Method & Madness

For nearly 41 years, Kristin O'Connell's family has waited for answers. The question: Who Killed Kristin O’Connell? Now, there is renewed hope. A California forensic laboratory is prepared to conduct advanced DNA testing on key evidence preserved since Kristin's 1985 murder. Before that testing can begin, however, $10,000 must be raised. In this special update, I share why this testing matters, wh...

This is the 6th part of a series honoring the victims of Richard Cottingham. Please listen to episodes 104 through 108 first.  In July 1968, 13-year-old Jackie Harp left drum corps practice in Midland Park, New Jersey, and began the short walk home. She never arrived. Hours later, a quiet suburban town was turned upside down when Jackie was found murdered in the woods less than half a mile from he...

Part 5 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series 29-year-old Nancy Vogel went missing on her way to play Bingo in October of 1967. Diane Cusick never made it home after a shopping trip in February of 1968. Nancy and Diane never knew each other, but were both victims of murder at the hands of one man. In this episode, we retrace Nancy’s and Diane’s final days, the impact that their murders had on the...

Part 4 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series A single diary entry, buried inside a police file, may have held the key to stopping a killer. In 1967, 17-year-old Mary Ann Della Salla vanished while walking home from work in Hackensack, New Jersey. Seventy-six days later, she was found nine miles away. Her case went cold, and her name faded, until decades later when a confession brought it all bac...

Part 3 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series  Please listen to episodes 104 & 105 first. In September of 1965, 18-year-old nursing student Alys Eberhardt was murdered inside her family’s home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Despite an extensive investigation, the case remained unsolved for decades. More than sixty years later, serial killer Richard Cottingham, known as the “Torso Killer”, confesse...

Part 2 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series In this mini-series, we will continue to honor the victims whose lives were taken by a serial killer who terrorized New York and New Jersey for 15 years. Featured on today’s episode: Deedeh Goodarzi, Manhattan Jane Doe, Jean Reyner, Valerie Ann Street, Mary Ann Carr, Nancy Vogel, Mary Ann Pryor, and Lorraine Kelly. Richard Cottingham has been behind b...

Part 1 of the Richard Cottingham Victim Series   On August 9th, 1974, 2 teenagers on their way to a New Jersey mall went missing. 17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Kelly were best friends, savoring the last days of summer break. They should have been heading into their senior year; older, sunburned, and full of plans. They never got that chance. Five days after they went missing,...

Originally published January 31, 2023. It started as a simple night out; 2 friends going to see a movie. Afterward, the pair boarded a bus headed for home. What they encountered on that ride would be described in the following days as “barbaric”, “shocking”, and “horrific”. This is the story of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh. She had completed her finals and was preparing for an internship to become a do...

In March 1994, 28-year-old Tina Marie Arriaga dropped off her two young daughters at their grandmother’s house in Long Branch, New Jersey. She told her mother she was running to the pharmacy. She never came back. Weeks later, Tina’s body was discovered behind an auto shop, strangled and beaten. No one has ever been charged. For more than 30 years, Tina’s family has lived with unanswered questions...

I n the late summer of 1968, 22-year-old Joan Freeman reported for an overtime shift at Hoffman-LaRoche, a sprawling pharmaceutical complex on the border of Clifton and Nutley, New Jersey. What should have been an ordinary Saturday at work became a nightmare: Joan would not leave the building alive. From the strange theories surrounding industrial theft and espionage to potential connections with...

Surjit Athwal was 16 years old when she was forced to marry a man 10 years her senior. It was outside of London, England but life for the young wife was isolating, tense and abusive. As Surjit tried to gain her independence and flee her strict Sikh household, the control over her became worse and worse; until a deadly plan was established followed by one chilling statement, “We have to get rid of...

On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the film Rust, a tragedy that shook Hollywood and the world. In this episode, we explore how a series of missteps, overlooked safety protocols, and human error led to her death. We delve into the history of on-set accidents, the role of unions and armorers, and the legal battles that followed - including the trials of Ha...

This week’s episode of Method & Madness is being released alongside a new installment of Mean Girl Murders titled “Tears of a Clown” on Investigation Discovery and HBO Max, where I was honored to contribute to the retelling of Adrianne Reynolds’ story, especially knowing her family was involved. The TV episode was released on Monday 8/4/25 at 9pm EST and can be streamed anytime. In January 200...

