Vanished

You know what’s really wild? I recorded the intro for this episode six times - and not because I kept flubbing the wording. But because that’s how many times this case has changed directions on us since we started our investigation. In the short time we’ve been working on this case, I’ve learned facts, heard some amazing stories, which you’ll all get to hear soon, and continually been in awe of ju...

Some of the stories we cover for this show take a toll. You get into something, and you think it’s for a little while, and you end up being swallowed by your fascination and taken down rabbit holes you never thought you’d be in. Over the years, we’ve received a ton of requests for us to cover one story in particular. Ever since we took that pit stop in 1865 to visit the story of John Wilkes Booth,...

On July 5th 2020, we walked away from the Amelia Earhart case as a team. After over a year of recording and almost two years in production, we ended what I thought was the final conversation we’d have on this show regarding Amelia Earhart.  Well, you know how that goes….. 2 weeks ago, on January 26th, a very intriguing sonar image of what appears to be an aircraft 16,000 feet below the surface of...

It’s December 5th, 1872. The waters of the Atlantic are cold and desolate. Unforgiving.  A British brigantine, the Dei Gratia sits about 400 miles east of the Azores when crew members spot a ship that seems to just be bobbing on the endless waves -  lifeless in an ocean that seems to never end.    The Captain of the Dei Gratia, David Morehouse was surprised when he discovered that the ship his men...

It’s January 5th 1941, the skies are gray and filled with water, ready at any minute to pour down to the Earth below. Amy Johnson, whom many people referred to as the British Amelia Earhart, is soaring through the air, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her heart beating with excitement and trepidation. Little does she know that she’s about to live the final moments of her life.  Up to this point, the...

Welcome back to a very different part 4 than we thought we’d have. I guess that’s how it goes in these cases right? When you follow the evidence, wherever it leads, sometimes what it uncovers, or doesn’t may surprise you.  Trial by Jury is now behind us, and if you’re listening to this, hopefully you’ve made your own conclusions about what was presented during that part of the series. Does it comp...

Despite countless investigations and numerous suspects over the years, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery to this day. But what would it take to try this case in modern times? In order to build a strong case, new looks at Zodiac would need to start with a deep dive back into the original evidence, including potential DNA samples, fingerprints, and any other forensic evidence that...

You ever heard the phrase slippery slope? Well, we’re all on one right now. This is what it’s like. An overload of information coming at you in rapid succession. Maybe that’ll be a looming theme over this season. So, in the interest and perhaps celebration of speed, Jen and I have decided to hold our thoughts on the case for a discussion that will come at the end of our series in a format we’ve on...

The upscale neighborhood of Presidio Heights; in the north side of San Francisco - is a whole world unto itself. You can get anywhere in the city 30 minutes from here. Walking distance to Golden Gate Park with stunning views of the bay. Today, it’s known as one of the safest neighborhoods in Northern California.  In downtown San Francisco, the sounds of the sirens fill the neighborhoods. In the la...

The dive into this case has been unmeasurable. What I thought was a case that wouldn't interest me at all, has now become an obsession. Funny how that works out. As we wind down our investigation into the vanishing of Judge Joe Crater, we thought it would be beneficial to bring in an expert on the case to educate us all on what researching Crater is like, and how it changes you as a person. Tonigh...

Disappearances are always hard to understand.  Most of the time, we’re looking for someone that was taken from us against their will. Sometimes, they’re a mystery that we can’t explain. Every once in a while though, the disappearance is voluntary, and maybe that’s what we’re dealing with here.  Was Judge Joe Crater murdered? Or did he stage an elaborate exit leaving his wife, friends, and colleagu...

August 25th, 1930, was the first day of the New York Supreme Court's fall term. But its newest judge didn't show up for court. Justice Joseph Crater's lifelong ambition was to be a judge. By all accounts, he was ecstatic at his recent appointment to the bench by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. But his seat on the bench this day was inexplicably empty. In fact, no one had seen justice crater in 19...

