOU 11: Missing Pieces: The Icebox Murders. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2xlhcBjDE8

Episode 18: 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. Sources: Grey, Orrin. (2020, January 27). Samuel Little: The Most Prolific Serial Killer in United States History. Retrieved from: https://the-line-up.com/samuel-little-serial-killer Margaritoff, Marco. (2019, February 27). The Grisly Story of Samuel Little, The Most Prolific Serial Killer in American History. Retrieved from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/samuel-little Fbi.gov. (2019, October 6). FBI Seeking Assistance Connecting Victims to Samuel Little’s Confessions. Retrieved from: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/samuel-little-most-prolific-serial-killer-in-us-history-100619 Biography.com. (2019, December 5). Samuel Little. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/samuel-little Videos retrieved on FBI. Gov: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/samuel-little-most-prolific-serial-killer-in-us-history-100619

Episode 17: Samuel Little- The Most Prolific Serial Killer in U.S. History

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