Outside The Footnotes

This week, KLynn takes the reins to tell the story of what may be America's first documented wrongful conviction — set in 1819 Manchester, Vermont. The case of Russell Colvin, a troubled man who vanished after a fight with his brothers-in-law, spiraled into a seven-year saga of ghost sightings, dubious bones, coerced confessions, and a death sentence — all for a "murder" where the vi...

A "Wendy Wednesday" mini-episode where Wendy tells Heather the bizarre and still-unsolved story of the 2018 Philadelphia Insectarium theft — in which roughly 7,000 live animals (representing over 80 species) vanished from the museum over several days. The case involves surveillance footage, competing ownership claims, a possible black market for exotic insects, FBI involvement, and a six...

Content Warnings: This episode discusses murder, sexual violence, addiction, and failures in the response to missing and endangered women. Descriptions are not graphic, but the subject matter may be difficult for some listeners. This week's theme is crimes that should have never happened — stories where systemic failures, missed warnings, or sheer ignorance allowed preventable crimes to occur....

Two women. One night. And an orange sock that would sit in an evidence room for decades. In January 1982, Annette Schnee and Bobbi Jo Oberholtzer disappeared from the Colorado mountains on the same night. Their cases were initially treated as separate investigations, and for years, there were more questions than answers. In this Wendy Wednesday episode, Wendy tells Kristen the story of what happen...

Send us Fan Mail Guilt is one of those feelings we all recognize, but do we really understand it? In this episode of Outside the Footnotes , Wendy and Klynn look at guilt from two very different—and surprisingly complicated—angles. Klynn takes us into Nazi Germany and Operation Bernhard , a secret counterfeiting operation that forced Jewish prisoners at Sachsenhausen concentration camp into an imp...

Send us Fan Mail In 1979, Wanda Conkling and William “Willie” Cadwallader were preparing for a second honeymoon. They had reconciled, packed their bags, and were supposed to leave Kansas City for California the next morning. They never made it. In this OTF/Wendy Wednesday, I sit down with my mom, Brenda, to dig into a case that has stuck with investigators and the families involved for nearly five...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when power goes unchecked? This week on Outside the Footnotes, Wendy and Klynn take on power—but not the quiet kind. Wendy looks at the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, and how money, influence, and protection became intertwined with the opioid crisis. But this story isn't only about the people who held the power. It's also about the people who lost it—the...

Send us Fan Mail Three women. One house. No obvious struggle. And then…nothing. In this Wendy Wednesday mini episode, Wendy and Klynn dive into the unsolved disappearance of Cheryl Levitt, Susan “Susie” Streeter, and Stacy McCall—the Springfield Three. What happened after the women arrived at Susie’s home on the morning of June 7, 1992? Why were their belongings, cars, and even the family dog left...

Send us Fan Mail Celestial Bed and Loving the Dead: Stories About Obsession What happens when curiosity, desire, grief, or fascination goes just a little too far? In this episode of Outside the Footnotes , Wendy and Klynn each bring a very different story down the rabbit hole of obsession . From James Graham’s bizarre 18th-century Celestial Bed to the disturbing story of Carl Tanzler and his obses...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 6: Belonging What does it really mean to belong? Most conversations about belonging focus on finding the right people or finally fitting in. But what if belonging isn't about fitting in at all? What if it's about finding the places where you can be fully yourself without having to shrink, perform, or compromise who you are? In the final episode of this series, We...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Description Was Disco Demolition Night really about music? In 1979, thousands of fans packed Chicago's Comiskey Park expecting a baseball game and a spectacle. By the end of the night, disco records had been blown up, a riot had broken out, dozens of people had been arrested, and a Major League Baseball game had been forfeited. But decades later, one question still li...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 5: Beneath the Mask What does it really mean to be authentic? We're constantly told to "just be yourself," but what if you've spent years becoming who everyone else needed you to be? What if the masks you wear weren't chosen—but built out of survival, expectations, and the need to belong? In this episode of Outside the Footnotes , Wendy and Klynn e...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 4: The Risk of Being Seen What does it really cost to let yourself be seen? In this episode of Outside the Footnotes , Klynn, Wendy, and Heather explore the courage—and fear—that come with vulnerability. From hiding behind carefully crafted versions of ourselves to risking rejection in exchange for genuine connection, they discuss why being truly known can be one of the ha...

Send us Fan Mail Wendy Wednesday: Moral Crossfire – Episode 1: Gary Plauché What would you do if someone hurt the person you love most? In our first episode of Wendy Wednesday: Moral Crossfire , we examine the story of Gary Plauché—a father whose split-second decision shocked the nation and continues to divide opinions decades later. Was it justice? Revenge? Or something that defies simple labels?...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 3: After Survival Surviving is only part of the story. What happens after the crisis ends? In this episode of Outside the Footnotes , Wendy, Klynn, and Courtney explore what it means to rebuild, heal, rediscover identity, and move forward after life's most difficult experiences. Join us for an honest conversation about resilience, growth, and finding purpose beyond su...

Send us Fan Mail When does care become control? In Episode 2, Wendy and Klynn explore why controlling behaviors are so often mistaken for love. Through conversations about relationships, friendships, family, religion, and personal growth, they examine how fear, insecurity, and attachment can blur the line between genuine care and unhealthy control—and what healthy love actually looks like when aut...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 1: Toxic Masculinity When most people hear the phrase "toxic masculinity," they think of aggression, abuse, or violence. But what if those are only the most visible symptoms of something deeper? In the premiere episode of Outside the Footnotes, Wendy and Klynn step beyond the headlines to explore one of today's most misunderstood cultural conversations. Usin...