When we were last together, we spoke of DB Cooper, and the only unsolved case of air piracy in US history. Tonight, we take piracy to a whole new level.  In the late 1600’s, in just a two year period, a single man would lead a mutiny aboard a ship named Charles the second, become the captain elect of that ship, and go on to have the most successful pirate career of anyone that ever lived. Like Coo...

If you made it this far , you’re probably in till it’s over and I commend you. We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in a very short time. And now in our final segment together, we take it all the way. But before we all enter the courtroom together, we have a few more stops to make and a few more experts would like to weigh in. The story of DB Cooper is a complex one taking twists and turns at ever...

Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome back to Vanished. In part one of our series, alongside our guests, we discussed the mindset, the story, and the legend of DB Cooper. We also discussed the science being worked on the two largest pieces of physical evidence that we have in this case. And I know what you’re thinking. That’s all great, but who was DB Cooper? And what about all these suspects? In part t...

Welcome back. Anniversaires are fun. And if you’ve followed this show you know that we kind of make a big deal of those around here. January 5th, 1939; after vanishing over the pacific ocean alongside her navigator Fred Noonan, icon Amelia Earhart is declared dead in Absentia. August 31st, 1888, the body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered at 3:40 AM in Whitechapel...officially beginning Jack the R...

And now we’ve reached the end. In part 4 I mentioned that we’ve covered this case, in essence, two times. The John Wilkes Booth story represents, for me, a very big struggle for the show because we had to change the structure midway through research, and just before we were set to launch an entire season based on the case you just heard. And now, it’s reflection time.  As we exit our journey into...

It's easy to make extraordinary claims when they're unchallenged. But that's about to change. A few episodes back, I encouraged you to jump down this rabbit hole. And now, I'm here to help you climb back out. Welcome to the fourth episode of our series on John Wilkes Booth. Trial by Jury. LINKS Our Website Vanished on Twitter   Vanished on Instagram   Vanished on Facebook   Vanished Facebook Discu...

I have a lot of heavy lifting to do. In part 3 of our series on John Wilkes Booth, my investigation is in full swing. Joined by a world class guest list, I dive into the case head first in an effort to understand how and why Booth might have escaped, the complex introduction of DNA into the case, and the first trial that took place on this case a little over a quarter century ago. Welcome back to...

I’ve been investigating historical mysteries for a long time. And everything always begins with a story. It’s hard to look at our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln as controversial. But he was. As much as he’s now revered the world over for his acts during his presidency, there were many people that stood in opposition of Lincoln and the Union. When we think of Lincoln, we often think about his end;...

What you’re about to hear really started for me a few years ago. I was just about to leave Los Angeles for our big family move out to the midwest. I was in the Los Angeles Public Library looking through some microfilm on Amelia Earhart when I stumbled back a little too far and found the contents of an 1862 Valentines’ note to Lucy Lambert Hale; a prominent Washington D.C. socialite. That’s right....

This is the end. And frankly I’m relieved to be through it. To be honest, when we first decided we’d venture outside the Amelia Earhart case, I had doubts. I still do if I’m being completely honest. But starting with Jack the Ripper was a good experiment for me. It tested my emotional ability to get through a case like this and come out the other side. You’ve had a couple of weeks to digest the tr...

On New Years’ Eve 1888, a body was found floating in the Thames at Chiswick. A channel known historically by locals as “the quiet river” . Upon inquisition into the finding, it was said that the body had been in the river for a month. Maybe more. Five days after the body was discovered, the Acton, Chiswick, and Turnham Green Gazette reported on the inquest into the person found in the river and fe...

Ripperology ripper +‎ - ology The study of Jack the Ripper , an unidentified serial killer active around the Whitechapel district of London in the late 19th century. Investigating a historical mystery is hard. All of the witnesses are deceased, all of the physical evidence is gone. The documents and files have been lost. Even the scene of the crimes has changed; Whitechapel isn’t the same as it wa...

Ripperology ripper +‎ - ology The study of Jack the Ripper , an unidentified serial killer active around the Whitechapel district of London in the late 19th century. In part one we laid the foundation for this case. That’s important. After finishing that, it's now time to dive into our investigation. And that starts with asking a fundamental question. Just who was Jack the Ripper ? In order to fin...