Going West: True Crime

In June of 1987, a 40-year-old Navajo woman left to work a night shift at an Arizona medical center, and never returned home. When her body was found nearby the next day, it was clear she had been murdered. But after a potentially coerced confession, and talks of a native legend being to blame, who was really responsible for her slaying? This is the story of Sarah Saganitso. BONUS EPISODES Apple S...

In October of 1989, a 30-year-old pregnant woman was murdered after being apprehended at a stoplight in Boston. When her injured husband called police to explain what happened, an intense investigation began, revealing a surprising suspect. This is the story of Carol Stuart. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398 Patreon: patreo...

In October of 1974, a 19-year-old woman headed to her church at midnight after she and her husband got into an argument. But when she didn’t return home that night, her husband reported her missing. When her body was found inside in a ritualistic manner just hours later, police began a painstaking investigation. Decades later, when a DNA match was made, a shocking ending came to her case. This is...

In November of 2022, a 22-year-old woman went missing after visiting her mom’s house in Tennessee. After curiously texting her mom her location in the middle of the night, and posting something suspicious to Facebook, the investigation, led heavily by her mom, narrowed in on one possible culprit. This is the story of Jasmine Pace. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/p...

In November of 1973, five teenage friends were attacked while they sat around a campfire at a local state reserve. After killing four of them, the final girl was taken into a van before being dropped off at home, able to share her story with the police in hopes of catching the monsters behind it all. This is the story of Sandra Cheskey, Roger Essem, Stewart Baade, Dana Baade, and Michael Hadrath....

In October of 2006, police responded to a call about someone jumping from the roof of a New Orleans hotel. When they arrived, they found a note in the man’s pocket, confessing to committing a horrific crime just streets away. But when police reported to the apartment in question, the circumstances of the crime were more shocking than they’d imagined. This is the story of Addie Hall and Zack Bowen....

On Halloween night, 1981, a nun was murdered by a mysterious intruder in the Saint Francis Convent in Amarillo, Texas. Scrambling to put someone behind bars for this heinous crime, as well as others of its kind in the area, police accepted the help of a psychic. And soon after, they arrested the teenager they felt was responsible. But now, more than forty years later, the community is still wonder...

In October of 1999, a police officer reported near a lighthouse on a North Carolina island, when she was killed after arrival. With her fellow officers botching the crime scene, years of speculation followed about the circumstances regarding her death. Was it a murder? An accident? A suicide? To her loved ones, the conclusion was clear. This is the story of Davina Buff Jones. BONUS EPISODES Apple...

In May of 2005, a large group of Alabama high school students headed off to Aruba for an unofficial graduation trip. The day before they were all set to leave, an 18-year-old girl from the group went off with young men from a bar and wasn't seen again. When the rest of the students headed back home with no sight of her, an intense investigation began, with the prime suspect confessing numerous tim...

In May of 2014, two young girls lured their friend out to the woods during a game of hide-and-seek, and stabbed her 19 times, after claiming a fictional creature from the internet ordered them to do so. But once a cyclist came across the victim, clinging to life, the other girls’ plan veered off course. This is the story of Payton Leutner, also known, as the Slender Man stabbing. BONUS EPISODES Ap...

In October of 1991, an 18-year-old woman left California bound for Mexico on a bicycle, hoping to volunteer along the way. But after a sudden lack of contact with her family, loved ones started to wonder if something had happened during her solo trip. With her belongings being found in a spot near where she was last seen and a suspicious final witness on police’s radar, everyone is wondering, what...

In October of 1961, police reported to the home of a 31-year-old Massachusetts woman after a neighbor spotted blood inside her house. When police began investigating, it felt clear that she had been met with foul play. But after finding library books on murders and disappearances similar to her own, suspicions were raised, begging the question: what really happened to Joan Risch  BONUS EPISODES Ap...