As Pride Month comes to a close, we honor two lives taken too soon; one an openly gay man, the other a fierce ally. This week’s episode tells the story of Jeremy Waggoner, a gentle soul and hairstylist murdered in Detroit in 2008. And Lauri Carleton, a California shop owner shot in front of her store in 2023 for flying a Pride flag. One case is unsolved. The other, shockingly recent. Both are remi...

A note from Dawn regarding 2 big updates to cases covered recently on Method & Madness. Listen to the original episodes here: Samantha Humphrey John Umberger Thank you for listening. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support .

On Thanksgiving weekend in 2006, 24-year-old Priscilla Pimentel, affectionately known as “Peaches” by her family, never showed up for dinner. Days later, her siblings made a devastating discovery inside her Queens apartment. Priscilla was kind, funny, full of life, and part of a close-knit Puerto Rican family. She was also a queer woman living independently in New York City, chasing her dreams and...

This is a replay of Enrique's story. It's been almost 5 years since the remains of Enrique Roman-Martinez washed ashore in North Carolina. Someone knows something. In May 2020, Fort Bragg Paratrooper SPC Enrique Roman-Martinez was reported missing at Cape Lookout on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Days later, his decapitated head washed onto shore. Many questions about the circumstances surrounding...

An investigator, determined to identify a Jane Doe. A young woman, determined to meet her birth mother. Their paths would cross in 2006, and a murder investigation would begin. In October 1978, 23-year-old Wilma June Nissen was found discarded on the side of a road in rural Iowa. For nearly 3 decades, she was known only as Jane Doe.  This week on Method & Madness, we sit down with Wilma’s daug...

On April 9, 1987, 9-month-old Jacob Landin was critically injured in his New Mexico home. He later died from blunt force trauma to the head. Despite the tragedy, Jacob’s case received no media attention at the time. Now, thanks to the tireless efforts of his mother, Brenda, and brother, Eric Carter-Landin, Jacob’s case has been reopened — but the fight for justice is far from over. Join Dawn and s...

14-year-old Enci “Aubrey” Wu vanished in January 2025, leaving a Pennsylvania community desperate for answers. Three months later, she was found — safe — hundreds of miles from home. This episode unpacks her disappearance, the digital movement that followed, and the legal questions still unfolding. A rare case with a hopeful ending — and a hard look at the power and pitfalls of social media. *** M...

Samantha Humphrey was a brilliant, funny, and empathetic child taken far too soon. Who would want to harm her? It was the day after Thanksgiving, 2022, when 14-year-old Samantha went missing in Schenectady, NY.  For 3 months, New York State Police worked with various search & rescue organizations to look for the child in and around the last area she was seen - Riverside Park & The Mohawk R...

33-year-old Jared McColloch has been missing since 11/5/23. On November 4th, 2023, Jared drove over 500 miles north from his home in Louisiana.  He arrived in Salem, Illinois, at 1:38 AM the next day and stopped for gas at a local convenience store. According to Jared's ex-girlfriend, the two were supposed to meet up and then visit their teenage son later that day. The following day, a local citiz...

April 15th, 2025 Update: Enci ‘Aubrey’ Wu has been found safe! More details to come. Enci Wu, who goes by Aubrey, is a 14-year-old girl who went missing in January 2025 from her Palmer Township, PA home. Her family is desperately trying to find her.  Authorities have classified her as a runaway, but her parents do not believe she left willingly. They fear that she may be the victim of human traffi...

Months went by and a 14-year-old's disappearance got little media attention.  23 years later, one woman is ensuring this story isn't forgotten. High School freshman Danielle Bell went to a party on the evening of September 28th, 2001 in Cantonment, Florida.  It was the last time the 14-year-old was ever seen. Her loved ones describe her as “a stranger to nobody”.  When she didn’t return home that...

A day meant to honor and celebrate mothers became a moment of cruelty for a childless woman. On October 16, 2016 police in Bella Vista were called to a bloody scene outside a residence. Piecing together what had happened that night was looking simple enough; multiple witnesses, one man dead, a suspect in custody- case solved, right? Not quite. This is the unbelievable true story of “Higui” Eva Ana...