In October of 2018, dismembered remains of a male body started turning up along the highway in Ohio. At the same time, a 39-year-old father from Michigan was reported missing by his family. When the disappearance and the scattered remains were found to be linked, his family had only one potential suspect in mind. But when police were forced to release them due to a lack of evidence, they fled the...

In July of 1902, a wealthy Tennessee plantation owner went on a murderous rampage in the middle of the night, killing his entire family with an ax. But what they found at his home after his death was even more horrifying. Since the tragic slaying of six innocent people that night, and dozens of others over the years, the home has been turned into one of the scariest haunted houses in America: Frig...

In October of 1953, a 15-year-old girl went missing while babysitting in her Wisconsin neighborhood. A cursory search of the home revealed blood, making it obvious that she had been met with foul play. And it didn’t take long for her to be linked to one of the country’s most prolific serial killers. But was he actually involved, or was it another local? This is the story of Evelyn Hartley. BONUS E...

In August of 2018, a 19-year-old woman went missing from her home in Arizona. As police began digging deeper into her case, it became more and more clear that she had been met with foul play. When her body was found on a remote stretch of desert weeks later, their suspicions were confirmed. But was her boyfriend behind it? Or is it possible there was another mystery man involved? This is the story...

BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398 Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. Kayelyn's Obituary:  https://www.brownfamilymortuary.com/obituaries/kayelyn-louder 2. NBC:  https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/update-missing-america-kayelyn-louder-n219596 3. Reddit:  https://www.reddit.com/r/mystery/com...

In September of 1991, a 30-year-old woman vanished from a lodge in Pennsylvania. Although she was found shortly after, badly beaten, strangled, and burned on a beach in New York, it took 30 years to identify her body. And when police did, it only deepened the mystery, because, as it turns out, her young daughter is still missing. This is the story of Christine Belusko, and her daughter Christa. BO...

In October of 2019, a 25-year-old woman who volunteered at a shelter helping victims of domestic violence was found murdered in a Staten Island park. As police dug deeper into her personal life, they learned there were multiple men in her life who seemed to want revenge against her, leading them to a shocking suspect. This is the murder of Ola Salem. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://pod...

In August of 1972, a 16-year-old girl went missing in New Jersey. Although police initially insisted she had run away, her body was found six weeks later at the top of a cliff near an abandoned quarry. Due to the disturbing and controversial scene in which her body was discovered, her death was ruled a homicide, and some suspect she was actually a ritual sacrifice for demonic activity. This is the...

In September of 2019, a 33-year-old man was found dead in his North Carolina apartment. Despite the scene suggesting a brutal attack and murder, his death was ultimately ruled a case of pneumonia. But considering his girlfriend was known for her obsessive, violent behavior, his family is pushing to have his case reopened. This is the story of Brandon Embry. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: http...

In September of 2017, a 20-year-old woman went missing after a house party in Illinois. Just three weeks earlier, she had been a victim of human trafficking in California, but was able to escape her abductors and return home safely. So does her disappearance have anything to do with this terrifying incident? Or was someone from the party involved? This is the story of Alexis Scott. BONUS EPISODES...

In September of 1987, two sisters headed to their local state fair in Oklahoma to commemorate the end of summer. But after they failed to meet their brother at the prearranged time and place, they were reported missing. When their bodies were discovered weeks later, a local’s account would begin a lengthy battle to find justice for the girls. These are the murders of Lisa Pennington and Cheryl Gen...

In September of 2022, a well-known Memphis mom, heiress, and kindergarten teacher disappeared during an early morning run. As police scrambled to find a trace of her, disturbing surveillance footage was collected showing her abduction just after 4am. But who was responsible, and why did the crime occur in the first place? This is the story of Eliza Fletcher. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: htt...

In February of 1978, a group of five men went missing in the lush wilderness of Northern California while on their way home from a college basketball game. After the snow melted in June, four of their bodies were recovered, scattered miles from their abandoned car. As for the fifth member of their group, he mysteriously vanished altogether. As their causes of death were revealed, police wondered w...